Very nice. I just passed the license exams last night (took T and G) and going to build one of these. If I may toss out a suggestion: I do assembly on a cookie sheet. It saves running around looking for teeny parts that are invevitably dropped.

Nice! I'm building the 40m kit as well and it was reassuring to see that the T1 coils are indeed very tightly packed in a working build.

Great job! Watched most of the video while watching my Houston Astros play the A's. I never thought I'd be this interested in building but it looks like it would be a blast.

Excellent, excellent! Keep 'em coming on this rig; I am still waiting for my 20m kit to arrive! 73, Karl

Kit Received. Thx for your vids. Very Helpful!

Excellent video. Just found out about this kit from a CW FaceBook group and yours is the first video I watched. This looks like the rig I was looking for. I get the back problems too, for me I use a back brace that has allowed me to go longer.

I like this intro better. I also like the upper right bug you put on there that's very classy. This makes me want to solder something together and videotape it.

Great video, going to order mine next month. 73 wd4dda

Well done. I'll look at it again after mine arrives. I'm looking forward to it, but they're sold out of 40m kits at the moment.

Well done and thank you. I might just get one now!

Blu-tack is pretty good alternative to helping hands. Just a bit in to the corners of the pcb and it'll not move around. you can use it to temp secure the components to the board for soldering as well.

Thanks for making this vid I referenced it a few times when building mine, I enjoyed the kit with exception of t1 but after ordering some mag wire from what's left of radio shack and giving it a few more tries I got it almost dead on what it should have been. The slight difference in the mag wire made mine a few turns too capacitive but it still tuned, I'll take a few turns out and get it peaked better, my var cap on that circuit is barely engaged so a turn or two should let me engage the var cap a but more giving some more fine adjustment. But that said only actual problem I had was my Vol knob shorted was probably something I did, but of schmoo may have found its way in there but I had an old cb that had plenty knobs, replaced the Vol knob with one from it and all is right in the world again. Am getting 18.3v peak rf on a dummy load with 13.6v supply which is just north of 5w. Now that I have a Vol knob wired instead of mounted, I'll probably go back and remote the encoder and screen and figure a good solution for remoting the two little buttons, I've got a bunch of stuff with nice push buttons if I can figure a way to mount and wire them, think I'll have to scavenge enough for an amplified speaker as well, head phones are fine but id actually like to use the typical Vol Knob as the gain and use a second Vol knob to sort the actual speaker volume

Very helpful, especially in terms of looking out for the "gotchas"! The new version out now, with the larger board, and better i/o layout, looks like a no brainer value- added thing, at only $6 more than the original. Just can't decide which band to get!

This reminds me of a Heathkit! Put in resisters, solder,cut off leads. Go to the bathroom, wash your hands get coffee. Put in IC's. LOL, OK they are not that much, but that was a joke someone made about the kits.

I like short snappy videos but this long video was perfect. The kit build was detailed and needed this much detail in the video. I've built a lot of electronics and it was interesting to see your soldering tricks which were identical to ones I have evolved over the decades. I've watched several of your videos and this one pushed me over the top. I'm heading to Patreon to support these excellent videos that I've enjoyed so much. I think I'm going to build one of these kids. I look forward to the next video in this series... just after I visit Patreon to show some appreciation. :-)

Great video, thanks, I'm going to get one of these..

Nice job. My advice: invest in a soldering station with a pencil tip; get a Pan-a-vice to hold the board; use finer solder. Yours is a bit too thick. To hold the IC’s I wrap an elastic around the board over the IC then place a small piece of wood between the IC and elastic to hold it in place while I solder.

Congrats Kevin! My QCX40 waiting for my coming back from business trip to assy and run too...:) 73 - Petr, OK1RP

Nice transciever - good price!

Cool video Kevin. I didn’t know you had ordered one of these also. Mine, number 628, has shipped but has not arrived yet, should be any day now. Mine will be for 20 meters. It really is a great rig for 49 bucks. I look forward to your review.

This was the first time I have heard the term ‘rock bound’. Makes sense!

Nice! It decodes Morse!

Nice job Keep the videos coming ....

Nice transciever.

I just did a board like that:Solder until back hurts then lie down. Morphine helps you get more done.

I am in the same shape as you. A very bad back that is robbing us of the times we want to do. By the way you found a neat kit. I hope it works they way you want it to work.

Excellent video! Just ordered one! I think the instruction manual is formatted for A4 paper, that may explain the miss alignment òf images and text!

Great video, Kevin. Looking forward to your next upload using the QCX in QSOs on the air. A nifty and amazing little rig. Ordered mine for 20 meters. 72's, de Rick, W B 3 B I Q.

great tips. i have built one of their kits in the past, but never got it to work with my RasbPi... I hope they still make this kit, it looks like my next build. 73 de kb5hxt

Dip your solder wick in rosin type flux. It will draw most of the solder out and work much better than the plain solder wick. Dave K8WPE

When you were adjusting the trimmer capacitor you were pressing down on the trimmer which tends to increase the capacitance by squashing the plates. This was made worse by the shape of your trimmer tool. This means the alignment was wrong. I think it looked better before you adjusted anything. Maybe try a ceramic adjuster and hold it so the tip just goes into the screwdriver slot and then turn without pressing down. A bit fiddly but seems to work better when I have used them.

bravo

Such a great video. Looks very aggressive for a first-time kit builder. The only ham gear I have with me, currently living outside the US, is a dual-band HT and my Bencher keyer. Any advice, before I order the kit? TNX de David AE4LH

I thought that the 14 leg integrated chip was a 74AC74 used as a Johnson counter driving a 74HC152 or a PI5V331 chip driving a AF phasing combiner but it seems to be a 74HC00, it doesn't look like the input to the QSE isn't balanced but it now seems that it comes from the very tiny quadrature synthesis chip, The assembly sequence is not the same as the assembly sequency for other kits where you install the small parts first and the large parts last. I would have thought that VN66AF VMOS transistors would been the right as the specified ones look a little small to be used for 5W out

kevin, my soldering iron is like yours if I dont use a mt gun. I ordered a proper soldering iron that has smaller tips as this board looks very tight. c u on 40m cw

The QCX I have had two extra 104 capacitors and an extra 103 capacitor. I’m terrified I’ve missed something out!

I think I'll buy the 4 band hambuilder ssb/cw. But put the speaker in the case. By moving a wire from the speaker/mic. It's cheap, 199. For a 10 watt 80/40/30/20 transceiver. It's a eBay buy.

Well mine is on order and there are only 1000 ahead of me. You might want to revisit the torrid windings. Seem to me some folks have the most problems with the large T1 I think that has the multi windings. Anyway I’ll be reviewing your video when mine arrives. 73 wd4dda

Don't feel bad. I have 4 cans of pasta sauce under the legs of my computer table. Moe k2jdm

WHEN YOU ARE PUTING IN YOUR CONPONETS TRY A LUMP OF BLUE TAK OVER THEMTO HOLD TO BOARD TOSTOP THEM FALLING OUT WHEN YOU TURNOVER

When you wound that toroid did you use a wire shuttle?

cool

awesome work 73 de DL8CY

This may be a task that's extremely hard or impossible to do. Would there be any way to add a frequency for voice. Somewhere between 7.100 and 7.300. And be able to make this switchable between cw and voice. This would be only for personal coms in an extreme emergency. My thoughts are on the lines of the ww2 paraset radio.

I would get a smaller gauge soldering wire if I were you. This gauge looked really big. I would suggest a .31 at maximum when soldering PCBs for through hole.

How does the arduino remember the settings when you turn it off? I thought the only way to do that was by reprogramming it through the data cable to the pc. Also the weather is never good in Indiana. ;)

I would have to take a break after 1 hour. It would be a toss up as to what would go into a spasm first my back or my brain 🧠😎

Kevin, Thanks for the great and very informative video on your little rig. I'm thinking seriously of getting the 40m kit. Following you through the build is very helpful. My only concern is my left hand isn't as stable as it used to be and winding the toriod is daunting. Thanks Rich KG5IF

Класс сделал мощно работает даже на sdr слышно

Oh, BTW, a new revision of the firmware was released this morning, I think it is 1.00C

Hate doing windings on builds my weak spot

I built the QCX+ and was disappointed in the performance of the receiver.

My question is simple - Did you enjoy building this kit? I got the impression from the way you were speaking sometimes was that it was a bit of a chore.

Great kevin like it lots from g0myd uk Love your channel 73 How is the day job going kevin are you settleing ok now feeling more at home there hope so.

Excellent many thanks Kevin I would need new eyes Hi GM4NNC

Kevin... Heat the solder up and stick a toothpick in the hole. Solder cools but doesn’t stick to the toothpick... Ron

Nice video but I guess you should probably invest in a "fine-bit temperature-controlled iron" instead of that 60's "static-delivery" device!

Tell us you are not using a HEATH KIT as work table!

QRP is the biggest waste of money. It is difficult making contacts with QRO with the way the sun is right now.