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Reviews For: NorCal FCC-1

Category: QRP Accessories

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Review Summary For : NorCal FCC-1
Reviews: 4MSRP: $35.00 US
Description:
Digital Display/Frequency Counter
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.norcalqrp.org
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0045
K8RJ Rating: 2008-03-29
A Useful and Low-cost Accessory for my Atlas 210X Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I bought the FCC-1 in order to use it as a digital frequency readout for my vintage Atlas 210X HF transceiver. I like the knobs and dials on the Atlas and its lack of menus; but, I wanted to be able to read the frequency directly. Original digital readouts for this transceiver are rare and very expensive when they do show up for sale.

The FCC-1 kit was shipped promptly and complete.
It went together very easily with the detailed instructions provided. The FCC-1 uses very high quality components and it worked the very first time. It calibrated easily to WWV.

I interfaced it to my Atlas by using the 9 pin socket on the rear of the 210X. I coupled the VFO output to the FCC-1 input with a 39pfd capacitor.
I took the necessary 13.8VDC from another pin on the same connector.
Grounds were connected here as well.

Rather than dig into the Atlas, I added a front panel five position "band" switch to the FCC-1's new mounting panel. It is a simple matter to use a few 1N4148 diodes to generate the needed band information with the information provided in the FCC-1's manual so that the FCC-1's display shows the frequency as well as the band selected.

I mounted the finished FCC-1 in a discarded Motorola Syntor X, black control head housing.

My experience with it has been nothing but positive and I have no doubt now where I am listening or transmitting. Exact net spotting is a breeze with the FCC-1.

I am very pleased with this useful and low-cost addition to my Atlas 210X.


KC9CS Rating: 2008-03-29
Lots of FUN! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The FCC-1 arrived quickly, and complete..no missing parts. I printed the manual from an online source, read it through, sorted the parts and began a methodical build, taking my time. Even still, I think total time was probably a bit over an hour and it worked great on first power up. I built mine into a separate enclosure so that I could connect it up to several of my discrete QRP radios....merely putting an RCA jack on each piece. Connection to the IF of my SW+ radios was a single easy line, a quick bit of adding some values to the memory and I was able to get a true value of my frequency for each rig. I did not even have to calibrate the counter against a source like WWV, it was right on the mark! Watch the frequency on the rig now, and compare it to the received signal on my 'big rig' radios and it is spot on. Great fun to build, a useful accessory for QRP radios....get it! Thanks to NorCal QRP Club for this kit!!
OH5JJL Rating: 2007-05-02
Great kit Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I recently finished my kit and I'm very satisfied with it. The assembly was really easy and the printable on-line manual was very informative.

I installed my kit into a small aluminium enclosure so I can use it with several rigs. At the moment I use it with my SW-20+ which has a 10-turn pot for more accurate tuning.

Thanks NorCal QRP for this nice product!
AE6RQ Rating: 2007-01-15
Works great! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
This kit was easy to assemble, and the instructions were quite good.

Things that I really like are the external band-sense inputs (if you use these, read the schematic and instructions very carefully - the pin numbers do not match to the decoding logic), the individual settings for each band, ability to enter in any combination of IF offset. The rest of the features are pretty "normal" frequency counter features.

Sensitivity seems more than adequate for any purposes I'm using it for.

The FCC1 now lives inside a single enclosure which also houses my KD1JV ATS-3 QRP xcvr. The FCC1 is wired up to act as either a digital dial for the ATS or as a direct frequency counter.

This is a good kit and instrument and I'm very happy with it.

Thanks Norcal QRP!

-Dave
AE6RQ