The DCxxA Family of Transceivers

High Performance Direct Conversion Transceivers for 40, 30 and 20 Meters

DC30A Transceiver

Evolution of the popular DC40 to the DCxxA series on 40, 30 and 20 Meters

A KD1JV “Melt Solder” Design

Distributed by Hendricks QRP Kits
www.qrpkits.com

Join Yahoo’s DC40 Kits group for support from other builders and information about operation and modifications.
Be sure to include your call and real name with your request. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dc40kits/

2/14/2007 Page - 1
 The DCxxA
A Direct Conversion, Fixed-Frequency Transceiver for 40, 30 and 20 Meters

The DCxx is a moderately complex rig, which yields excellent performance, yet is small enough to fit into
an Altoids tin. The receiver features nearly complete immunity to AM SWBC interference and can be run on an AC
supply with little hum pickup or AM BC interference common to most DC receiver designs. One stage of audio
band pass filtering gives the receiver some selectivity. The transmitter puts out a respectable 750 mW of power,
with a 12V supply and over 1 Watt with 13.8 volts. The transmitter frequency is automatically shifted up about 600
Hz to provide the proper T/R offset. The rig also includes a simple keyer chip.

Assembly:

Review the entire manual and inventory the parts for each group before proceeding.
Assembly of the board will be done in several groups. You may find it convenient to separate the parts for
each of the groups as shown in the parts lists for each group.
You can “smoke test” most of these groups when finished, or move on to the next group and test
everything at once. If a group fails to pass the smoke test, see the trouble shooting section located after the
assembly instructions.
If you plan on installing the board into an Altoids tin, trim off the corner of the board next to the paddle jack
before you install the jack. You may also want to mark where the mounting holes and where the phone jacks will
be in the tin before installing any parts.
The parts location diagram for the whole board is shown below. Component values are marked in red.
Experienced builders should be able to build up most of the board using just this diagram.

Steve and Doug wish to thank Chuck Carpenter, W5USJ, for manual editing and revisions. Also our thanks to Jay Bromley,
W5JAY, Tony Fishpool, G4WIF and David Yarnes, W7AQK, for kit testing and manual proof reading.

2/14/2007 Page - 2
Parts list

RESISTOR VALUE TYPE Caps Value Type

R1 1 meg 5% 1/4w CF C1 .012 uF FILM

R2 360 K 1.00% C2 330 p Mono or Disk

R3 1 meg C3 .1 uF Mono

R4 1K C4 .1 uF Mono

R5 1K C5 .012 uF FILM

R6 10 OHMS C6 Skipped Not used

R7 1K C7 Band specific See page 5 Mono or Disk C0G

R8 1 MEG C8 40 p YEL TRIMMER

R9 100 K C9 22 uF / 16V ALUM

R10 1.5 K C10 .001 uF Mono or disk

R11 36 K 1.00% C11 .1 uF Mono

R12 22 K C12 .1 uF Mono

R13 Skipped Not used C13 100 uF/16V ALUM

R14 Skipped Not used C14 Skipped Not used

R15 100 OHMS C15 330 p Mono or Disk

R16 100 K C16 Skipped Not used

R17 15 K C17 .001 uF Mono or Disk

R18 10 ohms C18 .001 uF Mono or Disk

R19 15 K C19 .001 uF Mono or Disk

R20 Skipped Not used C20 .1 uF Mono

R21 Skipped Not used C21 100 p Mono or Disk C0G

R22 470 ohms C22 100 uF/16V ALUM

R23 10 K C23 Band specific See page 5 Mono

R24 100 OHMS C24 .1 uF Mono

R25 51 OHMS C25 .1 uF Mono

R26 10 ohms C26 .1 uF Mono

R27 470 ohms C27 . 1 uF Mono

R28 100 K C28 Band specific See page 5 Mono or Disk C0G

R29 Skipped Not used C29 Band specific See page 5 Mono or Disk C0G

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R30 10K C30 Band specific See page 5 Mono or Disk C0G

T1 Band Specific See page 5 C31 Band specific See page 5 Mono or Disk C0G

T2 See page 13 C32 100 p Mono or Disk C0G

T3 See page 11 C33 Band specific See page 5 Mono or Disk

L2/3 Band Specific See page 5 C34 40p YEL TRIMMER

C35 4.7uF/16V ALUM

C36 .001 u Mono or Disk

C37 .1 u Mono

C38 .001 u Mono or Disk

C39 .001 u Mono or Disk

C40 .01 u Mono

C41 Band specific See page 5 Mono or Disk C0G

Semiconductors

X1 crystal U1 NJM4556AD High current opamp

SWITCH 6mm TACT 14mm shaft U2 74HC4053 Analog multiplex

U3 ATTINY11 MPU

U4 LM78L05 5V Regulator

JACKS PC mount stereo Headphone,

Paddle

PC Board Q1 PN2222A NPN

Red and Green Magnet wire Q3 2N3904 NPN

2, 8-pin IC sockets Q2/4/5/6/7/8/9 2N7000 Tfet

16-pin IC socket Q10 2N3819 j-fet

D1/2/10 1N4148

D9 1N5817

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Band specific values

Location 40M 30M 20M Type

C31 47p 47p 22p C0G Mono or Disk
C33 100p 47p 22p C0G Mono or Disk
C7 47p 33p Not used C0G Mono or Disk
C28 330p 220p 150p C0G Mono
C29 680p 560p 330p C0G Mono
C30 330p 220p 150p C0G Mono
C23 68p 68p 33p C0G Mono
C41 Not used 68p 100p C0G Mono or Disk

Toroid Winding Charts

40 Meters Wire Core Turns Wire Length

L1 (Not Used)
L2 #28 Red T37-2 (red) 21T 16”
L3 #28 Red T37-2 (red) 16T 12”
T1 #28 Red/Green T37-2 (red) 35T Pri/5T Sec. 24” Red, 6” Grn.
T2 #28 Red/Green FT37-43 6T Bifilar 10” Red, 10” Grn
T3 #28 Red/Green BN2402-43 5T Pri/1T Sec 5” Red, 2” Grn

30 Meters Wire Core Turns Wire Length

L1 (Not Used)
L2 #28 Red T37-2 (red) 15 11”
L3 #28 Red T37-2 (red) 13 10”
T1 #28 Red/Green T37-2 (red) 35T Pri/5T Sec. 24” Red, 6” Grn.
T2 #28 Red/Green FT37-43 6T Bifilar 10” Red, 10” Grn
T3 #28 Red/Green BN2402-43 5T Pri/1T Sec 5” Red, 2” Grn

20 Meters Wire Core Turns Wire Length

L1 (Not Used)
L2 #28 Red T37-6 (yellow) 17 13”
L3 #28 Red T37-6 (yellow) 13 11”
T1 #28 Red/Green T37-2 (red) 25T Pri/5T Sec. 29” Red, 6” Grn.
T2 #28 Red/Green FT37-43 6T Bifilar 10” Red, 10” Grn
T3 #28 Red/Green BN2402-43 5T Pri/1T Sec 5” Red, 2” Grn

2/14/2007 Page - 5
.
Examples of Component Types

Note variations in shape, size and color of similar component types. Some component leads will need to be
reshaped to fit the holes in the PCB.

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Tips and Info for First Time Builders

Installing parts:

You can insert several parts at a time onto the board. Parts should be pressed flush to the top of the board. The
exception are the transistors which should stand off the board by about 1/8” due to their three legged nature. Once
you insert the part, kink one of the leads over slightly to keep it from falling out of the board when you flip the board
over to solder.

The .1 uF caps used in the kit have formed leads, so these will not sit quite flush to the board. Several of the disc
caps have lead spacing larger than the pads on the board. You can reform these leads with your pliers so they will
sit flush to the board.

Once you solder a part in place, clip the lead nearly flush to the board. Clip at the top of the little fillet of solder
which forms around the lead.

Finding the right part.

A picture at the bottom of the parts list on the previous page can be used to help identify some of the parts. The
parts not shown should be obvious or deduced by the process of elimination. The numbers identifying the
monolithic caps (mostly yellow or blue in color) can be hard to read. The use of a magnifying glass can help you to
see them. In addition to the part value of the capacitor, there are a number of other letters and numbers printed on
the part. Simply look for the three number group which matches the value your looking for, 331 for 330 pF, 104 for
.1 uF, 681for the 680 pF cap and so on.

IC pin 1.

The outline on the board for the ICs has a “V” notch on one end. This indicates the pin 1 end of the IC. If a socket
is used, there is also a notch on one end of the socket. This end goes over the V notch outline on the board.
Finally, pin 1 of the IC is marked with a round dimple or dot. This end of the IC will go towards the notch on the
socket or “V” on the outline.

Soldering

There are two important things which need to be done to ensure the successful operation of a kit. One is getting
the right part into the proper place on the board. The second is good soldering. To ensure a good connection, the
soldering iron should touch both the component lead and the circuit board pad it’s to be soldered too. Heat the
connection for just a second, then put the solder to the iron/pad/lead junction. Allow just enough solder to flow to fill
the hole and wick around the lead. Go easy on the solder, you don't need a whole lot. If you use a thin solder like
0.02” instead of the more common 0.032” type, you have better control of the amount of solder used. For parts
which connect to the ground plane, you may have to heat the connection a little longer.

Coils and Transformers

You may find it convenient to wind and prepare all of the coils and transformers before you start inserting parts.
That way you don’t need to stop and possibly loose concentration to wind and them for installation. See page 5 for
band specific details.

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Group 1: Power, Audio and Keyer stages.

NOTES:
Do not install the ICs into the sockets until after the initial smoke test. R11 and R2 are 1% resistors, so have four color bands
for the value, instead of three for the 5% resistors. They also may have a blue body color, instead of tan. On C9, C13 and C22
the long lead is + and the negative lead side is marked with a black strip on the cap body. Diodes D1 and D2 are installed “back
to back”, therefore, the black band on the diode (cathode end) should be facing in opposite directions from each other.

√ Part # value markings √ PART# VALUE MARKINGS TYPE

R1 1 MEG BRN/BLK/GRN R30 10K BRN/BLK/ORN

R3 1 MEG BRN/BLK/GRN C4 .1 uF 104 Mono

R4 1K BRN/BLK/RED C11 .1 uF 104 Mono

R5 1K BRN/BLK/RED C12 .1 uF 104 Mono

R7 1K BRN/BLK/RED C20 .1 uF 104 Mono

R10 1.5 K BRN/GRN/RED C25 .1 uF 104 Mono

R9 100 K BRN/BLK/YEL C10 .001 uF 102 Mono or Disk

R6 10 Ohm BRN/BLK/BLK C17 .001 uF 102 Mono or Disk

R11 36K, 1% ORG/BLU/BLK/RED C18 .001 uF 102 Mono or Disk

R2 360K, 1% ORG/BLU/BLK/ORG C19 .001 uF 102 Mono or Disk

R8 1MEG BRN/BLK/GRN C1 .012 uF 123 FILM (Brown)

R15 100 ohms BRN/BLK/BRN C5 .012 uF 123 FILM (Brown)

D9 1N5817 Schottky C2 330 p 331 Mono or Disk

D1/D2 1N4148 diode C15 330 p 331 Mono or Disk

U4 78L05. +5 regulator C21 100 p 101 Mono or Disk

U1/3 socket 8 pin C9 22u/16V 22/16 Alum RADIAL ALUM ELECTRO

paddle jack stereo C13 100u/16V 100/16 Alum RADIAL ALUM ELECTRO

phone jack stereo C22 100 u/16V 100/16 RADIAL ALUM ELECTRO

2/14/2007 Page - 8
Connection of jumper from U4-3(output) to U1-3 required for missing 5V buss PCB trace.

There was a mistake made when the board was laid out and the connection shown below was missed. The kit
builder needs to solder a jumper in place as shown. A solid insulated wire, 26 or 28 ga, should be used for the
connection. Solder the jumper in place after U1 and U4 are soldered.

Smoke Test:
Connect the positive lead of a 12V power source to the hole marked “+V”. Connect the negative lead to the hole marked “GND”.
You can tack these to the bottom of the board, so they are easy to remove during further assembly. Apply power to the board.
Using a voltmeter, verify there is about 5 volts between pins 4 (ground) and pin 8 (+V) on U3. If this tests good, remove power
and insert U3, the ATTINY11 keyer chip and U1, the 4556 op amp. Insert a pair of headphones into the phones jack and a
paddle or straight key into the paddle jack. Restore power to the board. Using the paddle or straight key, you should hear the
side tone in the headphones. (You may find it easier to use the final power leads rather than tack in test leads.)

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Group 2: Receiver front end:
location value markings √

R26 10 ohms BRN/BLK/BLK

R12 22 K RED/RED/ORG

R28 100 K BRN/BLK/YEL

R27 470 ohms YEL/VIO/BRN

C3 .1 uF 104 Mono

C37 .1 uF 104 Mono

C26 .1 uF 104 Mono

C38 .001 uF 102 Mono or Disk

C39 .001 uF 102 Mono or Disk

C36 .001 uF 102 Mono or Disk

C7 Band See page 5

specific

C8 40p Yellow trimmer

Q10 2N3819 jfet

Q8 2N7000

U2 Socket 16-pin

Q7 2N7000

Q9 2N7000

NOTES: U2 74HC4053

C8: the flat side of the trimmer goes towards the line on the T3 See text
outline.
T1 Band See page 5
Specific
U2: Install the 16-pin socket at the U2 position. Be sure the
notch is positioned to match the notch shown on the board.
Then install U2 into the socket orienting the dot and notch.

T1: Band Specific Transformer, See Page 5

Using the red wire and a red T37-2 core, wind the required number of turns for the band you
are building. Keep the turns snug and as close together as you can. This is the secondary
winding (SEC). Wind 5 turns of the green magnet wire in the space between the start and
finish of the secondary winding. This is the primary or link winding (LINK) You can overlap
these turns if there isn't enough room to make a single layer. Trim back the leads to about
1/4” and tin. Tinning can be done with a HOT soldering iron. It helps to have a blob of solder
on the tip when you do this. Start at the wire end and move back toward the core. Insert the
two red wire leads into the holes labeled “SEC” on the diagram and the two green wires into the holes labeled
“LINK”. The two holes on the left (closest to the edge of the board), are both ground, so it doesn't matter if the SEC
and LINK wires on this end are crossed. Trim the T1 leads after they are soldered.

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 T3: This coil is wound on a small binocular core. One turn is a pass through both holes. The
secondary is a single turn, one hairpin passed through both holes. Insert this wire first. You
might want to mark the secondary end with a dot of nail polish. Then wind the primary, 5 turns,
starting from the other side of the core from which the secondary exits. Try to keep the wire
snug to the inside of the core, or it might be hard to get all the turns in.

Smoke test: There is no test for this group, move on to the next group.

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Group 3: Oscillator:
location value markings √

R18 10 ohms BRN/BLK/BLK

R25 51 ohms GRN/BRN/BLK

R24 100 ohms BRN/BLK/BRN

R22 470 ohms YEL/VIO/BRN

R20 10 K BRN/BLK/ORG
NOTE:
The 2N7000s are mosfets and can be damaged by static. R23 10 K BRN/BLK/ORG
Those who live in dry areas and prone to static problems need
to take precautions before handling. This can simply be to R17 15 K BRN/GRN/ORG
touch a large metal object to discharge your self, before
R19 15 K BRN/GRN/ORG
handling the parts.
R21 22 K RED/RED/ORG
C34: The flat side of the trimmer goes towards the line on
layout diagram. C41 not used in 40M version. R16 100 K BRN/BLK/YEL

S1: You may want to mount the switch on the bottom of the C31 See page 5 Band Specific
board. If you are going to mount the rig into an Altoids tin, you
won't have to open the lid to access the switch. If you mount C33 See page 5 Band Specific
the rig into some other kind of enclosure, using a separate
push button or mounting the switch on the bottom may be the C32 100 p 101 DISK
only practical way of accessing it.
C41 See page 5 Band Specific
Crystal Socket: If you want to change frequencies, you may C27 .1 uF 104 Mono
want to install a SIPP socket at location X1. An example of
preparation and installation of the SIPP socket can be found at C40 .01 uF 103 Mono
http://www.qrpkits.com/buildertip03.html.
C34 40p Yellow trimmer
Smoke Test:
Connect a paddle and headphones to the board. Connect a C35 4.7 uF/16V Alum Electro
test lead antenna to your “big rig” and select the band for
Q1 PN2222A NPN
which this kit is being built. Tune the receiver to the crystal
frequency. Place the test lead antenna near the board. Apply Q3 2N3904 NPN
power. Tune the receiver around a little until you hear the
board’s crystal oscillator. Click and hold closed the switch until Q2 2N7000 mosfet
you hear the letter “T” in the headphones. The keyer is now in
Tune mode. Tapping the DASH paddle will put the rig into Q4 2N7000 Mosfet
transmit mode. It will remain so until you tap the DOT paddle.
You can continue to toggle back and forth between transmit Q5 2N7000 mosfet
and receive using the DOT and DASH paddles. To exit tune
mode, click the switch again. Q6 2N7000 mosfet
Now you can set the C34 trimmer for the proper T/R
D10 1N4148 diode
oscillator shift. With the board in receive mode, note the
frequency of the oscillator. Toggle the board into transmit X1 Crystal Band Specific
mode and adjust the C34 trimmer so the oscillator is now 600
Hz higher in frequency than it was when in receive mode. You S1 TACT PB SWITCH
can also make this adjustment with a frequency counter if you
have one. The right hand side of R12, located just below U3, is
a convenient place to connect a counter.

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Group 4: Low pass filter

location value markings √

C24 (All) .1 uF 104 Mono

T2 (All) See notes

40M

C23 68 p 101 Mono

C30 330 p 331 Mono

When winding the toroid cores, remember that one pass of C29 680 p 681 Mono
wire through the center of the core is one turn. Also try to
C28 330 p 331 Mono
keep the wire snug to the outside of the core.
L2 21 turns T37-2 (red)

L3 16 turns T37-2 (red)

30M

C23 68 p 68 Mono

C30 220 p 221 Mono

C29 560 p 561 Mono

C28 220 p 221 Mono

L2 14 turns T37-2 (RED)

L3 12 turns T37-2 (RED)

20M
T2 is a bifilar wound transformer. This simply means you wind
C23 33 p 33 Mono
two wires on the core. Two colors of wire are used to help
identify which is which. You can twist the wires together, or C30 150 p 151 Mono
simply lay them side by side as you wind the turns. Wind 6
turns of the wire pair. When you are done, there will be a C29 330 p 331 Mono
red/green pair at the start and finish of the windings. Reverse
the red and green wires on one side of the core, so that both C28 150 p 151 Mono
ends of the red and green wires are opposite each other on
the core, as shown in the diagram above. Now trim back the L2 17 turns T37-6 (YEL)
leads and tin them. Insert the wires into the board with the red
L3 13 turns T37-6 (YEL)
wires in the holes marked B B’ and the green wires into the
holes marked A A’, then solder into place.

2/14/2007 Page - 13
Final Tests

Your new rig is now just about ready to use. All we need to do now is peak the receiver trimmer and check for
transmitter power output.

For peaking the receiver trimmer, on 30 or 40 you can probably just connect an antenna up and peak the trimmer
for best band noise or signal if someone is transmitting near the crystal frequency. On 20 and 15, you will probably
need to generate a signal using your big rig, transmitting into a dummy load. In this case, you just need to use a
piece of wire or clip lead for an antenna on the DC rig and place it near the dummy load. Don't plug in a paddle yet,
so you don't accidentally transmit!

For testing the transmitter, you should have a dummy load and Watt meter which is reasonably accurate at the 1
Watt level. Alternately, you could use a 'scope if it has enough band width or use a simple diode detector and volt
meter.

Connect up an antenna jack if not already done, plug in headphones, paddle and power leads. Turn on power to
the rig. Put the keyer into “Tune Mode”, using the function switch. This will allow you to toggle the transmitter on
and off. Toggle the transmitter on and see if how much power out you get. The amount of power will depend a lot
on supply voltage. With 13.8 Volts, up to 1 Watt and sometimes more is possible. At 12 volts, 700 mW is more
likely. Below 12 Volts, power output starts to drop quickly. The way the turns are spaced on L2 and L3 can also
make a significant difference in the amount of power output, as minor changes in the inductance can affect the
matching and power transfer. If your cores are wound with the turns more or less evenly spaced to start with, try
moving the turns closer together while watching the power output. Go back and forth between L2 and L3 until you
get the most power output you can.

2/14/2007 Page - 14
Trouble Shooting Guide

The most common reason a kit does not work right is due to soldering issues. Therefore, the first thing to look for if
something doesn't work is the solder connections. Look for solder splashes that might be shorting two pads
together and shouldn't be connected. Also, for solder which that might have stuck just to a lead and didn't flow into
the circuit board pad, e.g., cold solder joints. Connections to the ground plane need extra heat, so look closely to
these connections to make sure the solder flowed into the hole. It’s also possible to have solder on the circuit
board pad, but it didn't flow around the lead.

The second most common error is misplaced parts. You may misread a resistor color code, or put it in the wrong
spot. The same goes with capacitors. So, if your soldering looks good, double check the parts placement.

Having an actual bad part is rare. It is possible to damage them though. The 2N7000 can be damaged by static
due to improper handling and ICs can be damaged if they are installed backwards.

Some DC voltage levels are shown on the schematic, along with some wave forms. Note that the DC voltage
across R22, the crystal oscillator emitter resistor measures a lot higher than the base voltage, because of the way
the DVM responds to the superimposed AC RF voltage.

Low Audio
The DCxx audio output is adequate for most headphones especially the higher impedance versions. If you are
experiencing low audio try a different headset. Those with the highest sensitivity ratings are the best.

If you still find the volume too low, you can add a simple audio amplifier. Several circuits and kits using the popular
LM386 ICs can be found on the internet.

A mini audio amp, 2cm x 2cm x 10mm, assembled and tested with 2.5 inch attached leads is available from
W5USJ. This amp can be attached in place of R6, 10 Ohms, or in series with the headphone jack using suitable
connectors. For more details, visit: http://www.w5usj.com/miniaudioamp.html, email w5usj@qrparci.net.

2/14/2007 Page - 15
Making Contacts with a Fixed-Frequency — Direct-Conversion Rig
Making contacts with this type of rig can be a challenge, but its not impossible. In fact, it can be a lot of fun and
satisfying. Just remember, it’s easier to have stations come to you. The reason for this is because the receiver will
hear stations on both sidebands, you don't know which side band your hearing them on. They could be on your
transmit frequency of 7.040 or down at 7.039. Also, although the audio band pass filter adds some selectivity, it’s
hard to tell how close to your operating frequency they really are; especially if the station is pretty strong. You
could be hearing them well, but your transmitting too far from their operating frequency for them to hear you. That
being said, it can pay to try and answer a CQ you hear anyway, especially if they are signing QRP or QRPp. Then
you pretty much know they are on 7.040 and some operators actually use RIT to tune around a little for answering
stations. Or they could be using one of these rigs or a Rock-Mite.

It also helps to carefully pick the time of day and day of the week to operate this rig. You want to pick a time of day
and day of the week when the band isn't overly active. Contest weekends and early evening prime time are out.
Good times are Sunday afternoon or evening, mornings, afternoons and late evenings during the week.

Keyer Operation
The momentary switch is used to access three keyer functions, speed, tune mode and iambic A/B selection.
Clicking and holding closed the switch for various lengths of time access these functions.

Changing Code Speed

Keying speed can be selected from about 7 to 30 wpm, in 1 wpm steps. Momentarily click the switch closed until
the letter “S” is heard. Tapping the dash paddle increases the speed and tapping the dot paddle decreases speed.
A dot will sound at each code step. The letter “I” will sound when the upper or lower speed limit is reached. Code
speed mode will automatically exit if neither paddle is closed for about 1 second.

Tune Mode

This mode allows you to toggle the transmitter on and off, using the paddles. This frees up both hands to fiddle
with an antenna tuner. To access tune mode, click and hold closed the switch until the letter “T” sounds. Tapping
the dash paddle will toggle the transmitter on and tapping the dot paddle will toggle it off. To exit tune mode, click
the switch again.

Iambic A/B Mode

The keyer uses iambic B mode as the default. This can be changed to A mode by clicking and holding closed the
switch until the letter “A” sounds (about 2 seconds). This change isn't remembered by the keyer chip, so it has to
be changed each time power is cycled. In either A or B mode, holding closed both paddle will produce alternating
dots and dashes. In B mode, provided the paddles are not released before the end of the inter-element space, an
extra dot or dash is added to the end of the string.

Straight Key Mode

If a mono plug is in the paddle jack at power up, the keyer will go into straight key mode. In this mode, there is no
need for the function switch, so it is disabled.

2/14/2007 Page - 16
How it works
Receiver
Signals from the antenna first travel through the transmitters low pass filter. It then passes through a T/R QSK
switch comprised of two, 2N7000 mosfets. During receive, Q9 is turned on and Q8 is turned off. This allows the
signal to pass into the link coupling into the front end tuned circuit. During transmit, Q9 is turned off and Q8 is
turned on, isolating the transmit signal from the receiver. Q7 is used as an inverter, as Q9 and Q* need
complementary logic signals.

The tuned input circuit is connected to a j-fet amplifier to isolate the mixer from the antenna and to provide some
gain. The 10 ohm resistor in the Source lead prevents VHF oscillations. The output of the amplifier is then coupled
into the mixer using a transformer wound on a small balun core. The mixer is an analog multiplexer. The analog
switches in the multiplexer connect the output load resistor across the secondary of the input tuned circuit at the
LO frequency rate. On each half cycle, the phase of the input signal across the load resistor is switched. This
produces the mixing of the LO signal and input signal, producing an audio beat note at the load resistor. Note that
there is no bias voltage on the analog switches. Biasing the switches to ½ the supply voltage would improve the
mixers' dynamic range, but was found not to be necessary. Any signal strong enough to overload the mixer with
out bias, would “blow your ears off”.

A high gain, differential input audio amplifier is connected to the mixers' load resistor. This stage provides most of
the gain for the receiver. A pair of back to back diodes across the amplifiers feedback resistor limits the peak to
peak output of the amplifier, to offer some hearing protection from strong signals. These diodes also reduce clicks
created by switching transits when switching from receive to transmit and back again.

The output of the first high gain audio stage is then routed though another analog switch, again without bias, for
audio muting during transmit. The signal then goes into an audio band pass filter stage. This filter has a Q of 8.
However, since only a single stage of filtering is provided, the filter isn't as narrow as a Q of 8 would imply when
strong signals are present. The output of this filter drives the headphones. A 10 ohm resistor helps keeping the
amplifier stable when driving the relatively low impedance of headphones and the .001 cap across the output helps
keep RF, which might be picked up by the headphone leads, out of the amplifier. The NJM4456 op amp used has
a high current output, so has no trouble driving headphones.

Oscillator and Transmitter

A classic Colpitts crystal oscillator provides the Local Oscillator. During receive, Q4 is turned on, which disables
any effect C34 has on the oscillator frequency. During transmit, Q4 is turned off, allowing C34 to increase the
oscillator frequency. C34 is used to set the transmit frequency about 600 Hz higher than the receive frequency,
providing proper T/R offset. When going from receive to transmit, the keyer chip will first mute the receiver and
shift the oscillator frequency before enabling the transmitter output. When going from transmit to receive, the
transmitter is first turned off, then after a delay of about 5 ms, the receiver is un-muted and the oscillator frequency
shifted.

Q3 buffers the LO output signal in order to drive the PA. This stage is turned on an off by the keyer chip, with the
help of Q5. R23 and R25, in combination with C35, form an R/C time constant which causes the output of Q3 to
ramp on and off in about 5 ms. This provides wave shaping to the output signal, as to eliminate key clicks.

The output of Q3 in turn drives the PA stage, a 2N7000 MOSFET. Diode D10 across the gate acts to double the
drive voltage by charging the coupling cap, C27 on negative cycles. This ensures there is enough drive voltage to
turn Q2 reasonably well on. The output of the PA, Q2 is coupled to the low pass filter through a bifilar wound
transformer. This provides some impedance matching and increase power output and efficiency. Capacitor C23
tunes the L3 coil to the second harmonic, which forms a trap. This ensures the spurious output of the transmitter is
well below required FCC limits. It also improves PA efficiency and power output.

A 78L05 regulator, U4, is used to supply the required voltage for the keyer chip and mixer. It also is used as a bias
voltage for the audio amplifier op-amp and supply voltage for the Q10 preamp and U2 mixer.

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