Hi there Andy , thanks for the reply.
Regarding SMD , Hams really should get on board ,, so to speak. :-)
It is easier and faster than through hole mounting.
I place my parts on the board with a dab of SMD solder paste , and cook the board up in a fry pan (its actually a cast iron skillet) on the kitchen stove.
I keep an eye on the temperature of the PCB with one of those infrared gun type laser things , and keep the solder at melting point for 20 or so seconds , then shut off the heat
A few seconds after the solder has solidified I take the board out of the pan and let it cool down.
It gives perfect - PROFESSIONAL - results every time.
With that being said , I am not anti through hole , I like both , but for different reasons.
For me a full kit is not so important if a partial kit is available ,, things like ferrites + a PCB , and perhaps a few other things that are not easily to come by would be handy.
A full kit would be attractive IF the total cost wasn't insane.
While I see the advantage of building , its hard to justify some of the costs of kits kicking around today - and then you must go and build it....
Whatever the eventually , I think its best not to rush things just to get a kit out.
When your nearly at the final design and before ordering a large batch of anything , , I recommend that you release a few Beta versions to a select few to build up so as to find the bugs.
Then when all the test builds come up with perfectly running rigs , then go to some sort of large release or boards or kits.
gregW:-)? OH2FFY
