PARTS AVAILABILITY

If you need replacement parts contact us and we can arrange to supply what you need in case they cannot be obtained thru your suppliers. Please be specific (2N3563, not "Q3"). It has been our experience that devices sold for TV service or general replacement use may not always work properly in some of our kits, especially in certain critical RF circuitry. Consult us before using "generics" to avoid circuit problems or poor performance. In some kits exact replacements are a necessity and these may be hard to come by from distributors shelves. We try to stock all parts for all kits we have ever offered, including our first kits in 1986. We are not parts distributors and while we will sell a limited number of parts to anyone, certain parts in short supply such as ASICs must be reserved for our customers that have purchased kits from us in the past. Many times some really useful parts excellent for hobby and experimental projects are discontinued for reasons other than technical obsolescence, such as economics, changing market demands or corporate buyouts. This seems especially true of ASICs and some RF transistors. We would like to be always able to supply those parts for our kits even if the parts are discontinued by the manufacturers, and no longer available through distributors, so please understand our policy. Also note that we may ask for a minimum order.

SOFTWARE AND FIRMWARE UPDATES

Kits employing microprocessors may at times have improvements made in the operating software. We reserve the right to improve our kits and are not responsible for incorporating these changes in previously sold kits. An updated microprocessor/microcontroller may be obtained from us by sending in your existing chip for either exchange or reprogramming, for a nominal fee. Source code is generally proprietary and is not available.

HOW TO GET A HAM LICENSE

The ARRL (American Radio Relay League) can help you get an Amateur radio license. You need one to legally use our ATV transmitter kits in your application, whether ATV itself, RC model or experimental use. It is not difficult and if you can build one of our kits you certainly should have the ability to pass the required tests with a little effort. You will learn a lot in the process and have the chance to meet many new friends. You may contact the ARRL as follows:

Internet:       http://www.arrl.org/licensing-education-training

Telephone: 1-860-594-0200

Fax:              1-860-594-0259

Address:    ARRL, the national association for Amateur Radio
                      225 Main Street
                      Newington, CT, 06111-1494 USA

Webmail:    hq@arrl.org

A: Building a kit allows you to learn the intimate details of a project and how it works. It is a learning experience. Also, you can obtain items this way that are unavailable on the general market. Do not expect to save any money, a kit is an educational experience, not a cost saving one.

Q: How well do these kits work?

A: As long as you do a reasonably decent assembly job, they will work as specified. Many of our kits are published designs that have been tested and reviewed by magazine editors and technical people. After all, it looks bad if they publish a design for something that fails to work or has problems.

Q: How difficult is are they to assemble?

A: This depends on the kit and on your level of experience. Our market is the experimenter with some assembly experience. You have to thoroughly read the instructions and follow them accurately. You should be somewhat familiar with common electronic parts and identification. You should know how to solder and have access to at least a VOM or DVM and generally a 12 volt DC power source.

Q: What is included in these kits?

A: Basically, the PC board and all the parts that mount on them plus any needed extras needed to get the project working. Cases and hardware are generally sold separately as many of our kits are used in applications where they are installed in other equipment, such as radio controlled models, robotics, etc. and a case is not needed. Also, some builders prefer to use their own cases so their finished project is a unique item fitting their requirements. Certain kits include cases if required for their operation. We carry a line of recommended cases, hardware, and accessories suitable for most of our kits, if needed by the builder. We do not include batteries, chemical items (solvents, glues, paint, etc.) or large inexpensive items, such as wood or plastic pipe, etc. You can get this stuff cheaper at your local hardware store. This saves you shipping costs.

Q: What documentation is provided?

A:  Many of our project kits have been published in experimenter magazines such as Radio Electronics, Popular electronics, QST, 73 Magazine, etc, They therefore will include complete descriptions of circuitry, theory of operation, construction procedure, setup and test instructions. Complete assembly drawings, parts lists,and schematics are also included, with general information on component identification. PC boards are drilled and etched, with screening on many. We are tending towards screened boards with plated holes

Q: What if I have problems or questions?

A: We have free tech support by email (preferred, we can send you additional info this way) or by telephone. We do not have a telephone tree, long waits, runarounds, or menus with a limited selection of prefabricated useless answers not pertaining to your problem. Tech support is always free by live, real, living people. If you prefer, you can return the finished kit to us for troubleshooting and setup to specs. In this case it will be returned completely set up and working. Most kits returned to us for service are found to have either poor soldering or assembly errors as the reason for the difficulty. We have a nominal charge for this service of typically one third the kit price. This includes a reasonable allowance for parts and shipping.

Q: What if we cannot get your kit working?

A: As long as the assembly job is satisfactory with regard to workmanship, there will not be a problem. If we cannot get it working to spec we will give you another assembled and tested circuit board free of charge. So far, in 25 years this has never happened.

Q: What if in the future I need parts?

A: We try to carry replacement parts, even for discontinued kits sold in the 1980s. Parts are not generally a problem.

Q: Do you sell individual parts?

A: Yes, but we usually have a minimum $10.00 order, plus shipping charges. Should you wish to build a published project of ours with your own parts, and need special items or a PC board, we can provide this, but tech support is reserved only for customers purchasing complete kits. It is more cost effective to purchase the complete kit rather than individual parts, unless you have most of the parts on hand and can easily make PC boards yourself.