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Reviews For: Small Wonder Labs SW+ Series

Category: QRP Radios (5 watts or less)

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Review Summary For : Small Wonder Labs SW+ Series
Reviews: 63MSRP: 90.00
Description:
2-watt monoband superhet CW rig with varactor diode VFO
Product is not in production
More Info: http://smallwonderlabs.com/swl_swp.htm
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00634.8
AB7JK Rating: 2006-12-12
FB QRP Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This is a nice qrp kit. It has quiet receive and I make more cw contacts on 20 meters now than I ever did with my qro radio (just too much qrm, phase noise, atmospherics - you name it!!).

The only downside is the 35khz frequency coverage which can be increased by adding capacitance. The problem is the board is double plated making desoldering and resoldering of components difficult and radio hard to modify. I almost turned my SW20+ into a basket case by having to use point to point wiring for mods.

Why can't SWL povide instrutions and parts for full cw band coverage?
DL3NAA Rating: 2006-09-08
Excellent QRP-rig! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I own the 20-m-version for almost 5 years now and found it to be a real bargain. The RX is beautiful and the TX stable! I modified it to work from 14000 to 14062.
For some month I also own the 40-m-version now and it is a good communication-tool for Europe all day long. Using it portabel with 20.5-endfed-wire resulted in solid contacts up to 1500 km.
Fine job!
W8VK Rating: 2006-07-06
Poor Buy! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I bought (8) SW Radios and ordered a 9th and then cancelled it! The 8 radios are as follows: (2) SW-80+, (2) SW-40+, (2) SW-30+, and (2) SW20+.
My own design of a VFO for Full CW Band Coverage was installed in each radio. (Very Stable and Excellent performance Too!)
The (2) SW-80+ and (2) SW-40+ Radios work well at the 2 1/2 Watt level!
A Vectronics VEC-820K Audio Filter was added for additionally needed filtering performance to operate ARRL FD 2006. And the 10 turn 100K Tuning Pots per each radio.
A 2 1/2 X 1 inch heat sink was added to all radios to try and cool the final 2SC2166's. ( I feel the board area here, should be cut out allowing the final to be mounted to the whole cabinet case bottom to provide proper final cooling! )
With the SW-80's I ran 15 QSO's around the US in 2 hours in FD 2006. The SW-40's I ran 20 QSO's around the US in 2 hours.
I give Dave Benson a Rating of 5/5 with the SW-80's and SW-40's. But improvements could definitely be added!
The remaining (4) radios are (2) SW-30+ and (2) SW-20+.
I have 3 antennas matched flat. And I have 2 QRPp Watt Meters. I also have a Palstar AT- 1500 Antenna tuner.
I have experienced Transmitter problems in all Four Radios that won't let me match 20 Meter Radios to 20 meter antennas, And Match 30 Meter Radios to 30 meter antennas. The Finals also overheat quite quickly! But, the SW-80+ and SW40+ radios allow the tuner to adjust the match on any antenna, Flatting the SWR and Peaking the power output.
I find Dave Benson not wanting to investigate my claimed problems! And I further more won't ever return my radios for him to review due to my "Specially Designed VFO".
I Rate Dave Benson's SW-20+ and SW-30+ at a 0/5. Further more I had to e-mail copies of payments for radios i bought and paid for that weren't delivered in a timely manner and a complete kit! ( That's right, Parts were missing!)
I'm sure other people are having the same problems I am with Mr. Benson!
Thanks for checking my reviesw out!

Rich Carstensen, W8VK (Former Alinco Chief Tech 2001-2004.

IS0VSU Rating: 2006-07-05
It's a small wonder Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This rig is really a small wonder. I built it in Arabia, in two days. Back in Italy, I bought a good metal case, and the SW-40 is always with me, home, car (yes, my car :-) or in my office.
Good reports, no chirp.

Franco IS0VSU
www.sardiniaqrp.com
OK1RP Rating: 2006-05-18
The SW+ legend Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I consider this little rig a jewel and for only $55 for the PCB and parts on the board you can't beat it! Especially for new kit builders and it does provide a very economical way into the hobby for those on very limited budgets. Not every one has a large budget for hobbies.

I am not an employee of SWL nor do I get any funding for this.

The power out is adjustable with an internal pot from 0 to 2.5 or so watts. It will not get you 5W if you think you need that much power.
Keying is clean and the receiver has excellent sensitivity. Selectivity isn't meant to make it a contest type rig. Just a little rig to enjoy for casual operation.

Sensitivity of the receiver is very good resulting in a MDS of better than -123 dBm. All transmitter harmonics were down more than 40 dB from the carrier with spurious better than 45 dBc in my case.

VFO stability is superb, and on the air comments often indicate that is it taken for XTAL controlled. Subsitiuting a 10-turn tuning pot gives better tuning range.

Finaly the receiver is incredible, and leaves little to be desired. Sensitivity is excellent and the XTAL filtering gives great selectivity and image rejection. QSK is as good as any I have heard. My only desire is to go back and add on a AGC. This would reduce fatigue during long operating sessions.

The design is so fantastic and kit so brilliant for that price that the SW+ radio comes to be legend in the telegraphy QRP kits.

73, Petr OK1RP
KB9BVN Rating: 2006-04-20
Best rig for the money Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have been building and using rigs from Small Wonder Labs for about 5 years or so. I have loved every one of them.

You just can't go wrong with the SWL+ kits, they are easy to buiold, and you will learn a lot about radio theory while you build it.
N5VWN Rating: 2005-07-22
Very awsome rig! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I'm glad I got mine. It was fun and went together easily. It's suppose to transmit between 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 watts. Mine seems to be doing 5! Only thing I did was to put a heat sink on the final. I tried to tune it down a bit but it seems to like where it is. The heat sink is only warm to the touch on a long keydown. The reciever is one of the best I've heard on anything. It's got the narrow filter always on. So you tune slowly. Really blocks close in nearby sigs VERY WELL. Better than the ft920 I once had. I only made a dozen contacts on it. But it's real easy to be heard with it. This rig has been out for a while and the rit kit is no longer available. Makes it tough when someone comes back to you and is not on your narrow frequency. If you move the vfo to center, then he moves. Not good. Almost gave it a "4" for that. But this rig shines in so many other areas, it keeps it's 5 with me. There is a yahoo group out there for the radio but it's not very active. Anybody out there got a schematic of the SW+ rit kit, PLEASE email me n5vwn@arrl.net. I like this rig and listen to it nightly as I solder away on my K2 which will be my base rig. I like to use the SW+40 mobile. Yes, it works quite well with my $10 40meter hamstick. Oh, it don't have a built in keyer like the rockmite. So get your aftermarket keyer kit to put in it.
KC9EQC Rating: 2005-03-17
Can't believe it was only Fifty bucks!!! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This is an awsome little rig. I completed my SW+40 yesterday and got the alignment done. Had to go out and work on the antenna today to make it resonate and then the smoke test. 1st contact was Topeka Ks, and 2nd was Vermont. This was my first (but not last) xcvr kit and it is an awsome beginner kit. Very well written directions, you can learn as you build it, or you can be like me and too anxious to get it on the air to take the time to learn about it hihi..

I'm already thinking about which band my next one will be, it was too much fun to build to not build another. Thanks Dave.

Oh yeah, the support is good too, I found that I was missing a component and shot Dave an email and he got it rite too me. Great service for a great product.

After listening to the reciever, I believe it is better than my TS-570, I think it is time to order a cw filter for the Kenwood because the differance between the two is night and day.
IV3EPO Rating: 2004-04-12
Wow !! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Thanks Dave for very nice job you did with this little rig !!
It's my first qrp-kit and I think it'll not be the last.
No any problem for easy building followed step by step by a very good instruction manual.
Superb audio and very easy to set up.
What I can say more....I hard recommend to buy it if you want to feel the pleasure of our hobby.
Hope meet you on air !!
73' de Giorgio IV3EPO
NETHERSDENIZEN Rating: 2004-02-13
GREAT! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This is the first kit I built in a long time and it is by far the best. It was a joy to build and easy to tune up. Very good performance from such a simple radio. It is also very rugged, my antenna was broken and I didn't realize it and the final on the radio was fine. I don't recommend trying to transmit without an antenna but it's good to know that if it did happen on accident it will survive because of D12. I set the power to about 2 watts but it can do 3+ easy and increased the tuning range to 7.085-7.145 by adding a 47pf cap to the bottom in parallel with C8. Performance on TX and RX is very good. Tuning around the band can be harsh on the ears because the AGC is a bit basic but it's good enough. If you are looking for a low cost kit to experiment with that you can enjoy for years to come this is it!