Resuming the Resumption of the Ugly Weekender..Part Deux

Well, unfortunately a spot of work and other responsibilities had gotten in my way (reviving an HTX-100, helping out with the restoration of the LBYC ARC station, CAP, etc.) but finally this little beast has re-emerged on the work bench and I mean to put the coal to it and push on through to the end -- and all that. Below are some catch-up photos. Sorry for the gauzy-bright appearance. It's a desk lamp I pressed into service to aid my ailing eyes.

The Battleground..

PA Board

VFO Board

Receiver Board

Unlike N8WQ's fine effort, mine lacks discipline. I grabbed all of the parts I had and stuffed them into all three boards without any interim testing. Sure hope I do not live to regret it. My reasoning, however, aside from the fact that I wanted to eliminate the possibility of having the cache of ingredients scattered to the four winds and /or cannibalized for some intervening project, was that the three boards were elemental enough. I will hit the VFO first and breathe life into that. Thence to the PA board and thence to the receiver.

The big challenge -- well not a challenge really -- will be to find a suitable, snazzy container for the units. I have not decided on whether to miniaturize it as the original authors or to go full OHR-100/OHR-500 and build a copper-clad box. I am thinking the latter because I am not a back-packer and have an abundance of copper clad material and they can come out quite handsomely if finished correctly.

I think I should need the extra room because I might want to add an internal keyer and an S-/RF-out meter. I also have one of those vernier dials and they need a broader (taller) cabinet face to accommodate them. I'll probably try to make the resulting unit look like my "twins". These are a pair of Dave Benson's SW-## kits (an SW-20 and SW-40) that I built into a couple of very special boxes along with the RIT boards and TIC keyers. Special Boxes, you ask? Well, they were a pair of really nice clam shell boxes that Chuck Adams made with a newly purchased break (brake?) and brought to a Pacificon NorCal convention once many years ago. Here are the radios:

SW-20+ Built into K7QO's box

SW-40+ built into K7QO's box

The boxes painted up nicely thanks to the fact that Chuck's work on the metal was his usual "flawless meticulousness". I'll do a another post on all of the pictures I have of these for anyone stopping by. But needless to say, they are among my more treasured collections of QRP kits I have built. And, yes, I know that the SW-40's RIT board is upside down.

*sigh*

 As long as I am in full disclaimer mode, let me say I am unapologetic about using the Far boards versus full-on ugly building. You want ugly construction? Let me do it and you'll end up with something looking like the QRP rig that The Elephant Man would use.


Anyway, on to the Ugly Weekender.

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