My comment: Good post with good points about the under-appreciated differences between true homebrew and kit building. I have a lot of Heathkits around me, but I never considered them to be homebrew. There is a big difference. We have been promoting and supporting the HOMEBREW construction of 40 meter direct-conversion receivers. No one would confuse these receivers with commercial, or even kit-built gear. But they work very well, and the builder earns the satisfaction that comes with building something from scratch. There are no factory made PC boards to “populate.” All four of our boards are made using Manhattan construction techniques (super glue, isolation pads, copper-clad substrate). Almost 90 receivers have been completed, in more than 15 countries. Check out the receivers. Build one if you dare:
https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/search/label/DC%20RX%20Hall%20of%20Fame
BTW — I own a Dymo machine, and my SSB transceivers are in wooden boxes made from junked packing material. 73 Bill N2CQR
Posts
Hint of the next SolderSmoke Challenge?? Build your Soldersmoke DCR on P-Box with the Spring Clips?
ReplyDeleteNope! A kit is not the same as homebrew. But neither is scratch-building from a set of directions the same as what you do, coming up with a new design around some part in your bin or just thin air. Are both of those homebrewing? I don't know. Also, neither is assembling screwdriver only kit the same as assembling one where all the parts must be soldered in place.
ReplyDeleteAnd I say this having not designed a rig myself, with a Hendricks Kit Bitx that receives but that I never did get transmitting (had it many years now) and a µBitx that works but of course was a screwdriver only kit.
But what if you start with a kit and modify it? What if you keep modifying it until nothing of the original remains? What if those modifications are your own designs? What if you copied them off the internet?
What if you take all those discarded pieces and re-assemble the original kit?
Ok I'm done now.
I am glad there are so many ways and options to build!