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Jack Purdum
I honestly don't know what the cost is to meet FCC compliance, but I do know something about the cost of parts and cases. My concern is not what a company charges for a kit. I am a strong believer in free markets. That said, I do want to stem the tide I see where new hams get their Tech license and, for budget reasons, buy an HT to work 2M and then drop out. I've talked to several such dropouts and they all said that 2M was like "a public cell phone". Clearly, they did have a diverse ham experience. My hope is for an effective SSB rig for 40M running about 10W that a high school or college student can afford and experience what the HF bands have to offer over and above a cell phone. The BITX40 does that.? I bought my BITX40 when there was no VFO or LCD display, so I set about adding one, just like many others. Ashar beat me to the punch by adding those features, but to his credit, he convinced the distributor to keep the price down. I think the uBITX will play an ever more important role in attracting young hams to move up from Tech to General and Extra. We need young people in our ranks and joining our clubs, not old fossils like me. That's not to say we can't help "Elmer" them along, and show them the fun of HF, CW, digital modes, homebrewing, and all the other elements that make our hobby what it is.? As to the BITX20, I want new hams to know alternatives exist. When you think about it, the difference between the BITX20 and BITX40 is the case, dual IRF510's, and FCC complance weighed against no case, all PCB components in place, a single IRF510, and mounting the controls yourself. (Since both are kits, FCC compliance may be less of an issue, plus members of the users group would jump in with mods to fix it if demanded.) A new ham not bound by a lawn-mowing budget may prefer the B20 at the higher price point because of its features and looks. Someone with less deep pockets needs to know about the alternative. Making them aware they have choices is a good thing. I don't know the precise impact of their work, but I know that the efforts of Ashar, Allard, Jerry, and many others in this group have caused a lot of people to "take the plunge" into QRP, kit-building, and experiencing new aspects of our hobby. More importantly, they well may have kept them from dropping out of our ranks. The more who stay, the healthier our hobby becomes...to everyone's benefit. (Climbing down from soapbox...) Jack, W8TEE From: John Backo via Groups.Io <iam74@...> To: [email protected] Sent: Monday, May 15, 2017 9:25 PM Subject: Re: [BITX20] SMD 20M BITX20 $190 is a bit steep. But it includes the case and the digital readout. Also, this is the BITX20A and BITX17A. These kits include a major redesign of the original BITX, with a dual IRF510? PA and US FCC compliance. The BITX20 V.3 (which is now the v.3C) is much closer to the original, and does not include FCC compliance. The builder has to figure out a way to make the rig legal in the USA. It is also quite expensive compared to the original kit. Both of these designs are good kits for the average QRPer. I sort of lean towards the BITXnnA, but it is now probably a bit much for the average ham. john AD5YE |
