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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
VK3YE Rating: 2000-05-18
Highly recommended Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
This is an excellent kit which is one of the
best value QRP kits available on the market. The
kit worked first time and delivers excellent
transmit and receive performance. Operating is
very smooth. The optional RIT and audio freq
readout modules work well.

It is desirable when tuning up to use a CRO -
with some combinations of settings, the output
was less than a sine wave. However when properly
adjusted you will find the set provides stable and
reliable performance.

Documentation, instructions and support from
Dave are also good.

If only there was a dual band version of this
kit which did 40 and 20m!
WA6YSY Rating: 2000-04-11
SW-40+ Excellent Performer. Clean, Crisp Time Owned: unknown months.
Dave Benson's SW-40 is an excellent rig for beginner as well as experienced builder. The instruction manual is well written and the unit goes together without a hitch. I built the rig to use as basis for a self-contained, portable QRP transceiver. It has lived up to my expectations. I added the Small Wonder Labs RIT accessory which works as claimed. I've mounted these two pcbs in a cast aluminum mini box along with a set of 8 AA batteries, and an Embedded Research EPS-1 dc to dc power converter. I've also added an antenna tuner and swr circuit to the assembly. Oh, yes there's a Tick 2 keyer that rounds out the finished product. I'm very pleased with the rig and with communications from Small Wonder Labs on the few questions I had. On air reports are excellent. Sensitivity of the receiver is very good resulting in a MDS of better than -123 dBm. All transmitter harmonics were down more than 37 dB from the carrier with spurious better than 45 dBc. I did modify the tuning range to get 100 KHz so the rig tunes now from 7009 to about 7112 KHz. The reason for the 7009 KHz low end was just to stay away from the edge of the band since I didn't put a calibrated control on the tuning. I used a 10 turn pot with a large knob...feels real good.
73's John
KO4PY Rating: 1999-11-25
Incredible performance from this kit Time Owned: unknown months.
A group of students from W4ATC (NC State University) built SW series kits as a group project last spring. Most were first time kit builders on a budget and wanted to learn about solid state RF circuits, so they selected the SW series based on specs, price, and unmatched (download-able)documentation which enhanced learning during construction.

This rig is a winner. I used the two I built (40 and 20 meter versions)with dipoles and came up with wins in QRP NC QSO party and QRPp MI TAC contest. I also use them extensively for ragchewing and even a little DXing from my weekend QTH at Lake Gaston, NC. I have no problems working DX anywhere when conditions are good, even in contests. Both are a pleasure to operate.

Most of us added on the RIT and keyer/freq readout. Most students used the KC1 but I used a KC2 for the SW40+, and a TICK keyer for the SW20+. Either is easy to add on.

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 (I set up for 60khz range with 6khz per revolution). The RIT add-on is very useful when working splits or other QRP stations with less stability.

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.

Construction was very easy, and is modular, with informative tests and "experiemnts" to run on each segment as it is constructed. There is a "lab manual" of circuit theory for each module.

I keep my SW's set up for QRPp with just under 1 watt out, but 2 to 3 watts is possible if you need it. In these days of megabucks rigs, it is simply amazing what you can do for under $100!

For more info, contact KO4PY@ARRL.NET or see out W4ATC website at NCSU.