RockMite 40m (7030)

[Medy]

Just got around to building the RockMite 40m (7030 freq) on monday. It is a CW(morse code) tranceiver I must say this is a nice little radio and an easy kit to build. I have never built a kit before and the only times I have used a soldering iron was to solder coax ends or make an antenna, so I was a little nervous in building it. There is only surface mount chip to solder, if you take your time and have a good magnifying glass it can be dont with little issue. The rest of the kit is all through hole soldering. One thing i suggest is to get a set of helping hands with a magnifying lens, that way your hands are free to solder. I did make a couple of mistake in building it. First I had mistaken two of the capacitors for two other ones and soldered them in the wrong place (the 471j's for the 47j's). Luckily I figured this out during the build when it called for the 471j and I didnt have them left but had 2 "extra" 47j's. So after a little cussing and oh my's and a little bit of desoldering wick I finally got the right parts in the right place. The second mistake i had made was that i had soldered one of the ground wires to the wrong place on the key port. Once i figured it out it was a very simple fix. So the thing is with this or any kits is take your time and make sure you follow the directions and double check to make sure you have the right part! Othen than my mistakes the kit was a great build especially for someone just getting into kit building! I will add pics of the radio when i get a case for it.

[gil]

Hello,

Mine is in the mail, the 20m version. From your PM, I thought you hadn't built it yet.. I can't wait to start. For anyone new to radio kits, a good way to start is the K12 keyer kit from http://k1el.com or the SOTA tuner from http://qrpkits.com. I am also getting my Elecraft K1 tomorrow! I think I'll like the RM better than the DC20B.. Too finicky to tune.. Have you had any contacts yet? What antenna are you going to use?

[Medy]

I havent made any contacts yet as i am still trying to learn code and dont have a key yet to send. I am just using a random wire for now but will be putting up a 40m dipole soon.

[gil]

I just ordered the same model!

[gil]

Hey Medy, have you contacted anyone yet? I just finished my RM40...

If you want, I can see if I can hear you on my K1...

Gil.

[gil]

I'm calling CQ tonight with the RM40 and get picked-up by a reverse beacon 1368 miles away! All the while listening to a song by Journey.. Thanks to the Rock-Mite wide-as-a-barn-door filtering. Gotta love the Rock-Mite  ::)

Gil.

[raybiker73]

I just finished my RockMite 40 (7030) this past evening, and you're right - this thing is wiiiiiiide. It's a lot of fun, though, and it's definitely compact. I have the RockMite, paddles, SOTA tuner, battery pack, antenna wire, counterpoise wire, notebook and pencil all in an empty Alwazah Tea can. Very fun. It would be great for traveling unless I were going by air - I doubt the TSA folks at the airport would react well to a can full of electronic stuff with Arabic writing all over it.  :o

[gil]

Hi Ray,

Congratulations on completing the kit. What frequencies did you end-up getting? Mine transmits on 7028.1 and 7028.8. We should try a RM-to-RM SQL one night when the conditions are good..

Gil.

[cockpitbob]

Anyone have any experience with the Ramsey amplifier kits?  1/2W - 2W input power gives up to 20W out.  The kits sell for $45 and come in 20M, 30M & 40M bands.  From the pictures they look pretty small.

I'm thinking 1/2W from a RockMite for fun, and add the amp for when I need to communitcate.

[raybiker73]

Gil,

That sounds like fun! If and when the rain ever quits, I'm going to take mine up on the hill and put a wire in the trees and see how far I can get with it.

[gil]

Let me know when you do that Ray, I want to listen in, see if I can answer you...

Gil.