The 'Rock-Mite
'
A simple CW transceiver for 80, 40 or 20 meters!
The
'Rock-Mite' design grew out of my desire to offer a 'one-evening' CW
transceiver kit which would be both affordable and easy to construct. It first
appeared at 'Lobstercon' - a QRP gathering on the
The Rock-Mite is a crystal-controlled
direct-conversion transceiver available for 80M, 40M, 30M or 20M. It features an on-board 8-pin PIC microcontroller which controls a T-R offset on key-down. A brief tap of a pushbutton control
switch reverses the offset to yield a second operating frequency. Pushing and
holding on the pushbutton activates the speed adjustment routine for the
built-in Iambic keyer. If you'd rather use an
external keyer or straight key, there's a
'drop-through' mode which allows use of an external keying source.
You'll note in the image above that the Rock-Mite uses two crystals. The first is used in the local oscillator for transmitter and receiver. The second is used as a receiver front-end filter. This crystal significantly reduces the SWBC energy present at the receiver mixer; as a result, unwanted SWBC reception is dramatically reduced.
The Rock-mite uses one surface-mount part with fairly large spacing. There are no toroids to wind, so assembly should be a snap! The Rock-Mite uses subminiature epoxy-encapsulated RF chokes instead of toroids.
SPECIFICATIONS:-
- Double-sided PCB 2.0" x 2.5", plated-thru-holes, solder masked & silkscreened for easy assembly
- 0.5W power output at 12V supply.
- Supply voltage range 8-15V
AVAILABLE FREQUENCIES:
3560 kHz
3579 kHz
7015 kHz
7030 kHz (QRP calling frequency)
7040 kHz
7122 kHz (US Novice/Tech+)
10106 kHz
14060 kHz
-automatic T/R offset, reversible
-Built-in Iambic keyer, 5-40 WPM
-Built in sidetone, 700 Hz
- Includes assembly instructions and operating tips
- All on-board parts supplied in kit (as pictured above)
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Check out this offering! Dale Botkin, N0XAS, offers an economical upgrade to the RockMite functionality. The'PicoKeyer' provides memory-keyer functions, and with one added resistor, allows pot-based speed control. For further information, see:
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PRICE:
(See Order Form)
ENCLOSURE OPTIONS:
We do not offer an enclosure for the Rock-Mite. It's 'Altoids-compatible', however, so a source of enclosures is probably as close as your nearest market or pharmacy! For a beautiful custom-made enclosure, check out the 'MityBox' available from www.Americanmorse.com
CONNECTORS & CONTROLS
We now offer a complete set of controls/connectors for the RockMite. Includes:
BNC bulkhead, (2) 3.5mm stereo jacks, gain pot, knob, power jack & plug (2.1/5.5mm), power and interconnect wire, subminiature switch, reverse polarity diode, instructions. This parts set is 'Mitybox'-compatible.
Price:
(See Order Form)
Dave Benson, K1SWL
3/4/08