On Sat, 2 Jun 2007 14:46:36 -0400, "xpyttl"
wrote:

There are dozens of kits ... the combination FCC1/FCC2 from Norcal is one,
AA0ZZ's has been mentioned as another. Kanga has a board called the PIC-EL
II that will accept AmQRP's DDS-60 daughtercard and in conjunction with
software available from AA0ZZ's website will do the same, plus, it has the
PIC programmer on board, so you can play with various versions of the
software. All 3 end up costing about the same. FAR Circuits has a board
for the old WB2V model which works reasonably well and ends up considerably
cheaper.

If you are concerned about soldering the AD985x chip, there are dozens of
folks who do that for a small fee. In fact, if you graze the QRP lists you
will discover that there are probably hundreds of folks who love to build
kits so much that they are floating in them, and a looking satisfy their
addiction by building kits for other people so their XYLs won't scream at
the increasing pile of unused electronic gear.

The PIC-EL path is probably the most conducive to experimentation, but the
most poorly packaged if your intent is to include it in one of your
projects. AA0ZZ's has I-Q outputs if you are interested in exploring SDR.
The FAR Circuits board of course includes none of the parts, the Norcal kit
is lacking the expensive parts (switches, connectors, etc.)


The Pic-El route is possibly the best as the DDS board is a removable
item and can be built into a dedicated controller after establishing
which version of the software is the best for your application.
It also enables you to 'play' with PIC controller programming, you
might even write your own software for the project :-)
72 Mike