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Reviews For: N3ZI DDS2 DDS VFO KIT

Category: Ham Radio Kits

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Review Summary For : N3ZI DDS2 DDS VFO KIT
Reviews: 21MSRP: 79.00
Description:
This is a direct digital synthesized stand alone VFO kit capable of producing a clean sine wave up through 34 MHz.
Kit includes eveything needed to build the VFO and control it though its encoder, 2 momentary pushbuttons, DC in and RF out. Capable of step sizes as small as 1Hz and display resolution to 1 Hz. 10 memories, 2 VFO's, software calibration, RIT, RS232 capable, and programmable IF's.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.pongrance.com/super-dds.html
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00215
KE0Z Rating: 2013-08-27
Perfect for homebrewers Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have an 80 meter HB CW transceiver I built a few years ago with a free running VFO. It drifted a bit and had a little chirp so I became embarrassed to put it on the air. As a result, it collected dust on the shelf for a few years. I saw this DDS VFO on the Internet and decided to give it a try. What a difference. My little HB rig is a brand new radio and sounds just like a rice box. I will be having fun on 80 CW again.
PA0FRI Rating: 2013-03-21
Perfect Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Very clean output, work as described the first time. The frequency accuracy is good.
Use it temporary as a VFO for a PHILIPS RO 110 receiver and will be purchasing more in the future for other projects. The speed up algorithm is a welcome assesoire.
AA4PB Rating: 2012-06-14
Nice Signal Generator Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
This thing makes a nice signal generator source for HF.
WA5VSZ Rating: 2012-06-13
very nice kit Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Doug makes a very nice VFO kit. I put one in the external speaker box for my KWM2A . It makes the old rig really fun to use. NO drift ! I have several Icom rigs and I use the Collins the most now. I like my Icom's but people need to ask what radio I am using ,they can not tell when I use the Collins, No drift, I think I said that already. If you have an old rig you would like to bring back to life and put it on frequency and keep it on frequency get N3ZI's DDS2 DDS VFO Kit.
N4LQ Rating: 2011-09-28
Excellent VFO Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Very clean output.
Can be keyed at high speed by a keyer or bug and used to drive a transmitter.
Makes old boatanchors usable.
Output will need a boost from a simple amplifier to drive some rigs.
See my video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_0QtpHJwIY
KG8LB Rating: 2011-02-16
Good product Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Yes, It works well and goes together quickly. Take your time with the surface mount DDS and make sure you have the proper tools (fine tip iron !) The VFO works very well and I can see where it would be a welcome add-on for many older rigs. I would like to see some changes in the operating chip as larger frequency changes are a bit involved. (May be that I missed something) I also built the companion receiver. Got the RX working but have not spent a lot of time checking it out yet.
N6MYA Rating: 2010-12-25
Fantastic! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
After using all of the latest type of amateur radio gear that is mostly computerized, i finally went back to a Kenwood TS-130S for the excellent audio and simple/basic performance inherent with this type of radio. Since i've owned one in the past, i was aware of the analog VFO that takes about 1/2 an hour to stabilize and decided i could live with it. I was looking for the companion external VFO for the radio and decided i wasn't having much luck so thought i would try one of these N3ZI DDS VFO kits and making it into an outboard VFO for the 130. While putting together the DDS VFO, the companion VFO-120 came up for sale and i bought it. It is basically the internal TS-120/130 VFO in an external box with all of the appropriate switching to make them work together. Anyway, i continued to put together the DDS VFO just to see if i could get it to work (yeah, i take my time with electronic projects as i have a grandson that i prefer to spend my time with, so when he's here, electronic and motorcycle projects get put on the back burner). I completed it and on the same day that i had it all together but not boxed, a VFO connector i needed came in the mail. I put it all together (wired but still spread out across the desk in individual pieces and boards, etc), dialed the DDS VFO into the range required by the TS-130S (5.5 to 6 mhz), swapped the optical encoder wires so that it would turn in the 'correct' direction, plugged it into the external VFO pigtail, and turned it all on. All that i can say is what i said before, fantastic! Stable, rock solid, ad nauseum.Tunes smoothly, speeds up when you tune as expected. Doing an A/B comparison with the analog OEM VFO shows no difference in received signal (only thing i can monitor is the audio output of the receiver plugged into the computer and monitored with various pieces of software ... not real sophisticated or conclusive but all i've got). I've worked several stations doing on-the-air tests to see if they can detect phase noise as compared to the analog VFO and no one can seem to tell a difference, both weak against strong stations and vice-versa, i know ... again not conclusive, but having no test equipment, it's about all i can do.

Now; i'm selling the external VFO and collecting parts to replace the internal analog VFO with the DDS unit. Fortunately the TS-120/130 series of radios have a modular VFO with a separate removable bezel which will make the job infinitely easier. I'm running the DDS VFO without the display (there is already a display in the 130 that shows the frequency) and will incorporate the A/B VFO selection and split frequency operation into the radio with a couple of simple logic chips as there will be much more room inside the radio with the DDS instead of the analog unit.


Thank-you to N3ZI for a fantastic kit, i'd say in reality it is a 10 out of 10.

73 - Paul (N6MYA)
WB8HWO Rating: 2010-05-21
Super Value and Quality Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Emailed Doug after almost a year on a kit I bought. Got instant response via e-mail and Doug resolved the issue immediately. I have bought another of his newer kits. These kits assemble easily have excellent documentation and most importantly work as described. I have 8 classic tube stations that eventually will all have Digital Dials. Don't miss out owning one even if it is just for the frequency counter feature. Great products Great vendor Excellent Service
K7AU Rating: 2010-05-11
Perfect Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Ordered the N3ZI DDS VFO Kit and received it promptly. Inventoried the parts and built it. It worked the first time. Hint: if you wash the resin off the board wait to install the pushbuttons. I destroyed one with the acetone. Radioshack stocks the switch (smt) version but slight forming will allow them to work. I added the RS232 cable and the interface for all the functions, works flawlessly. This is a Fantastic tool for the money. I could not be happier. I will buy more of them just to have Stable RF Sources for experimenting and problem determination value. Buy it, you will love it.
Bob w7wo Lacey, Wa
K4LJA Rating: 2010-05-01
Wonderful Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I built the original-version of the DDS VFO. Thanks Doug. Great kit. One of the more difficult things I've ever done in 50+ years of hamming. I even soldered the 16-pin DDS chip. I blew one LCD unit, tho. Mea culpa -- not Doug's fault. The unit is so flexible, easy to set up for various IF's -- or set it to zero for no offset. Using HyperTerminal to program it is quick and easy. Use it as a VFO or as frequency control for a receiver. I'm thinking of replacing the mechanical VFO in an old Ten Tec 509 Argonaut --- and I'll even have an LCD readout as a bonus. Gee -- wish I have about four more of these -- and I probably will. If I can do it -- you can too. Randy, K4LJA in Monroe, Louisiana.