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Reviews For: Norcal 2030 QRP CW transceiver

Category: QRP Radios (5 watts or less)

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Review Summary For : Norcal 2030 QRP CW transceiver
Reviews: 1MSRP: 160.00
Description:
image rejection receiver with a direct conversion detector- 20 or 30m
Product is not in production
More Info: http://www.norcalqrp.org/nc2030.htm
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0015
W0BGO Rating: 2013-05-22
superb design Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I am surprised no one has ever reviewed this fine QRP transceiver! And here it is 2013! The design was the hard work of Dan Tayloe N7VE and it was available as a full and partial kit some years ago by the NORCAL QRP Club. Two partial kits became available on eBay a year ago and I quickly pounced on the opportunity as I always wanted to hear a direct conversion type of receiver. I had always heard the audio on these receivers could be a pleasure to listen to. I was not disappointed! I have yet to hear a radio with this clarity on CW. It's a real treat to the ears! The design of this radio is very professional with a very unique design. The image rejection design requires phase shifting both the Rf and audio both 90 degrees to to reject the unwanted USB sideband. Once the RF has two paths with a 90 degree difference, the magic occurs in the Quadrature detector that has very little signal loss. I won't go into the great performance specifications. These are very aptly presented at the Norcal web site. But suffice to say, the tuning of the radio is unlike any other I have owned. The signals really just pop out of the ether as you tune across the band. This was not a beginners project with 400 SMD's. It took some time but well worth the effort. This is truly a QRP rig I will have for a long time. Output is about 4 watts for each model. I just recently finished the 30m version and the performance is identical. There are times I find it easier to pull out the weak signals with this receiver than with the "big rigs". My hat goes off to Dan N7VE for a great design!