4-State QRP Group "MagicBox" solid state Transmit/Receive System

This turned out to be a very satisfying weekend project. Although I must admit I put in several hours inventorying and organizing all components which made for a very smooth process of "stuffing" the circuit board.

There are images of the finished board
below.

Probably the more challenging part of this kit will be machining the housing for it. The template provided with the kit is not drawn to scale. So I'll need to make some careful measurements before going to the drill press.

I'm really excited about this unit because it will give me the chance to explore running a separate transmitter and receiver for the first time since my novice days back in the 1960s. Only now, instead of a manual ceramic and copper knife switch to switch between receive and transmit modes, I've got this slick solid state device that will make it appear almost as if I am running a transceiver.

Beginning work on digital T/R switch

Today I've started work on the Four State QRP "Magic Box" digital transmit/receive switch.

First photo below shows bagged components and construction manual.

Second photo shows component tracking sheet used to ensure correct picking & placing of each component.

NS-40 is completed

This was a very simple build, having just a handful of components. This is a Four State QRP transmitter designed by N0SM.

The view below shows the completed board mounted in an aluminum case which still needs some customization to give access for power and antenna connections.