Check Points For Kit Builders

  1. While buying any Indian kit in general, please check whether the materials as promised have been supplied. Usually semi-assembled kits are trusted by us to be workable as soon as we receive and power it on. Insist for a complete assembly-literature with circuit diagrams, assembly-instructions, testing instructions and complete overall descriptions. One good example is NorCal20 kit. Please don’t waste time in checking numerous websites and forums for even the minimum information required for assembly. Sometimes various websites and forums / groups supply contradictory information that may confuse anybody, howsoever knowledgeable s/he is.
  2. The metal case, if bought on-line, must be checked for proper painting yet complete Faraday-cage like continuity point-to-point after assembling the box. The PCB ground and the metal case ground must be the same and continuous. Therefore, all the screws and nut-bolts on the metal box must be providing zero resistance among them and PCB ground.
  3. Check all the supplied terminated-cables for end-to-end continuity. All other supplied connectors for power supply input and audio jacks etc need to be checked individually before fixing.  Usually they are of very poor quality  – all of them. So never take a chance.
  4. Check the heat-sinks on PCBs which are often delivered improperly fitted. So claims by the suppliers that assembled PCBs are RF-tested before delivery are doubtful.
  5. If you are purchasing assembled PCB and box from different sources, please check that the co-ordination between the two is good and unquestionable. So you have to check the interconnections thoroughly between them and for that purpose you need complete details from individual suppliers. Once again, you are not supposed to check 20 websites and forums for this purpose.
  6. If you want to use a CW key, please ensure key-down continuity as ZERO ohm. Software-driven keying, otherwise, will function erratically and you will blame yourself only for bad feast!