M0NTV's Latest Breadbox Rig -- The Radio Gods Have Spoken (TRGHS)!

Tony G4WIF sent me this video from Nick M0NTV.  It presents Nick's latest Bread Bin project -- "The Optimizer." 

-- I really like the Bread Box enclosures.  And leaving the b and the d on the box is just brilliant.  These letters now stand for BiDirectional!  They even appear symmetrical.  TRGHS!

-- The switch for a tuning tone is a great idea.  I still have to plug my Maplin AF sig gen into the mic jack to do this.  FB. 

-- I too have the connector on the back for keying the outboard linear amplifier.  (Shhh! Don't tell G-QRP!) 

-- As for the bidirectional TIA amps.  I'm really glad that someone else is using these circuits.  Wes's article came out in 2009 and concluded with a call for someone to build a complete rig with these circuits.  I wonder how many rigs like this have been made.  It is a great circuit.   One thing I would suggest for Nick:  Wes's article points out that you CAN have higher gain in one direction than you have in the other.  Just use resistor values in the chart provided in the 2009 article.  You could have an amp with 15 db in the transmit direction and 24 db in the receive direction.  BTW:  I have been getting a lot of help from Alan W2AEW and Farhan VU2ESE on how to use the NanoVNA to confirm the input and output impedances on solid state amplifiers. 

-- For many years I had the same map of the Moon in my shack.  I hope that map makes it to the new house Nick. 

-- Finally, I was really surprised to hear EI0CL calling CQ during Nick's demo of the receiver.  That is Michael Higgins out in Galway.   Michael was one of my regular contacts when I was out in the Azores.  He is a truly amazing guy.  He is mentioned frequently in my "SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics" book.  TRGHS.