46 February 2023
QST
www.arrl.org
During my build, I used a flux pen while
soldering the electrical components to the
PCB. I have found flux to be critical in
properly soldering components. Even with
the solder-containing change, I added
some via my flux pen. Finally, it could be
difficult to solder components on a PCB
without holding the PCB in place. I used
an inexpensive soldering stand with alli-
gator clips and a magnifying glass (see
Figure 5). This allowed me to keep the
PCB in place and look through the mag-
nifying glass to confirm that my solder-
ing joints were acceptable. Josh Nass,
KI6NAZ, uses a vice grip/block and
seems to have satisfactory results. I
would venture to say Josh’s way of
securing the PCB is sturdier and easier to
work with, and I will test that method in the
future. After about 45 minutes, I com-
pleted the build (minus the case drilling).
If you have experience in soldering, this
might take you only 30 minutes, and if
you are less experienced, don’t worry
about time. Your focus on patience and
proper techniques will be most critical. In
time, you’ll get faster and more proficient with different
techniques.
I chose to build an iambic paddle. It requires a center
post so that either paddle may tap the center area,
creating a short and thus activating a dit or a dah. My
center post was not high enough off the PCB, and I
was not making electrical contact with the paddles.
Ultimately, I used an additional nut (screw) on the
center post. One nut was below the PCB, and one nut
was above the PCB, followed by a washer on top for
grounding. I have found this solution to work effi-
ciently and have yet to feel the need to tighten the
extra nut. Additionally, I have not run into any issues
with the paddles mistakenly grounding out. The best
recommendation I have is to give the extra nut a try
and determine if you like it or not. Part of the spirit of
amateur radio is tinkering and experimenting.
Three jacks are installed on the side of the kit. These
jacks are meant to hook up your own key/paddle, or
use an external speaker or a key out (see Figure 6). It
is nice to have the option to use my key, as there may
be times when I want to learn a straight key over the
paddles — not to mention the added convenience of
practicing with the paddle I’ll primarily be using. The
key out serves as a useful tool to activate a radio to
which the device is connected. Whenever I hear
Figure 4 —
The contents of the CW Hotline electronics kit.
Figure 5 —
Using a vice may be beneficial while assembling this
kit. Here is an alligator clip holding up the PCB. The alligator clip
has rigid edges that, if placed on a trace, may cause damage.
polarity, and their orientation matters. Make sure you
read the instructions to determine the polarity. The
instructions are not included with the kit but can easily
be found on the CW Hotline website. I failed to ensure
the spacing of specific electrical components from the
PCB. Ensuring proper distance before soldering
these components is important; without the appro-
priate spacing, your built kit may not fit appropriately
into your freshly drilled kit box.
