I’m pretty happy with the way that the CRX1 turned out, but understandably I haven’t sold a ton of them because 1) they are a SMT kit and 2) the tuning range is a bit limited. However, it’s a stable and sensitive CW receiver and it’s pretty fun to build as well.

There are still PCBs and a fair number of components left to kit another batch of CRX1s, but I would need to order more components in order to complete a 2nd batch of kits. I’d hate to see these parts sitting around, so I have a potential proposal that I’d like to use to gauge interest for ordering those other components.

I believe these would be great as a group build project for those who have built through-hole kits in the past but want to try their hand at SMT. The circuit board is not cramped and the passives are almost all 0805, so they are not too small. So of there are any of you interested in ordering a batch for a group build (whether for a few friends or for a club) then email me at milldrum at gmail dot com. I can arrange for a bulk discount over the current $30 retail price. The discount will be based on the number ordered.

Finally, wanted to show you a very quick demonstration of the receiver to those of you who haven’t seen it in action before. Take a peek at this video to see it listening to 40 meters.

I could probably work out something on the OpenBeacon as well, if you think your group would prefer to do that instead. Just send me an email to the above address.