[Elecraft] Affordable Test Equipment to Evaluate A K-rig

[Charles Greene]

Ron and All,

Here's a book I recently ordered from Doug concerning test equipment.  I 
haven't received it yet so I can't attest to its value, but some others have:

"Subject: Firth/Fishpool Simple Test Equipment for the QRPer Book is in
Second Printing
From: Doug Hendricks (ki6ds@dph.dpol.net)
Date: Mon Sep 30 2002 - 14:45:39 EDT

Guys, the response to the Graham Firth/Tony Fishpool book, "Simple Test
Equipment for the QRPer" has been absolutely wonderful. We printed 100
copies, and those are all gone!! But don't fear, I am to pick up the second
printing today after school. If you would like to order a copy of the book,
please send a check or money order for $12 made out to Doug Hendricks to:
Doug Hendricks
ATTN: QRP Book
862 Frank Ave.
Dos Palos, CA 93620"


At 07:34 PM 10/30/2002 -0800, Ron D'Eau Claire wrote:
>Wes Hayward, W7ZOI, describes a "lab" full of homebrew test equipment in
>his book "Solid State Design for the Radio Amateur". It includes signal
>generators with calibrated outputs going down in the fractional
>microvolt level with suitable shielding for accurate measurements. Wes
>"bootstrapped" the calibration starting with simple measurement
>equipment that dealt with fairly large signals, and used those results
>to build ever more sensitive test equipment. The result was a bench of
>homebrew test equipment that could accurately measure a rig running a
>"QRP Gallon" (5 watts) down to something in the microwatt level.
>Building and getting the test equipment working was a real laboratory
>exercise in learning how to use it in testing rigs.
>
>The book has been around a while. In addition to the test equipment that
>Wes designed and originally presented in a series of QST articles in the
>70's, it contains many homebrew rig designs and design data for the home
>brewer. I built most of Wes' test equipment to use when designing my own
>rigs back in the late 70's and to build and test a variety of crystal
>ladder filters of the  type the Elecraft rigs use. Being 30 years old,
>there are some niftier chips out there than what this book shows
>particularly in some of the rig designs included in the book, but the
>theory and test equipment described is great basic stuff that is still
>100% useful in today's' ham workshops.
>
>The book was co-authored by the other legendary QRPer and Homebrewer
>extraordinaire, Doug DeMaw, W1FB who is, sadly, now an SK. Doug founded
>Oak Hills Research among other companies and spent years with the ARRL.
>
>For me, "Solid State Design for the Radio Amateur" supplanted the ARRL
>Handbook as the most useful collection of "how to" information for
>designing, building and testing rigs, particularly HF band equipment.
>
>By the way, I DO have a connection with the authors, but it's one of
>debt, not profit. I can't tell you the number of times back in the 60's
>and 70's that I was scratching my head over a design problem and would
>run into Doug or Wes on 40 meter CW running a few milliwatts with their
>latest creation, tell them about my problems and receive a few days
>later a long, carefully-written letter outlining possible approaches and
>solutions. That was before e-mail. Sometimes a whole schematic or test
>setup would be described in great detail. They weren't interested in
>showing me how much they knew or pointing out what I obviously did not
>know. They were spending their time helping me find out for myself what
>I needed to know so I could learn in true "Ham" spirit. Any time I write
>something on this reflector that might help someone today, it's one tiny
>little "thank you" to a couple of great guys who spent a lot of their
>time with me. And I am certain that I was NOT the only one!
>
>Ron AC7AC


73, Chas, W1CG
K2 #462