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LOW-POWER RIGS

You can also cut your ham radio "startup" expenses by buying a new unit that has fewer features and a lower level of performance than the standard multi-band 100-watt transceiver. Such a rig may be designed to cover fewer bands, transmit only in Morse code, or produce a lower power output . . . and (because of its limited capability) will cost less.

You may remember the Heath kit HW-8 that I reviewed back in MOTHER NO. 47 (on page 40). The completed code-only assemble it-yourself unit covers four bands (3.5, 7, 14, and 21 MHz) and has a power output of about 2.5 watts. Since it sells for less than $190, the HW-8 may strike some folks as a satisfactory compromise between price and performance. (Write to Heath Company, Dept. TMEN, Benton Harbor, Michigan 49022 for information.)

If rigs in this QRP (low-power) class appeal to you-and if you have some previous experience in electronic construction-then you should investigate the code-only kits sold by Circuit Board Specialists (Dept. TMEN, P.O. Box 969, Pueblo, Colorado 81002) and Radio kit (Dept. TMEN, P.O. Box 411, Greenville, New Hampshire 03048). Most of the packages from Circuit Board Specialists are based on construction articles that have appeared in QST magazine. Complete parts kits to make one and two-band receivers are available for $50 or $60, while simple crystal controlled transmitters may run as little as $20. (However, Circuit Board's brochure, which is free, isn't very detailed . . . and you may have to refer back to the original QST articles to make your choice.) Radio kit, on the other hand, markets several low-power code-only transmitters and receivers in the $60 to $100 range, as well as an excellent stock of individual parts for the ham builder (and the firm's catalog costs a mere 50d).

The low-power/low-cost category also includes CB equipment converted to ham bands. The most common (and best documented) of these CB conversions switches the unit's transmission from AM phone in the citizen's band to FM phone in the 10meter (28 MHz) amateur band. An excel lent book on the subject is The 10-Meter FM Handbook by Bob Heil (K9EID). You can get it for $4.95 plus $1.00 shipping and handling from Melco, Dept. TMEN, P.O. Box 26, Marissa, Illinois 62257. (Melco also sells the CB circuit boards and everything else you need to get on 10-meter FM, at a total cost of well below $100.)

SOME NEW ALTERNATIVES

While many hams do enjoy QRP operation, some newcomers find the low power units frustrating. The signal from a 2watt transmitter is much weaker than that from a 100-watt transmitter (a full 17 decibels weaker, technically speaking). Recently, however, Dentron (Dept. TMEN, 1605 Commerce Drive, Stow, Ohio 44224) came out with a line of 25-watt rigs-which is only 6 decibels less than 100 watts-at very inexpensive prices. For example, Dentron's STATION ONE code-only 25-watt transceiver is priced at $199.95. It covers the 3.5-, 7-, and 21-MHz bands (the ones that Novice Class operators are allowed to use), and comes complete with code key, headset, 3-band dipole antenna, and license study materials. The rig is designed to get its power from a 12-volt storage battery, but an AC power supply adapter is available as an accessory if you need one.

As another alternative, the Dentron MLX Mini Transceiver embodies a different set of prices and feature trade-offs than does the STATION ONE. For instance, while the MLX power level is also 25 watts, this unit provides SSB voice transmission in addition to CW. The major design sacrifice here is the limiting of the rig's coverage to one amateur band. (When you order, you can choose any one of the bands from 1.8 to 50 MHz.)

So take heart, all you NDR hams who are forced to operate on a limited budget: You can obtain your transmitting and receiving equipment at bargain prices . . . if you're willing to make a few concessions and shop around!

Peace, Cop Macdonald (VEIBFL)
P.O. Box 2941
Charlottetown
Prince Edward Island
Canada CIA 8C5

New Directions Radio is an international network of radio amateurs concerned with those ways of using ham radio (and related modes of communicating) that promote our own growth as individuals, and that we perceive as helping to create a more aware, more caring, and more responsible human society. We encourage all who share these interests to work with us. A current schedule of on-the-air activities is included in each issue of the bimonthly New Directions Roundtable Newsletter, published by Art Mourad (WB2POB) as a service to the rest of us. To subscribe, send 25a' for each issue desired to Art Mourad, Dept. TMEN, P.O. Box 787, Bergenfield, New Jersey 07621.

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