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Reviews For: Cumbria Designs Minicounter

Category: Ham Radio Kits

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Review Summary For : Cumbria Designs Minicounter
Reviews: 3MSRP: 39 GBP
Description:
A pic-based kit frequency counter with programmable offsets and multipliers. It also features backlit lcd with annunciators such as 'TX', USB etc.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.cumbriadesigns.co.uk
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0035
M3ECM Rating: 2006-04-12
Excellent, simple to construct. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I'm a relative newcomer to electronics, and usually anything to do with a soldering iron I stay well away from.

However in this case, I needed a frequency counter with programmable offsets. My main HF receiver (FRG-7700) whilst being very good, lacks accurate digital frequency readout. I had tapped the display frequency inside and fed it to a RACAL 9918 frequency meter, but it was a pain to manually subtract 455~kHz every time I found an interesting frequency - it made tuning across the band impossible.

I found the Minicounter via the NDB List (http://www.beaconworld.org.uk) and after asking a few questions of Rob Taylor, I ordered the kit.

It arrived a few days ago and today I got around to constructing. It took me about 3 hours, taking my time, because as I said I'm not very good with electronics! After following the very detailed and helpful instruction sheet, I powered up and to my shock and delight it worked. Ok, almost worked. I found a couple of dry joints were causing the unit to "crash". A quick dab of the soldering iron and that was sorted.

I've yet to put the counter into an enclosure, but I've tested it with my FRG-770 and its working brilliantly. The offsets are easy as anything to set up and use.

If you're an experienced constructor you'll have little problem with this kit, and if like me you're not too confident, just take your time and follow the excellent instructions -to the letter-!

Well done Cumbria Designs!
http://www.cumbriadesigns.co.uk/Minicounter.htm

David, M3ECM.
G6CPZ Rating: 2004-12-11
The best Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Like Andy, homebrewing is my life. Having built many radio/electronic projects over the last 40 years, this rates as one of the very best. It is being used with my homebrew qrp 80m ssb/cw rig. Quality,cost,ease of build,ease of use, 10/10. Let's hope you guys go the full hog & bring out some complete Tx/Rx kits. My 80m kit is of the same high quality but a different company. 160m next? I'm too long in the tooth to go chasing for components anymore so kits are for me.
G1HBE Rating: 2004-04-24
Just right. Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I'm an avid homebrewer, and for my latest project (a 160m SSB/AM transceiver) I needed a quick digital frequency readout. I could have built one using conventional logic, but it needed to fit a small space...
Then I came across this handy module. It built up in a couple of hours from the easy-peasy instructions and it worked first time. Programming the offsets and making the display say useful things like 'LSB' and 'RX' was easy too.
I wish Cumbria Designs the best of luck. It's little ideas like this that get the 'necessary evil' bits off your back and allow you to get on with the interesting RF bits. Excellent!