2N2/XX -
A 20, 30, or 40-Meter Discrete Component CW Transceiver Kit from the NorCal QRP Club
Designed
by: Jim Kortge, K8IQY
The NorCal 2N2/XX is the latest incarnation of the ongoing litany of 2N2 designs. A variety of discrete semiconductors are used to enhance performance. Within the IF chain are MPSH10 transistors, a J176 PFET is used in the audio mute for clean QSK keying, and a 2SC5739 transistor the final amplifier allows the rig to put out up to 5-watts. Commercial double balanced mixers (ADE-1) were also used to make construction easier. Another departure from other 2N2 designs was the use of a printed circuit board for ease of construction by newer builders. The front panel has room set aside for a small digital frequency display if the use of one is desired.
This rig features a Norton "Noiseless feedback" RF Amplifier on 20 and 30 meters, electronic RF gain control, RIT, 6-poles of crystal filtering with a 500 Hz bandwidth, and 100 KHz of band coverage from a voltage tuned, stable VFO.
The debut of this transceiver project was at Pacificon 2007, hosted by NorCal, and held in San Ramon, CA in October. A more recent presentation covering the history of the 2N2/XX design and this most recent kit effort was presented at Ozarkcon in May, 2009. These presentations are available in .PDF format on this page, along with other pertinent information about this rigs design, construction, and performance.