What is an cheap and easy to build kit for a sw ssb transceiver?

Question

I have a licence since I was 14 which is exactly half of my life, but honestly with the advent of the internet I somehow lost interest and sold my equipment. Now I really start to think, I should dive into it again, but I don't want to spend a lot of money to buy some equipment to talk to strangers - because this really can be done online.

The technical part is now becoming more interesting. So I would like to build a simple transceiver with my kids as a project for next vacation.

I have a 100MHz oszilloscope a standard multimeter and a decent soldering station (though I cannot solder BGA parts).

The 100MHz bandwith of the oszilloscope probably limits myself to short wave, but that is fine. I would prefer SSB because I can't morse - but I could learn that, too.

Also, since this is really just for fun and to learn something a QRP transceiver is fine with me (and a bad SWR probably won't kill the tx while tuning the antenna).

I live in Germany so a supplier there or in Europe would be preferred.

This is a shopping question. I suggest you search your favorite internet for "HF SSB transceiver kit" -- there are only a few thousand options. — Phil Frost - W8II, Mar 18 '15 at 12:48
I wasn't aware, that shopping questions are a no-go here. Sorry — Oliver Hankeln, Mar 18 '15 at 12:53
The linked article has recommendations on how to ask them in a way that will have lasting value to other people. I suggest you read it, then edit your question. — Phil Frost - W8II, Mar 18 '15 at 15:40
Maybe the kids would like SDR on the internet http://websdr.ewi.utwente.nl:8901/ — Optionparty, Mar 18 '15 at 23:43
Perhaps if there are 1000's of options available, it might be good for users to pass on their good (and bad) experiences. Many would be interested in buying a good TX/RX kit. — Chu, Jul 03 '15 at 15:48

score 2 · Answer 1 · edited Jul 01 '15 at 20:23

I think this is a very legit question — a search only returns an array of stuff that are marketing blurbs, out of date links, and flame wars about CW and the old days.

I built an Elecraft K2 (serial #1067) ~14yrs ago and they are still made today! It was a very enjoyable experience and it still performs very well. The nice thing is that you can start QRP with basic features and add kits to make it full-featured. There are extensive materials that explain the theory of each part of the design and build process, and a mailing list that is very active.

score 2 · Answer 2 · edited Oct 01 '15 at 03:54

A few years ago I built an ILER-40 ssb transceiver.

It basically meets all of your criteria, its cheap, easy to build and it comes from Spain. I discovered this kit after having some really bad luck trying to build another kit called the bitx-20, I worked on it for over a year before it even kind of worked....then one day it died for no reason. But the ILER-40 kit is really great, I put it together in two afternoons and was talking to canada the next day on a random wire. Since then I have made dozens of contacts over the United States and Canada.

I would recommend also buying the DDS kit which gives you a digital readout and more accurate tuning. The K2 is also a great radio but it is a bit more complicated and is very expensive. I think the ILER is a good radio to start getting back into things, then you could try the K2 or K3 if you wanted a really high performance rig.

What is an cheap and easy to build kit for a sw ssb transceiver?

2 Answers2