Alan, your two Youtube QRP kit videos are fabulous. The high view count for the Cub video (900+ views in 8 days) shows there is a need for them. Who knew??? Those numbers are amazing for a video that doesn't have the word "topless" in the title. 

It would be wonderful if you could do a series on all the popular QRP kits. I would think the makers would be fully cooperative because the YT exposure would help them sell more kits.

My son, an EE student, and I built an Oak Hills OHR-100A QRP kit last year. While its manual is excellent for building the kit, it says virtually nothing about how the 300+ components function. A schematic is included, but no block diagram or text explanation. 

I'd be happy to send you a copy of the OHR-100A manual if you'd like.

W2AEW MFJ Cub video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QSwXv2RJzw
W2AEW Heath HW9 Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPM1vvGorTo

Thanks
Jeff K0OD
 

While Commradio.com still says in red that shipping starts on February 22 for new orders, there has been a small delay:
http://forums.radioreference.com/software-defined-radio/256366-new-sdr-commradio-cr-1-a-6.html

Don's friend WB2KTG says: "Being a bit of a perfectionist, Don would rather be a day or two behind shipment dates than ship a product which wouldn't fulfill his and your expectations!"

Yet http://www.commradio.com/cr-1-communications-receiver/ says (in red font): "Shipping February 22nd, 2013 for new orders."

Was that fast email reply just an autoresponder? What did you learn from it about the questions you've asked?

Why don't you just phone them (him?) and ask your questions? 303-279-3671

That would also give some idea about customer service.

Here we go:

http://www.mtu.edu/alumni/notables/profiles/Donald-Moore.html

Beyond bizarre. The costly CR-1 is now for sale online. Potential buyers are begging for additional  performance specs or at least a comparison with a recognized high performance receiver (and not that handheld thingie with a BNC whip) and this photo is what Moore's buddy provides:

http://forums.radioreference.com/attachments/software-defined-radio/40432d1361411800-new-sdr-commradio-cr-1-frostyradio.jpg

Hi Chuck:

In 1992 I cracked the top 10 nationally QRP in the ARRL CW DX contest using an Argonaut 509. Big thrill was working a JA on 80. Ten meters was red hot that weekend as I recall and I spent a huge amount of time on that band.

I vaguely remember making a handful of DX Qs in some contests using a Ramsey QRP transmitter kit at about two watts. With its VXO I could only move a few Hz +- its crystal frequency.

Last year I turned the power down on the OHR and entered one of those QRPP contests. Result: ZERO contacts in about an hour!  I've got the OHR working a lot better now so I may try to beat that.

Fun trying different things. Nice too not worrying about TVI complaints.   

Kenwood hybrids get additional boat anchor cred by virtue of having an AC mains power supply built in. 

I nearly tossed my old (1977) 820 a few years ago. It was barely working, had some rust poking thru, and had been unused for ages. My decision to restore it was based on it being my only radio that "plugs in."  It was also one of the last radios made with a purely mechanical freq readout (on the early non 'S'' models).

Plastic radio? The 820 weighs around 37 lbs as I recall.   

Tunisia was easy. He was CQing around 7070 with few takers around my midnight. I spent a lot of time high in the band where the QRM and competition was less. 

The Hi Per Mite is rated at 200 Hz but at 3 dB down, not the usual 6 dB. I don't believe the 400 Hz spec on the OHR. My guess is that's based on 3 dB also. Lord knows how these work at 60 dB down which is the appropriate measurement point for contesting.

It's actually a problem in a contest that the OHR receiver is so hot. Yesterday I did some A/B testing between it and my $2800 Flex-5000. The weakest signals on the Flex were just as copyable on the OHR  (that shouldn't surprise most experienced hams). On 40 the limitation is band noise not receiver sensitivity.

---
After thinking about the Hi Per Mite, I just dusted off my old unused Timewave DSP 9 audio filter. My Flex wouldn't benefit from it. But the Timewave makes a world of difference with the OHR.  However, as the radio gets more selective its varactor tuning limitations magnify. I'm using the stock OHR pot. They offer a 10-turn "high precision" pot but that covers up the front panel markings so that the optional digital dial is recommended. Each solved problem presents new ones!

The DSP 9 costs more and may weigh more than the OHR-100 and it uses an amp of current! I'm thinking of building in the Hi Per Mite which would improve selectivity while retaining the radio's simplicity.

The OHR-100a is a nice kit. I bought it mainly to give my son, an electrical engineering student, some soldering experience.

Spent last weekend in the ARRL CW DX Contest using an Oak Hills 40-meter QRP kit transceiver powered by lantern batteries  I’ve done lots of contesting in my 50+ years in the hobby, usually with simple stations, but this was the technological low: $150 QRP kit radio, a vertical and a Midwest QTH.  What pain!  What fun!
 
Making Qs with 5 watts was among the least of the challenges. And the simple receiver pulled in distant DX easily.  While the OHR-100A is spec’d at 400 Hz minimum bandwidth, stations of just moderate strength 2 kHz away could be heard in the passband. No razor sharp skits for me! I could generally deal with the QRM but lining up the varactor-controlled radio on a DX station was the huge problem. With state-of-the-art contest receivers, if callers are even 200 Hz off frequency they may not be heard. Plenty of DX stations didn’t hear me.

Mother Nature cooperated. 40 was wide open and quiet. Still it was a tough slog. By Sunday evening I had 73 DX contacts with 45 countries including a few goodies: 3V8BB, 6V7S and 3D2RX.

Anyone else like to DX contest with the simplest of equipment?    

I only found what he posted about himself on his two sites and even that wasn't much. Noteworthy was what wasn't posted, such as his educational background and where he has worked since becoming a ham decades ago.

What "achievements of note" are you referring to?

Ad puzzled me so I looked up the campaign. One source said the ad series targeted young males. Said that was quite a departure for Velveeta which normally focuses on the Mom/family market.

Heard a different ad version last night. Both times it came on during the Comedy Central Stephen Colbert Report TV show around 10:30 PM here in Saint Louis.  Of course I don't watch much TV except that show. But Kraft is certainly missing their intended demographic with me. LOL

Are they targeting hams? I doubt that's been done since 1951. Correctly, that old ad focused on beer and tons of nice equipment, and a hotty June Cleaver type:

http://irarc.ham-radio-op.net/SchlitzHam.jpg

"so who you calling amateur?"

How many of the ad viewers are going to make the ham radio connection to "amateur?"  About none, I'm guessing.

I saw that commercial on TV yesterday evening. Had no idea what the point was. I do have a ham radio in my basement (and not the CB shown).

Almost never eat Velveetta. Now I wonder about the intelligence of the people who make it.

From the few photos and one video, the CR-1 doesn't currently seem have an S-meter, but it may have a rudimentary panadaptor which can be seen in this picture, but none of the others. http://www.aerostream.com/images/cr1.jpg

--
Aussie: "when it comes to emails takes a long time to get a reply"
Aussie:  "I am ordering mine this week."

 ? ? ?