The Lectrokit Spider Page...

Dah dit dit dit dah... Looky Here!  It's the Lectrokit Spider QRP Rig.

Info:  The content in this blog entry was originally authored on Sept 8, 2012 and posted on the old kr7w.org ham radio hobby website.  Slowly I am transferring old web pages into blogger entries.  Please read on...

I've had my Lectro-Kit Spider SP-1 for about 10 years.  Someone from my radio club gave it to me cuz I am one of those 'QRP Hams'.   I couldn't figure out what make and model it was so I've never tried to get it on the air.  Recently I stumbled across a photo of it on the world wide web... which led me to the newly archived 73 Magazines on the web where I found the SP-1 lurking in the January 1993 issue.

The SP-1s came in three flavors:  80, 40, and 20 Meters.  I can tell from the number of turns on toroids that my unit is a 40 meter model.  The 73 article says it outputs 1 watt.  There's a RIT control that changes the voltage on a varactor diode to pull the crystal oscillators output frequency in the receive mode.  The receiver appears to be a direct conversion design.  It is sort of like a RockMite without a controller IC chip.  The complete kit back in 1993 cost $39 postpaid.

I spent some time with my SP-1 and know that it does not work... and I bet it never worked.  A lot kits that are given to me by radio club members have been built incorrectly and it seems like the builder didn't delve into resolving the problems.  In this kit...  At first glance... it looks to me like the crystal oscillator has the wrong  transistor installed.  I am sure that I can find a 2N2222 around here someplace.

So for now- back to the shelf it goes... as I am currently frying up other fish from the Retirement Things to Do List.  I hope to get back to the SP-1 after the cold rainy season begins here in the Pacific Northwest.

 I am especially fond of the 'Built In Hand Key' (a piece of brass strip with a rubber foot as the key knob) on the SP-1.  But if you don't like the feel of the built in key... you can plug your own key into the 1/8" aux. key  jack.  Also there's an earphone jack for receive audio from the LM386 IC audio amp (like Rockmite, Heathkit HW-9, KX-1, and others).  It's too bad that this SP-1 has been hacked with the addition of the RCA jacks (Antenna and +12 V) just below the brown bakelite terminal strip.

This little XTAL Controlled QRP radio reminds me of the WW2 resistance fighter  Paraset Spy Radios equipped with One Tube 6V6 XTAL controlled XMTR and one tube Regen detector with a one tube audio amplifier.  Here is One Ham's Paraset Page      Use Google for others.

One day you will hear me calling CQ SOTA from a 6,000+ ft peak in my SOTA neighborhood with the SP-1.   

Thanks for reading this far.  71's, Rich KR7W