QRPKits KD1JV User manual

“The Survivor”
A 80 meter QRP SSB transceiver
●Up to 10 watts pep @ 13.8V
●0.2 uV receiver sensitivity
●Up to 350 kHz receiver tuning range
●200 Hz warm up dri t. (stable room temperature)
●8 ohm 500 mw speaker output.
●“Tune” and CW modes
●50 ma Rx current (with optional Digital Dial)
●small size 6” x 4” x 1.5”, 11.5oz.
●13.8V at 2A min recommended power supply
Operation:
Controls: Controls consist of Volume, Fine and Main (course) tuning.
Volume:
Set the volume control to a comfortable listening level. The AGC ill hold the audio level to this volume for all but the eakest signals. The
AGC has a slightly delayed response to keep it from overshooting hen a large signal appears. This results in a momentary “thump”. Without
the slight delay, all audio ould be lost until the AGC could recover from overshooting, hich could take several seconds.
Main tuning:
Main tuning has about a 350 kHz range in a single turn of the knob. NOTE: Tuning is “back ards”. Turning the tuning knob clock ise
decreases frequency.
Fine tuning:
The fine tuning control has about a 30 kHz range, allo ing you to tune bet een several near-by stations and to compensate for any minor
drift the VFO has during operation.
Microphone: An “electret” microphone element is required. The rig supplies the po er needed for the mic. A suitable, lo cost microphone is
available from .QRPKITS.com
Push To Talk (PTT):
Transmitting is initiated by pushing the PTT button on the microphone and then talking (duh). The PTT s itch is also used to activate “tune”
and “CW” modes.
Tune up mode:
Most 75/80 meter antennas have a fairly narro band idth so therefore require an antenna tuner hich needs to be readjusted every so
often as you move up or do n the band. Since a steady carrier orks better then histling into the mike to get a signal, a steady carrier or
“tune mode” is built into the rig.
Tune mode is activated by:
1. A very short push and release of the PTT s itch on the microphone, < 1/2 second.
2. A “beep” ill sound in the audio output, announcing the tune mode is no active.
3. Using the PTT ill no activate a 600 Hz tone hich is injected into the microphone circuit to modulate the rig. The tone is also
heard in the speaker hen the rig is transmitting. Transmit po er is typically about 5 atts in tune mode, but ill vary depending
on the microphone gain setting.
4. To exit Tune mode, perform another very short push and release the PTT s itch.
5. A double beep ill sound in the audio output to announce the tune mode is no longer active.
CW [Morse] mode:
The Survivalist can be operated in CW mode thanks to the Tune mode and microprocessor control of the T/R sequencing in the transceiver.
The difference bet een CW and Tune mode is that in CW mode, the transceiver must respond to quick changes in the state of the PTT
s itch and stay in the CW mode. Once enabled, CW mode can only be cleared by turning the rig off, then back on again.
CW mode is enabled by keying the character “H” ith the PTT at bet een 5 and 20 pm. This allo s activating CW mode ith either a
straight key or external paddle. There ill be no annunciating side tone until CW mode is enabled, so you have to mentally count the key
taps to enter the mode. If not enough pulses are detected, the rig may enter Tune mode instead of CW mode. There just has to be four on/off
pulses detected in less than ½ second to enter CW mode. When CW mode is detected and enabled, the audio output ill annunciate “CW”.
The Survivalist ill no operate as a CW transceiver, allo ing for cross mode communication in the phone band.
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Parts placement diagram, color coded.
The picture belo illustrates ho a ell constructed board should look like.
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Parts list:
QTY VALUE Markings/type
2 5.6 ohms GR /BLU/GLD/GLD All resistors are 1/4w, 5% CARBO FILM
2 10 ohms BR /BLK/BLK/GLD
1 51 ohms GR /BR /BLK/GLD this value is easy to mix up with 1 Meg – same colors, reverse
order.
6 100 ohms BR /BLK/BR /GLD
2 220 ohms RED/RED/BR /GLD
2 470 ohms YEL/VOL/BR /GLD
13 1 K BR /BLK/RED/GLD
2 2.2K RED/RED/RED/GLD
1 4.7K YEL/VOL/RED/GLD This value can be mixed up with 47 K.
5 10 K BR /BLK/ORG/GLD
5 22 K RED/RED/ORG/GLD
1 47 K YEL/VOL/ORG/GLD
11 100 K BR /BLK/YEL/GLD
1 1MEG BR /BLK/GR /GLD
2 2 K trimmer 6mm
1 10 K Panel mount with switch
1 50 K or 100 K Panel mount control, 12 mm
4 8.2 uHy GRY/RED/GLD/GLD - RFC RFC's look like a resistor, but are shorter and fater.
1 100 uHy BR /BLK/BR /GLD - RFC
1 120 mHy 124 Larger black cylinder
1 10.7 IF can
1 Poly-variable Tuning cap
1 70 pfd Brown trimmer cap
15 39 pfd 39 PO disk
4 100 pfd 101 C0G MLCC
5 150 pfd 151 C0G MLCC
6 330 pfd 331 disk or MLCC
5 680 pfd 100V 681 C0G MLCC
3 0.001 uFd 102 disk or MLCC
1 1200 pfd 100V 122 100V C0G
1 0.01 ufd 103 X7R 50V MLCC
27 0.1 uFd 104 X7R 50V MLCC
2 0.1 uFd 100V 104 FILM, BOX
5 1 ufd / 50V ALUM Electrolytic
4 2.2 ufd /50V Alum electrolytic
1 10 ufd /25V Alum electrolytic
3 47 uFd/16V Alum electrolytic
1 330 ufd/16V Alum electrolytic
1 RED LED T1
1 J-176 P-channel j-fet TO-92
1 2 3906 P P TO-92
2 2 3819 -channel j-fet TO-92
8 2 3904 P TO-92
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5 2 7000 MOSFET TO-92
1 IRF510PBF Power mosfet TO-220
1 78L05 5V, 100 ma regulator
2 1 4148 SS diode
2 1 5231B 5.1V zener
1 1 4756B 47 V 1W zener
1 1 5817 1A shottky diode
2 SA612A or SA602 8 pin DIP mixer/osc
1 LM358 8 pin DIP dual op amp
2 LM386 8 pin DIP Audio amp
1 74HC4053 16 pin DIP multiplexer
1 ATTI Y13A 8 pin DIP Atmel processor Programmed
5 8 pin DIP socket
1 16 pin DIP socket
1 FUSE 2.5A PTC 652-MFR250-0-010-LF
6 9.000 MHz, series HU-49US crystal matched
1 FT50-42 Black, Ferrite core, large
1 FT37-43 Black, ferrite core, small
2 T50-2 Red powered iron core
1 T50-7 White powered iron core
1 2.1 mm Power Jack, PC mount
2 Stereo panel jack
1 B C panel jack
1 TO-220 insulator Mica
1 #4, 1/2” ylon screw
1 #4 nut for above
1 Main PCB
1 Case, top
1 Case, bottom
1 Red film
2 Small knob
1 Large knob
1 Tilt stand bale
2 Bale mounting blocks
4 Rubber feet
7 # 4-40 1/4” pan head screws
2 # 4-40 1/4” flat head screws
3 2 feet Insulated hook up wire, #24 Black – Green – Red wires.
1 5 feet #24 magnet wire
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Print this large, ink jet printer friendly parts placement and value diagram for easy reference during assembly.
Experienced builders ill likely only need this diagram to stuff most of the board, but revie the assembly
instructions for any notes.
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Assembly tips:
●Presort the various parts and place similar types in small paper picnic bo ls. Resistors in one, capacitors in another, and so on.
This ill not only speed assembly, but ill also help keep parts from getting lost. If you like, you can also cross check the parts
against the parts list as you do this to make sure you have them all.
● Be sure to print out the black and hite parts placement diagram as this ill be easier to reference most of the time. You really
don't have to print out the hole manual if you have a laptop or equivalent on your orkbench to vie this.
●Hopefully you already kno ho to solder and don't need to be told to heat both the component lead and the solder pad ith the
tip of the soldering iron. Be stingy ith the solder. You don't need much, only enough to fill up the hole. Using 0.020” diameter
solder allo s better control then the more common 0.032”.
●The circuit board is assembled in the order of parts height. Lo profile parts starting ith resistors are installed first, the
progressively taller parts are added.
●Q16, the transmitter output transistor ill be the very last part mounted and only after the board has been ired into the case and
tested.
●If you bought the Digital Dial option, it ould be a good idea to built and calibrate this first. The Digital Dial can be used to adjust
the VFO coil to put the tuning into the proper range.
Cabinet prep:
●There is a “Modulation” indicator LED on the board, hich you might ant to bring out to the front panel. This ould require drilling
a small hole someplace on the front, hich ould best be done no .
●If desired, paint the cabinet.
●Tape the red film over the display cutout on the front panel. If you'll be using the optional Digital Dial, snip the corner of the film to
uncover the s itch hole.
●Attach the tilt bail to the bottom of the case and add the four rubber feet bumpers.
●Attach the decals as described belo .
The decals are applied the same as model decals. Cut around each group of text or symbols you ish to apply. It doesn’t have to be perfect
as the background film is transparent. Apply the decals before you mount anything to the chassis. Use the above picture to get the correct
spacing around the holes and cutouts, as it is very easy to do a great decal installation and have a portion covered up ith a knob
Thoroughly clean the sur ace o the panel to remove any oils or contamination. We have ound that moving the decals into
position on bare aluminum chassis is di icult, due to the brushed sur ace, so we advise pre-coating the chassis with the Krylon
clear be ore applying the decals, and then, a ter as well.
Trim around the decal. After trimming, place the decal in a bo l of luke arm ater, ith a small drop of dish soap to reduce the surface
tension, for 10-15 seconds. Using t eezers, handle carefully to avoid tearing. Start to slide the decal off to the side of the backing paper, and
place the unsupported edge of the decal close to the final location. Hold the edge of the decal against the panel, ith your finger, and slide
the paper out from under the decal. You can slide the decal around to the right position, as it ill float slightly on the film of ater. Use a knife
point or something sharp to do this. When in position, hold the edge of the decal ith your finger and gently squeegee excess ater out from
under the decal ith a tissue or paper to el. Work from the center, to both sides. Remove any bubbles by blotting or iping gently to the
sides. Do this for each decal, and take your time. Allo to set overnight, or speed drying by placing near a fan for a fe of hours. When dry,
spray t o light coats of matte finish, Krylon, clear to seal and protect the decals, and allo to dry in bet een coats. All decals come ith t o
complete sets, in case you mess one up.
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Resistor, RFC and Diode placement
●Caution: The 1N4148 and 1N5231 diodes look identical, read the numbers carefully on the side of the part. A magnifying glass
maybe required. Observe polarity as indicated by black line on one end of the part and diagram.
●Sorting the resistors into their various values before hand ill speed up assembly.
● Install all the resistors of one value at a time. The location/value table is set up for this.
● Parts are numbered on the board from left to right, top to bottom in diagonal ro s.
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√ LOC Value Color code √LOC Value Color code √LOC Value Color code
R9 5.6 GR /BLU/GLD/GLD R20 1K R3 22K RED/RED/ORG/GLD
R14 5.6 R21 1K R6 22K
R1 10 BR /BLK/BLK/GLD R24 1K R17 22K
R43 10 R26 1K R22 22K
R11 51 GR /BR /BLK/GLD R27 1K R25 22K
R23 100 BR /BLK/BR /GLD R31 1K R19 47K YRL/VOL/ORG/GLD
R29 100 R41 1K R2 100K BR /BLK/YEL/GLD
R35 100 R45 1K R12 100K
R42 100 R48 1K R33 100K
R47 100 R55 1K R36 100K
R53 100 R13 2.2K YEL/VOL/RED/GLD R37 100K
R4 220 RED/RED/BR /GLD R39 2.2K R40 100K
R18 220 R32 4.7K YEL/VOL/RED/GLD R44 100K
R28 470 YEL/VOL/BR /GLD R5 10K BR /BLK/ORG/GLD R46 100K
R38 470 R7 10K R50 100K
R8 1K BR /BLK/RED/GLD R16 10K R51 100K
R10 1K R34 10K R52 100K
R15 1K BR /BLK/RED/GLD R54 10K R49 1 M BR /BLK/GR /GLD
D1 1 5817 D2 1 4148 D3 Install later (LED)
D4 1 5231B D5 1 5231B D6 1 4756B
D7 1 4148
L1/2/3/6 8.2 u GRY/RED/GLD/GLD L8 100 u BR /BLK/BR /GLD

Sockets, crystals, trimmer resistors and DC po er connector:
●Parts to be installed are highlighted in gray in diagram belo .
●Install crystals. Push flush to board.
○Use resistor lead clippings to solder top edge of X1 through X5 to the solder pad next to the top of can.
●Install the IC sockets.
○The notch on one end of the socket should be at the same end of the part outline hich also has the notch. Note that not all
the sockets face the same direction.
○Make sure all the pins are sticking through the holes in the board before you start to solder. Sometimes a pin ill fold over
under the socket as it is inserted. If this happens and is not noticed, it can be very difficult to remove the socket to fix once
you start soldering.
●Install the t o trimmer resistors. They ill go in easier if you first flatten out the kink in the leads ith your pliers.
●Install the DC po er jack.
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Capacitors
The numbers on the small MLCC (Multilayer Ceramic Capacitors) can be hard to read. A magnifying glass is recommended. You don't ant
to mix up the values, as that could lead to problems not easily found. As ith the resistors, sort the caps by value and type and install all the
same value/type in batches. Since there are a lot of 0.1ufd caps (104), install these first. Some caps may need to have their leads reformed
to fit into the hole spacing properly. Electrolytic caps are installed after the small caps.
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√ LOC Value code/type √LOC Value code/type √LOC Value code/type
C3 0.1 u 104 MLCC C63 0.1 u 104 MLCC C61 680 p 681 MLCC
C8 0.1 u 104 MLCC C64 0.1 u 104 MLCC C69 680 p 681 MLCC C0G C29 39 p 39 DISK
C10 0.1 u 104 MLCC C68 0.1 u 104 MLCC C76 680 p 681 MLCC C34 39 p 39 DISK
C11 0.1 u 104 MLCC C71 0.1 u 104 MLCC C18 330 p 331 DISK C35 39 p 39 DISK
C12 0.1 u 104 MLCC C74 0.1 u 104 MLCC C19 330 p 331 DISK or MLCC C36 39 p 39 DISK
C13 0.1 u 104 MLCC C78 0.1 u 104 MLCC C20 330 p 331 DISK or MLCC C37 39 p 39 DISK
C14 0.1 u 104 MLCC C80 0.1 u 104 MLCC C23 330 p 331 DISK or MLCC C38 39 p 39 DISK
C15 0.1 u 104 MLCC C82 0.1 u 104 MLCC C50 330 p 331 DISK or MLCC C39 39 p 39 DISK
C21 0.1 u 104 MLCC C83 0.1 u 104 MLCC C53 330 p 331 DISK or MLCC C40 39 p 39 DISK
C25 0.1 u 104 MLCC C5 0.1 u 104 FILM, BOX C6 150 p 151 MLCC C0G C41 39 p 39 DISK
C26 0.1 u 104 MLCC C9 0.1 u 104 FILM, BOX C27 150 p 151 MLCC C0G C46 39 p 39 DISK
C28 0.1 u 104 MLCC C30 0.01 u 103 MLCC C60 150 p 151 MLCC C0G C56 39 p 39 DISK
C32 0.1 u 104 MLCC C7 1200p 122 MLCC C0G C67 150 p 151 MLCC C0G C59 39 p 39 DISK
C43 0.1 u 104 MLCC C58 1000p 102 DISK C81 150 p 151 MLCC C0G C62 39 p 39 DISK
C44 0.1 u 104 MLCC C72 1000p 102 DISK C22 100 p 101 MLCC C0G C70 39 p 39 DISK
C47 0.1 u 104 MLCC C79 1000p 102 DISK C31 100 p 101 MLCC C0G C75 39 p 39 DISK
C48 0.1 u 104 MLCC C1 680 p 681 MLCC C42 100 p 101 MLCC C0G
C49 0.1 u 104 MLCC C2 680 p 681 MLCC C0G C45 100 p 101 MLCC C0G

TO-92 transistors and remaining parts:
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√ location value
Q2, 5, 7, 8, 9, 14, 16,
17
2N3904 8 places
Q3 2N3906 1 place
Q1, 4, 6, 10, 11 2N7000 5 places
Q12, 15 2N3819 2 places
Q13 J-176 1place
U3 78L05 1 place
C33, 51, 55, 65, 66 1 ufd/ 50 V Aluminum Electrolytic – Long lead is Plus
C16, 24, 54, 77 2.2 ufd / 25V Aluminum Electrolytic – Long lead is Plus
C73 10 ufd /25V Aluminum Electrolytic – Long lead is Plus
C17, 52, 57 47 ufd / 16V Aluminum Electrolytic – Long lead is Plus
C4 330 ufd / 16V Aluminum Electrolytic – Long lead is Plus
T3 IF can
CT1 Bro n trimmer cap Flat side of cap goes to ards line on board.
L7 120 mHy inductor Large black cylinder “124” marked on top.
D3 Red LED Long lead goes into hole on round side of outline.
FUSE R250010 Thin, yello square

Toroidal coils:
No the fun part – inding the toroidal coils.
Picture 2 sho s properly ound coils. Note ho the ire is made to
conform closely to the core. Winding the ire loosely around the core
is not only sloppy, but ill not ork properly. Ho ever, you don't ant
the ire to be too tight, just snug.
Before inding the ire on the hite core used for the VFO, it helps to
stretch the ire slightly by grabbing both ends ith pliers and giving
them a little tug.
Coils sho n left to right: VFO coil, Bi-filer T1, LPF coil L4
Picture 3 sho s ho the ire ends need to be trimmed back and tinned before the coil is inserted into
the board. Putting a little blob of solder on the tip of your iron and then gently rubbing it against the ire
ill melt through the insulation and tin the ire.
Trying to solder to the ire after it has been inserted into the board holes ithout tinning ill
not ork, as the pad and connecting tracks ill ick a ay too much heat. Using enough heat
to melt through the insulation in that case can damage the board. When tining the leads for
T2, make sure the insulation doesn't melt too far up the ire, as the t o indings could short
together.
●L4, L5 T50-2 core (large, red) 22 turns, # 24 ire. (16”) Evenly space turns around core,
leaving small gap at ire ends
●T1 – FT50-43 core, (large, black) 5 turns, # 24 ire, bi-filer. (8”) Fold ire in half and
lightly t ist together. After inding, snip ire here folded to separate ends. Use
ohm meter to identify the common ends of the t o ires. Arrange the common ends
to be opposite each other on the core as sho n in the diagram to the left..
●T2 – FT37-43 core (small, black) 5 turns, #24 ire, bi-filer. (6”) As ith T1, fold ire
in half and ind 5 turns. Identify ire ends and arrange opposite each other as ith
T1.
●The ires on T1 and T2 are no orientated properly and are symmetrical in respect
to the pad locations on the board. If the ire ends are not properly located, the
transmitter ill not ork.
●Install L4, L5, T1 and T2 as sho n in placement diagram belo . Before placing T1
and T2, double check that the ires going in to the A-A' pads have continuity ith an
ohm meter, indicating they are the ends of the same ire.
●● T4 – T50-7 core (large, hite). Wind 21 turns #24 ire. (15”) This is the primary inding. Next ind 8 turns (6”)
in the gap bet een the primary turns. This is the secondary inding. Make the indings are snug to the core for
stability, but still loose enough you can move them slightly to adjust the spacing.
●Install the T4 primary inding (outside ires) in the pads labeled “P” and the secondary (inside ires) into
the holes labeled “S”.
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Picture 2, wound toroids
Picture 3, tinned wires

Chassis wiring:
Do a careful visual inspection of the solder connections on the board. Look for missing solder connections or places here solder is on the
part lead but on to the corresponding pad. Both of these are common problems and you ant to find then no , not after the board is all ired
into the chassis.
Picture 4 sho n belo sho s ho the board to chassis iring should look like. Note that the ires are made long enough so that there is
some slack, but not so long as to be sloppy. Except for the antenna connections, the ires connecting to the real panel are routed along the
side of the board, rather then above and across it. Wires for the ON/OFF s itch are run under the board to keep them out of the ay.
●Mount the front panel parts first. Tuning cap, RIT and Volume
control and Digital Dial. Bend or remove anti-rotation tabs on
pots.
●The BNC antenna jack ires from the board should be
soldered to the board before the board is mounted into the
case.
●You can cut the rest of the ires to length and solder them to
the board outside of the case, or you can mount the board into
the case and solder the ires on to the board from the top.
●Wire up the front panel controls. Use the #24 magnet ire
bet een the board and tuning cap.
●Install the rear panel jacks and ire them up.
●The microphone jack is sho n ired so PTT is tip and mic
element is ring. This allo s using straight key or keyer ith
standard mono phone plug attached.
●Don't solder the ire for the Digial Dial input signal to the
main board yet, as you need to first use it at the BFO test
point to measure the BFO frequency.
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Picture 4, chassis wiring
Part to connect # of ires Length
Volume 3 ires 2”
RIT control 3 ires 2.5”
Tuning cap 2 ires 1.5” #24 magnet
DDial p r 2 ires 6” (black/red)
DDial Freq input 1.75”
DC p r 2 ires 5” (on/off s itch on vol)
Speaker jack 2 ires 4”
Mic jack 3 ires 3”
Antenna 2 ires 1.5”
Note: Jumpering the t o outer tabs on the tuning cap results
in the maximum tuning range.

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Testing and alignment:
●A board mounted PTC resettable fuse is used to protect a po er supply and connecting ires if there is a short circuit on the
supply lines, but it is a good idea to use a po er cord ith an in-line fuse or a current limited po er supply hich can be set to 2
amps. If there happens to be a problem during testing, this ill prevent damage to the board and/or your po er supply.
●Turn the t o trimmer pots fully counter-clock ise before applying po er to the board.
The irst test is to check operation o the VFO and BFO:
This can be done ith an external frequency counter, the digital dial or a general coverage short ave receiver ith external antenna jack
and BFO. If none of these are available, you ill have to assume the frequency range is about right and check it later ith an 80 meter ham
band receiver.
1. Apply po er to the board and turn on.
2. If you have the Digital Dial installed, it should come on.
3. Connect the Digital Dial input or a frequency counter to the test point “VFO”
4. Set the Main tuning and RIT controls fully counter-clock ise.
5. The VFO frequency should be about 5.000 MHz. 5.000 MHz corresponds to an operating frequency of 4.00 MHz. (9 – 5)
6. The VFO frequency is “t eaked” by adjusting the spacing of the turns on the VFO coil, T4. Moving turns closer together
ill lo er the frequency and spacing them farther apart ill increase the frequency. Adjust the spacing so that the
frequency is slightly above 5.000 MHz. The trimmer caps on the back of the main tuning cap can also be used for fine
tuning the frequency.
7. Since the tuning range is not quite the full band, if you ould like to operate on a lo er part of the band you might have
to remove a turn from the T4 primary. (20 turns instead of 21). The higher the VFO frequency, the lo er the operating
frequency, since OP freq = IF – VFO.
8. Move the frequency counter to the “BFO” test point and verify a frequency about 9.000 MHz.. Using a small slotted
scre driver, adjust the BFO trimmer (CT1) to 9.003,300 MHz.
9. Remove po er.
● No install all the IC's into the sockets. Pay attention to the orientation, as they don't all face the same direction. The dot or notch
on the part indicates the Pin 1 end and corresponds to the notch in the socket.
1. Connect an antenna and speaker or headphones to rear panel jacks
2. Connect po er cable and turn on.
3. Turn up the volume and you should start to hear band noise or signals hen you tune around. (depends on time of day)
4. Set the receive frequency to about the center of the tuning range and peak T3 for best signal or maximum band noise.
Input tuning is relatively sharp, so if you have a favorite segment of the band to operate at, peak it there.
5. If needed, t eak the BFO trimmer for the most natural sounding voice. You could also connect the audio output of the rig
to your PC running a PSK program like Digipan. The aterfall ill give you a visual indication of the band idth of the
receiver audio.
●If you are using the Digital Dial, it can no be set up for direct reading of the operating frequency
1. Connect the frequency input ire to the “BFO” pad on the main board.
2. Momentarily tap a short across the “OFFSET SW” pads on the back of the DDial board.
3. The display ill change to read “Lo --”
4. Momentarily “click” the front panel s itch three times to select the “Lo C” mode.
5. Hold closed the front panel s itch until the display changes back to numeric characters (all zeros or 7717).
6. Move the frequency input ire from the “BFO” pad to the “VFO” pad and solder in place.
7. The dial is no sho ing the operating frequency.
8. Once the VFO frequency has been set, you might ant to secure the toroid to the board ith a dab of hot glue or melt some
ax over it to stabilize it.
Transmitter testing:
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●Set PA BIAS and MOD controls (VR1 and VR2) to full counter clock ise. They come set from the factory at full clock ise.
●Turn rig on.
●Ground PTT input using microphone, straight key or jumper. [TIP] is PTT if ired as sho n in diagram.
●Check for 5 volts at Anode (banded) end of D4 and D5. (reference iring diagram for location) This is very important!
●If you do not measure 5V at D4 and D5, you have one or both zeners misplaced and are in one of the 1N4148 locations. You ill
no have to determine if the correct diode ended up in location D2 or D7 by trial and error. You have a 50-50 chance of picking the
right one first off. Unless of course, both need to be s apped.
●If you measure 5 volts at D4 and D5, it is no safe to install the Po er Output transistor, Q16 (this of course, is the Q16 next to the
po er jack at the rear of the board)
Installing Q17 (Q18):
●With the board mounted in the case, place the IRF510B MOSFET in the Q17 location to the right of the po er jack. Yes, the board
says Q17 but it should have been Q18.
●Slip the mica insulator bet een the metal tab and the cabinet. Line up the scre holes and secure loosely ith nylon scre and
asher.
Failure to use mica insulator and nylon screw to attach Q16 will result in a short circuit
on DC input.
●Push the body of Q18 up against the back of the cabinet to slightly kink the leads and ensure it is flush to the case. Tighten the
mounting scre . Use an Ohm meter to verify the metal tab IS NOT shorted to the case.
●Solder the of the leads to the pads from the top side of the board. Be careful not to melt the RT1 trimmer knob hile doing so!
●Remove board from case, solder and trim the remaining leads.
●Re-install the board into the case
Transmitter adjustments:
●Connect a po er meter (if available) and dummy load to antenna jack.
●Connect an amp meter in series ith po er supply lead, 2 A or larger full scale. (some meters do 10A, some 20A)
●Re-apply po er to the rig.
●Set the Main tuning to about the center of the tuning range.
●Key the microphone (or ground PTT) to enable transmitter.
●Write do n the current being dra n from the po er supply ith the amp meter. With a 13.8V supply, it should measure about 100
ma.
●While atching the amp meter, slo ly turn the “PA BIAS” trimmer resistor clock ise. Keep turning until the current increases by 20
to 30 ma. This should occur at about the the “2 o'clock” position. Increasing above 50 ma can cause the PA to go into oscillation.
This of course, has to be avoided. If the current suddenly shoots up, then oscillation has occurred. Back off the setting.
●Activate “TUNE” mode by a short push and release of the PTT s itch. (On time less than ½ second)
●A “Beep” should be heard in the speaker. If not, try again.
●Pushing and holding closed the PTT s itch ill no key the transmitter and create a CW signal. Turn the “MODULATION GAIN”
[MOD] trimmer resistor clock ise and atch for po er output. Increase setting until po er output stops going up, hich should be
about 1/3 to ½ rotation. Po er output should be bet een 10 and 12 atts.
●Exit TUNE mode by dong another short push and release of the PTT s itch. A double beep should sound in the speaker indicating
the mode has been released.
Setting Modulation level:
Modulation level is ideally set using an oscilloscope so that you can vie the modulation envelope. Ho ever, the on board modulation LED
ill give you a good idea. A lo frequency Scope and be connected to the R3/D3 junction (a bypass cap added here might be needed) to
SurvivorB1_20171113 15

monitor modulation aveform. Simple DSO (Digital Storage Oscilloscope) kits are available from China for not a lot of money and can be
handy to have. DSO 038 is a popular model. Try Banggood.com for all your Chinese bargains.
●Speaking “TEST” into the microphone should make the Modulation indicator LED flash bright and then flicker. If the LED remains
bright and does not seem to “follo ” your voice, the gain is too high. Conversely, it it barely comes on, the gain is too lo .
●Good modulation should occur ith the trimmer set about mid ay ith a normal speaking voice, directly into the mic.
●PEP (Peak Envelope Po er) is about 3X the average po er sho n on a typical RF po er meter. Avoid turning up the mic gain to
produce a higher average po er, as all your doing is “flat topping” hich distorts your audio and causes splatter.
With that, you should no be able to attempt your first QSO ith the ne rig!
Microphone options:
The Survivor rig is designed to use a Electret microphone element, hich are commonly used in CB mics, cordless phones and hands free
microphones for cell phones. Electrets elements have a range of voltages needed to operate. Some ork ith as little as 1.5 volts and others
need as much as 5. This rig is designed to use a 3V element, hich is one of the more common operating voltages.
Dynamic and crystal microphones elements are not directly compatible.
SurvivorB1_20171113 16

Trouble shooting.
999 out of a 1000 times, the reason a ne ly built kit doesn't ork right a ay is due to assembly errors. Parts can be damaged due to
handling and some of the semi-conductors can be susceptible to ESD (Electric Static Discharge), but this is rare. Therefore, a close visual
inspection ill often be all you need to find the problem.
Look for:
●Bad soldering – missing connections and solder shorts. Bad connections to the magnet ire on the coils is a common problem.
Check for continuity.
●Miss placed parts – IC's in the rong socket or facing the rong ay, transistors in the place and so on.
●It can be sometimes difficult to read the number on the little multilayer ceramic caps and therefore easy to get them in the rong
place. Having a 0.1 ufd by-pass cap here a picofarad part should be and visa-versa ill definitely cause something not to ork.
If something doesn't pop right out at you, some actual trouble shooting to identify the problem area is required. Kno ing here to look for a
problem is half the battle. For this you need to do a process of elimination. Finding out hat does ork can lead to finding hat doesn't ork
and then to the solution. For this some test equipment is needed. A voltmeter is need to start and having an Oscilloscope ith hich to trace
and measure the RF signals is a big plus. Most of you ill likely only have the voltmeter to use. The voltage tables belo can help locate a
problem area. Voltages can vary by 10% due to variations in voltmeters and the actual 5V regulator voltage. Some of the transistors ill have
RF signals on them hich can affect the DC voltage reading depending on ho your voltmeter reacts to the RF signal. You only have to
orry if voltages aren't even close.
Voltages measured ith 13.8V DC supply connected.
SurvivorB1_20171113 17
U1, U2 SA 612 Pin Voltage Pin voltage
1 1.38 8 5.00
2 1.38 7 4.16
3 0 6 4.93
4 3.84 5 3.84
U5 TINY13A Pin Voltage Pin voltage
Rx / Tx 1 4 / 0 8 5.00
2 5 / 0 7 0 / 0
3 0 or 5 6 0 / 5
4 0.00 5 5 /0
U6 LM358 Pin Voltage Pin voltage
1 2.50 8 5.00
2 2.50 7 2.50
3 2.50 6 2.50
4 0.0 5 2.50
U7 LM386 Pin Voltage Pin voltage
1 1.40 8 1.40
2 0.0 7 6.6
3 0.0 6 13.5
4 0.0 5 6.5
U4 74HC4053 Pin Voltage Pin Voltage
1 4.93 16 5.0
2 4.93 15 4.93
3 4.93 14 2.5
4 4.93 13 2.5
5 4.93 12 0
6 0.0 11 4.0 / 0
7 0.0 10 4.96 / 0
8 0.0 9 4.96 / 0
RED = Tx mode voltages
E (S) B (G) C (D)
Q1 1N50CTA 0 / 013.4 / 0 0 / 0
Q2 2N3904 0 / 0.75 0 / 1.4 13.5 / 13.5
Q3 2N3906 13.5 / 13.5 13.4 / 12.7 0 / 13.4
Q4 2N7000 0 / 0 0 / 13.5 13.5 / 0
Q5 2N3904 0 / 2.1 0 / 2.8 0 / 10.3
Q6 2N7000 0 / 00 / 513.4 / 0
Q7 2N3904 0 / 00 / 0.7 0 / 0
Q8 2N3904 3.1 / 3.1 3.8 / 3.8 5 / 5
Q9 2N3904 0 / 1.65 0 / 2.25 0 / 5.1
Q10 2N7000 0 / 0 5 / 0 0 / 1.9
Q11 2N7000 0 / 00 / 00 / 0.75
Q12 2N3819 3.6 / 3.6 0 / 05 / 5
Q13 J-176 0 / 05 / 5 0 / 0
Q14 2N3904 2.0 2.6 4.4
Q15 2N3819 0.9 / 0.9 -0.7 / -0.7 4.8 / 4.8
Q16 2N3904 2.6 / 2.6 3.2 / 3.2 4.4 / 4.4
Q17 2N3904 0 / 00 / 0 5 / 5
Q18 IFR510B 0 / 0 0 / ~2.5 13.5 / 13.5

Theory o operation:
The receiver:
The core of the receiver is comprised of t o SA612 active mixers, ith a 5 crystal ladder filter bet een them for selectivity. An analog s itch
routes the VFO and BFO to the appropriate mixer as needed for either receive or transmit.
During receive, the first mixer, U2, combines the input signal ith the Local Oscillator (VFO) to produce an IF frequency of 9 MHz. An emitter
follo er, Q9, buffers the output of the mixer to provide the crystal filter ith a resistive load. This help reduce ripples in the filter response as
seen on the output side.
The output of the crystal filter is also terminated ith a resistive load and drives the input of the second mixer, U1 hich is acting as the
product detector. A 9 MHz crystal oscillator provides the BFO frequency hich mixes the 9 MHz IF do n to audio.
The output of the product detector, U2, drives a pair of non-inverting amplifiers (U6) through a t o 0.1 ufd caps ired in series. One of the
amplifiers has a voltage gain of 20, hile the other has a much higher gain of 100. The output of the lo gain stage (U6a) is the receiver
audio.
The high gain stage is used to drive the AGC circuits, hich is comprised of Q17and Q16 The ay this orks is Q16 is normally turned off by
a positive voltage on the gate hen there is no input signal, allo ing the full amplification of the audio signal by U3 and U7a. When the audio
signal on the output of U6b starts to exceed 500 mV, Q17 starts to turn on. That reduces the gate voltage on Q16, allo ing it to start turning
on. Q16 shunts the signal bet een C83 and C48 to ground to reduce the amplitude. The signal attenuation is done at the juncture of t o
caps so that changing DC voltages don't produce thumps.
The gain of U7b is such that AGC action keeps the output signal on U7a to be no more than about 50 mV peak. R49, a 1 meg ohm resistor
and C73, a 2.2 ufd cap sets the AGC time constant. R48, a 100 resistor bet een the time constant and the controlling transistor Q17 slo s
do n the attack time. Without the limiting resistor, the AGC can overshoot, causing a loss of audio until C73 can charge up again.
The audio signal from U7a is routed through one of the analog s itches in U4, the 74HC4053, to provide muting during transmit. The output
of the s itch drives the volume control and then the final audio po er amp, U8 hich is also a LM386. By putting the AGC action before the
volume control, audio level is consistent and is only varied by the volume control.
The Transmitter:
A small microprocessor, U5, controls the transmit / receive s itching. Not only does it simplify T/R control and timing, it allo ed adding the
Tune mode and CW mode features hich ould have been more complex to do in a strictly analog fashion.
When the PTT input goes lo , (grounded), the follo ing sequence of events happen:
1. The audio is muted
2. The VFO and BFO oscillators are s itched bet een the t o mixers. The product detector (U2) is no the transmit mixer hile the
Receiver input mixer (U1) is no the balanced modulator.
3. The transmitter amplifiers are enabled by turning Q3 on via Q6. This also actives the QSK s itch Q1, disconnecting the antenna to
T3, the input tuned circuit. Q7 is also turned on, shorting the output side of T3 so that any transmit signal hich might leak past Q1
is shorted to ground before it can upset the operation of the mixer, hich is no being used as the balanced modulator. Any small
mixer products hich might be produced by the transit signal leaking into the mixer ill be filtered out by the crystal IF filter.
4. The Microphone buffer transistor, Q9, is turned on by releasing the ground on the base via Q11. It takes very little signal to
unbalance the mixer and an Electric microphone element produced more then sufficient amplitude that no amplification is needed.
No , hen you speak into the microphone, the audio is mixed ith the 9 MHz BFO signal, hich produces a double sideband signal at 9
MHz +/- the audio frequency on the mixer output. The crystal filter removes the upper side band (9 MHz + the audio frequencies), leaving
only the desired lo er sideband signal.
The resulting 9 MHz LSB signal is then mixed in U2 ith the VFO to produce the desired operating frequency in the 75 Meter band. A three
element, capacitor coupled band pass filter eliminates undesired mixer products. The bandpass filter is ide enough to allo full po er
output across the tuning range.
The signal is then amplified by Q5 and Q4 to a suitable level to drive the po er output MOSFET Q18. Negative feedback is applied to the
driver, Q4 and the PA , Q18 to improve stability and linearity. A 5.1V zener regulates the bias voltage supply. Trimmer RT1 sets the actual
gate voltage, applied to the gate of Q18 through a 1K resistor.
Tune and CW mode:
In order to produce a single frequency output from the transmitter, an appropriate 600 Hz tone is injected into the microphone circuit. The
tone is generated by the TINY13A microprocessor and is of course a square ave. The square ave is filtered through a lo pass filter
comprised of R35, C55, L7 and C54 to remove harmonics and generate a nice sin ave to modulate the transmitter. C64 across L7 blocks
the second harmonic. When the tone is being generated, Q11 is turned on hich turns off the microphone so ambient noise isn't picked up
by the mic. Q10 is also turned on hich connects the tone to the modulation level control.
SurvivorB1_20171113 18

SurvivorB1_20171113 19

Board layout. “Floating” pads are grounds to the ground plain hich is not sho n so that tracks on both sides of the board can be clearly
seen.
SurvivorB1_20171113 20