Four State QRP Group Cyclone 40 Instruction Manual page 4

When the transmitter is keyed, the mute switch transistor Q15 is closed, and
limits the passage of audio transients through the audio amplifier.
A PIC microcontroller U4 serves both as a frequency counter, as well as the
sidetone oscillator. Pressing the FREQ counter at the side of the enclosure
activates the counter, which counts the VFO frequency, and sends four digits of
the count (excluding the megahertz digit) as CW characters to the headphone
jack. The counter works both on transmit and receive. Coding for the counter
was provided by Adrian Hill, KC0YOI.
First Steps
Before getting started with building the receiver, take some time to organize and
familiarize yourself with the parts provided and check them against the Bill of
Material. Building over a cookie sheet is recommended to minimize parts being
lost. If parts are missing in your kit, send an email to Terry Fletcher, WA0ITP at
wa0itp@wa0itp.com. He will promptly provide replacements.
Schematic files are provided as part of documentation package. It is highly
recommended to print a couple of copies at 11 X 17 inch format at your local
UPS Store, Staples, etc. As you build, use a highlighter to mark off parts that
have been soldered onto the PCB on one copy. When you think you are done,
you can check that copy to verify that all of the parts have been installed. Build
section schematics are also provided for convenience that match up with the
build steps with their parts call-outs.
It is helpful to acquire the necessary tools and supplies before beginning. These
include:
*Soldering iron – Preferably thermostatically controlled.
*Fine 60/40 rosin core solder
*Wire strippers
*X-Acto knife
*Diagonal cutters
*Needle-nose pliers
*Phillips screwdriver
*Non-metallic alignment tool
*Electrical tape
*Clear fingernail polish
*Magnifier
*Rubber Bands
*Digital volt-ohm-meter