Implementing a W7ZOI Design

Anyone who has been a licensed ham longer than 45 Minutes knows Wes Hayward, W7ZOI.

If you have SSDRA (the better) or EMRFD (the lesser) or built a Direct Conversion Receiver or a Crystal Filter or a TIA amp or the Competition Grade CW Transceiver or the Ugly Weekender... That is the handiwork of Wes W7ZOI.

In December 1989 and January 1990, Wes had a two-part article in QST which documented a 20M, QRP Solid State, SSB/CW Transceiver. Quite a feat at that time or any time. This project was beyond minimalist as fully built out it had multiple Crystal Filters. It actually was a trans-receiver which shared a common LO and BFO, thus separate filters in the receiver and transmitter. 

A link to the 2-part article

I could not resist replicating W7ZOI's project save for the hinky way he did CW and the Analog VFO sans VFO Stabilizer. It was a challenge I took on.

My implementation added Break-In CW and the use of the EI9GQ PIC based (16F84) VFO stabilizer. Most of the rest of W7ZOI's design remained intact with the exception of the IF stage/AGC which was a suggested change from W7ZOI. My only contribution was the break in keying and the addition of the Digital Display and VFO Stabilizer from Ed, EI9GQ

I had been in contact with Wes, and he said maybe you would like to try this IF as it uses 3N209's which he sent me as well. He asked if I tried it to give him feedback on how it worked.

The Revised IF Amp from W7ZOI. Empty Sockets = AGC

Replacement AGC

Ferrite Beads on the Gates

A View of the Innards

Essentially, I was Beta testing what would eventually become the HYCAS IF. The AGC seemed to hang up for me, and I Installed a different board. When all done, I shared my results with Wes. As those who homebrew know the final HYCAS did not use the 3N209's.

The XF-9B is an 8 Pole, 9 MHz Crystal Filter from KVG in Germany. OT homebrewers know this was once the ne plus ultra of Crystal filters. So, the newly minted 45 Minute Extra asks where is that filter in my IC7300. Didn't the test answer guide cheat sheet explain about different SSB generation technologies?

My build ended up with a big and heavy homebrew box. Yesterday afternoon I worked an HI7 station in the DR. 

My receiver uses the 8 Pole KVG Crystal Filter and the transmitter a 6 Pole from the G-QRP Club Sales. The receiver design is by far one of the best I have seen. 

This project required an advanced amateur to fabricate and not for someone who knows nothing about electronics.

Note: No Manhattan or Ugly construction here.

News Flash: Bozos selling the Baofeng UV5R for $16. Such a deal Vinny!

Them that know, now don't care if you know.

73's

Pete N6QW

The B and B of Ham Radio

No, we are not talking about some cutesy cottage with great food in a corner of New England (or maybe even Connecticut) but the B and B of Ham Radio.

Finally, you guessed it: a Bitx4o and the Baofeng UV35. I suspect the newly minted Extras may have had to struggle with the B&B since those are not rigs on the memorization list.

Up front I own one of each. The Bitx40 you see in the photo is no ordinary unit as it was gifted to me from friend N2CQR as a Tech Special. Bill often receives units like this (broken) and will occasionally pass some on to me. I think he does this with a twinkle in his eye... a chance to drive me nuts chasing down problem rigs.

I say this is a special Bitx40 as I figured out how to add USB to an otherwise LSB only radio. Of course, USB on 40M has only one use and that is FT-8 (or to talk to the group that only uses USB on 40M).  The solution was not to supplant the BFO crystal with one of the opposite sideband frequencies but instead change the LO frequency.

The Bitx40 as stock used a High IF Frequency (12 MHz) and a low LO Frequency (5 MHz) and with the BFO chosen this results in LSB.  Now if we place the LO above the IF Frequency (19 MHz) and subtract the IF from the LO, we get USB. So, a single BFO frequency will give both LSB and USB.

A second Bitx40 Tech Special from N2CQR was converted to 17M. I had to change out the BPF and LPF and create a digital LO at 30 MHz (30 -18 =12).

The other huge hill climb was the Digital LO as this leverages the excellent Bitx topology into a highly functional, stay on frequency, dual mode (USB/LSB) POTA capable radio.

I sure hope the BTE's were awake during this techie talk.

The plastic case for this Bitx was originally intended for first aid supplies and was waterproof. Time deteriorated the plastic and so it was a good idea gone bad.

The next B in the B&B duo is my Baofeng UV35.

N6QW's UV35

This Baofeng UV35 was acquired 13 years ago when I moved back to California. As luck would have it I have a ham friend who lives 500 feet from my QTH. When I 1st moved here, I spotted his antenna and you know the deal. Upon our 1st meeting he showed me his Baofeng which I think could be bought with some accessories for about $25 at Bozos. I bought one right away.

Then I heard stories it might not be legal with spectral purity. But it had some other features like a flashing light, a siren and FM radio. For a while I took it walking with me and used the FM radio to listen to NPR. I think I made one contact with the radio, and my report was scratchy and not full quieting. Now when I walk, I just use my smart phone and either listen to my stored music or internet radio.

So with 1/2 the total US ham population being Technician class likely lots of Baofeng's are on the air and they now might be legal and good for 10 watts.

Them that know, now don't care if you know.

Some people in high government offices seem to be thrown under the bus as that is in vogue today. Reminds me of the Circus Maximus and the throwing of people to the hungry lions.

73's

Pete N6QW

Where to find...

Where to find Nemo? I have no answer! And whether the head of DHS will be sacked or impeached. Same answer! 

But if you want to build my MC1496 based Direct Conversion Receiver

or the upscale 1496 SSB transceiver... then where to get quality MC1496 IC's. The answer is Jameco Electronics for the leaded version, and the single unit price is $1.95. Mouser sells an SMD unit for $0.35.

Funny how about 15 years ago I bought the same leaded IC from Jameco for $0.69 unit cost. I think I splurged and bought 20 for less than $15.

Jameco also has the hard-to-find miniature ceramic trimmers we all love to use in homebrew band pass filters.

Where to find Accountability

The blame game is ongoing in our Nation's Capital. It will take on the proportions of the biblical times where St. Peter thrice declared I do not know this man. I guess it is easier to deny things once you move up the chain of command.

This reminds me of an incident at Chu Lai, in 1965.  I had the OOD watch and about midnight we received what we thought was a probe in our defenses. 

Standard protocol: I took a squad of men along with myself and we proceeded to investigate. At that time there was a certain looseness in what kind of arms you carried and while I had a 45, that day I wished I had a .45 caliber Grease Gun. The Marines had M-16's and the Seabees M-14's. (The reason I wished I had a Grease Gun.)

We had with us this interesting tool called a rocket flare. It was about 18 inches long and 1 inch in diameter. The cap was removed and placed on the base and essentially was a firing pin to fire a 22 cartridge which ignited the flare. The initiation process is where; you pointed it upwards and slapped the base with the palm of your hand. Our flares were armed as we searched the area of possible penetration.

Things were going smoothly as we inched along in the pitch-black night when all of a sudden, I saw a flare going horizontal and it hit our point man on the side of his face. I immediately shouted the command "hit the deck" awaiting enemy gun fire. 

Two of the Seabees closest to the point man doused out the fire as we were all lit up. Luckily there was no follow-on firing from the Viet Cong. We carried the injured man back to sick bay and immediately we were all interviewed as to what happened.

There were 12 of us and minus the severely injured man there were 11 different statements of observations. No two matched. 

Finally, the real truth. One of the squad members with size 14 shoes admitted that he tripped. He had an armed flare in his right hand as he fell the flare hit the ground first and its trajectory was more horizontal and thus hit the point man. The Board of Inquiry ruled it as an accident attributable to the fog of war. 

The purpose in sharing this story is that likely we will never fully know what happened in Minnesota, as the prevailing winds blow in the direction of obfuscation with zero accountability. Come the Mid-Terms we all get to send our message of accountability. 

Them that know, now don't care if you know.

73's

Pete N6QW

More Homebrew Radios From N6QW.

For those who astutely follow this blog you have likely noted that I have only built radios in the HF spectrum. Even then it has been typically 75-15 Meters. In an attempt to build a 10M radio, that got sidetracked when the XYL's (SK) health issues got significantly worse. 

The two radios we are covering today are directly related and in fact the smaller of the two was an attempt to shrink down the first version. In 2011 I was on a quest to build a shirt pocket sized SSB transceiver. The 1st version you would need a very large pocket (2X3X5) and the second version was 2X2X4... closer to pocket size. So, referring to an earlier blog posting these two are the exact same radios only one was shoehorned into a smaller topology.

1st Version of the Shirt Pocket SSB Transceiver

The band of choice was 20M and both rigs had a crystal switched VXO to give about 100 kHz on the active part of 20M.

Version 1 after the disaster.

Jointly they were the subject of an article in QRP Quarterly. [For those who want the circuit details check the Summer 2011 Issue.] The 1st version was in a maintenance mode and as luck would have it the screwdriver I was poking around with shorted a DC rail and a mushroom cloud appeared over the bench. Many of the circuits were fried and a rebuild netted a radio that actually worked better (Digital LO) and was larger (not prone to shorts). That event occurred about 5 years ago.

The smaller version got small because I left out some features and a 2X2 panel was the smallest size I could get and still have the I/O functionality. One of the things left out was the Rx RF Amp which caused V2 to be anemic on receive. That one too had the same VXO. A couple of years ago I rebuilt Version 2 to incorporate a RF Amp and a Digital LO with a super slick scaled down color TFT. Its size went from 16 cubic inches to 24 cubic inches.

Small PCB with red and white wires is the added SMD RF Amp Board

Just another day in the Shack for an old Extra Class Ham and these radios both have homebrew crystal filters at 4.9152 MHz with an LO in the 19MHz range. I always wonder if a BTE could pull off a rig like this. 

Them that know, now don't care if you know.

Questions to ponder. Has the DHS head been thrown under the bus or is it just another day at the WH? Is it a case where no one in the current administration is a rogue actor but typically are just following the script.

73's

Pete N6QW

Two more radios: The Paesano and The MC1496

[The posting on the Dentron HF Scout yesterday...There is one on eBay right now selling for $600. The seller thinks it is a linear amp and not a transceiver.]

Real Hams can do like a friend did in the UK. He had a desire to operate 2M CW and that as a standalone functionality is simply not found as standard gear. There are many high-end radios that incidentally will do CW, but these are expensive and thus a hunt for an alternative. He went to his junk box and with a bit of noodling came up with a design using what he had in hand. It was built and works like a charm.

He was able to do that because he invested the time to learn about circuitry, to learn the hardware and to learn the software. Thus, he was able to scratch build a rig to operate the mode he wanted and the band so desired. He is a real ham and those with a license should be able to do.

In my designs I try hard to keep from building the same topology over and over putting it in a different enclosure and calling it a new rig. Sad reality... an old rig design in a different colored enclosure is still the same old rig. Some of my rigs use discrete BJT, while others use IC's or DGM's or even MMIC's.

Two rigs are showcased today one of which was covered in an article in SPRAT called the Paesano. The EAQRP club had a neat single board SSB transceiver called the "Pilgrim" operating on 17M and used two NE602's wrapped around a crystal filter and the design steered this IF module to different circuits depending upon the mode (Rx or Tx). The board size was about 4X5 inches. 

This steered IF module caught my interest and I acquired a bare board and built the IF Module, Mic Amp and Audio Amp and then designed all the other circuitry to create a 20M SSB transceiver. The tiny color TFT is good for 65K colors. I purchased a 4 pole, 9 MHz filter from INRAD and that is what you see on the board. This was a great idea from the EAQRP Club. I even added filter matching which was not in the original design.

You can see the Filter, NE602s, Relays, Mic Amp and Audio Amp

The Paesano

The next rig I call the 1496 as the heart of this rig is four MC1496's'. One 1496 is the balanced modulator, while another is the product detector and the other two 1496's are mixers. The IF Module uses a 40673 DGM which was a circuit snippet which came straight out of SSDRA. 

When I finished this radio I sent W7ZOI an email and thanked him for SSDRA which made this rig possible. He forwarded the info on to a ham who did the original work on the IF stage which Wes included in the publication. Both Wes and the other ham (Terry) were delighted to see the modern hardware built which was modeled after their work circa 1975. The 1496 is a two-band rig (40/20M) and puts out 5 watts. The Digital LO/BFO of course was a huge plus in making the 1496 work.

Yes, 10 pounds in a 5-pound bag.

Yes, Virginia, these rigs are scratch built and for real hams is just another day in the shack.

These are not the same designs installed in a different case.

Them that know, now don't care if you know.

So, what is happening in Minnesota? One would think it is open season on American citizens. The USA needs a reset, and it starts with the Mid-Terms. Reason no longer prevails and you must seriously question the qualifications of those running the ops on the ground. The actions we are seeing are not the result of individual aberrant behavior but only happens because that is the tone set by the organizational ethos. 

73's

Pete N6QW

Dentron HF Scout.

If you were a licensed ham during the 1970's-90's, the name Dentron was synonymous with High Power Linear RF Amplifiers and Antenna Tuners. The company did try to produce a line of HF SSB Transceivers both for ham use and ones designated for the Civil Air Patrol. They were not too successful with the SSB products.

Dentron as the story goes didn't really build the internal SSB hardware but were more of a repackage supplier and box builder. The Main Boards for the SSB transceivers were purchased from a Japanese supplier which employed a 9 MHz IF Topology. There is a precedent for this with CB radios. Many branded CBs all had the same internal boards. 

Heathkit had the HW-18 which was a CAP SSB transceiver built using the HW monoband topology. Thus, Dentron would be a competitor.

During a search of eBay, I found a Dentron HF Scout which was a multichannel crystal-controlled CAP SSB transceiver complete with a 100-watt brick. (It was toast). The radio was tuned to the 4 MHz CAP frequencies. Yes, a 9 MHz IF Topology.

Dentron HF Scout

My conversion was to rip out the brick, remove the Channel Selector switch and crystals, retune/modify the Band Pass Filter, build a driver and final amplifier boards + LPF and add switching and wiring in the modules and last but not least build a digital LO/BFO. It is both LSB and USB which now adds FT-8 on 40M. (The switch next to the S Meter selects LSB/USB.)

The original HF Scout had a panel mounted speaker which I relocated by adding 1.25-inch spacers to create a space behind the front panel to mount a Color TFT. 

Initially I cut a new front panel overlay with a cut out for the TFT and some slots for the speaker sound. My method of mounting was to use Gorilla Tape to tape the TFT to the back of the front panel overlay. This kluge would result in the TFT moving around and the tape came undone. Indeed, a poor solution. 

Yesterday's work was to permanently mount the TFT to the front panel overlay.

A final comment on available technology as evidenced by taking a seemingly useless commercial SSB Transceiver and with that technology repurposing it into a useful ham rig. For real hams this is just another day in the shack. 

Them that know, don't care if you know.

Word Alert: These ten words seem to be trending and likely to be often seen as 2026 progresses.

• Controversial

• Divisive

• Unpredictable

• Confrontational

• Polarizing

• Inflammatory

• Unrestrained

• Disruptive

• Combative

• Unconventional

73's

Pete N6QW

Working the Winter Field Day.

Just to be fair to the 99% of the hams who only operate or do contests, I spent some time on 20M yesterday operating the Winter Field Day Contest. This is not sponsored by the ARRL.

Starting 1st with my rig, I used a homebrewed Dual Filter 9 MHz IF rig with the 20X4 Juliano Blue LCD. The rig choice was a struggle since the other option was my totally homebrew 20M SDR transceiver as that would be like shooting fish in a barrel. Using a filter rig in my view was an opportunity to show off!

For our new YL Extra Class Licensee's, this homebrew rig uses the "Drake Approach" where the BFO is set at 9 MHz and to achieve upper and lower sideband there are two Crystal Filters. The center frequency of one filter is designed so it will only pass the lower sideband. The other filter has the center frequency so that it will only pass upper sideband. Relay steering selects the proper Crystal Filter for the mode chosen (USB or LSB).

At one time a surplus distributor in downtown Israel was selling boards with the two 9 MHz filters plus an AM filter for $35. You also got a PCB with lots of salvageable hard to find components. As my good friend Abbie used to say, such a deal Vinney, such a deal. He called me Vinney and not Pete, as he said I looked like Vinney in the movie My Cousin Vinney. 

The rig is a single conversion design with the 9 MHz IF, Digital LO/BFO and we have the J310 Dual Gate MOSFET in a couple of places. The rig has two VFO's with memory so at a flick of a switch the radio boots up to the 20M FT-8 frequency. This is a good way to check band activity.

This rig was the 1st time I used a 20X4 LCD. The Driver is the 2N2219A and an IRF510 in the final. The chassis uses a wooden front and back panel.

To keep the footprint small there are several boards used versus one large single board. In the main area, two boards are stacked on top of one another. The bottom board has the two filters and other support circuitry, with top board having a steerable amp, the BPF and 2N2219A Driver. The IRF510 is mounted on the back apron.

Back to the contest... what a piece of crap! The exchange from me was as follows. After being recognized I supplied the word 1HCA. The 1 is a single transmitter, H for Home and CA for California. There was no signal report, nor power level. Not very exciting, but I bet the YL newly christened Extra soon will be releasing a you tube video to her thousands of followers expressing delight with being an Extra Class Ham and able to hand out 1HTX contacts.

This is what our hobby has become today, a cacophony of dumbed down dribble, reduced to a 4-digit alphanumeric code that requires no evaluation. Gone are the endearing terms... you are 37 Hertz low or your signal lacks presence or worse you have RF feedback on your signal. 

Where is the long-standing information sharing such as your QTH, the kind of equipment, your power and antenna. But of course, 1HTX avoids that you have only been a ham and Extra class licensee for 3 weeks, 4 days, 10 hours and 15 seconds!

The rig itself produces 5 watts on 20M, and I made one contest contact to TX using just the rig barefoot. For the other contacts I was running 100 watts using a CCI AN762 RF Amp. No one reported me for being off frequency and contact was made usually with one call. 

The rig is no IC7300 but something that most of the instant Extras can't claim is that it is a true homebrew rig (not a kit) being used in a contest.

Them that know, now don't care if you know.

Do not suffer the agita di stomaco for it is time that will change things in the government. The Mid-terms are step #1 and time is on our side.

73's

Pete N6QW

Unboxing Exercise

Unboxing paperclips

Our unboxing video is a think piece, a poke in the eye to the ARRL and demonstrates how absurd the US Ham Licensing Process is. No matter how you shine it... the process is still a turd!

It will soon be one year since the XYL passed and it has really sunk in that she is gone... but certainly not forgotten. My way of remembering is weekly visits to the cemetery and always insuring fresh flowers for the gravesite. Yeah, real old school!

What I miss the most is just the opportunity to be with her and around her. I miss hearing "are you playing with those wires again?"

It would be nice to have conversations with others than myself. I catch myself saying... Self what do you think and then no response. 

I have connected with some grief groups and have two that I visit at least once a month and that certainly helps. My church has a senior social group that I just joined. Then I thought I would ask Copilot about some other potential support groups. 

As a lark I asked an AI site if there were any grief support groups that have YL flight attendants as members and gave a description of what I thought would be age appropriate.

Below is Copilots response that it felt was totally appropriate for my age.

Darn, Reality Versus Perception

Her airframe obviously has high hours and given her age she may be a mile high club member and probably has thousands of stories about trips she has flown. Ben Franklin said it best about older "women": They don't yell, they don't tell, they don't swell and they are as grateful as hell. AI may be smarter than we think!

Them that know, now don't care if you know.

73's

Pete N6QW

Snowmageddon

When I lived in the Pacific Northwest, we once had a snowstorm that dumped 22 inches of snow, and the temperature dropped to below freezing. I feel your pain for the large segment of the US now undergoing a similar event. 

If you want to get warmed up think about the US Senator who was spotted escaping his home state to avoid being cold or without power.

I am on a crusade to eliminate the 45 Minute no license to Amateur Extra Class process. My ire was heightened yesterday when I heard a BTE (Box Top Extra) say he hoped the hum was gone from his radio as he didn't want to get off the air. LID and Idiot are two good words.

I alone cannot move the needle. The ARRL doesn't want to hear about a process change or support it as their offshore advertisers would bitterly complain. It is no secret who they answer to ad it is not Joe Ham. Ditto for the FCC as then they would have to actually do something different than harass Jimmy. 

Certainly, it will be difficult to energize the greater ham community itself as many hams now on the air got there by having to literally do nothing to get a license.

Yesterday's blog views were about 1/2 normal so that is a piece of evidence that my crusade is doomed. Take a look at this video and project yourself back 100 years and honestly look at what it took to be a ham at that time.

1930's Homebrew CW Transmitter

I still wonder if our 45 Minute to Extra Class License person could build this transmitter.

Them that no know, now, don't care if you know.

Temperatures Across the US

(A -6 in Chicago)

73's

Pete N6QW

Fun at 10 GHz and a Licensing Restructuring Proposal.

 

Intro to 10GHz Operation

Our Two idea Title is joined at the hip. Does anyone really know the real reason for establishing the Technician Class license. Well, it all had to do with encouraging experimentation at the higher frequencies, beyond HF. To not encumber these adventurers the original test requirements were the Novice Code test (5 WPM) and the General Class Theory and Regulations. The starting spectrum was 6 Meters.

At one time you could hold both the Novice and Technician Class Licenses simultaneously. (I did and was issued KN3IXU and K3IXU simultaneously).

Almost exactly 1/2 of the total US Ham population are Technician Class. It is doubtful that any significant percentage of those 375K US hams know anything technical. Sure, they can probably program their Baofeng UV35R but that is not really technical. Their license is the lane of 10 GHz experimentation as was the intent of this class of license.

Today on 40M, I was reading the mail on a net where many of those participating also spend a lot of time on 10 GHz where antennas are less than 1M in diameter and have 30 dB gain. That is equivalent to having a 2-watt input signal produce 2KW from an amp. (10*log(2000/2) = 30 dB). 

Don't get a bulge in your shorts just yet. The antenna does not add power but concentrates power. Thus, it is a very narrow beam that when received at a location looking at your beam it would appear like a 2KW signal from say a dipole. The high gain antennas leverage 1 watt at 10 GHz into a readable signal at great distances (> 100 feet).

The company Down East Microwave produces a lot of hardware using transverter techniques to convert a 70cm signal to 10 GHz (10.368 GHz). The jewel in the crown is that good quality used 70cm SSB/CW gear can be found on eBay, like Kenwood and Icom, real cheap.  With some additional hardware add a bit of homebrewing an antenna and you are there. The other cool part is the EME (Earth Moon Earth) Moon Bounce. 

An $80 Down Converter 10 GHz to 430 MHz

(Receive only)

That sure would be a lot more fun than shouting CQ POTA and/or Park to Park. A focus on 10 GHz would do much to upgrade the skills of US Hams. 

As I write this, I was thinking of friend N2CQR who frequently visits HI7 land and KP4 land (Puerto Rico) is but 100 miles away. Not exactly line of sight for 10 GHz, but possibilities for tropospheric scattering or ducting. 

License Restructuring Proposal

So, the other piece is fixing the ham license mess. We are stuck with 3 classes of license, but we can rearrange the deck chairs. 

Step 1 is to revamp the test for Technician to provide a greater focus on the technical chops to work VHF and beyond. We didn't do anything about adding CW. 

For the General Class License, the process is such that you have to spend at least one year as General before you can apply to take the Extra Class License. You do not have to take a code test, and you still can yell CQ POTA and Park to Park. Nothing says you have to become an Extra but to become one you need a year in the trenches. That same criteria would apply for a upgrade to Extra from the Technician Class

An upgraded Extra Class exam would focus on the technical aspects of the hobby such as SDR and evaluating how signals are generated and signal quality.

Before the great dumbing down, being an Extra signified a gravitas. Now we have 45-minute wonders holding a license that once had status as truly being something "extra".

So, what do you do with the mess we have. Start by making the changes effective July 4, 2026, and authorize no new rapid rise to Extra effective April 15, 2026. In time the "lookie lou's" will get the message. The fetid swamp will eventually be drained!

The hobby will have a regurgitation but those who do get licensed will be an upgrade from where we are. 

Them that know can make things go.

Once again are you still sure you want to subscribe to QST. Don't ever forget the ARRL incentive licensing disaster and the ill-fated Advanced Class License that has now went away. The Nerds in Newington... (finish how you like).

MORE INFO on 10 GHZ operation from the San Bernardino Microwave Society

73's

Pete N6QW

 

The Yaesu FTdx100 the forerunner of the FT-101 SSB/CW Transceiver.

FTdx100 From Yaesu 

Yesterday we covered the Yaesu FT-101 and I mentioned owning its predecessor the FTdx100. The you tube video gives you a close-up peek at that earlier radio.

About 15 years ago I bought a FTdx100 for $34 on eBay and it was molested and lacked a case. But employing my usual N6QW magic I got it working. You can see that earlier rig HERE.

Several hams, worldwide, have contacted me to tell me this link is one of the most detailed pieces of info on the radio. Do not know if that is true but it took some time to prepare that documentation.

Sadly that $34 radio was given away when we had to make an emergency move back to CA in 2013. About 4 years ago, I spotted another FTdx100, in Canada, that looked in really good shape. I went for it since I had real experience in repairing the radio and with shipping, I paid 10X what I paid for the 1st one. 

I found you could buy a set of NIB matched finals (6JM6) for $25 and have a set, so no home loans needed this round. 

The FTdx100 is an excellent example of not thinking a radio may need repair downstream. It was built to be durable and likely survive bouncing around in an automobile. But that created a design that had circuits installed in welded cases and inaccessible. Test access points are limited, and I couldn't find any kind of maintenance manual. 

The FT-101 is a different story. Perhaps the real answer... the FTdx100 was an interim radio built for marketing and test market purposes and so why spend $$$ as you will be dropping the product once the FT101 hit the scene. Just imagine putting out the IC7300 radio in the marketplace without an explanation of the 3000 menus.

Them that know can make things go. 

I see the 25th Amendment is being warmed over. Who is kidding who? The Republicans and the Magolytes would never admit he is a problem let alone joust him from office. To borrow a phrase from that select, highly organized, Italian crime faction... He is indeed a Teflon Don as nothing will touch him. 

To that voter in Iowa who could lose her farm, a result of tariffs, are you a victim of the

For her it's time to face the 2026 Mid-terms

Do you really need a subscription to QST or participate in ARRL sponsored contests and/or events?

73's

Pete N6QW

The Best Ever SSB/CW Transceiver of the 1970's

The "Best Ever" SSB/CW Transceiver of the early 1970's was the Yaesu FT-101. It was a shack in the box, and it had the distinction of being the leading radio sold worldwide at that time. It was the ICOM IC7300 of that era.

My FT-101EE

The FT-101 was a Hybrid design featuring only three tubes and the rest solid state. One thing you don't want to do today is smoke the driver tube, a special version of the 12BY7 and the finals which are 6JS6C's. You will need a home loan to purchase a replacement set.

I acquired this radio as a tech special as there was no power output. Five minutes' worth of work and it was fixed. There was an RF choke in the screen circuit to the final amplifier tubes... it was open and thus no screen voltage.

The frequency stability and dial linearity are amazing for 1970. This is one of the best Analog VFO's ever. Friends N2CQR and KK4DAS have used the VFO module from the FT series in their homebrew rig projects. 

Many of the FT-101 series came with a DC-to-DC Convertor strapped to the back panel so the radio could be operated from home, portable or mobile. Optional accessories included a plug-in Noise Blanker and Speech Processor. A Crystal Calibrator was a stock feature, and the band switch had a position for JYY (WWV in Japan).

The FT-101 was highly popular with the CB crowd as this functionality could be invoked with a simple change of a heterodyne crystal (plug-in) and the band switch set to one of the 10M position. Yes, my radio was in the hands of a CB'er at one time. Initially I could not hear a signal generator on one of the 10 Meter bands. Suddenly I heard 10-4 Good Buddy on LSB and I knew. With 100 watts out on 27MHz, you didn't need a "leenear".

These radios today command a pretty hefty price some 55 years after they hit the market.

Yaesu in 1967 test marketed (outside the US) a model called the FTdx100, which was a hybrid radio with 3 tubes and the rest solid-state using Germanium transistors. This was a test radio prototype for the FT-101 series. I have one of those radios as well. 

One of the key features of the FT-101 was plug in circuit boards thus enabling repair by replacement. That was not a feature of the FTdx100 which was/is a nightmare and almost impossible to repair.

Them that know can make stuff go!

BTW the posting on changing the US Licensing Process has out viewed the Topless BB on the beach. I must not be the only one bristling about 45 Minute Extra Class Licenses. Are there rumblings of cancelling QST subscription's and boycotting ARRL contests and Field Days? I know of none such actions but indeed something has awakened the sleeping giant as Admiral Yamamoto knew on December 8, 1941.

73's

Pete, N6QW, The Patron Saint of Solder!

JABOM, a design and construction project from N6QW.

Nearly 15 years ago, I experienced a very creative period designing and building unique SSB and CW transceivers. Most of this work was published in QRP Quarterly. About 10 years ago I had a serious disagreement with QRP Quarterly leadership, and I no longer submit any work to them. 

One of those very successful projects was the JABOM, which is an acronym for Just A Bunch Of Modules. This radio went through a series of modifications where initially using a 4.9152 MHz homebrew 4 pole Crystal Filter it was set up for two band operation. 

To bypass the use of a band switch, I connected circuits such as the Mixers, BPF and LPF to Pin Headers. Three pin headers connected via manual pin jumpers set the two bands, 20 and 17M.

The HYCAS IF stage, AGC and S Meter circuitry was hand built and was a lift from W7ZOI. Surely our 45-minute Extra knows all about HYCAS. 

I was disappointed in the performance of the homebrew filter and ripped it out and replaced it with an 8 pole 9MHz commercial filter... much better. This then made it a single band 20M radio.

The Construction of the Modules involved homebrewed copper boxes with all power leads entering through Feedthrough Capacitor and all RF connections made through RCA jacks. Lots of shielding so kB never equaled 1 (surely our 45 Minute Extra also knows about the Barkhausen Criterion). 

Initially the Digital LO was an AD9850 and the BFO was a computer crystal. That has since been replaced with a Si5351 and the BFO crystal removed. 

A relay on the output of the crystal filter sends the signal to the HYCAS on receive or a dedicated RF Pre-Amp stage on transmit. 

Of special delight is the efficacy of the AGC circuit and the great sounding transmit signal. A front panel switch selects LO A or LO B, where LO B drops on to the FT-8 frequency and both LO's have memory. The upper left-hand digit on the LCD displays either an A or a B.

Them that know stuff can do stuff.

I must have a struck a chord with yesterday's post about a licensing reset as the number of views potentially could rival the number collected by BB on the Beach with her top off. Just maybe some of the ham community can see the forest for the trees and the failure of the ARRL. 

BTW is everyone happy with the USPS. I needed to get some documents to DeSantis Land (FL) in a timely fashion, and they were mailed on Monday using Priority Mail, read $11.60 in postage. They arrived on Saturday. If you drive the Christopher Columbus Hiway (I 10) you can make the trip is 4 days, it took 6.

Copilot Says

The search results didn’t return a specific driving‑distance or driving‑time figure for Newbury Park → Miami Beach, so I can’t cite an exact value from them. I can still give you a solid, realistic estimate using general knowledge about U.S. cross‑country routes.

🚗 Estimated Driving Time: Newbury Park, CA → Miami Beach, FL

Approx. total distance: ~2,750–2,850 miles (typical Google Maps routing)

Typical speed‑limit‑based average: ~65 mph overall (accounting for interstates, slower zones, and fuel stops)

Total driving hours:

Driving 14 hours per day:

✅ Realistic Trip Duration: ~3 to 3.5 days

This assumes:

• You stick to posted speed limits

• You only drive 14 hours per day

• No major traffic delays, weather issues, or long stops.

Most people doing this run report 3–4 days as a practical minimum.

Hey DJT, instead of trying to invade Greenland how about fixing the USPS. 

73's

Pete N6QW, The Patron Saint of Solder.