The IC-746 comes with a 2.4 kHz wide filters for the first 9 MHz IF and for the second 455 kHz IF along with some wide options for AM and FM use.

I purchased this radio from a CW operator so it was no surprise what I found in the two 9 MHz optional slots: 350 and 250 kHz filters. They work real well for CW and, I suppose, the wider of the two would be good for RTTY work which I am just starting to use.

However, I do lots of SSB work and often get the AGC following the nearby signals rather than the one I want. So I really wanted to try out the 1.9 kHz Icom FL-223. It did not take long to find one on E-Bay from… Taiwan no less. In about a week I had my package.

I decided to keep the 350 Hz filter and replace the 250 with the 1.9 kHz unit.

That last picture was about the only way to quantify the difference between the two SSB bandwidths I now have. Here is it bigger…

Graphical results of 2.4 (bottom) and 1.9 kHz

These two filters, and the CW 350 and 250 kHz units for that matter, all run a little wider than you might expect, but that’s probably normal since frequency roll off is a slope.

Initial use reveals some affect on received audio, but really not all that much. I tuned in 160 meters and found some voices to listen too. I did notice slightly less fidelity when using the 1.9 kHz filter.

Does this mean I will have a better chance of keeping my AGC intact during close in SSB contest QSOs? I don’t know. Nothing will make this Icom 746 an Elecraft K3. However, this can’t hurt.

Sweepstakes is in a couple weeks so maybe I will give it a hard test then.

I only wish the Icom IC-746 had more filter slots.

Choosing Elecraft is a no brainer, but any of the other kit manufacturers would be fine also. The point it to give a young man an opportunity to see something start from a box of parts and become a higher level assembly.

We are also considering the Elecraft KX1 as a good starter kit. We have already built several of the other smaller Elecraft kits.

Here is a summary of our current situation…

• I have read the various FAQs, tips, etc.
• I am not new to kit building.
• We have a good soldering station.
• If the K2 works out well we will use it on CW for a while and then add
  enhancements: SSB first then others (perhaps DSP, 160M, 60M-Xvrter,
  100Watts)…
• Are there tools or tips I am missing before I drop the coin?

The summary of the very helpful answers are…

• Think ESD for the parts (no worries there… I am the ESD promoter at our electronics lab at work)
  • No parts in non ESD foam
  • No parts in cardboard, etc.
  • Small anti-static mat with wrist straps, etc.
  • Keep active parts in their black ESD foam
• Seriously consider the re-work eliminators and other nifty things from http://www.unpcbs.com/
• Consider a good Cap/Inductance meter
• Seriously consider using flush cutting snips
• Certainly use a thermo controlled soldering iron with good assortment of tips
• Use small diameter solder
• Get a new #1 Phillips screwdriver
• Seriously consider an illuminated magnifier or, perhaps, a mag. visor
• On the same topic, have good lighting
• Reference the example toroid images available from the K2 community
• Use headers where possible
• Dental pick and other assorted fiddling tools
• Reserve a good amount of table space for the project
• Consider pre-wound toroids
• When inventorying parts, leave the resistors in their tape
• Seriously consider starting with the XG2 and DL-1 dummy load to spin up on soldering skills
• Seriously consider making the XG2 because it will be handy during the K2 build
• Consider building the N-gen noise generator. Simple to build and helpful to check whether a receiver is funcitoning properly

These are single frequency QRP units that are easy to build and fun.

The QRPeanut Can transceiver featured on HamHelpDesk uses a DC-40A unit.

This easy to build QRP transceiver is a single channel direct conversion crystal controlled assembly available for use with CW.

All you need to add is antenna, keyer, headphones and power. An antenna matcher makes good sense too.

Improvements include:

• the addition of a 50 ohm resistor to tame one of the circuit sections and keep it from oscillating. This was an issue with some of the DC-40A units including mine which I fixed myself.
• Also included is a case! Perhaps it is not as elegant as a Peanut Can, but certainly solves the problem of what do to with the completed board once you have it ready.
• A new circuit board design with more space between components rounds out this latest offering from a very decent provider of fun QRP Kits.

Here is more information…

The New DCxx Revision B with Case!

I very much enjoyed building my DC-40A and am considering another one, perhaps for another band and the new case makes this a very good deal at around $50.

Bravo QRPKits.com!

Last fall I purchased a QRPKits.com DC40A QRP transceiver. At around $40 it is a no brainer purchase for any kit builder attempting to keep in practice. I really wanted to try an Elecraft, but budgets are budgets. I have my main rig now so I finally decided to take the built and tested DC40A board and house it. During testing I soldered a piece of coax straight to the antenna points on the board. The center conductor broke at the board pretty quick. I was motivated to tie that antenna signal to a bulkhead BNC.

I have several of the peanut cans around so we washed one up, laid out a plan of installation and wound up with this single channel QRP transceiver…

QRP in a Peanut Can - Batteries Included

It’s no Altoids Transceiver, but I like it fine. Here is a view of the installation…

Inside the QRPeanut Transceiver

Yes I will replace those two wires with a piece of coax.

The only thing I have to finalize is why the transmitter shifts frequency just a little after the initial dot or dash. It is all part of the fun.

Parts include:

• Bulkhead Solder BNC Connector – Digikey
• Eight AA Cell holder – Radio Shack
• Switch SPST – Radio Shack
• Nylon Board Spacers and Hardware – Digikey
• Drill bit to extend the red switch out of the lid – temporary I promise
• Can of Harris Teeter Select Super Extra Large Peanuts

My kid will use this to learn code using a 100 foot piece of wire out his bedroom window and an old Heathkit low power antenna tuner I had laying around.

He has a Kenwood TS-2000 transceiver. As time went by he used various adjustments while listening to CW. He was never quite satisfied with the noise levels that came in along with the desire CW signals. Variables adjusted include the RF Gain and AGC response time.

He achieved what he thinks is the best low noise performance from his TS-2000 by turning the AGC completely off and using only the RF gain to “tweak” a particular CW signal.

There is certainly more to this than meets the eye, but the moral of the story is if you have a Kenwood TS-2000 and are looking for improved signal reception on CW, try turning your AGC off and play with the RF gain.

I am told the Kenwood TS-2000 is a pretty amazing radio and this might just be one way to get a little better result from it.

Good luck.