Here's the SWL
80 from Small Wonder Labs. This is, in my opinion, the
best buy in QRP transceiver kits. Since I built my SWL80, Small
Wonder Labs has come out with an improved version called the SW+
series. It's hard to see how you could improve on this little
rig. The SW + models have been redesigned to make construction
even easier. This is one of those rigs that is an absolute
pleasure to build and operate. The stock version does not have a
RIT (receiver incremental tuning) control but I haven't really
missed it. I do have the RIT add-on but never built it. The
reason there is so much space between the AF control and the
tuning control is because I left room for the RIT control. (Inside View)
Also available is a nice
silk-screened case but I saved a little money by coming up with
my own. The case is a rugged extruded aluminum box that came from
an old 2400 baud modem. Originally it was twice as deep but I had
a sheet metal shop cut the box in half giving me two enclosures.
I made the front and rear panels (Rear View) from aluminum and filed the
corners to match the case. The circuit board mounts to a small
shelf that attaches to the front panel. The shelf slides into
guides within the case. The front and rear panels are pretty
spartan and I really need to add a tuning dial so I can easily
tell what frequency I am on.The last picture here is a scope
display taken with the SWL80 key down into a 50 ohm load. The
output was approximately 1.7 Watts.