After the successful Rockmite challenge of the past, maybe it’s time for something even more basic!
How’s this for the basis of a SOTA challenge weekend.
At £2.80 delivered, it’s within reach of even the most frugal ham and is not going to break the bank 
I’ll probably drop one in my shopping cart next time I’m ordering from Banggood.
72
Note: We don’t supply any manuals please note about this before you order it.
Package included:
1 x Shortwave Transmitter Receiver 7.023-7.026MHz QRP Pixie Kit
73,
Walt (G3NYY)
There’s one here.
http://www.hamradioshop.it/images/20130721161418-Pixie%20kit%20instructions.pdf
Looking forward to hearing yours Walt 
73
The Pixie is a poor performer compared to the Rockmite so it will be more of a challenge.
Mine arrived yesterday.
However I paid £3.92 for mine (delivered) … sounds like I was ripped off 
I’m keen for a challenge and see what can be done with it.
73
Rob G0PEB
I ordered one last month, arrived very quickly and seems good quality.
I know that Kjell LA1KHA also has built one.
A Twitter follower told me that the PCB is hard to solder at first, I think this will probably be due to the fact that the tinning will be lead free. I’ll either use lead free solder or spend some time tinning the pads with leaded solder and wick it off again. Lead free solder is probably the easiest in this case.
My only concern with the kit is that the capacitors seem to be low quality, I think I’ll be swapping out the critical ones with higher quality caps from my junk box.
I paid £2.92 for mine 
It seems that a huge number of units are being shifted, one ham suggested that there will now be “a QRP cloud around 7.023”!
73, Colin M1BUU
Lead free solder = Spawn of the devil!
Stick with real solder and ensure that the built unit is reliable
(I feel the same about lead free petrol and decaffeinated coffee )
That it may be, but I’m forced to use it in my day job! I’ve tamed lead free, I’m not scared of it!
Just ordered mine. It reminds of my QRP days when I had the ‘oner’ transmitter and receiver both built on a 1 inch PCB hence the name. excellent little ‘toys’. Oh happy days.
Glyn
Or indeed this other BY beauty also on 7.023MHz.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261724204237?_trksid=p2060778.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
A bit more up market and the price reflects this <£10.00 delivered to the UK.
Built on a Sunday afternoon a few weeks ago. Had problem with one of the RF chokes - intermittent - replace with one from my ‘junk’ box.
Measured spec in my workshop @ 12V (operational down to 10V)
Rx: Tuning pot Centred - 7.023460MHz; Ia 9.5mA; MDS -110dBm; B/W (signal still present) @ -100dBm swept around Centre freq ~ 270Hz (@ -80 ~ 540Hz)
Tx: Ia 240mA for 1.1W out.
For what it’s worth.
Cheers
Jack (;>J
Thanks for the pointer to the instruction sheet.
I don’t really need one, though. I built a Tuna Tin Two not long ago and have worked 7 countries on 40m CW with the 250 milliwatts it produces.
73,
Walt (G3NYY)
GQRP #10911
I was forced into it at work too but have kilos of the leaded stuff stashed away for personal use!
That together with my, also banned, commutator cleaning stick are much prized and guarded possessions!
73
Glyn, I still have a “Oner line” stashed away in my junk box somewhere.
That’s the Oner TX, RX and changeover unit.
A very popular rig in its day 
I was thinking something along the lines of a sub £5 challenge.
£3 for the rig, £1 for the Antenna (speaker wire from pound shop), PP3 @ £0.60 leaving a few pence over to make a key…
[quote=“G4ISJ, post:13, topic:10840”]a sub £5 challenge[/quote]A “Ten Bucks Challenge”? (US dollars being marginally easier to convert around the world, and just slightly more leeway…) You could run with tens; ten contacts (per summit?), ten summits, ten days(?)…
I also have a Oner transceiver, which I more or less built fully but didn’t connect together, its been on my ‘to finish’ list forever! I also have Tuna Topper Amp and SW-40+ to finish.
I use leaded solder at home where possible. It’s still perfectly fine to do this. I believe that the space / military industries still use leaded solder too. I know in the case of zero G, lead free solder has a tendency to grow crystal structures which can cause electrical shorts. Leaded solder has less tendency towards this.
73, Colin
Lead- free solder has a nasty tendency towards brittle fracture and is the cause of numerous failures in domestic electronics (including amateur radio equipment). It has kept me in a steady income for many years so my thanks to the tree huggers who insisted it is used in commercial equipment - military, aerospace,medical equipment and anything related to safety of life are all exempt, I wonder why?
Is there a similarly inexpensive Chinese qrp xcvr for 20M?
73, Barry N1EU
I work repairing old mobile phone base station equipment, most of which is built using SN62 solder. We were allowed to use leaded solder for repairs until some pen pusher decided that the company should be entirely lead free in case somebody mixes up the reels of solder. All the nice SN62 disappeared one day 
I agree that lead free solder is rubbish!
It’s funny how we keep thinking of ways to make it more of a challenge to have QSOs!
Barry (N1EU), I might just make up a minimal 20m transceiver - we could try for a QSO - what would I need 50mW?
73, Colin M1BUU
Definitely depends on condx Colin!
From the G-QRP reflector “With the supplied 7.023 MHz crystal second harmonic is only down about 4dB.”
So you get two bands for the price of one…