Homebrew

WB4AEG sent me this today. They also threw everything up on [Github}(https://github.com/DRWJSCHMIDT/K9HZ/tree/main/K9HZ_20W_PA). They even made a companion book to go along with the radio. You can get it here! That is so cool. I love the fact that it has actual knobs and switches you can use. Sometimes that’s better for me in the field, if the sun is bright. Another rig I’ve been eyeballing is the zBitx from HF Signals. I love the fact that it will run off 18650 batteries! It’s neat to see there are so many options for the tinkerer aside from the big Japanese brand radios. I still need to get busy building my QCX mini. I signed up for cw academy but it was too late in the semester already. ...

Before I got my ham license I had a shoestring budget. I pondered getting a used rig like an Icom IC-706mk2g. They were still 300+ USD used. I decided I’d take a chance and buy a kit radio! Up to this point I’d only assembled a simple fm radio and other simple kits and drone repair. I figured the worst that’d happen would be a smoke show. When I finally got it fired up the first time I had a large towel with me to smother in case a 🔥 started. 🤣 ...