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Reviews For: FET DIP METER

Category: Ham Radio Kits

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Review Summary For : FET DIP METER
Reviews: 3MSRP: 75
Description:
A compact (5.5 x 2.5 x 1.1 inch) FET DIP Meter Kit using varactor tuning includes a 8x2 LCD frequency display. A 30 turn POT allows precise frequency adjustment. A small 350 uA meter gives visual indication of the DIP.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.HecKits.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0035
NC0Q Rating: 2021-01-24
Thoughtfully Designed and Easy to Use Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Darrel was very prompt in returning emails with my initial questions about this meter, and included a schematic diagram plus build instructions for my review before purchase. The kit went together easily. For the experienced builder, it’s reasonable to expect completing the board and initial tests in one sitting, while winding the remaining coils and buttoning up the enclosure during a second sitting. The dipper works great! I had been scouring the internet for ideas to home brew a design that included an onboard frequency counter when I stumbled across this, and I’m glad I did.
WP4MLX Rating: 2016-11-13
NICE LITTLE DEVICE Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Hi friends. I’ve been a ham since 1993 and there are 2 outdoor activities that I like a lot. The

first one is the ARRL field day and the second one is the International Lighthouse &

Lightship weekend. The only problem is the annoying interference from other neighbor’s

transceivers working different bands that make my activity a nightmare.

I was thinking about buying some band pass filters but in my case it was not cost effective to

use them only 2 or 3 times a year. I did some research on the Internet looking for a basic and

inexpensive kit or plans to build my own band pass filter for 40m/20m/15m. I found a QST

magazine article from September 1988 describing how to build simple yet effective band pass

filters. During the process a dip meter was required for proper toroid coil tuning. I own an

analog dip meter from Lodestar DM-4061 (same as MFJ-201 dip meter) but this device is not

accurate in any way and is not very sensitive. I also needed a frequency counter to know what

the precise resonant frequency of the toroid / capacitor tank was.

After some search on the WEB, I found a company called Heckits (www.HecKits.com) that

offered a FET dip meter kit that incorporated a frequency counter. This was exactly what I

was looking for, so I immediately contacted Heckits asking about the kit availability and I got

a fast response from the kit developer Darrel - WA7OIB. He gave me all the details about the

kit and answered all my questions. Finally I placed my order. The FET dip meter kit arrived in

3 days via USPS Priority Mail, very well packed. Everything was there, no missing parts, good

quality pc board and components, very clear instructions and diagrams... all that you need to

build the kit. The kit also included all the enameled copper wire in different sizes to build the 5

dip coils needed to operate the FET Dip Meter.

After a few hours the kit was finished and I made some tests with some junk coils and

capacitors, looking for the resonance of different calculated LC combinations. The FET dip

meter worked perfectly and performed even better in every way than the LODESTAR / MFJ

analog version and for a fraction of the cost! The FET dip meter has paid for itself when you

consider how much money I saved by not buying all 3 band pass filters at retail prices.

Now it was time to make the first toroid LC resonance tank circuit and fine tune it before

soldering the toroids and capacitors onto the filter boards. The dips were very easy to find with

the help of the instruments precision 30 turn potentiometer and the incorporated frequency

counter.

During the past ARRL FD 2016, we used the 3 band pass filters successfully even while

running three 100W transmitters simultaneously. I even built a new set of band pass filters for

a friend with the help of this neat device. Now I'm in process of building the 80m band pass

filter.

For me the support is as important as the quality of the product and I need to admit that

Darrel is always there to assist you with any questions. Thanks Darrel and Heckits.com

Luis Rivera

WP4MLX
WA7OIB Rating: 2016-06-26
A very compact FET DIP Meter Kit Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
This FET DIP Meter, with a 8x2 LCD frequency display, makes very accurate measurement of the exact resonate frequency of tank circuits which is very useful when designing trap antennas. The assembly manual has very detailed instructions making assembly an easy process. Compared to other units currently for sale that use a graphical circular chart, this unit allows for precise read-out on the LCD display. Measuring only 5.5 x 2.5 x 1.1 inches and running on a 9VDC battery, this kit makes a nice addition to the HAM SHACK.