Altoids Tin Ham Radio? Foxx-3 QRP Kit Build

This is a fun QRP CW Morse Code amateur radio kit. The kit is broken up into multiple parts for each major component in the radio.
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[@robduncan599]

Just a little background, the original foxx designer GM30XX George Burt (sk) was a neighbour of me in NE Scotland . Not only was he a 1class operator, and engineer. The very best neighbour anyone could ever wish for . Living line of sight I had 100 watts and full size ant on 160 metre double, and George had a top band loop , but limited himself to 1 watt .he never ever complained about my qrm . I used to listen to George working stations I struggled to copy.

[@johnwest7993]

Just a note from someone with 60 years of soldering experience: Always, always, always hold the leads you are clipping off. The cutter pressure can send them shooting as far as 10 or 15 feet away. I once got a bloody ear from a lead snipped by a new assembler working across the isle from my tech bench. She had not been taught to hold onto the leads as she cut them. The leads, especially short ones can disappear and end up shorting out circuits on the board. Then there's the possibility of one sticking in your eye, a lot higher likelihood that one would think. My standard rule is that each and every snipped lead gets put into a can at my soldering station as it gets cut. Electronics construction requires each and every step to be done correctly. There are very few short-cuts that won't come back to bite you in the butt. BTW, I love winding toroids and adjusting them to get optimum results.

[@southernexposure123]

3 Things. First, thanks for recording "most of" the audio loud enough for me to hear. So many times videos I want to watch I can't hear. Second, When you have no more 9 volt connectors in your parts box make your own by amputating the connector off the top a deceased 9 volt battery (you'll have to use a thin screwdriver to open the top of it's container a little) and then just solder wires on it observing the needed wire color to give the correct polarity. Third, There's some really thin wires (a little kit comes in different colors) from Amazon (likely from other sources, too.) I think they might have teflon? insulation. By using those thin wires you can regain wire flexibility. Thanks again for the detectable audio. 😁

[@Subgunman]

Bought one of these kits some 20+ years ago from Bill at the Ft. Wayne Hamfest. Love the kit! Works great. As for 9 volt battery leads, I up cycle my old 9volt batteries. Just pull off the contact assembly, tape off the top of the battery and drop it into the recycling bin. Solder the appropriate leads to the clip and seal the top with hot melt glue. These also make great emergency transmitters for ones Go Kit or Bug Out Bag! Just keep a few 9volt batteries on hand. You could also use a lithium power pack with a small boost converter to bring up the voltage. Recharge the pack with a small solar charger.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

I forgot about doing that! Spectacular idea!

[@ThatguyFirst]

Another way to insulate the bottom of the Altoids tin: save your old membership cards or the sample plastic credit cards that some banks send out with card applications. They fit Altoids tins nicely.

[@normjacques6853]

Nicely done, Josh! FINALLY...somebody on KZbin that actually knows how to solder and splice correctly!! it was part of my job for almost fifty years, and i can't believe the number of 'wire butchers' out there that claim to know what they're doing, but should either learn, or go away! In any case, I enjoyed this abbreviated build and watching you 'lead by example!' 73 :-)

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Thanks! I was trying a new way to do these how-tos without it being 100% but just the high and low points with a bit of instruction.

[@normjacques6853]

@@HamRadioCrashCourse (as a former teacher) Other than the option of tripling (at least) the length of the video, and doing step-by-step with supporting theory, I think you hit it right on the head! The long version would have been as boring as watching paint dry! Yup....well done! 73 :-)

[@bbowling4979]

It's funny you say that since the splice shown is not a linesman's splice / western union splice / NASA splice at all. The lead is never folded back on itself in the linesman's splice.

[@AD6DMDennis]

Keep us building and experimenting! Great vid, Hoshnasi! 73

[@MoTown44240]

Nice build video. Glad Not to be only person to make a comment on the NASA splice. My 7th grade shop teacher told my class this splice is known as the Western Union splice, in 1958.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

There are no new ideas under the sun 🤣

[@SeanWalberg]

@@HamRadioCrashCourse with that splice, does it end up with two interlocked eyes, i.e. each wire doubles back on itself?

[@o2bnov0307]

Thank you for sharing your FOXX3 build! 73 de David AE4LH

[@MrAlanmcd]

Hands of a surgeon!

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Hah, thanks!

[@SANTINIIO]

I did the exact same thing when Radio Shack closed. Unfortunately, a lot of other people had the same idea. So commonly used parts were hard to come by.

[@jackdock291]

QRP rules ... just what I need another 40 meter rig Hi Hi . Great little radio and the first time I have seen it. Of course I have to build it! Great video.

[@chrisblaase2700]

Way to go Josh now you’ve got me wanting to build one hi! 73 de NV9Z

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

They are pretty fun!

[@BEdmonson85]

I never buy 9v leads, once I have a dead 9v battery I remove the top and solder leads to the back of the connections. Add a little epoxy and you have a nice robust 9v connector for the cost of 2 pieces of scrap wire and a drop of glue.

[@dylanlockler1039]

You can get 20 of those things on ebay for less then 2$ now...

[@cappaculla]

yeah makes perfect sense, who doesn't bring epoxy and solder on a sota activation 😂

[@RWBHere]

Nice job, Josh! Those ferrites are 'fun' to wind properly. A drop of clear nail lacquer or similar will improve stability substantially. But don't use too much. Also insulate the sides and top of the can to help to keep temperatures more steady. I knew a guy, who is now SK, who built a predecessor to that kit, from scratch, in the 1970's. The transistors were all BC109C, made by Mullard. He worked Stateside on it quite regularly from Eastern England, just using a PP3 9 Volt battery or a regulated and well-filtered PSU. He had it switchable between the old 160, 80, 40, and 20 metre bands, via a handful of crystals and switched tuning components, and he could change frequencies within a band by swapping crystals, but it was not used on the 15 and 10 metre bands, because Tx was too chirpy and Rx was too deaf. We don't have Altoids over here, but there are a number of alternative containers. People often used mustard tins. 73, G0MRB.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Thanks for the clear nail polish tip!

[@MrAlanmcd]

Nice work Josh

[@rst5nn]

Humor of you channel is brilliant!

[@skinnyflea2628]

This is awesome I’m getting this right now I didn’t know about it.

[@mktwatcher]

You kid sounds adorable. I think you should give them some of your time. LOL when they said is wan't their problem.

[@Blue-Collar-Radio]

Awesome build!

[@stephenwilliams5201]

Several kits bought from bill Kelsey.over the years. ( N8et) verry good recivers. De kv4li.

[@bodhi974]

Going to pick one up right after this!

[@camerong4944]

Can't forget the Western Union splice for solid wire.

[@aurtisanminer2827]

The solder joint at 16:20 is something they do in nasa. It’s strong and less likely to disconnect if the solder somehow cracks or breaks. The issue with it is you have to cut the wire to separate it again. That usually isnt an issue unless your wire is already as short as it can be, which is an issue i’ve run into on a car.

[@bbowling4979]

If anyone at NASA were to splice two stranded wires together like that they would be fired immediately. The NASA standard does not allow for solder splices on stranded conductor wire.

[@MikeCarr-qo6rj]

You said the positive end of the diode has the band, but that's the cathode end, not the anode.

[@caseym890]

Ash awesome 😀

[@aurtisanminer2827]

Fun Altoids fact: Altoids is the leading supplier of drug containers in the US.

[@corison2058]

Aurtisan Miner why am I not surprised.

[@dylanlockler1039]

@UnderBridge Rock why am i not surprised.

[@jonathanwarner1844]

Not so fun Altoids fact, Altoids was a British product, then got bought out by an American company who moved production to the US, and now Altoids and their useful tins are not readily available in the UK any more. I can buy them at a high price from the American food section in my local supermarket.

[@douglaswalters4532]

I sure wish that when I found a kit that I want, it would still be available. I'm trying to find a pocket size QRP CW rig that the "French underground" could have ended the war quicker with.

[@ellisc.foleyjr9778]

Nicely done. shows the newcomer some valid points. and like a few other guys my flays went up when you coined the banded end of the diode Positive!!?? even after 60+ yrs of building and soldering my "doubt tag flew" (must be and old age flaw!) anyway thanks for a nice video and best of all for sharing. de Ellis WA1RKS

[@darrenwagenbachwagenbach6323]

Nice learning tool ,buy one for each CW band wavelengths/////

[@debbiecurtis4021]

Cool little kit. I'm going to try to order one how much us a soldering iron? I'm in UK.

[@chuckkb8yit859]

looks like a good video!!

[@JamesSasso]

what about c25?! :O did i miss where it's not needed? :P just triggers the OCD to have that one pair of holes open haha

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Yeah. It’s not used. Lol

[@waynethompson8416]

You mentioned in this video that the band end of the diode is the "positive" side....that is incorrect! The band end is the cathode and is the negative end of the diode!

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Good point.

[@BEdmonson85]

If we're gonna get technical, the banded end indicates the cathode end. It depends on the application whether it connects to positive or negative. For example, a zener diode typically has the cathode connected to positive.

[@waynethompson8416]

@@BEdmonson85 , and sometimes the diodes are placed across the coil of a relay in reverse polarity as well.

[@nor4277]

Make a c.b.version kit ,or a two meter where there is voice communication ,I have a altoid ton ready to go .

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

It is likely all that would not fit in an altoids tin :D

[@G4KDXlive]

I had exactly the same problem! AND WHEN I APPLIED POWER THE TRANSISTOR EXPLODED - sending transistor fragments in all directions. Replace that transistor!

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

I contacted them and they replied quickly. They found the batch of bad transistors and rectified the issue I believe.

[@jonathanwarner1844]

@@HamRadioCrashCourse Surely the best way to rectify the issue would be with diodes?

[@greylocke01]

The splice is also called the telegraph splice. At least that's what my friends great grandfather told me when he taught it to me. Any chance some offers a 30m kit for CW and Digital?

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

They sell this kit in 20, 30, 40, 80 & 160 meter varieties. If you want something with a VFO, there are a lot of CW kits on the market. Not this small, but they exist.

[@margaqrt]

A worthwhile build so long as you're not a no code ham. Telegraphy time...crash course for CW.

[@benjaminalexander7454]

thumbs up !!!

[@earthey7499]

12:44 I think I have the same multimeter there.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Probably, it’s the cheap harbor freight job.

[@dylanlockler1039]

blog it (joke)

[@itskenthomas]

I think this kit is nice. I've built a kit similar to it, but my problem is I've never made a contact with it. Has anyone had luck making an actual contact with these small QRP kits?

[@TheTrailrider1]

very cool ... awesome find/fix with the transistor! How long did that take to find?

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

I found someone through qrz that helped me out. He was awesome!

[@stephenwilliams5201]

Wating for the pixie 2.

[@inf3ct3dr3x2]

Are you bringing this on the Hike?

[@pgtherobot]

Is there anything similar you can recommend? I would like to make something like this but this is out of stock. Ideally one that is available on 40 or 80 meters

[@CaroleMinxBlanton]

😂😂😂 love the dbl you!

[@jamesw6529]

Can you give us the SWR meter model, and where you got it? Thanks.

[@akefayamenay104]

Anyone else notice the missing ceramic capacitor c25?

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

It’s only needed for a specific variation of the build. It’s documented in the instructions.

[@simonj48]

I noticed the PCB wasn't blue 👍

[@akefayamenay104]

@@HamRadioCrashCourse haha! Thank you! It was bugging me for like half the video. :)

[@neeko7878]

All the fancy tools and toys and you use the free harbor freight multi meter. 😂

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Yeah man. It’s cheap and works.

[@neeko7878]

Love it!

[@lorettacaputo6997]

I have a bunch of those meters and the only thing I do to them before putting into use is to run some thick cyanoacrylate glue down the wire leads to the probes which fixes them into the holders. This is the weakest part of the unit and the thin leads will easily break off over time.

[@neeko7878]

Do you ever use flux while soldering? Really helps to transfer the heat.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

I only really use it when I desolder.

[@neeko7878]

So try using flux. Dip the tip of the solder gun in the flux and it’s amazing how much more clean and “blob” free your solders will be. Yours looked ok but could be more flat and less chance of cold solder joint. I’ve been amazed by it really, even over flux core solder. Also keeps the tip of the iron clean. I also always put a bit of solder on my iron first. You run around 750°. That helps too. Your station looks legit though.

[@brothertheo2677]

polystyrene caps

[@nor4277]

The Ic chips on the pcb doesn't have a direction notch ,so how do you no which way to face them?

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

The directions show the direction of the pin header. If I remember, there is probably a pin 1 mark.

[@dorothygale5896]

Bad , troopers, the HF bands are dead. We've gone into a minimum solar cycle.

[@theonlydean]

This is my first kit build and I think I messed something up :/ I’m on the second stage and can’t hear the relay switching nor any side tone. Only buzzing. Checked for bridged leads and none found. Anything you can think of off the top of your head?

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Look at the bc212 transistors. Do they say bc212L? The L is the wrong one. Contact the seller and get the right transistor.

[@theonlydean]

It’s a 212L for sure but I’ve got the legs oriented correct according to the insert included in the kit. Might go ahead and ask for a 212 if he’s got it

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

That is likely the problem of the relay not keying. It was my problem.

[@theonlydean]

He's sending a new one. Great customer service! Also worth mentioning he said the 2N5401 should work as well. Might pick up a handful to have around.

[@eljuano28]

Don't know if you're still going to see comments on this vid, so by all means, any other "experienced" (and I'm not picky,) fists; I'm studying for my tech class, so serious newbie, and my first interest is really qrp cw. Anyone have both this and the qrp labs kit? IYHO, which is a better value? Thank you very much.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

QRP labs is going to be better for you. It offers much more control over the frequencies you operate on.

[@souta95]

Mmmm Pocky...

[@radiotec76]

radiotec76 Nooooooooooooo! The band on the diode marks its cathode. The cathode is negative.

[@indrajitR]

Good but long vedio

[@stephenwilliams5201]

Ki6naz de kv4li. Fb om. gut sho. Tks agn Fer gut info.

[@geoffbirkinshaw8466]

I would have preferred an explanatory description of the circuit rather than being shown how to solder components to a board.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

I’ll give that a shot on the next one of these I do.

[@Trancifiedx]

Flux???!!??

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Its rosin core solder. Its fine.

[@Trancifiedx]

@@HamRadioCrashCourse oh, yes, I know, but added Flux Makes the joints do much nicer.