QRP Nets

The following was provided by John Leahy.
Click here for a pdf version

An Interview With Kit Builder Ren Monllor

I recently met by phone with Ren to discuss his latest kit building project, the QRPGuys CW Trainer.
https://qrpguys.com/qrpguys-code-trainer
Me: Why did you purchase this kit?
     Ren: I am working on getting my CW speed up.
Me: Is there a QRP connection?
     Ren: Yes, for sure. I find QRP satisfying because it is a challenge, and I have always liked kit building. 
Me:How much did this kit cost?
     Ren: $15.00
Me How long did it take to assemble?
     Ren: about 1 hour.
Me: What skill level would you say is required?
     Ren: Basic soldering. This was a pretty straight forward project to build. Even so, I never begin building a kit before reading the instruction book cover to cover, including the copyright date. :-)
Me:Were there any tricky parts to this assembly that another kit builder should know.
     Ren: Not really.
Me are you happy with this kit?
     Ren: Very much so. It is well worth the price. It has several features that I know will help me become a better cw operator.
Me: What kit do you plan on building next?
     Ren: My next kit will be a QRP-mini paddle.
Me: I noticed that your kit is housed in a very nice enclosure. Where did you get that.
     Ren: I printed it myself using files readily available on the net, that can be downloaded for free.
Me: So you have a 3-d printer?
     Ren: Yes, I own a Creality C-10 3 printer. 
Me: QRP, Kit Building and Code go together. Do you have any suggestions for learning CW.
     Ren: Yes, several. I would like to see a group of hams from the club participate in some sort of regular code practice event. 
Me: Do you think meeting on something like Google hangout would be helpful to keep enthusiasm high for learning CW?
     Ren: That is not a bad idea. Recently I came across a complete CW training course online. I am giving it a serious look. 
Me: That site looks interesting. I think I will visit it myself.  http://www.cwops.org/cwacademy.html

Here are two views of Ren's project.

QRP Members Get Together

QRP Members Get Together
The first get together with the Central Florida QRP Group took place Saturday May 14, 2011 at Lake Parker, in Lakeland. Kelly (K4UPG) and Jim (K4AHO) drove in from Orlando and met our group of QRPers. It was truly a great time for all.

( from left to right in the back row)
Ren (KG4BAS), Kelly (K4UPG), Keith (WB1GGJ), Jim (K4AHO), Jim (AI4LE), (front row) Joe (AD4IH), Jack (K4BYF), Pat (AI4OP)

Thank you George (KJ4UW) for the great photos...next time we need one of you!!!

Now, this is what we do...


With one of the many varieties of these...


And, oh yeah, we also did some of this.....
which is also part of what we do.

I've got to say a big thank you to Kelly and Jim for coming out. We all had a great time and look forward to doing it again soon. Ren KG4BAS

How Do You Do It?

QRP In the Park--Lakeland is your chance to show the rest of us how you do it!
For the past several months we have considered traveling to nearby communities in Central Florida to help QRP operators connect with one another. We've gotten a good response from hams in Lakeland, Port Orange and we hear of active groups in the Melbourne and Daytona Beach areas. Lakeland has an advocate, Ren KG4BAS who contacted us about getting together and a possible Central Florida QRP Group in Lakeland. WAHOO!

We're excited to see the interest and look forward to our first meet up Saturday 14 May, 2011 at Lake Parker Park in Lakeland at 0900. Here's directions:


View Larger Map


Make left into entrance and go to the first Gazebo on the right.

Hope you can join us. Bring something to drink and snack on, your QRP gear, operate, show n tell, get ideas for your portable ops and enjoy the outdoors.

Questions? Contact Ren or Kelly K4UPG. See ya in the park!

72,
Kelly K4UPG, Jim K4AHO, Ren KG4BAS and the Central FL QRP Group!

Big Fun In A Small Package

Folks, if ever there was a neat little project for the beginning ham operator or the
seasoned amateur radio operator, this is it. I’m talking about Small Wonder Labs
little dynamo, the RockMite QRP CW Transceiver.

The Rock-Mite is a crystal-controlled direct-conversion, QRP transceiver available
for 80M, 40M, 30M or 20M. It features an on-board 8-pin PIC microcontroller
which controls a T-R offset on key-down. A brief tap of a pushbutton control
switch reverses the offset to yield a second operating frequency. Pushing and
holding on the pushbutton activates the speed adjustment routine for the built-in
Iambic keyer. If you'd rather use an external keyer or straight key, there's a 'drop-
through' mode which allows use of an external keying source.

Some may ask”Why a RockMite?” Well as a home-schooling dad of two wonderful
children, I thought it would be great if they could build a radio that would give
them a tremendous sense of accomplishment upon completion and at the same
time teach them something about the wonderful world of electronics. Add to
that, it rewards them with a transceiver that they can use anywhere they go, plus
the journey they could experience through modification of their little radio.

Ansel, KJ4ZRU, the newest ham in the family, not only built his own RockMite as a
first homebrew project, attesting to its ease of construction, but has actually
begun to see the possibilities electronics have in his future endeavors. It has truly
created a win-win situation.

For those like myself with limited electronics experience, it has proven to be a
tremendous learning experience and has put the “giddy-up” in my wanting to
learn more, so as to have a better understanding of radio electronics and
electronic components.


In closing, I hope more LARC members will follow my lead and get Rockbound
with this dynamite little radio. Who knows, maybe we can someday soon have a
RockMite weekly net and we can all get in on the fun.

For more information on the RockMite and what can been done with it please
visit:

http://smallwonderlabs.com/ and http://www.qsl.net/n0rc/rm/



Ren Monllor KG4BAS

QRP ARCI #14308

NAQCC #4880



Ansel’s (KJ4ZRU) 40 M RockMite ready to QSO; a neat little package.




Ren’s (KG4BAS) Dual bander 40M-20M RockMite, ready to QSO.




Ansels handiwork.

Notice that there are two crystals and one surface mount IC chip on the upper right hand corner.
BTW, I belong to the RockMite Group on Yahoo and two of the neatest mods I’ve seen so far are:
Pieces of SIP sockets for the crystals and final transistor enabling higer output powers and different frequencies, and the use of wire and paper clips to ground the different crystals without have to solder the crystal cases to ground.

First Time Kit Builder

Here is my Ten-Tec in action. This project started with some lessons on soldering, and ended with a completed radio. There was one glitch along the way, but with the support of Ten Tec, close friends, and some luck that was resolved.

Now I just have to get proficient with the Morse code!

Bill KI4ZMV

QRP CW? Kit Building? Homebrew?

There is no greater feeling of accomplishment than to build your own rig, and then use it to make a QSO using low power plus your mode is CW! Now that’s a real high. Unfortunately for one reason or another we never get around to doing it. Now all our excuses can be tossed out the window. With the help of each other we can reach our personal goals that involve kits, CW, and homebrew.

How?

Let’s talk about QRP CW first. If you have a radio you can always turn down the power to 5 watts or less. That’s QRP. Next, as part of our group one or more other persons of like interests will set up a schedule with you so you can sharpen your skills and become more comfortable. Maybe you are better using paddles rather than a straight key. This would be a good time to dust off that old straight key and go at it. We could even have our own cw net!

Now for kits. I propose using Ramsey kits. They are QRP CW, easy to assemble, and low priced. You can work at your own pace, work with a partner, or collectively with the group. Test equipment will be made available for those not having any. We can begin from initial setup of parts, how to solder, on to the building of the kit. Lot’s of choices and all are yours.

Homebrew anyone? This is the art of building your rig from scratch. It’s for the more advanced but we have those who can advise us of the pros and cons of what we are trying to accomplish.

OK, so who is ready to really be a Ham? Let me know and we’ll get together at your convenience and make it happen.

Gary KS4JI