There are some very fine QRP transceivers available these days but I never cease to be amazed how the ARK series (models are available for 40, 30, and 20 meters) from S&S Engineering gets ignored when folks start looking at their options. There are probably a couple of reasons for this:
 
 

• Cost: The ARK unit kits cost about $270 (you can also get them wired and tested for $370) and this might seem a bit steep for a single-band transceiver. Well, the cost is slightly less than a very popular 2-band transceiver I could mention and there is no comparison in terms of performance or mechanical integrity.
• Complexity: You will not build this unit in an evening or even a weekend! However, the manual is the BEST you will ever see (118 pages, spiral bound) and, if it doesn't fire up, a mere $25 is all the factory will charge to get it running!
• Thumbwheel Tuning: The rig is completely synthesized (more on that later) and tuning is accomplshed with a series of thumbwheel switches. This does take getting used to, but it is quite natural once you do get familiar with it. You can also drop it on a rock and it won't shift frequency!

Construction

Every component in the kit is first-class - no surplus or "seconds" parts. There is also no tacky sheet metal in this kit. The bulk of the cabinet is a massive extruded aluminum shell with heavy end-wall panels. I heard someone comment that could drive you car over this rig. I'm not sure about that, but there is no other QRP rig I know of that is packaged so solidly!

The photo above shows the synthesizer board inside the chassis shell with the RF circuit board below. The front and rear panels are located to the right and left, respectively. This not a weekend kit but the manual is superb and guides you through the project, one modest step at a time. If you can't get it going when you are done, the factory will align and test it for $25.00!

Operation

I love microprocesors and they sure have added features to modern radio gear. Unfortunately, to get this functionality in a very small package, you need small little function switches and nested operating menus. In contrast, the ARK rigs are utter simplicity - thumbwheel switch bank for frequency selection, volume and RIT controls and a simple toggle switch for the built-in active audio filter. No need for a manual or the requirement to learn any kind of menu structure. You simply turn it on and operate - my kind of radio!

Performance

I am not going to quote chapter and verse on receiver and transmitter test numbers. You can get all that information from a QST review of the ARK-40 that can be accessed from the S&S Engineering web site. You will be impressed!
 

• Frequency Control. The rigs have a very clean synthesizer and they simply don't drift on either transmit or receive. This is a real boon if you take the rig backpacking or operate mobile.

• Transmitter.Not much to be said here. The RF is absolutely clean, the rig keys superbly, and all reports have been outstanding. Many QRP operators operate less than pristine transmitters and excuse the technical problems because the rig is homebrew/QRP. In fact, QRP rigs benefit greatly when there is no chirp, clicks, or drift. A clean, stable signal is much easier to copy and many of my best DX contacts have noted that it was the quality of the signal that made the QSO possible. I try to answer every station that calls me, but working a station with poor signal quality is simply hard work and not very rewarding.

• Receiver. Put simply, the receiver is superb and mine has spoiled me for any other rigs when operating CW. All my QRO transceivers have been equipped with CW IF filters, but my ARK-30 puts them to shame. When I'm in the mood to operate CW, it is easier to stay on 30 meters with my ARK then to work multi-band with any other rigs. The last time I did a sweep of the log, over 95% of my CW contacts were on 30 meters using the ARK. That's how much I like it! The receiver RIT control will get a workout, either chasing other QRP transmitters or compensating for the fact that most stations don't zero-beat very accurately!