The popular ‘Hilltopper’ single-band CW transceiver kit is finally back in stock from the Four State QRP Group. The compact unit designed by Dave Benson, K1SWL had already been thru several successful production runs before having been paused for more than a year. It’s back, with 40, 30, and 20 meter models being offered and without a price increase.

With no way to know how long it will be available this time around I’ve already ordered the 30 meter version to complete my Hilltopper Hat Trick.

Interested? I wouldn’t wait too long…

The Hilltopper is a high performance CW transceiver and the perfect solution to your portable operation needs - small, lightweight, wide frequency coverage and low current drain, extending the life of your portable power source. The receiver is adapted from K1SWL’s SW+ Series with minor modifications. The front-end circuitry was revised to replace the now-vanished 10.7 MHz IF transformers. The receiver output is suitable for headphone use.

The transmitter strip is a proven design using three BS170 transistors for the PA. The frequency source for both transmitting and receiving is a DDS VFO employing a Si5351 PLL module. Control for the rig is provided by an Atmel ATmega328P. This runs both the frequency control and the full-featured CW keyer.

A custom silk-screened PCB enclosure is included with the kit. No drilling or cutting required!

There are two pre-installed SMT ICs on the board, but the remainder are ALL THROUGH HOLE parts, and all jacks and connectors are board mounted, the combination making this kit very easy to assemble with no external wiring needed.