I recommend the SW40+ from Small Wonder Labs (www.smallwonderlabs.com). I have built a couple of these rigs and
they are amazing performers for the size/cost ($US 55 for the board kit).
If you want the custom enclosure and hardware (knobs, jacks etc) it will cost you another $45.

IMHO 40m is the best all around band at the moment as it is open both day and night.  It is not too difficult to squeeze a 40m dipole into most
city lots and if you can get it 20 to 30 feet in the air you should not have a lot of trouble making contacts.

Michael VE3WMB

Whoops

 I forgot to mention the Norcal 40A transceiver that is sold by
Wilderness Radio. This rig is used as part of a Radio Electronics course
at CalTech (I think) and there is a corresponding text book called
"The Electronics of Radio" by David Routledge

http://www.amazon.com/Electronics-Radio-David-Rutledge/dp/0521646456

Wilderness Radio's website is :

http://www.fix.net/%7Ejparker/wilderness/nc40a.htm

Michael VE3WMB

Well ... Small Wonder Labs (www.smallwonderlabs.com) has a transceiver kit called the SW+ Series (available for either 80m, 40m, 30m or 20m) and there is an online course called Elmer 101 that was put together around the 40m version of this kit. The course is much more detailed than SWLs building manual and takes you though the construction, testing and theory of the rigs design, step by step.

http://www.qsl.net/kf4trd/faq.html

Note that the course was conducted online via the QRP-L QRP discussion group in 1998 but it could still be used for self-study and I am sure that any questions you might have could still be posted to QRP-L.

I think that the board kit is still $55 and if you also want the custom
enclosure/ hardware / controls it is another $45.

I hope that this is what you are looking for.

Michael VE3WMB

P.S. I have personally built a couple of these rigs and they are very
good performers in spite of their simplicity.

Whoops forgot to answer you question about using an 11 - 14 amp power supply. No problem, the radio will only draw 2 amps. You just need to ensure that the Power Supply can supply a minimum of 2 Amps.
A higher capacity supply will not damage the radio. Just make sure that you use a regulated supply (not a cheap wall-wart) that is rated for something in the range of 12 to 13.8v.

Michael VE3WMB

A 5 to 7Ah Sealed Lead Acid Battery (i.e. GEL cell ) would work well and is still reasonably light so you could use it portable. Check out the 12v battery booster packs that places like WalMart sell. (I have an 18Ah one). The smaller ones make great power sources for QRP radios and they can be pretty cheap.

The 9440 only draws a maximum of about 2 amps on TX so you could also use something like :

http://www.mtechnologies.com/cup/

But, I am not absolutely certain that the plug is the correct size.

Also Radio Shack sells a 3 Amp P/S

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103959

Best of luck ...

Michael VE3WMB

I am using fldigi under Ubuntu Netbook Remix (9.0.1) running on a Acer Aspire one, with a SignalLink USB and a Yaesu FT-897D so it is a very similar setup to yours.  Drop me an email at VE3WMB at RAC dot CA and I see if I can walk you through my setup and see what is different in yours.

Cheers

Michael VE3WMB

Keep in mind that 2.5W is only a half S-unit down from 5W. If you really need to run 5W then use an external Gel cell rated at something like 3 to 5Ah.

Unfortunately the Ft-817 is not optimized for power consumption and it is a bit of a hog as compared to other similar sized QRP rigs.

AA cells are rated for maximum current draw and if you look closely
most of the battery manufacturers do have the technical specs for their batteries available on the web. Drawing too much current even for a short time will kill most of the AA Alkalines quite quickly.
NiMH and Lithium cells are better suited to deliver higher currents.

I suggest reading KA7OEI's page on FT-817 power consumption :

http://www.ka7oei.com/ft817_pwr.html

Most noteworthy is using the front BNC connector rather than the rear SO-239 for your antenna when operating from battery ... this saves
almost 30mA of drain on RX which is quite significant.

Charles :

See my comments to your questions below :

>2. My bug has a short piece of copper braid hanging off the "dash" >paddle. I believe it should go from the 'dash' paddle to a screw on one >of the vertical posts that supports the triangular top plate, to ensure >good contact between the dash paddle and ground. Is that right? Is it >important, or can I ignore it? And will the braid from RG-174 mini->coax work OK?

If the braid is missing or damaged try using some desoldering braid, it should be about the same size.  When you are looking at the bug from the paddle end, it should attach to the post in the left. This is needed as you obviously purchased a Deluxe Lightning Bug which uses a jeweled movement. The synthetic jewels are actually an insulator so you need this strap to ensure a good solid electrical connection between the lever and the mainframe.


>3. I have a loose helical spring, that I think is the "dot coil spring". I >believe that it goes between the "Lever stop screw" and the main >lever. It looks like I have to fabricate something that fits into the hole >drilled into the end of the "lever stop screw", and holds that end of >the spring (the small-diameter end) in place. The large diameter end >will simply rest on the main lever. The spring will be in compression, >so the missing part can be as simple as a piece of wire, glued (or >forced) into the "lever stop screw". Is that right?

Yes it sounds like the dot coil spring. That spring should attach to a pin that goes through the lever vertically at about the point where the lever contacts the left stop screw (this is part #12 on the diagram I reference below). The other end of the spring doesn't fit over the stop screw but instead the screw that is above that (part #23). (i.e the stop screw and return spring adjustments are separate).

See http://vibroplex.com/lightning_bug_machine_drawing.pdf

I don't know of a specific hangout for Vibroplex users and collectors but there are a lot of Bug users in the Straight Key Century Club (in spite of the name) so that can often be a good place to ask questions.

BTW ... I just discovered that I have an intact "dot coil spring" from a
junked Lionel J-36 that will fit your Lightning Bug. It has the pin attached. If you are interested drop me an email at ve3wmb at rac.ca and I will send the part to you at no charge.

If you are missing any other parts let me know I might be able to help.
(i.e. do you have both screws that attach the braid ?)

Best of luck

Michael VE3WMB

I raised a similar question about a year ago on the yahoo group for the KD1JV ATS-3A rig. It has separate band modules with 3 or 4 toroids each.
To change bands you must swap modules and I was concerned that this would eventually take it toll on the toroids as a few are wound with #32 AWG. Someone in the group took it upon himself to wind a bunch of toroids and measure their characteristics and then use different methods to secure the toroids to a PCB (most have already been mentioned here in previous responses). He then repeated the measurements, noting any changes in the inductance and Q. The conclusion was that the hot glue method had the least impact on the electrical characteristics of the coil.

The trick that I use was gleaned from the manual for the original KD1JV ALT Tuner kit sold by Hendricks QRP kits. Cut a small sliver of hot glue stick with an exacto-knive and wedge it under the toroid once it is mounted to the board. Heat gently with a heat gun or hair dryer just until
the glue starts to melt, gently push the coil down into the melted glue. Let the board sit for a few minutes until the glue hardens.

Best of luck with your Ten-Tec rig Scott.

Michael VE3WMB

KY7S, I believe that the first version was just called the Sprint.
The enclosure had "Sprint" on it.

Looking at the OHR catalog that I have it appears that the enclosure
for the Sprint II may have been the same as the Sprint so you may have to open the rig up and look closely at the circuit board. I am guessing that there might be an indication on the board of which model you have.
I am not certain of the differences between the two other than the Sprint II has a bit more power out (2W vs 1.5 for the Sprint).

You might still be able to get a manual as OHR still exists. It is now owned by Milestone Technologies who.
Try http://www.ohr.com/. Give Marshall a call he may still have manuals for the older OHR rigs.

Best of luck

Michael VE3WMB

It worth mentioning that part of the secret to using the FT-817 in the field is addressing the power consumption. Part of the problem with the FT-817 is that it is a power hog on receive. For example my K1 draws about 60mA on RX whereas my FT817 draws more like 300mA. Generally speaking you spend a lot of time listening so the Rx current draw has a big impact on how long your batteries will last.

I suggest reading the following excellent web page on reducing the receive current draw on the FT-817 :

http://www.ka7oei.com/ft817_pwr.html

Note that one of the biggest draws is the non-latching relay that is powered to allow use of the rear (SO-239) antenna jack. Using the front BNC (even for HF) will reduce the current consumption by almost 30mA.

BTW I replaced my internal AA tray with a small molex connector that I use to connect a  R/C NIMH pack that is modified so that both leads
are fused with picofuses to give some protection from shorts.
My packs are only about 1700 mAh but they are quite light so it is easy to bring along a couple of extras. You can buy these R/C packs at Radio Shack and I think that they still have a deal on a battery pack
and charger combo.

Cheers,

Michael VE3WMB

I found an old OHR Catalog from when they we located in
Big Rapids MI.

Here is the scoop on the 30m Sprint II.

- High performance DC receiver design with diode ring mixer
- VFO tuning with 8:1 vernier covering 50KHZ on 30m
- bandpass type audio filter
- sidetone oscillator with level control
- RIT with +/- 1 KHZ of range
- 2w output
- 12 - 13.6 vdc operation
- current drain 40mA RX and 220 mA TX
- Measures (HWD) 2.5 X 5 X 5 inches

The original selling price was $US 89.95. This was a complete kit including the controls and enclosure.

This catalog also has the OHR 400 with a note indicating the 400 is NEW so the date of issue for this catalog would be 1995.

I hope that this helps ...

Cheers,

Michael VE3WMB

P.S. So I would adjust the value of a used Sprint II down a bit from my original estimate.

I built a 30m version of this a few years back and unfortunately sold it.
I have regretted it ever since.

This rig is OHR's kitted version of the W7EL Optimized Transceiver
(try Googling that if you want more info on the rig design),

This rig has a Direct Conversion receiver but it is a very good one.
I think that the original price on these rigs was about $120 US so I would guess that something in the $60-$75 range is probably reasonable assuming that the rig is in good working order and not badly scratched up.

Hey maybe you will end up with the one I built as I heard  through the grapevine that the guy who bought mine re-sold it,  I should have scratched my initials on the inside of the case ;-) .

Best of luck

Michael VE3WMB

This thread is pretty old but here is my $0.02 worth ..

The secret to using an end-fed wire is to pick a length that will present a reasonable impedance on the bands of interest so that it is possible to match the wire with a tuner. The key to this is to avoid lengths that are multiples of a half wavelength on the amateur bands, as this will present a very high impedance that will be difficult for many tuners to match. Fortunately someone has already figured out what these magical lengths are.

Alan Chester G3CCB (SK) wrote an excellent article called
 "Taming the End-Fed Wire" ("The Antenna File", RGSB, pg
118) he looked at this issue by plotting various 1/2 wave lengths and
proposed the length of 26.5m (86.9 ft) for 160 - 10M use (there are a couple of other shorter lengths as well that exclude 80m and 169m)
(Note that "The Antenna File" book may still be available from ARRL).

I can personally vouch for the 26.5m length as I currently use this length for an inverted-L (30 feet vertical and the rest horizontal).
As others have said, an inverted L requires radials (the more the better but if you can't put down more than about 20 then don't bother to make them any longer than 1/8 wave on the lowest operating frequency as the performance improvement will be very small).

My 26.5m wire comes in the window of the shack and is connected to a
SG-211 autotuner (this has a fairly wide matching range) It will load from 160m to 10m with this tuner and antenna performance is reasonable. I have put down as many radials as I can on my small city lot and made a good connection between the ground terminal on the tuner and the cold water pipe a few feet below the tuner in the basement.

Another option is the W3EDP, which coincidentally uses a length of 84 feed along with an elevated "counterpoise" (I hate to use that word as it meaningless) of 17 feet (google W3EDP for more details).

http://www.zerobeat.net/g3ycc/w3edp.htm  has some pretty good and accurate info on the W3EDP.

W3EDP arrived at this length by starting with 100 feet of wire and trimming 4 feet at a time and then assessing the usefulness of the antenna, he repeated this several times and settled on 84 feet. I think that this is the same 26.5m that G3CCB came up with, only arrived at by experimental rather than theoretical means. Note that the counterpoise length of 6.5 feet is proposed for 20m and I believe that that original QST article on this antenna suggested that no "counterpoise" be used for 80m and 10m.

So for what it is worth, if you decide to go with a multi-band end-fed wire then I suggest that you make it 26.5m long, as this will facilitate matching. This certainly won't rival stacked mono-band yagi's at 100 feet but it will get you on the air on all or most bands with a reasonable tuner. There may be some particular quirks with the radiation patterns on some bands but at least you will be radiating a useful signal.

cheers

Michael VE3WMB

Personally I like 40m as it is always open to somewhere. It is a very good choice of bands for a mono-band QRP rig. Also for casual QSOs 7.030 MHZ to 7.060 MHZ is a good range as it encompasses the QRP calling frequency as well as FISTS, SKCC etc. Rigs like the Small Wonder Labs SW-40+ will easily cover this tuning range. A low dipole will work well for daytime contacts on this band out to about 500 miles.

Michael VE3WMB