wanted: feedback on ramsey manuals!

[mnpd]

The online QRP40 transmitter manual, top of page 8 states that "L6" along with C17/18 forms the transmitter's low pass filter.

However, on the same page, the Block Diagram identifies "L5" along with C17/18 as being the inductor component of the low pass filter.

Doesn't hurt in the kit construction, but does confuse novices who are trying to learn electronic theory.

[mnpd]

Wish I'd found this forum a lot sooner. I've built a good number of Ramsey kits over the years, have two on current order, and keep a record of the print errors in the assembly manuals. I'd have to find those manuals now, and at least two of kits are discontinued.

The most error-ridden was the advanced, packet-ready 2-meter synthesized transceiver which used a diode matrix for FM frequency determination. That manual was rife with contradictions and omissions. But, that one's a moot point since the kit has been discontinued. A complicated and extensive project equal in scale to any Heathkit transceiver I've put together, I built the thing 15-20 years ago and still use it today

[RDEngineer]

Thanks for the heads-up on the QRP manuals. The error has been corrected. It's been that way since the manual was done in '95.

Because the forum is not always monitored on a regular basis it is a good idea to send a note to: "ron@ramseyelectronics.com" directly rather than a single post to the forum. That way it will get faster attention.

[mnpd]

Wow! 16-years and no one mentioned it. Well, anyone familiar with a Butterworth low-pass filter construction knows which inductor is used, and rookies building the kit by the numbers wouldn't understand the block diagram anyway.

I just built two new kits tonight... the QRP40 and the matching 20-watt linear amp. The new boards are much nicer! I built the 40m TX and RX sets some 15-20 years ago and both still work. But, I've modified the transmitter so much that I wanted a fresh one to start with.

You may not have even been working with Ramsey when I built those things, but the old boards didn't have the first component marking on them! Nary a one! Topside of the PC board was nothing but a blank sea of drilled holes without the first component outline or name. The 40m TX board simply says "Ramsey Electronics QRP TX" on the foil side and that's that! You about needed to print the component layout out on onion skin paper and match it to the board in order to get the components in the right holes! Except that we didn't have printers then... LOL

In those days you had to buy the kits and the enclosures separately. I think my kits were $29 for the transmitter, and $19 for the receiver. The enclosures were $14 if memory serves me. There's a bunch of old kits still out there minus the factory cases.

The DPDT crystal select switch never made contact in one position, so I just replaced it with a shorted-leaded toggle switch

Here's another hint. When I did the QRP40 transmitter kit tonight, installation of crystal is omitted from the construction steps. There is some discussion of crystal theory, but no step to install it. No problem... I just slapped it in, but you know better than I that a lot of novice kit builders would be scratching their heads over a left over part.

[mnpd]

One last thing. What Ramsey needs these days is a monoband CW QRP transceiver kit. QRP has left the separate TX and RX construction and moved into the single-board era. Bet Ramsey could sell a ton of those kits... this is what the QRP folks are buying up these days.

Wanna get real fancy? Do a tri-bander CW QRP kit. Things would go like hotcakes too at a handsome price even in a depressed economy.

[allenlorenz]

Could you please post the schematic for the wsr-1A kit. Most of the manual do not contain the schematic but blank pages where the schematic would be. Also are there any plans to bring this kit back into production, or another low cost apt receiver ? Thank you.

[rajraju131]

Draw some diagram indicating the instructions, so that it will be helpful for the users...


Cegonsoft

[Ramsey Tech Z99]

Rajraju131, You are going to need to be a little more specific on what you are looking for. Let us know what kit and what step in the manual that is giving you trouble.

[langzi]

Thanks for this valuable thread!

[Woody]

Here is some info on the MAR-3 with the orientation. Maybe this will help: http://www.minicircuits.com/pdfs/MAR-3+.pdf