Some kits of interest

[N7OQ]

I bought a couple neat kits that might interest some of you.

The 1st item is a little USB FT232RL breakout board that you can buy from Sparkfun Electronics http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/categories.php?c=20
This is a USB to serial converter but it is a 3.3volt level and that is the same lever that all most all the Ham rigs use, like Kenwood, Icom and Yaesu. So all you have to do like in my case is tie the Receive and transmit lines together and connect to one pin and ground to the other and plug it into my Ic706mkiig and I have a nice radio to computer interface. The IC chip and USB socket it already soldered to the board for you. So for $15 and a little time to solder on the cable for your radio you have a radio USB interface. This thing works great on all my radios and is very small board.

The 2nd item is a little more complicated as far as soldering goes, it is called DDS60, a small board with a DDS (Direct Digital Synthesis) chip and hand full of parts all surface mounted and a good project to learn how to do surface mount. http://www.amqrp.org/kits/dds60/index.html With this board you can generate a 1 to 60 mhz signal at up to 4 volts p-p using a computer, or Pic chip or any micro chip to control it. You can use it as a VFO , Signal generator, or a frequency standard. When you buy the kit you get the PC board and all the parts except the DDS chip that you can get for free as a sample from the manufacture. If you don't want to solder on the IC chips they have a guy who will do it for a small fee. The frequency output can be controlled from 1 to 60 mhz in 10 hz steps but I have actually set it lower to frequencies like 455khz to adjust IF stages. I have plans on using it in a project to turn my Oscope into a HF spectrum Analyzer.

Another project I'm getting ready to start is a regen Receiver that was in a QST issue. http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/pdf/0009061.pdf I'm gong to design and make my own boards and this will be a project for my Son.

Just though I would throw out a few ideas out here and see if there is any interest in this area.