QRP ideas?

[zygoma]

Hi all.
I'm going to have to go Beaverton, Oregon for a couple of months, starting in about 3 weeks.  My days during the week will be filled, and since I can't drive I'll be somewhat marooned in my hotel the rest of the time.  I'll take the usual 2M handheld, but am thinking of a way to get on HF while I'm there.
I don't own any easily portable HF stuff, and can't afford to just go out and buy any.  I've got plenty of parts here, so if I had plans for a simple CW xmtr I could build on a breadboard, I could probably do that.  I've got a Yachtboy 400PE receiver -- I know, mostly a toy, but it does have a tunable BFO and 1KHz tuning steps (plus vernier) so I can tune SSB and CW.  I'll take a spool of light wire for antennas.
So I'm looking for plans for a simple CW xmtr, for somewhere in the 20/30/40/80M range, cuz I can get rocks pretty cheaply locally for those bands.  Higher bands will be easier to make an antenna for in the room.
I also need an opinion of this idea.... I've got a Cherokee AH-100 "CB" handheld, 40 channels, AM & SSB, to which I've added 10M.  Sucks with the RF choke rattail antenna it was supplied with, and the Nicad battery is mostly shot.  But I've got the mobile interface for DC and RF, so I can hook up a supply and a "real" antena.  And here's the question:  it was never really made to be a ham rig, and really never for CW.  But it does have typical spkr & mic jacks.  Does it seem like I should be able to run CW on this thing by putting the rig in AM mode, keying the PTT line with the bug, then switching to either LSB or USB to RX?  I'm thinking AM would give me the carrier and offset I need, the remote PTT would key it on & off, and SSB on RX would of course supply the BFO to copy the massive pileups of DX.....
Does that sound workable?  Remember, I don't really have any $$ to spend on new gear here.
Thanks,
-- Zygoma --

[jp1116]

Sounds interesting. Do you need some sort of oscillator for the CW tone or is that built in and I missid it?

[zygoma]

The key would actually be keying the transmitter on and off in the AM mode, so I think it will work as true CW, as long as the oscillator is fast enough on lock-up.  I don't want it to sound like a chirp-fest, of course    

[cbguy169]

i have a schematic at home somewhere for cw i will look tonight we will miss you well your gone.I alaways enjoy chating with you.
 

[The Rebel]

The Cherokee HH sounds like a good idea, but for CW, I would look into upsetting the balanced mixer to generate the CW. I think keying in AM mode would be real chirpy. With the unit keyed in SSB there is no carrier. If you could upset the balanced mixer the oscillator would remain more stable.

[zygoma]

I'll bet you're right, Rebel.  There isn't much room in this radio for mods, but it's possible I can find a place to put a switch to add in some capacitance or a DC voltage against a varactor or sumpin' similar for your idea at the balanced mixer, so I've got something kinda un-do-able from the outside.  After all, it's a *great* AM/SSB CB handheld, too, if you don't count the crappy factory antenna.  I'm going to have to open it again anyway to make the clarifier usable for 10M SSB anyway....   Cool rig, has (I think) 10 bands after the simple 3-pad solder jumper mod, each of 40 channels, and I can use it to check into the local ARES 10M nets here in town.

I'll have my laptop with my in Oree-gone, and they claim to have free broadband internet, so if they do, I'll be able to keep tabs here, too    Of course, the radio is just a backup for when the internet is down   :

-- Zygoma --

[cbdoctor]

I don't know the rig that you are talking about but you should be able to "upset the balanced mixer" simply by adjusting the carrier null pot for maximum carrier instead of minimum carrier.

 

[zygoma]

Hiya, Billy; it's a Cherokee AH-100 AM/SSB CB handheld.  I've got it unlocked so it'll do 10M, and I want to modify one of the mic jacks to accept a Morse key.  Just a thought, to help while away the hours in a hotel room in Oree-goon for a couple of months.  Grrrrrr.....
I'm way open to suggestions
-- Zygoma --

[BJ radionut]

You can't get much simplier than this and more than one band! 40 meters during the day is a great qrp band. I once worked Hawaii from Indiana with a dipole and 200mW(.2 watts) on a Vectronics $30 kit! 40m's with a 1 watter you will be surprized...your portable receiver will work fine. I used a Sangeon 808 from the "picnic" table many times camping. Your transmitter antenna is the REAL key to Qrp fun. You might think about Hamstick Dipole. I have run 1/2 wave wires out the windows and feed with tuners.  
I also think you can use the 10m rig by FCC rules in modulated CW...using the tone from your keyer in SSB mode...it's not on the other low bands but 10m is OK.
GL
All the Best
BJ/W9FNB
hhttp://www.vectronics.com/Catergories.php?sec=65ttp:
www.qsl.net/wb5ude/kc6wdk/transmitter.html

[zygoma]

w9fnb de kl7hny
r r r  sounds great  I like the ideas es there's time before I head out to get or make all of it.
hope to c u agn
tnx es 73
w9fnb de kl7hny
diddly dahdidah
dit   dit

p.s.  What's a keyer?   LOL    I'll have to build an oscillator with sidetone for the straight key.  I don't wanna risk shipping my old gray-wrinkle-finish-base bug.  I like the idea of MCW on SSB for what'll sound like CW; I'll just have to leave the TV off in the background.  Or the MP3 player; don't wanna have Dio doing "Rainbow in the Dark" or Live doing "Lakini's Juice" over my CW note....   

[BJ radionut]

RR OM...have not done much Qrp since straight key nite...but have had a blast over the years with it. I was a QRO+(lives to short for Qrp)man 4ever....
I built that Vectronics 20m TX kit just to get back to working on projects again.
Hooked it to a KWD-R599D and spr combo, boy what a blast. I would guess 30+ states and maybe 10 or so countries with it. I was working a Qrp contest when the final let go(2n3053 I think)(maybe 2222) from 2 watts to 200mw fizzz...but kept working stations...so just kept going. You should have been here when I wrote down KH6??... then damn if he did not call me again...we worked for maybe 10 minutes come to find out he was only running 2 watts...
I have since built a few other little rigs: Oak Hills OHR-100A/20m(what a GREAT rig)...a 15m xcvr(vfo control/abt 2wts)Kd1JV kit (MELTSOLDER 15)...couple of ROCKMITES...and a KD1JV 40m xcvr.
Then few years ago purchased an FT-817...wow nice!
GL OM
All the Best
BJ/GaryW9FNB ...  ___ . _ ..