I need another radio like a submarine needs a screen door. That said, I couldn’t resist buying a QCX-mini from QRP Labs. This is a $55 partial kit (all SMT devices already on the board), with a $20 case, making a $75 single-band 5 Watt CW Transceiver. It was under $100 including express shipping from the UK.
I’ll keep track of assembly time and any issues I run across. BTW, the photo doesn’t give you an idea of the size. It will fit in the palm of your hand easily and is about 1/2″ thick.
I just built the 30m version and all went smoothly. It’s a sweet radio and you can’t beat the price. No issues building it. (I have built two QCX originals previously.) Everything worked with only minor issues. (One bad solder joint on the toroid T1. – a common problem.) The receiver tuned right up with the alignment procedure. I got about 3W out of it, so I spent some time playing with the bandpass fliters. I ended up taking a turn off each of the toroids. After that, I got the full 5W.
I’ve got a 40m kit waiting for a rainy day to build.