LMR SDR 1.1, Step 1.0!

When I received the LMR SDR 1.1 kit of components and PCB separately, I had no idea of where to start. In case of my previous Easy BITX project there was a step by step manual on which components to mount first and next. Then I remembered what one overseas ham had posted as a comment below one of the Easy BITX videos. ‘Start with low lying components like resistors and diodes first. Then go for the the components like relays with a larger profile’. Hence I located a packet of 1k resistors from the kit and started off with it.

Took a pair of powerful glasses and searched the tiny print on the PCB and located the first set of four 1k resistors and soldered them. Had to use same glasses to solder because it was a thickly populated PCB and I did not want a solder bridge. As usual, I had my N95 mask and couple of fans to keep off the melting flux from my nose! Still I had to use breath holding during soldering because the field was quite near my nose with the powerful glasses with short focal length! I was always worried that the soldering iron would touch my face.

Moved on to the next set of 1k resistor slots which I cold locate. In spite of meticulous care, I closed off the hole for a nearby capacitor with a solder flowing into the nearby hole. I kept it like that for a later day to figure out how to remove it and get the capacitor there when I start fixing them.

Finally with a lot of effort by my standards, I could finish all the nineteen 1k resistors in the kit and I called it a day.

Had a talk with VU3GEX, who told me that there a few surface mount regulator ICs (3.3V and 5V) and 74HC4051 which are also low lying, and need to be fixed in the initial part of the project. Now I have to figure out how to mount them as I have never soldered surface mount devices. In fact I had asked VU3ZOF to send the board after soldering the Si5351 which is a tiny SMD. VU3GEX tells me that these ICs will not be as difficult as Si5351. Let me see!