My youngest son, Billy, recently qualified as a Foundation licensee. He studied with the Worthing and District Amateur Radio Club, to which we are both very grateful for their help and support. Now Bill is an M6, he needs a radio, and there lies a problem. I can't afford a 'black box' rig for him, and as a Foundation ham he can't use my homebrews. He can, however, use a radio made from a commercially available kit. Some of Tim Walford G3PCJ's kits ( www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~walfor ) are suitable, and maybe I'll buy Bill one for Christmas. Until then, I'll simply have to become a vendor myself!
What I have in mind is a simple kit based on Billy's immediate desires, and which may prove useful to others in the same boat (impoverished, Foundation licence). He wants to use 20m, and cw. This fills my heart with gladness; 20m is my favourite band, the rig is technically unchallenging and can be made in a variety of ways. First thoughts are with either a Pixie II clone or a Sudden / VXO / Pebblecrusher mix. What ever happens, I hope to have a prototype going quickly, and a kit advertised soon after. Then, Bill can build a kit bought with his pocket-money (I'm hoping it'll be that cheap), and get going.
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