Mark J. Wilson, K1RO, k1ro@arrl.

org

Product Review

Midnight Design Solutions Phaser Digital

Mode Transceiver Kit
Reviewed by Steve Ford, WB8IMY
wb8imy@arrl.org

Many of you may remember Dave Benson, K1SWL.

He was the designer and entrepreneur behind
Small Wonder Labs, the manufacturer of some of
the most popular low-power (QRP) transceivers
ever created. Several years ago, Dave
decided that it was time to retire and close
his business, much to the disappointment
of many in the QRP community.

Well, he’s back!

Dave has teamed with George Heron, N2APB, of

Midnight Design Solutions, to offer a new set of QRP
experiencing in the depths
transceivers known as Phasers. These little radios
of the solar minimum.
are intended for use with the wildly popular FT8 digi-
tal mode. If any communication mode was tailor
made for QRP, it is FT8. With just a few watts and an Phaser Flavors
antenna, you can make contacts throughout the Phaser transceivers are kits designed for operation
world, even during the marginal conditions we’re on a single band. You have your choice of kits for 80,
40, 30, 20, or 17 meters. Dave designed each trans-
ceiver to be hard-coded for output on the FT8 fre-
Bottom Line quency for each band. However, every transceiver is
capable of operating on an alternate frequency that
The Phaser Digital Mode Transceiver offers a
you can program yourself. If you want to operate
clever and inexpensive way to get on FT8 and
other digital modes with a compact, dedi- another digital mode on the band, such as PSK31,
cated QRP transceiver that is easily used in for example, the frequency can be changed accord-
the field. ingly. So, while the Phasers are sold as “FT8 trans-
ceivers,” they are actually multimode digital radios.

Reprinted with permisison; copyright ARRL. www.arrl.org QST July 2020 45

 Figure 5 — The Phaser enclosure front panel includes switches
and LED indicators for selecting the standard FT8 frequency or
alternate (user-programmed) frequency. (Note that the TRANSMIT
indicator LED incorporated into the latest version could be
mounted on the front panel as well.)
Figure 4 — Parts are mounted on labeled cards for easy
identification.

The Phaser transceiver generates about 4 W SSB

output. Because virtually all FT8 operating takes
place using upper sideband (USB) transmissions,
the Phaser is hardwired for that mode.

Building the Phaser

For this review, I selected the 20-meter model and
ordered the optional enclosure kit. The transceiver
board is just 4.125 × 3.85 × 1.2 inches and includes
seven preinstalled surface-mount components.

The through-hole parts are all mounted on labeled Figure 6 — The rear-panel connections for
AUDIO IN/OUT, ANTENNA, and POWER.
cards (see Figure 4). No more sorting and squinting
as you try to read resistor color codes or barely leg-
ible numbers on disc capacitors. I’ve never seen such
a straightforward approach to kit building, and
Midnight Design Solutions should be congratulated
on going the extra mile to ensure success. All you
have to do is follow the instructions and pluck the
parts you need from the cards.

The downloadable assembly manuals are thorough

and colorful. Someone put a lot of effort into these
documents. Once again, the obvious goal is to make
the assembly steps as clear as possible. The manual
even has a sense of humor. I had to chuckle upon
seeing a visual example of an improperly wound
toroid inductor. The caption beneath the image read:
“Bad Toroid! (Bad, bad, toroid!).”
Figure 7 — The front-panel pushbutton switches and LEDs are
The assembly steps are divided into six groups of soldered to traces on the back side of the panel and connected to
the PC board with a ribbon cable.
parts. When you complete a group, the manual
instructs you to run some tests to make sure that the
section of the transceiver you just built is functioning
normally. I’m an experienced kit builder, so I chose to
skip the tests. That’s not the best approach for these

46 July 2020 QST www.arrl.org Reprinted with permisison; copyright ARRL.

 Table 2 Phaser On the Air
Phaser Digital Mode Transceiver Specifications You won’t need an interface between your
Frequency coverage: computer and the Phaser. The transceiver
Phaser-80 board, 3.573 MHz (FT8) and 3.578 MHz (JS8/Alt) design includes a voice-operated switch (VOX)
Phaser-40 board, 7.074 MHz (FT8) and 7.078 MHz (JS8/Alt)
Phaser-30 board, 10.136 MHz (FT8) and 10.130 MHz (JS8/Alt) that keys the radio when sufficient transmit
Phaser-20 board, 14.074 MHz (FT8) and 14.078 MHz (JS8/Alt) audio is present. I used my Phaser with a lap-
Phaser-17 board, 18.100 MHz (FT8) and 18.104 MHz (JS8/Alt)
(For each band, the FT8 frequency is hard-coded and the Alternate top computer that provided only a headphone
frequency is set for JS8 but can be reprogrammed by the user for output jack. That’s the case with most modern
FT4, PSK, or other frequencies. laptops, but it doesn’t present an impediment
Transmitter operation: Phasing SSB, 4 W output (nominal). to using them with Phaser transceivers. All you
Receiver minimum discernible signal (MDS): –109 dBm.
need is an inexpensive outboard sound device
Power requirements: 12 V dc at 130 mA (receive) and 1 A (transmit).
that plugs into one of the laptop’s USB ports.
Size (height, width, depth): 1.2 × 4.125 × 3.85 inches (PC board); 2 × 5 ×
4.5 inches (enclosure). These devices are available for less than $20
Weight: 11 ounces with enclosure. from sources such as Amazon.

I fired up my WSJT-X software, configured it to

use the external USB audio device, and
kits, though, as troubleshooting is much easier if you selected “None” in the dropdown transceiver-selec-
test as you go. The Phaser PC board is somewhat tion menu. Phasers don’t provide CAT connections,
complex in terms of component density, so even with so I wanted to make sure the software wouldn’t throw
the excellent manual and the pre-labeling of parts, an error message after a futile attempt to communi-
there is always an opportunity to make a mistake or cate with a radio that wasn’t there.
the chance for a bad component. It’s best to take
your time and do the tests, just in case. The WSJT-X waterfall display immediately came to life
with FT8 signals and the software began decoding.
I needed about 6 hours to complete the kit PC board. On 20 meters, with my Icom IC-7300 transceiver and
Final testing is simple. You just connect the neces- a vertical antenna, WSJT-X can decode FT8 signals
sary audio cables to your computer, connect your at my station down to about –24 dB. With the Phaser,
antenna coax, apply transmit audio, and adjust a sin- I was decoding signals as weak as –19 dB. Consider-
gle potentiometer until the Phaser jumps to the trans- ing the fact that you’re running QRP, this level of sensi-
mit mode and starts generating RF output. tivity is more than adequate. After all, extremely weak
stations are unlikely to hear you anyway.
Note that the PC board shown here is the latest ver-
sion. It incorporates a more robust bias switch than As usual, the FT8 watering hole on 20 meters was
on the original and adds a current-limit function to packed with signals. When you’re operating at QRP
cure an occasional issue with thermal overload when power levels, it can be a challenge to be heard in
builders ran the transceiver at more than rated out- such crowded conditions. I chose a relatively clear
put. The new board also adds a transmit indicator spot in the waterfall display and began calling CQ in
LED to the board. the hope that someone would decode my 4 W signal.

You can stop here and use the Phaser PC board After a couple of attempts, I finally received a
without an enclosure. All connectors and controls are response from a station on the opposite side of the
mounted on the board and are readily accessible. If continent. He gave me a –16 dB report, and I was
you prefer your radio in a box, check out the optional pleased; not bad for a few watts and a vertical
enclosure kit, shown in Figures 5, 6, and 7. This kit antenna. After finishing the contact, I checked the
uses interlocking fiberglass PC board panels PSKReporter map (pskreporter.info/pskmap.html)
designed to be soldered together along the inside and found that a number of other stations had
mating edges, resulting in a sturdy case. The enclo- reported receiving my signal as well.
sure panels are finished with a smooth red solder
mask, and the front and rear panels have silk- I decided to reprogram the Phaser’s frequency and
screened labels. It took me less than an hour to build give WSPR a try. Reprogramming the Phaser’s fre-
the enclosure for my radio. quency requires some practice; it isn’t as simple as
spinning a VFO knob.

Reprinted with permisison; copyright ARRL. www.arrl.org QST July 2020 47

There is a tiny pushbutton labeled FT8, which you The Phaser manual is available for download from the
must hold down while powering up the radio. When Midnight Design Solutions website, so you can see
you release it, the FT8 LED blinks twice to let you what’s involved in building and using it. The kit is well
know you’re in the frequency programming mode. supported with a very active Chat With The Designers
Next, you have to use the FT8 and ALT pushbuttons discussion group online at groups.io/g/cwtd.
to enter the frequency by sending Morse code. The
FT8 button sends dits and the ALT button sends dahs. Each kit costs just $55 and the optional enclosure is
As you can imagine, the odds of making mistakes an additional $25. So, for $80, you can own a single-
are very high. I needed several tries before I finally band transceiver that’s perfect for portable operating.
achieved success. No matter how badly you mess This review was written while we were waiting for
up, though, rest assured that the preprogrammed Spring to arrive, but as soon as the weather warms
FT8 frequency will remain undisturbed. and the COVID-19 “stay at home” rules loosen up, I’ll
grab my laptop and take my Phaser to a park. With
An Investment in Fun just a simple portable antenna and a small battery to
While I would not recommend the Phaser for your power the Phaser, I suspect I will be making plenty of
first kit-building experience, it should be well within contacts.
the abilities of most hams, including beginners with
Manufacturer: Midnight Design Solutions, 205
some guidance. Several clubs have already pur-
Okema Trace, Loudon, TN 37774; midnightdesign
chased Phaser kits for group projects, which lend
solutions.com/phaser. Price (not including ship-
themselves well to the Phaser’s thorough approach
ping): Phaser transceiver: $55; enclosure: $25.
to building.

48 July 2020 QST www.arrl.org Reprinted with permisison; copyright ARRL.