Some home grown measurements

Not perhaps very accurate perhaps, but a few small boxes of tricks can make home brewing and measurements possible.

Oscilloscope - who would be without one? I use a LabNation USB interface scope with two channels, with software running on my MacBook, seems to be enough for my audio to HF needs.

Oscilloscope

Signal generator - I would not be without my general purpose signal generator built with an Arduino Nano driving an Si5351 synth chip (and it has a RTC built-in too). Programmable!!! can be used for many applications. A VFO from <1MHz to > 150MHz, with the possibility of up to 3 outputs. Another use is for generating RF signals with 0/90deg phase shift for experimenting with phase method SSB RX & TX designs. And then again it can generate CW for beacons or training and QRSS, WSPR transmissions. The only thing to recognise is that the outputs are square wave, not pure sine wave. The output is +12dBm (860mV , 15mW into a 50R load).

Signal Generator

Power or RF voltage meter - Based around an AD8307 chip this RF meter has a high impedance or a 50R dummy load input. As the AD8307 is a log amplifier it has a  huge range of -40 to +40dBm (1uW to 10W!). 

Three little boxes - a 7MHz low pass filter, a 20-10-5dB attenuator and a 30dB tap with 50R dummy load built in. 

Top :  LPF, Centre: 20-10-5dB attenuator, Bottom: 30dB tap with 50R dummy load

The 30db tap is particularly useful for checking > 10W power inputs to the dummy load, giving a -30db output to a second RF Meter I have with a direct AD8307 input capable of  -70 to +20dBm with a 50R input impedance. It is also useful the other way round.

Power amplifier - one thing I have missing is a small power amplifier, with say up to 10W +40dBm output from a 0dBm input, input and output 50R. I am working on this design right now as a project to better understand medium power PA stages and preamplifiers.

MY SHACK

13.8V PSU, 

GPS clock & QCX+, 

paddle  antenna switch

and ELAD FDM_DUO transceiver