[Elecraft] Very Dissatisfied With Elecraft Support

[David Woolley (E.L)]

Jon Perelstein wrote:

> Where exactly do I have double-sided printed circuit board sitting around?  Do I hacksaw off a
> hunk from my television or from my computer?  Radio Shack doesn’t sell it, nor does Mouser.

Mouser do stock it. 
<http://www.mouser.com/Search/Refine.aspx?Ntt=*copper*+*clad*&N=1323038&Ntx=mode%2bmatchall&Ns=P_SField&OriginalKeyword=copper+clad&Ntk=Mouser_Wildcards> 
or specifically 
<http://www.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?qs=nnh8%2fA0SuH%252buQH8CIqVpSA%3d%3d>.
Radio Shack also stock it: 
<http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102495&cp=&sr=1&origkw=copper+clad&kw=copper+clad&parentPage=search>
It's a very basic material for home construction, which is probably why 
the author didn't feel it necessary to use the term "copper clad board", 
which I used in my searches.

> It also turns out that nobody carries the diode specified by the 
> schematic (1N34A).

The 1N34A diode looks to be a generic "Germanium point contact diode" 
and any small diode so described should work (e.g., in the UK, at least, 
OA91).  It looks like it was the typical diode used in post war crystal 
sets.  The reason for specifying this sort of diode is that it has a low 
voltage drop, so can be used to measure smaller voltages, but, if you 
remember that the voltage is offset by about 0.6 volts, rather than 
about 0.3 volts, any cheap switching diode, like the 1N4148 or 1N916 
would probably also work.

> According to Mouser, it’s obsolete and out of stock, but if I want to
> pay a couple of hundred bucks,

Mouser are claiming to have 9,170 in stock, for immediate delivery! 
<http://www.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?qs=A09egTk0tbXMpOf3uR8i2Q%3d%3d>

-- 
David Woolley
"The Elecraft list is a forum for the discussion of topics related to 
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