Hello all
I would like to know does anyone use home brew equipment and if so what ?
I have a home brew 40M SSB radio with a homebrew linked inverted V Dipole for SOTA. I am currently designing / building a small 30w linear to use with it too when needed.
For 2M I use my HT with a homebrew telescopic Dipole which I can carry in my pocket.
Im sure their are other people here using homebrew for various reasons with great idea’s so please share your idea’s
Please feel free to check my QRZ…
Sparkie
In reply to 2E0VOV:
Home brew equipment? Well, I produce a supply of beer with mine!
Seriously, I activate on HF with one or other of two ATUs that I made, a parallel tuner for the W3EDP antenna on LF and a Z-match to replace the parallel tuner on HF.
73
Brian G8ADD
In reply to 2E0VOV:
When you say home-brew do you mean scratch built with own designed circuits or from kits?
Carolyn
My usual portable HF antennas are home made.
In reply to G6WRW:
In reply to 2E0VOV:
When you say home-brew do you mean scratch built with own designed
circuits or from kits?Carolyn
My usual portable HF antennas are home made.
Either really, made from a kit or designed by you. I wonder how many do homebrew as its quite popular for QRP and SOTA is mostly QRP in unusual circumstances…
Im thinking swapping some idea’s might help us enjoy it more 
Sparkie
In reply to 2E0VOV:
Hi Sparkie,
The only home brew item that I use is an SPC Transmatch
which I use with my 40 metre dipole to match other HF bands
to my FT 857.
I have been trying to construct a direct conversion receiver for 40 metres
to go with a QRP CW Tx I already have, but some way to go. I’ll probably
finish up buying a kit! Then I’ll have to learn CW properly!!
Good luck with the construction
Kind regards
Dave G0ELJ
In reply to 2E0VOV:
Hi Sparkie
The only bit of home built kit that I regularly take out on hills is my HF Packer Amplifier (Version 3) which has travelled quite extensively with me.
Before I decided on the Packer Amplifier I had looked at many amplifier circuits, most are 24/30V designs not suited to portable operation and they also need quite a lot of filtering.
Among the things I have build are 23cm and 4m transverters, a 23cm amplifier, simple CW transceivers, SDR receivers, APRS trackers and various data mode interfaces.
Carolyn
All my antennas are homebrew, e.g. wire dipoles w/o traps, J-poles, end-fed half-wave with matching circuitry,…
I have carried a PFR-3 to abt. 120 SOTA summits. It has been replaced with a KX3 in 2012.
I still have a 10m SSB Trcv built completely from scratch, following loosely the designs of Ashar Farhan, VU2ESE, http://www.phonestack.com/farhan/bitx.html but have not used it in SOTA.
73 Heinz
Some interesting stuff coming out on this thread, keep it up… The Linear im building “Dead bug style” is found here
http://www.falara.org/tektalk/faraHFAmp.html
Im building it mono band “Just 40m” so should be able to keep price under £30. Dont forget old PC’s donate big heat sinks, fans and the PSU box is a great project enclosure too
In reply to 2E0VOV:
Hello all
I would like to know does anyone use home brew equipment and if so
what ?
Hi sparkie
most of my airials are homebrew i made a three eliment qubical quad for 2M activating and a simple 1/4 wave vertical made from a coat hanger, and a 20M 1/4 wave vertical with bits of wire i had lying around the shack the only cost was the roach pole and it is resenant so no need for tuner i also made one for home which is permanent you can make one for any band it also has four 1/4 wave ground planes it’s good to experiment hi D:MW3PZO sean
In reply to G6WRW:
Im thinking of building a 4m transverter… any good links or advice?.
Thanks
Sparkie
In reply to 2E0VOV:
Hi Sparkie
I don’t have any links to a 4m transverter, but can offer a bit of encouragement!
4m ssb, and indeed CW, is under represented in SOTA, I feel. I’ve only managed contacts during contests, though one of those was a S2S with Matt G8XYJ.
I built the transceiver linked below around 40 years ago, and it is still going strong. I stopped using the Pye tulip mic after the first lugging up Corndon ;o)
So, get on with that transverter or whatever, and I look forward to working you on 4m…
73s
Adrian
G4AZS
In reply to 2E0VOV:
Hi Sparkie,
I use home built or home brew gear for the vast majority of my activations. I’ve built lots of kits and some home brew rigs. All but one of my rigs are for CW, the exception being an MKARS80 80m SSB rig.
I made a video for the Ham Nation podcast last year showing an activation using a home brew RockMite CW rig. QRPP3! - YouTube
73,
Colin, M1BUU
In reply to 2E0VOV:
PicAstar with homemade G5RV. Homebrew it and you will enjoy the experience of activating far more. Mine has never let me down.
I am currently working on Farhans new design the minima for a lighter portable with ALC limiting for headphones and a 50W PA and Smeter/SWR bridge. Its for all the HF bands. Its really cheap to build and simple excellent for SOTA with a low rx draw current.
http://www.phonestack.com/farhan/minima.html
http://www.carnut.info/W6JL_50W_pa/W6JL_50w_PA.htm
Once I am done I will blog it, it may become an “official” SOTA rig if
it works well enough 
73,
Jonathan
2W0KGQ
In reply to 2W0KGQ:
Nice work Jonathan. I also have a PicAStar in the shack for chasing.
I use an FT-817 on the hills, but have a homebrew portable 40m CW rig nearly completed which I’m hoping to play out with soon. The Rx is based around the MicroR2 phasing design by KK7B. The Tx is just standard stuff with FET PA. Cheap 9850 DDS VFO.
I’ve always wanted to take the Star on an activation…
Ian.
In reply to 2E0VOV:
Hi Sparkie,
nice equipment on qrz.com. Good work!
I use only homebrew equipment. It is more fun.
SW20+ kit instaled in “Peli” case.
Homemade key, DC/DC inverter, key recorder, freq-counter, …
1/2 lambda wire vertical antena for 20m band + 10m DWwire.
Last success: N1EU Date:07/Mar/2014 Summit:OM/TN-010 (Velká Javorina)
about 8000km with 1W power out and my bad CW skill
Here is video of transceiver.
more photos
video from activation
73! Robo OM1LD
In reply to 2E0VOV:
Sparkle,
This is just to say thanks for your QRZ page. I use homemade aerials, on hills and at home in a miniature garden, but your page is a mine of info and ideas. That’ll keep me going for ages, and keep the lathe busy too.
Thanks again,
Les
In reply to 2E0VOV:
I use a homebrew 20m dipole held up by a fishing pole for HF, and a homebrew Yagi held up by a camera tripod for 2m.
My FT817ND was shop-bought. I am so ashamed.
In reply to G0NMD:
WOW, some interesting reading and video’s on this thread… Many thanks for posting in reply and its great to watch the video’s
Sparkie
2e0vov
In reply to 2E0VOV:
Our Tom M6GGZ has just finished making his first antenna. I gave him the 4m Delta loop from Stephen GW7AAV’s website to make. I’d already made the 6m loop from Steve’s design and was hoping the 4m loop would be as good straightaway. He was thrilled when it came in with a 1:1 VSWR or very close on the IC7100 display. No-one on UK 4m so we had to have a QSO together on FM to christen it. The overflow pipe for the top spar was 86p at Wickes and the 6 pipe clips [2 for the storage of half the spar for portability] were £1.50. Everything else we had to hand. Highly recommended!
I like the 7 band linked dipole I made to the pattern on GW4BVE’s Flickr photostream [but advise against the tiny gold plug and socket contact for the breakpoints]. It’s my HF SOTA antenna of choice. I’ve built a HF Packer V4 amp kit but don’t yet have a light battery to take it out nor a new physique to carry it…
73
David M0YDH