Builds and Reviews Collection

An assortment of published articles about different subjects including builds of my own products and reviews of those of other suppliers...

All articles are copyrighted material as stated thereon; photo credits are given as appropriate and are also stated thereon.

As you read these articles, please feel free to drop me an email with any questions that you may have. I will be happy to provide an explanation for any of the material that you may find to be confusing.

A new feature, effective 23 March 2024, is that the article titles in the listings below will from this point on also be live links to those articles!

FET DIP Meter Build

This article chronicles the build of a HecKits FET DIP Meter...

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PacAnt Buddy Keyer Build

This article is a write-up of the build process of a Pacific Antenna Buddy Keyer and Speaker Console kit...

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Ascel Æ20204 LC Meter Build

This article reports on the build process for the Ascel Electronic Æ20204 LC Meter...

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100W Oil-Cooled Dummy Load Build

This article describes the procedure for building a 100W oil-cooled quart-size paint can dummy load...

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Relative RF Field Strength Meter Build

This article covers the build of a simple but handy relative RF field strength meter for the shack...

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LC Meter Kit Build

This article deals with the build of a HecKits LC Meter kit......

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Ascel Æ20401 Frequency Counter/Power Meter Build

This article details the build of an Ascel Electronic Æ20401 Frequency Counter & Power Meter kit...

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1.25m Homebrew J-pole Antenna Build

This article describes the build of a copper pipe J-pole antenna for the 220MHz band...

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6m Hen-Delta Antenna Build

This article explains the build process for a copper pipe and ABS antenna for the 50MHz band...

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PacAnt Dual-Band QRP CW Transceiver Build

This article covers the build of a Pacific Antenna 80m/160m dual-band QRP CW transceiver kit...

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Time Domain Reflectometer

This article describes the design and build of a simple time domain reflectometry oscillator useful for measuring unknown coaxial cable length...

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(tr)uSDX QRP Transceiver Build

This article describes the build and tune/tweak process for the 5x5x5 (tr)uSDX QRP Transceiver, a great little portable HF unit...

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QRP Labs 20W 50Ω Dummy Load Build

This article describes the build and some discussion about the QRP Labs 20W 50Ω miniature dummy load in kit form...

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Combination Capacitor Tester

This article discusses a unique dual-function capacitor tester that I designed and built for my own use...

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Remote Antenna Switch Build

This article discusses the build of a remotely-controlled antenna switch system that is capable of switching up to six antennas...

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Antenna Rotator Controller Build

This article explores the process and procedures for the build of a modified K3NG antenna rotator controller to accompany my G-800 Yaesu rotator under my hex-beam antenna...

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RF Probe Build for Conar 231 Signal Tracer

This article describes the design and build of an amplifying high input impedance RF probe designed to mate with the Conar 231 Signal Tracer that was in my shop for repair...

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QRP Labs QCX+ CW Transceiver Build

This article looks at the build process and a quick review of the resultant radio when I tackled the QRP Labs QCX+ CW Transceiver kit...

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Audio Dummy Load Build

This article details the design and construction of a selectable impedance 50W two-channel dummy load for testing of audio amplifiers...

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Station Monitor Access Port

This article explains the quick and easy method of building an access port that permits the picking off of a sample of the RF output of a radio...

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Ascel Æ20218 Milliohm Meter Build

This article details the build and calibration of the Ascel Electronic Æ20218 Milliohm Meter kit...

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30dB RF Sampler

This article describes the build process for an inductive attenuating RF sampler that is easy to build and can be built in different attenuation levels...

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Quansheng UV-K5(8) Handheld Radio

This article explores the most popular HT on the web right now, looking at the radio as to the egzumer firmware change, empirical testing of the radio, and many of the radio's unique features...

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30dB Resistive RF Power Tap

This article discusses the process involved in designing and constructing a resistive RF power tap, including the necessary mathematics...

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Coaxial Cable Tester Build

This article details the design and construction of a simple tester for identifying shorted and/or open coaxial cables, utilizing connectors of the four most-commonly used types in amateur radio...

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Lightweight Paddle Set for CW Operators

This short article describes a 3-D printed paddle set for CW ops that is smooth, compact, and a great value...

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