Tiny Ten: A 10-Watt, Ten-Band Amateur Radio Transceiver Built for the Backcountry
Inspired by poor radio reception during a backpacking trip in Oregon's Cascade Mountains, W7PUA designed and built the "Tiny Ten," a lightweight, 10-watt, ten-band amateur radio transceiver. This Teensy 4.1-based project leverages the OpenAudio_ArduinoLibrary and boasts multiple modes (SSB, CW, AM, FM, FT8). Clever hardware design, including plug-in filter boards, minimizes weight and maximizes efficiency. Despite its compact size, the Tiny Ten delivers impressive receive sensitivity, dynamic range, and selectivity, exceeding 10 watts of output power on 10 meters. The article details its hardware architecture, software design, and performance testing, offering valuable insights into the design process and showcasing impressive DIY skills.