I am looking into making a kit based on the Small Wonder Labs Rockmite
(http://smallwonderlabs.com/Rockmite.htm) designed to be a wearable
short-range CW rig. My thought is to be able to wear it on an armband
like joggers do with iPods. Anyway, I need to find some pretty
specific parts, but I am having trouble finding them on Mouser, etc. I
was wondering if perhaps a more experienced parts-hunter might kindly
assist me in locating these.

My plan is to have everything except the earbud fit into/onto the
chassis- 9V battery, telescoping/rubber duck antenna, and two
pushbuttons for the key. Here is my list of parts that I need help
with:

* 'key'- Rather than have paddles that stick out, I think it would be
cool to use two pushbuttons on the top of the case, oriented so that
you can press them while it's strapped to your other arm. My problem
is that I need really shallow switch housings- my hope is to put this
inside a pair of altoids tins attached back to back, and I'd really
really like it if the key was more or less flush with the top of the
chassis. I tried to surf Mouser, but there are kajillions out there
and I can't seem to find something like this.

* control switch- see comments about about key, but I wouldn't mind if
this stuck out a tiny bit.

* antenna- OK, so the final transistor is a 2222 at less than 1/2W.
Does impedance mismatch even matter here? The obvious problem here is
that I'm using HF... maybe I should use a ferrite loop? Can I even
transmit on that? I'm really not looking for long distance here- maybe
a mile or two. Any suggestions?

* volume/power - I was thinking of using Mouser 311-170-1-1M for the
audio pot / power switch, but might there be a part that would be
easier to mount? I'm guessing not, since I really want it to be a
thumbwheel, but I thought I'd ask.

* frequency- Finally, since I'm not designing this system to be used
long-range, maybe I should pick a really obscure frequency? What do
you think? On one hand, if I used something in 80M, I would be
unlikely ever to interfere with anybody, but that makes the antenna
even more useless! Or should I pick 20M, maybe in the phone band?
Please don't doubt that I will be very careful to ID legally and make
sure to listen first, etc. But I just wanted to check...


Thank you for your time,
Ross Tucker, NS7F

"Ross, NS7F" wrote in message
...
I am looking into making a kit based on the Small Wonder Labs Rockmite
(http://smallwonderlabs.com/Rockmite.htm) designed to be a wearable
short-range CW rig. My thought is to be able to wear it on an armband
like joggers do with iPods. Anyway, I need to find some pretty
specific parts, but I am having trouble finding them on Mouser, etc. I
was wondering if perhaps a more experienced parts-hunter might kindly
assist me in locating these.

My plan is to have everything except the earbud fit into/onto the
chassis- 9V battery, telescoping/rubber duck antenna, and two
pushbuttons for the key. Here is my list of parts that I need help
with:

* 'key'- Rather than have paddles that stick out, I think it would be
cool to use two pushbuttons on the top of the case, oriented so that
you can press them while it's strapped to your other arm. My problem
is that I need really shallow switch housings- my hope is to put this
inside a pair of altoids tins attached back to back, and I'd really
really like it if the key was more or less flush with the top of the
chassis. I tried to surf Mouser, but there are kajillions out there
and I can't seem to find something like this.

* control switch- see comments about about key, but I wouldn't mind if
this stuck out a tiny bit.

* antenna- OK, so the final transistor is a 2222 at less than 1/2W.
Does impedance mismatch even matter here? The obvious problem here is
that I'm using HF... maybe I should use a ferrite loop? Can I even
transmit on that? I'm really not looking for long distance here- maybe
a mile or two. Any suggestions?

* volume/power - I was thinking of using Mouser 311-170-1-1M for the
audio pot / power switch, but might there be a part that would be
easier to mount? I'm guessing not, since I really want it to be a
thumbwheel, but I thought I'd ask.

* frequency- Finally, since I'm not designing this system to be used
long-range, maybe I should pick a really obscure frequency? What do
you think? On one hand, if I used something in 80M, I would be
unlikely ever to interfere with anybody, but that makes the antenna
even more useless! Or should I pick 20M, maybe in the phone band?
Please don't doubt that I will be very careful to ID legally and make
sure to listen first, etc. But I just wanted to check...


Thank you for your time,
Ross Tucker, NS7F

I actually used a microswitch from the junkbox for a handkey for several
months when I was just getting back on the air after a move.

What you describe sounds like an ergonomic nightmare though. Try 144.200 or
432.100 MHz the multimode calling frequencies. As long as you have a
working RX you should be OK. You could drop it down to 100mw and probably
still make contacts. There would be serious difficulty coupling 80m energy
without an antenna unless you were considering a 135' trailing wire.

I always wanted to build a Get Smart shoe phone or better yet the Star Trek
communicator. There was a 73 magazine with one. Lots of fabrication just
like the original. It was THE prototype for the now common flip phones.

I never could find the little rotary dial for the shoe phone. I am
extremely overjoyed to see the Get Smart reruns back on the local
independent station.

My first "HT" was a 1 watt packset radio (Mot H23BAC) with about 5 submini
tubes. The RX strip would run about a week on a 6v lantern battery, but
there was only about 30 minutes talk time for about $20 worth of batteries
for the transmitter. The answer was to build up a solid state FM TX to sub
in for the tube strip to run on several surplus SubC Nicads. I lugged that
around for several years. I finally got a HT220 Slimline that replaced it.
Those were the days when repeaters were a new thing and everybody in town
was on the one frequency.

I don't know if you noticed the OP-ED piece in QST from the newbie...
Shouldn't we all be building a portable transporter units or time machines
instead? We are all obsolete he says. I wonder how long before he has a
meltdown and QSY's to his Blackberry.

Jim, ac6tk
http://infotech.awardspace.com/