Just updated  my web page...

I doubt if there is a homebrew CW rig that couldn't be improved with some extra filtering.  If you have an extra opamp on your board - or room for one - here is a great notch filter that will improve your audio filtering.

Most of the interference that is noted in a CW receiver will show up on the high side of the rig's filter center frequency.  Adding this 1500 Hz notch will cause a faster roll-off of those interfering signals.

Schematic: 

I am a newbie to Amateur radio and although I am almost in my 6th decade on this great earth, I simply feel like a 'kid in the toy store' when I am playing radio. I got my first ticket in March, 2009 and upgraded to General in June. My hope of attaining Extra class status by the end of the year will not be realized, but I should attain that upgrade early in 2010. When I was much younger, I had a desire to try and get a novice license, but that blasted code was the 10 foot wall that I could never scale. Dropping the CW requirement has allowed the hobby to realize a rebirth in my opinion.

Just finished updating my web page: www.qsl.net/wb8icn

Hope to add more info and pictures later this weekend.

Below is my homebrew 40 meter rig with a lot of help from the 4SQRP Club. Sure like all the new kits they are coming out with!!!Rig as of Dec 12th, 2009

Think I will start building some keyer
kits I have recently acquired. I used my last one "already
built" keyer on my 40 Meter Combo Rig (VRX-1/NS-40 from
www.4sqrp.com). With the upcoming weekend so near,  I hope to
get on 40 meters either on 7027 or 7038 KHz. But, back to the keyer
kits...I never realized that having at least one or two build keyers
on-hand is a must if your into homebrewing and especially into
building transmitters.

Made my first contact this morning on my VRX-1/NS-40 combo Rig. Worked Ron, K3SEW out of Howard, PA. Ron gave me a 599. I am actually getting almost 9 watts out with the tuner and loop antenna I am using.

72's & oo's....Mikey, WB8ICN

check these website for qrp kits and construction paradise:

www.kitsandparts.com

www.qrpme.com

An NE612 is normally configured as a mixer/oscillator for a DC rx. But watch what will happen if input pin 1 is earthed via a 10 K resistor. The local oscillator will appear at output pins  4 & 5.

So the same chip can act as both as an RX converter and as a TX vfo to drive a buffer to a pa !

An idea for a very simple qrp transciever.

Schematic: