Well, it took a super-human effort on my part as a result of my extreme fatigue (brain bleed issue) but today I bench tested the little 40m Pixie kit I managed to build earlier this week. It is hard to explain just how exhausting this simple task was for me currently. I now need to recover my energy!

On receive a 1uV signal was perfectly readable and I could detect carrier on/off down to at least below 0.5uV. On TX it was putting out about 250mW into a 50 ohm load. On my antenna it was suffering some AM breakthrough, but less than I was expecting. I was using standard Walkman stereo headphones and a rechargeable 12V sealed lead acid battery. On a small 9V battery I’d expect about 100mW RF out, although this was not tried.

Overall, these results exceeded my expectations: it is more sensitive than I was expecting and the breakthrough of AM broadcasters is certainly OK in the day time. This is of course with no casing at all and no ATU. Using the fitted pot and fitted 1N4001 as a varicap it is easy to get the TX frequency and RX frequency to correspond, often an issue with very simple QRP rigs.

Next stage will be some on-air tests, but it most definitely works. Working the locals should certainly be possible. Sked with G6ALB (3km) arranged for 1000z Sunday on 7.023MHz CW.

UPDATE 2120z:  There is a contest in full swing and several Russians and Asiatic Russians copied on the little 40m Pixie. I did not stay on long but there was no apparent BC interference noticeable. So, on a quiet night I should able to use the rig in the evenings. The main issue on RX seems to be the lack of AF filtering, so one has to use “the filter that is between the ears” i.e.the brain.

This is the Pixie’s “big brother”. I have mentioned it before in this blog. It has more power than the Pixie and a better RX. Best of all it costs just over £15 built with free shipping from Hong Kong.

See http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Frog-Sounds-HAM-Radio-QRP-Kit-Telegraph-CW-Transceiver-Receiver-Radio-Station-V3-/251405614850 .

Yesterday I found my rechargeable 12V battery and charged it up. I also checked the Pixie I built as a kit for dry joints and shorts. As all looks good, I hope to test this on the air over the weekend or early next week.

There are a couple of locals I’d like to test with initially, although I am expecting to suffer from AM breakthrough mainly from broadcast stations very close to our 40m band. Probably there would be less breakthrough in the daytime? My antenna is short and low on 40m (a Par triband end-fed covering 10m/20m/40m) so any contacts will be good!

I can test it first on a signal generator and then a power meter. If it works, I’d expect a sensitivity of around -100dBm and a power out of around 200mW on 40m. We’ll see. Even -80dBm and 100mW would be enough to work locals as long as AM breakthrough is at a manageable level.

I’m pleased to announce that beginning February 28th, Cale Mooth’s Amateur Radio Weekly will be available each Saturday morning on AmateurRadio.com.

Cale, KK4HSX

I began reading Cale’s (KK4HSX) newsletter a few weeks ago and was impressed by its style and organization. He does a tremendous job curating some of the best articles and posts from the week and puts them into his newsletter. I think you’ll find he has a real knack for finding the interesting stuff that might not otherwise make it onto your radar — without having to wade through lists of endless links.

If you’re already a subscriber to our daily Amateur Radio Newsletter, we’ll include a link each week to a post featuring the latest issue of Amateur Radio Weekly so you won’t miss it. You can also subscribe directly to his weekly e-mail newsletter by clicking here.

Thank you, Cale! We’re excited to read what you discover!

Stories you’ll find in our March, 2015 issue:

Catch the Action in the Air and On the Air
By Brian and Jo Marie Topolski
Once again, Brian and Jo Marie Topolski take us all to the air show with some dazzling photos and the inside scoop about what and where to listen when you take your scanner with you. Brian also has a salute to woman aviation pioneer, Julie Clark, a regular fixture at many air shows, and a look inside his own air show command post.

The Air Show Experience
By Kevin Burke
TSM air show regular contributor, Kevin Burke, shows us his own (and his son’s) photographic touch along with his own experiences at air shows. He also offers a photographic “Study in Blues” as well as a review of the Bearcat BC-125AT at an air show.

Now Try ‘Scanner-less’ Aviation Monitoring!
By Richard Fisher KI6SN
Want to catch all the aviation action but don’t have a scanner or live near an airport? Not to worry, says Richard Fisher, you can enjoy aviation monitoring to the fullest extent possible, and at no cost. Richard shows us how.

TSM Reviews: Teak Publishing’s 2015 Air Show Guide
By Ken Reitz KS4ZR
For many years, readers of Monitoring Times magazine came to rely on the expertise of its military communications columnist and MT assistant editor, Larry Van Horn N5FPW, to provide the very latest in frequencies used by all the top aviation demonstration teams at air shows across North America. And, even though MT closed its doors in December 2013, Larry has since continued to provide these frequencies in the form of an annual Air Show Guide in Kindle format. Here’s a review of his latest Air Show Guide.

TSM Air Show Schedule
US Navy Blue Angels; USAF Thunderbirds; Canadian Snowbirds; Breitling Jet Team; Raiders Flight Demo Team; GEICO Skytypers; Team Oracle’s Sean D. Tucker; John Klatt Air Shows, and Air Combat Command F-16 North American air show schedules.

Scanning America By Dan Veenaman
Hard-Learned Radio Civics Lesson in D.C.

Federal Wavelengths By Chris Parris
Flying with Federal Aviation

Utility Planet By Hugh Stegman NV6H
How to Hear HF Civil Aviation

Digital HF: Intercept and Analyze By Mike Chace-Ortiz AB1TZ/G6DHU
US Coast Guard, Customs & Border Patrol COTHEN Network

HF Utility Logs By Mike Chace-Ortiz and Hugh Stegman

Amateur Radio Insights By Kirk Kleinschmidt NT0Z
RFI Part 2: Finding, Fixing or Fleeing

Radio 101 By Ken Reitz KS4ZR
Intro to FTA Satellite and Advanced Cord-Cutting

Radio Propagation By Tomas Hood NW7US
Space Weather Terms

The World of Shortwave Listening By Keith Perron
Armed Forces Network Taiwan (AFNT)

The Shortwave Listener By Fred Waterer
World Languages via SW Radio Web Sites

Amateur Radio Satellites By Keith Baker KB1SF/VA3KSF
AMSATs: From OSCAR-1 to FOX-1A

The Longwave Zone By Kevin O’Hern Carey WB2QMY
Longwave: A Cradle for High-Tech

Adventures in Radio Restoration By Rich Post KB8TAD
The Admiral Bean-Counter Special: Part II

The Broadcast Tower By Doug Smith W9WI
What Happens to a Dead Radio Station?

Antenna Connections By Dan Farber AC0LW
Got a Match: Methods of Matching Coaxial Cable to Antennas

The Spectrum Monitor is available in PDF format which can be read on any desktop, laptop, iPad®, Kindle® Fire, or other device capable of opening a PDF file. Annual subscription (12 issues, beginning with the January 2015 issue) is $24. Individual monthly issues are available for $3 each.