ADC Project Status, Fake Parts, Varactor Diodes and then Chinese Critter Checker[long]
Delayed in getting to build second ADC xcvr prototype because a package of J310s has
gone across the country and back for more than a week and having trouble
getting to me.? Hopefully by Monday.? Then I'll build the second prototype
to finish the complete manual and finalize the board layout.
Speaking of boards.? What is going to be the economics now of getting
PCBWay or other boards from China?? Inquiring minds want to know.
Start a new topic heading on the subject, please.
<> is what I call the
Chinese Critter Checker.? This one from NJ distributor.? Today's
price is $16.49 with case and free shipping.? If a number of
you rush to get one, then we'll see if price gouging kicks in.
And the blame goes to tariffing.
This critter saved me yesterday.? I'd been getting parts via
Eliexpress with a 100% success rate until yesterday when I got
a batch of 'BF245B' JFETs.? Turns out to be plain NPN BJTs.
The CCC caught it and I then went and found a simple test
<>
also confirmed the package as fakes.? Since they are BJTs, I'll run them through
the f_T tests to see if they are useable as just plain transistors at RF.
Otherwise, I'll test them for audio amp use.
Good news.? Got immediate refund and the vendor disappeared
from any listings.? Looks like they, Aliexpress, run a tight ship.? IMHO.
YMMV.
I asked DeepSeek why the significant price differential for BJT and JFETs and it
gave me a very detailed explanation. Just gotta love AI.
OK. Back to the bench.? 17m hasn't been the greatest the last few
days.? Someone mentioned QRP on 160m.? In my entire life I have
never worked a single station on 80m, much less 160m, using
QRP power.? Thus, no one ever on 80m.? Even when I had a 40m
vee beam at Prescott AZ.? Some magic must be involved, even when
the band is open.? NN1G had a cute little 80m transceiver in QRP Quarterly
that I wanted to try, but never got around to it.
I think Doug, KI6DS, started the question of VFO frequency change
using a 1N4004 or varactor diodes.? I did a series of measurements
in the K7QO/AA7FO QRP Lab Notebook <> (404 pages and
growing) on pages 233-248 on varactor diode measurements.? Will add
various other diodes when I get another fixture built for the LC-200A.
FYI,
--
chuck adams, aa7fo
QRP WAS 17m started Apr 2, 2025
WAS-17 QRP --> TX,FL,SC,GA,OK,AR,KS,AL,AZ,MN
PA,CA,CO,WI,NE,ID,IL,NC,NY,WV
MA,OH,OR,RI,MT,WY,WA
DXCC W,VE,JA,PY,ZL
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I quick look at the AE marketplace reveals ample supplies of 4MHz crystals.? That with a 2-to-2.2MHz VFO would tune it down to the 160M band.? There is also a 4.433MHz HC-49s crystal offer, but 3x pricier.? But it would raise the VFO frequency up to 2.433-to-2.633 and further away from the 160M band.? Howard, n3fel
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Howard
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you have a fantastic idea. Avoid an IF that is a multiple of 1.8. Sounds pretty easy. While TR signal should work I wonder if it might carry transmit RF leakage? ?You may have to experiment some. Peek at K2 receive antenna board for design hints.?
Curt
?
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Good morning, all.? I'm thinking about a 160M build using one of my leftover NC40A boards.?
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I actually only need the receive side but with a bit more work can eventually get a complete transceiver.? For now, I could build and test the receiver first, leaving the TX circuitry unpopulated.? ?
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The mute circuit is critical as it would coexist with my QRO rig on 160 using just a LoG RX antenna.? My keyer can output a PTT signal to control it.?
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I'd need a common xtal frequency and a practical VFO tuning range to make this operable in the CW portion of the band.
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Has anyone tried it?? Howard, n3fel
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Re: QRP TX LPF illustration (30M built)
Also if you notice I widened the sweep this time to include the 4th harmonic which shows up about the same level as the 2nd harmonic. I imagine the other filters show the same for the 4th harmonic. (Filter sweep included again.)
Steve
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On 5/1/2025 5:39 PM, Steve Ratzlaff via groups.io wrote: I built the 30M W5USJ LPF from the chart, next. You'll notice on the chart that the input and output impedances for this filter are close to 50 ohms with little differences. My tests showed the same--45 Vpp? (5W) output either way. That indicates if one can design the trap filter for close to 50 ohms, then the filter is indeed symmetrical. Too bad Chuck Carpenter is not still around so we could ask him if he noticed the impedances were the same for this filter and not as close to 50 ohms for the others.
73,
Steve AA7U
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Re: QRP TX LPF illustration (30M built)
I built the 30M W5USJ LPF from the chart, next. You'll notice on the chart that the input and output impedances for this filter are close to 50 ohms with little differences. My tests showed the same--45 Vpp? (5W) output either way. That indicates if one can design the trap filter for close to 50 ohms, then the filter is indeed symmetrical. Too bad Chuck Carpenter is not still around so we could ask him if he noticed the impedances were the same for this filter and not as close to 50 ohms for the others.
73,
Steve AA7U
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Re: QRP TX LPF illustration
Hi,
?
A while back, I noticed the familiar double-pi filter circuit that¡¯s often used at output of transmitters. One day, I did some calculations and realized the connection between the values of L and C¡¯s (each ¡°pi¡± filter has an inductance L in series and two C¡¯s in shunt at each end). For each pi filter, at the frequency at which a tank of L and C (mounted in parallel) meaning L*C*(w^2) = 1, the impedance as seen at the input is equal to the inverse of the impedance of the load at the output, times L divided by C. Stacking two of these pi filters in series, the input impedance is equal to the load impedance (again, this is at the frequency which L and C resonates).
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I made a video (poor quality, sorry about it), it describes the gists of the above explanation:
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When an inductor L is substituted by a parallel L¡¯/C¡¯, as long as the impedance of the L¡¯/C¡¯ is equal to that of the original L, the transformation of impedance (from load to input) at the frequency of interest still stays the same. However, the parallel L¡¯/C¡¯ would block the frequency at which they resonate at. This can be used to reduce substantially a harmonic of the frequency of interest.
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Values of L and C are chosen with considerations of maximum of voltage across the capacitor at the middle (2 of C¡¯s) and the currents that flow through the inductors L¡¯s and C¡¯s. Higher currents would make the filter having larger ohmic loss. Too high of a voltage mike blow capacitors.
I simulated in LTSpice and described this half-wave filter here (the article is in Vietnamese but you can ask Safari to auto-translate to English, it¡¯s not 100% but close enough):?
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Thang Le
AA6SV
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Re: QRP TX LPF illustration
Hi Goody,
I built the W5USJ 80M LPF from the chart just now and tested it; I used T37-2 toroids, 22 and 23 turns, inductances set with the DE-5000 LCR meter, silver mica caps except polystyrene for the 1200 pF center cap. Tested with the transmitter adjusted for 45 Vpp (5W) output at 3550 kHz. I then reversed the LPF with the higher impedance side to the TX--this gave a reduced output of 37.7 Vpp (3.55W) once more to demonstrate to myself the newly discovered property these trap filters are not symmetrical and the lower impedance side needs to go to the TX output. (I then reversed the filter and obtained the same output as before.)
73,
Steve AA7U
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On 5/1/2025 10:50 AM, Anthony Good via groups.io wrote: Hi Steve,
Thank you for the information!? I was wondering how one designed these as I wasn't finding any direct design tools online. The chart will be enough to get me started; I'll build?it and do some cut-and-try with the NanoVNA.
73
Goody
K3NG
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Re: QRP TX LPF illustration
Hi Steve,
Thank you for the information!? I was wondering how one designed these as I wasn't finding any direct design tools online. The chart will be enough to get me started; I'll build?it and do some cut-and-try with the NanoVNA.
73 Goody K3NG??
On Wed, Apr 30, 2025 at 4:30?PM Steve Ratzlaff via <ratzlaffsteve= [email protected]> wrote:
Hi Goody,
For my example I used an existing LPF and simply used each
inductor to calculate what resonating cap worked at the 2nd and
3rd harmonics and picked the closest standard value cap to use.
But once you do that you also need to determine the filter's input
and output impedance with the new trap caps installed--the new
filter is not symmetrical with one end having a higher impedance
and one end having a lower impedance. You want to install the
filter such that the lower impedance side goes to the transmitter
output and the higher impedance side goes to the output/antenna. I
entered this filter I showed into the old? LC filter
designer, where you can enter an existing design, then analyze it,
which includes selecting either input impedance or output
impedance, checked at the fundamental frequency of the LPF. I've
only recently discovered this property that trap filters are not
symmetrical, and verified by trying them both ways with a 5 watt
TX--installed the right way (with lower impedance to the TX) they
put out full power; installed the wrong way (higher impedance to
TX), output is much less! I've never seen this mentioned anywhere
before.
If you'd like, you could give me the schematic for your existing
filter and I can find the in/out impedances of the new filter
after you've selected the two trap caps (or I could determine the
cap values too).
W5USJ did some TX LPFs for qrpme some years back--I've built and
used the ones for 40M and 20M, and also determined the input and
output impedances of these filters and marked them on the
sheet--those filters work very well--which is attached.
73,
Steve AA7U
On 4/30/2025 12:49 PM, Anthony Good via wrote:
I have a homebrew 80m CW rig I built 20 years ago
that was out of spec and I'm re-doing the final PA and LPF.? Did
you use an online calculator to determine the values?? I'd like
to try this harmonic trap technique.
73
Goody
K3NG
On Wed, Apr 30, 2025 at
1:43?PM Steve Ratzlaff via <ratzlaffsteve= [email protected]>
wrote:
We're
all aware of the current FCC regs for harmonics and spurious
outputs from a transmitter needing to be -43 dBc or greater
below the
fundamental output. Here's a 40 M LPF with the original
response of the
filter when the current -43 dBc wasn't in effect vs. with
adding the
trap capacitors across the two inductors, showing how the
filter easily
surpasses -43 dBc--quite a dramatic difference. (I used a 40
dB tap for
these pictures.)
73,
Steve AA7U
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Re: QRP TX LPF illustration
Wow that is an amazing difference!? Next time I need one I will try to use this.? Sounds like the design is a bit more involved though.
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Thanks!
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Re: 1W and 5W build guides
8 have never seen the videos and would appreciate if they were available again!
Thanks ??
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Re: How good is the 1N4004 diode as a varactor
Like Dave mentioned, there is info in the old qrp group from the 25th anniversery NC-40 build...
Here is what I wrote (message #14308):
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"I am running a 1n4007 in mine, works great.
I am using Chuck's crystals so my VFO is at 2.9mHz but I get 60KHz range out of it.
Don't think it is as stable as Chuck's but I tested from cold room start and for longer
time... ?about 100Hz.
Didn't buy the specified varactor but tried LEDs, 1N4001, 1n9148, etc. ?best was the
1N4007."
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73,
Gary
WB6OGD
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Re: How good is the 1N4004 diode as a varactor
If anyone has a project that needs an MV209 (40pF at 1V to 10pF at 9V) or an MV2101 (10pF at 1V to 5pF at 9V), I have some extras. But to be clear I'm not moving them from my spare stock to your spare stock. I will let you have 1 at a time for a specific project or repair.
You can contact me at thomas.b.seeger(at)gmail.com
73 Tom
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Re: 60 Meter homebrew rig IF frequencies
For 60 meters there are channel bandwidth requirements.
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"Amateurs are permitted to operate on five frequency channels, each having an effective bandwidth of 2.8 kHz."
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I believe operating on the steep side? of the skirt would? be best practice (At least on 60 meters).
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All of the filters I've designed so far are 6 pole as that? provides a steep enough skirt to get the carrier rejection below -40db from the filter passband (With the help of the doubly balanced mixer).
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Steve
WA6ZFT
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Re: How good is the 1N4004 diode as a varactor
I'm assuming you've seen this Doug, in the old QRP-Tech group?
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Dave
AA7EE
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Re: 1W and 5W build guides
If I put a keyer into a project, I use the one that Diz used in the 1W and 5W series. It is the same keyer for both W's, just a different output on power up.? One did the 1W and the other did the 5W in Morse. <> is the source and the hex.? I just got in the mail today an UNO R3 for programming some ATTiny45s.? The 1W for 12m was missing its keyer chip.? I assume that I yanked it out for some project and forgot to put it back.? You know the drill. I wish to thank Mike MAIORANA, KU4QO, for keeping the legacy alive at KitsAndParts.com. All the documentation is there in the retired kits section and he still has the 5W PCBs for $5 each.? I loved the 1W and used it for CW training classes and introductory kit building.? Don't know if Mike can bring it back at a price to compete with todays market. FYI, On 4/30/25 13:12, Daniel KK4MRN via groups.io wrote: Thanks Chuck!
I may celebrate and build my Organic 5W CW Transceiver Kit for 40m finally...
I have an extra PCB and keyer chip in case I screw up.?? But just so others know - the keyer chip and PCBs are still available.? The kits are no longer are.
And you know where to get the toroids too...? ;)
I think I will be able to do the SMT parts now with a better digital microscope I got on sale.? I few years ago - it would have been $100.? Now, this model runs about $65 with a small 7 inch screen.?? And I have gotten better at soldering and desoldering.? Good thin solder is key.? I have been reading what the experts are doing on here...
It was the SMT parts that held me up.?? Plus, I was afraid of the #34 magnet wire used in the toroids that easily break when I go to solder them.
But I remember the 1Watter, and I think it is was great kit with an awesome keyer.?? So, I look forward to the 5Watter being a great kit with an awesome keyer as well.
73 Daniel KK4MRN
_._,_._,_-- chuck adams, aa7fo QRP WAS 17m started Apr 2, 2025 WAS-17 QRP --> TX,FL,SC,GA,OK,AR,KS,AL,AZ,MN PA,CA,CO,WI,NE,ID,IL,NC,NY,WV MA,OH,OR,RI,MT,WY,WA DXCC W,VE,JA,PY,ZL
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Re: How good is the 1N4004 diode as a varactor
Hans provides a circuit to measure its varying capacitance. Of course you can also install candidate diodes into your vfo that may be easier.?
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I realize in the old days folk sought a huge range. But note the venerable nc20 used a variable cap in parallel to expand the range. Or switching in a fixed cap. I am confident Doug has seen all these approaches.?
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My all time favorite may be the vcxo in the 38S.?
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Curt
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Re: How good is the 1N4004 diode as a varactor
Please ignore my last post. I wish these things could be edited after posting, but it doesn't work that way here! I was forgetting the influence of the 270pF cap connected to pin 6 of the 602. My brain is somewhat fried this evening. I need to learn not to post quite so quickly.
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Dave
AA7EE
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Re: How good is the 1N4004 diode as a varactor
I have no experience with the 1N4004 as a varactor, but I did use a 1N4001 as one in a simple NE602-LM386 DC receiver on 40M. The inductor was 3.1?H (27 turns on a T50-7). With a voltage span of 3.2V-7.9V on the 1N4001, I was getting a tuning range of~7000-7054KHz.? That would equate to a (rather small) capacitance variation of ~164-167pF.
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If you're interested, I can open it up, fiddle with a few things, and provide the frequency swing for voltages on the 1N4001 below 3.2V. The write-up on the receiver is here -?
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Dave
AA7EE
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Re: How good is the 1N4004 diode as a varactor
What circuit did you use to test?
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hwstar