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<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nSee more at DG5 pre-built kit | KV6O<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
My last post here was in June 2020, almost 5 years ago now. What happened?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I shipped several hundred DG5 PCB’s and kits from 2014 thru probably 2021, when it really tapered off. And I got busy with, well, life and other stuff – so I just stopped working on this. I took my ham shack down a few years ago to accommodate some life changes, I have it partially up in a new location at the house, but that slowed down progress as well. New hobbies took over, and ham radio just hasn’t been what it was 10 years ago to me. My day job is running a 800MHz P25 system – so, in some ways I am “doing” radio for work – and that has slowed down the hobby for me. I still enjoy HF – just don’t get on as much anymore. I don’t have VHF\/UHF in my cars anymore I first since becoming a ham over 20 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I do get requests here and there for a kit, and requests for a built unit. Previously, I sold the bare PCB, and a kit with all the components without a chassis. Some of the other hobbies that I have engaged in in the past 5 years have made it possible for me to offer a fully built unit – I think. I have been dabbling in 3D printing, and have also built a diode laser engraving table, and recently decided to see if I could make a built unit – and I have been working on that the past few weeks. I designed a front faceplate in Fusion 360 to accommodate the LED display, and using basic extruded aluminum chassis I think I have a unit I can reproduce in small numbers. My plan is to see if I can sell a few fully built units, then maybe have a full “kit” if there is a desire for one – PCB, components, and a chassis with front and rear faceplates. Selling a few fully built kits would allow me to purchase additional parts to make full kits – if there is a market for this – I dunno!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So… Step one will be to see if I can sell a pre-built “kit”. And that’s what it is – a DG5 kit that has been built and mounted in a aluminum chassis that has a 3D printed faceplate and a hand made backplate with the connectors. Not a commertial mass produced unit, and it shows. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Actually, I think the front, 3D printed plate looks pretty good – and that’s what you see when you’re using it anyway. The back plate with the holes drilled on my cheap drill press and filed by hand as needed – that’s still a work in progress. My laser works well at engraving the plate, but my metal fabrication skills are still lacking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n See more at DG5 pre-built kit | KV6O<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n