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 Previous: Tips for a Better Ham Web Page | ![Next (later) Story](/images/sty-up.gif "KH6BB and "Mighty Mo," the Battleship Missouri"){kind=small} Next: KH6BB and "Mighty Mo," the Battleship Missouri |
By Anthony A. Luscre, K8ZT
Contributing Editor
August 26, 2003
This time we'll look at an accessory for homebrewing or kit building that I call the Construction Station. A portable work area with many convenient features, this is an easy project that you can build in a few hours and customize to serve your building style.
My Vacation Plans
Whether you are an occasional kit builder or melt pounds of solder a year, I have a project to meet your needs. You might remember that I won an Elecraft K1 at this spring's Four Days in May (FDIM) activity that's held each year in conjunction with Hamvention. My plan was to spend a few of my July vacation days building my K1 kit on my deck. I wanted an easy way to transport all my tools, the in-progress kit and the parts between the outdoor deck and my ham shack. I also was worried that loose parts might fall off my worktable and disappear through the gaps in the floorboards of the deck. With these goals in mind, I started to visualize a solution.
 The Construction Station is assembled with 2x2s mounted on the top of 3/4-inch particleboard. Foam pipe insulation makes an easy comfortable wrist-rest [Photo by author] |
 A power strip is attached to the rear of the Construction Station using screws. The lamp started life as a gooseneck desk lamp. |
 The Construction Station is complete and ready to use. |
 Styrofoam or cardboard egg cartons make great sorting bins for parts. You can write the value of the component right on the carton. Small plastic margarine tubs are handy for sorting larger parts. |
 A desktop copyholder or easel is ideal to holding kit assembly instructions [Keysan]. |
The Construction Project
Archeology digs in my basement and garage revealed a preliminary candidate--a small wooden snack tray with raised sides. While this showed promise, I soon determined it was neither large nor sturdy enough. Instead, I decided to build something similar that would be. Another trip to the garage revealed some spare 3/4-inch particleboard shelving and some18-inch long pieces of 2x2 wood. Besides being on hand, the solid-core particleboard (MDF) was ideal for my project. It was heavy and would stay put even in wind. The surface was non-glare--smooth but not slick. It's also fairly inexpensive.
Alternatively almost any piece of 3/4-inch to 1-inch plywood or composite board you have on-hand should be suitable. You can decide on your own size. I selected 18x20 inches, primarily based on the 2x2 lumber I already had. You can forego mitered corners in the interest of speed and ease of construction, although they lend a bit of elegance to the carpentry.
Simply lay the 2x2s on the surface of the plywood and attach from the bottom with drywall screws. Drill small holes in the end of each 2x2, and use screws to fasten the corners together. Add rubber feet to the bottom corners to prevent wobbling and to keep it from marring your table surface.
I added a cushion to the 2x2 at the point where my wrist would rest. I used a section of foam water pipe insulation. Just open the slit edge and stretch it over the 2x2.
After the initial wood assembly, I added some features. The first was a computer power strip/surge proctor. I affixed this with screws along the station's back edge. The power strip is handy for your soldering station, solder-sucker, motorized hand tool--whatever you might need in the course of constructing your project.
I mounted an inexpensive gooseneck lamp to the back corner of the station to brightly illuminate my work area for easy viewing.
The Kit Building Begins
You may want to review my previous column "QRP Community: Construction--Kits, Homebrew and Other QRP Projects", for a list of tools that I've found are handy for building electronics projects. I use a small table clamp with magnifying glass to hold circuit boards while building. I also find it handy to have a few small pieces of 2x4 lumber (pairs of 2, 3 and 4-inch long sections) to help prop up or support material as I build.
With today's smaller parts and my aging eyes I find a magnifying lens a necessity. There are four types of magnifying lens you may want to try: the classic lollipop-shaped hand lens with a handle; a similar lens mounted on a stand or adjustable arm; a hand-held lens with a built in flashlight; or a head-mounted lens that flips down over your eyes.
Empty ice cube trays or egg cartons are great for sorting and inventorying parts before assembly. I prefer egg cartons as I can easily write the part values directly on each section of the carton. Besides, leaving the ice cube trays in the freezer keeps me out of hot water with the rest of the family.
Whether you're working from a kit's instruction book or a hand-sketched schematic diagram, it's helpful to have a paper easel. You can pick up an inexpensive plastic easel at your favorite computer/office supply store or build your own using wood. I prefer the models with a clip or arm to keep pages from moving in the wind.
Fruits of My Labor
Well, the Construction Station was just the thing to assist me in my building project. Unfortunately the local weather did not cooperate. We were deluged with rain; so I ended up using my Construction Station on a table in front of an open window with a nice view and cool breezes. My project made for a few very relaxing vacation days.
As soon as I completed the kit, I could not wait to get it on the air. I connected it to my antenna, selected 20 meters and started tuning. The first station I heard calling CQ had a strange sounding call sign--XL2ZO/XO2. A couple of quick K8ZTs netted my first contact. Unfortunately, it really was not an exotic station, just a neat special prefix for Canada. So Prince Edward Island was the first in the log for my new K1. My next few contacts were a little farther away and more exotic. On 17 meters I worked FO/G35WH on Austral Island in French Polynesia. Then, back on 20 meters I worked 3B8FG on Mauritius and 3B9FR on Rodriguez Island. Not bad for my first hour running 3 W using a rig from a kit that I assembled myself!
Reader Feedback and Author Comments
Doug Hendricks, KI6DS, wrote to describe a project by the American QRP Club called "Kits for Kids". "Kits for Kids" allow you to purchase the popular NorCal Keyer kit for yourself for $15 and a second kit for only $5 more. The second kit is a special "youth kit," complete with all necessary connectors, controls and hardware to build and mount the complete keyer in an Altoids tin. There are two (good) catches: you give the second kit to a young person who is a newly licensed or interested in becoming a ham, and you commit to helping them build the kit.
Editor's note: Anthony Luscre, K8ZT, an ARRL member, lives in Stow, Ohio. He has
worked in the field of medical microbiology for 18 years and is now a technology
and computer coordinator for a local school district. An avid QRP operator,
Luscre has earned DXCC, WAS and WAC using no more that 5 W output. Readers are
invited to contact the author via e-mail, k8zt@arrl.net or visit his Web site.
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