External Frequency Display

There are many options to adding an external frequency display to you ME+ kit. The most recommended is the Through Hole Digital Dial from QRPGuys.com. Cost is $15.00 plus $5.00 shipping. You will need to provide a suitable enclosure or if building into a custom case, allow for convenience and mounting.

All that is necessary is to program the offset (follow instructions in the Display manual) to the IF of your ME kit and the display will faithfully show the correct frequency in receive and transmit mode. The correct pickoff point for the L.O. is pin 7 of U1. Version 1.1 of the new board has a test point to provide this signal. This will give a stable frequency without loading. You can further prevent loading by placing a series capacitor about 33 pf to the input of the display. To conserve power, even though the consumption is around 28 ma, you can put a switch on the power lead going to the counter without upsetting the frequency or tone being received. If mounting this display close to the ME transceiver board you may hear some unwanted whine or howl because of the LED scanning. You need to orient or shield the power supply wires to reduce this unwanted switching noise.