|
|
The DC40A, 30A, and 20A Transceiver
The DC40A, 30A and 20A series of transceivers are designed by Steve Weber,
KD1JV, who is a member of the QRP Hall of Fame. Steve designed these radios
to be simple to build and get going, but with surprisingly good performance.
They all put out more than 1 W of power with 13.5 volts. The receiver does
not use an NE602 series mixer, and thus is almost immune to broadcast
interference. The kit comes with all board mounted parts, high quality double
sided, plated through, solder masked board. The builder will need to add the
case of his choice, and the connectors for power and antenna.
These radios are the next generation of the popular DC40 transceiver that
was also designed by Steve. Here are the improvements made:
- Added RF preamp for better sensitivity.
- Active mosfet QSK switching instead of passive L/C/diode network.
- 5V regulator instead of zener for better regulation and reduces keying
clicks in audio.
- Modified driver stage improves PA efficiency and makes it run cooler.
There is a users group for this series of kits at Yahoo groups. Do a search
for the DC40. We invite you to join, as there is a wealth of information and
help there. This rig is an ideal first time kit for the builder who wants to
get into homebrewing but doesn’t want to risk the family fortune. When you
are finished building this, you will have all the skills to homebrew any of
the more complicated and expensive kits. And, if you like to tinker, this
is an ideal radio for that. Lots of room for experimentation and having fun
with mods.
Supporting Files and Documents
|
DC20A, DC30A, and DC40A Builders manual (use this for kits with the ATTiny11 chip)
DC20A, DC30A, and DC40A Builders manual (use this for kits with the ATTiny13 chip)
If you are looking for the original manual for the DC40 please click
here
Modifications and Comments
|
Bob Okas, W3CD, has come up with a neat Norcal
FCC1/2 mod that allows you to use it with the DCxx.
Chuck Carpenter, W5USJ, has come up with a neat
mod that allows you to adjust the
side tone volume.
|