HB-1A QRP TCVR

As I want one to play with I noted that kits are available so this morning I bought one.

I will document the build and alignment process.

Added 7th October 2009:

Someone asked for an opinion on the docs....

The kit instructions will be a tad challanging to say the least, for some I expect, if you can understand the operating instructions without re-reading 4 or 5 times and then going through it step by step with the rig and realising "Oh that is what they mean..." then you might understand what I mean . I must say though that some have bashed the designer about the ... ahem.. resist a KX1 clone comment again...about the docs, I don't think that is exactly fair as I am pretty sure the first language isn't English and this was sold in China only initially then 'leaked out' through one or two in Japan.
Almost 10 years ago now I wrote Samba Black Book (600 pages , all about SMB and Linux and Windows) that was translated (I paid for it to be done) into two versions of chinese, simple and complex (China and Taiwan) and I was in Hong Kong then Sydney when it was published had someone working with me at the time who spoke chinese and they said the translations were OK but were very amusing and some of the how to instructions read like a 19th century novel. EIeengriesh, how ever you want to spell it, as we all have learnt to recognise automatic translations from the far east into English for instruction manuals can be amuzing to say the least. That said even between UK-US we cannot agree on some things like color-colour and in US English seems to put z in where we use s (e.g. specialise/specialize). I had to write a version of that book in US English for the US market which was not fun.

For those doing this build too... get a copy of both the HB-1A and KX1 schematic and the ... ahem... the KX1 manual (I built one in 2007 or early 2008), although not a component for component copy, for some of the instructions for things the kit builder has to do other than take out an SMD component and solder it where the mask/schematic says it goes, like wind the torroids it may be of use. Some thing like adjusting the transformersT2 and T3 is for HB-1A only which has no trimmer caps which the KX1 does so you have to think about things. Any technical translation will be a challange for automated software like "Dragon" which I seem to recall is what many use to do the Chinese to English translations. I don't think a human did what has been produced.

As for this blog I'll include the build notes and photos but will not pass any judgement on the original docs, who designed what etc I need to document it and that may mean perhaps improve on what is available for others.

The HB-1A I am actually building 2, one is for someone else, so I will get the opportunity to have and see an unpopulated PCB and see about mods e.g. Q1/Q4 attenuation/rf gain.