The Ugly Weekender - A Homebrew QRP Transceiver

This video shows my version of a QRP amateur radio transmitter called the "Ugly Weekender" designed by Roger and Wes Hayward and described in the August 1981 and June 1992 issues of QST magazine.
Note: Wes Hayward (one of the designers the Ugly Weekender) pointed out a potential issue with the way I built my rig, having all of the boards in the same box. I wanted to pass along what he said:
"There was a reason for placing the VFO in one box and the PA in another with the original UW transmitter. Oscillators, especially free running LC circuits, are very susceptible to stray RF that might be applied to the circuit. But the susceptibility is only extreme if the stray RF that hits the VFO tank is at, or close to the frequency of the VFO. Stray RF get into the tank by RF conduction through amplifiers and power supplies or by radiation. Buffer amplifiers take care of the conduction problem while decoupling (more than just bypassing) takes care of the power supply coupling issue. The radiation coupling is best handled with shielding. In the original UW, there was a 50 Hz shift in the oscillator when the key was pressed when the shields were in place. The shift became a couple of kHz when the lids were removed from VFO and PA.
There is another way to fix the problem that is even more effective and that is to operate the VFO at a frequency that is far removed from the PA. An especially good design is to operate the VFO at half the output frequency, or the 80 meter band. Then the VFO is frequency doubled before it is amplified and applied to the antenna. My versions of the UW all use frequency doubling. The circuitry is shown in Chapter 4 of Experimental Methods in RF Design. See page 4.27."
So be aware of this if you plan to build this rig, or one like it. I will be looking a adding some shielding to the boards in my version. It is built on three separate PCBs so I think that is feasible.

[@ka7exm]

Outstanding video! I had lots of fun building the project, including adding the receiver. The UW-40 is still within an arm's reach here on my bench today! Happy QRP-ing and 73! Roger KA7EXM

[@n2cqr]

Wow Jeff, thanks for the kind mention of my book in your credits. I'm proud to have played some small role in this project. Nice job. 73 Bill N2CQR

[@g4vuxqrp210]

Great video Jeff, many thanks for sharing it. Homebrew QRP really is so much fun! Very best 73 from the UK, Graham G4VUX

[@eogg25]

you may have made the ugly weekender but u turned the ugly weekender into a beautiful transceiver.very nice..

[@warp9988]

Nice work

[@XE1GXG]

Nice work!

[@vasilepop4369]

Congratulations! Wonderful video. 73 de VA6POP

[@kb9gkc]

Very Nice!

[@raafatalheety826]

Good

[@wa4aos]

Great project Jeff, Actually, I would like to see more newbies take on some kind of a project to learn some basics. Seems building from scratch is getting to be a lost art. tnx om es 73 de WA4AOS dit dit

[@nor4277]

Jeff since you seem to be in the no ,does anyone make a tube radio,AM or FM or bother radio like a AA5 radio kit.I been looking for a long time .

[@jefftranter]

I have not personally found any new kits but a search of "tube radio kit" at www.aliexpress.com/ found some possible products.

[@k6whp]

Jeff, I really relish your reviews; they are about the best in the You Tube firmament. Brief, concise, factual, and to the point. As a sidebar, however, I note you have a SCAF-1 filter (background). Be advised that they have a circuit problem that their manufacturer will not acknowledge. (In fact, the original QST circuit has the asame flaw.) I blogged about it here: righthandofzod.blogspot.com/2013/05/idiom-press-scaf-1-wars-my-own-fresh.html 72, Bill, k6whp

[@jefftranter]

Using a QRP (low power) transceiver like this one presents some challenges. I wouldn't recommend it for a new ham as it could be frustrating to learn the basics of making contacts when using low power, limited range of frequencies, and no built-in indication of frequency. You're better off starting with a commercial transceiver or a commercial kit. Depending on your license class, a beginner may also not have a class of license that allows using a homebrew transmitter.

[@dylanlockler1039]

what kind of license do you need to use a homebrew transmitter???

[@jefftranterics]

@@dylanlockler1039 It depends on what country you are in. I am in Canada, and here you need an Advanced qualification to use transmitting equipment you build yourself unless it is a commercial kit.

[@MauriatOttolink]

Where can those calibrated slo mo drives be obtained, please?

[@jefftranter]

I got mine from Ocean State Electronics, but unfortunately they are no longer in business. You can find them on eBay - search for "vernier drive" - but they are getting quite expensive.

[@MauriatOttolink]

Jeff Tranter Thank you,Jeff. They certainly are getting harder to find. Don't know about price..Never seen the damned things.. Resorted to stealing them from old projects which I'm not using at the moment. I'll search Ebay as you advise. Enjoyed your video. Mni tnx. 73 G3NBY.

[@Porodyn]

Where can you find the june 1992 issue of qst?

[@jefftranterics]

If you are a member of the ARRL, you get access to electronic versions back issues of QST.

[@raafatalheety826]

73 from baghdad deYi1hxh

[@petchharrison]

WELLDONE I BUILT A 20 METER SUPERHET IN A DAY FROM A KIT,NEXT I AM GOING TO BUILD A TRANCIEVER FOR 40 METERS CW .. JEFF