Aves Specta

A Journey with the Rock-Mite Transceiver

Close up of a red through-hole circuit board labeled "QRPme's ROCKmite "

The Rock-Mite transceiver was introduced in 2002 by Dave Benson, K1SWL, owner/operator of Small Wonder Labs, at QRPme's annual Lobstercon event.

I wasn't exactly "at" that event; I walked through it anonymously on Saturday afternoon with my wife and months-old daughter. Strolling the dirt road, we passed dewy tents and a few small RVs gathered under the pines. A few radio guys sat at scattered picnic tables, conferring quietly or operating with headphones. It was a lazy Maine summer afternoon, fog hovering just offshore, feeling like nap time. We ambled by leaving barely a ripple.

Not having registered for the event, I wasn't entitled to one of those original "green board" 40m Rock-Mites. But in no time the New England QRP bulletin board was abuzz about the little marvel. The rig was soon reviewed in QST, boosting the phenomenon. By the time another Lobstercon rolled around, Dave's brainchild was a best seller.

I felt a little left out, given my proximity to that first wave of kits, but my envy was tempered. It was a clever, well designed radio, to be sure, but I was loving the frequency-agile Elecraft K1 that I had just built a year earlier and told myself I didn't need a rockbound rig for a band I already had covered.

Thirteen Lobstercons Later

After that initial prospecting trip, our family became Lobstercon regulars. Car camping, sitting at the beach, kayaking in the marsh, watching ospreys feeding young, tossing frisbees, seeing antennas rise into the trees (and, with a kite, into the sky), visiting with QRPers from near and far, feasting on lobster and barbecue, exploring midcoast Maine... Lobstercon was always a wonderful way to kick off summer.

One year, I won a nice aluminum enclosure customized for the Rockmite ][ — an LMB Crown Royal 425, pale gray and powder blue, a pretty little thing. I happily accepted the box, thanked Rex, and began to realize I'd be buying and building a Rockmite in 2015.

Spurred on, I was still determined to gain a new band. My K1 had long since become a 4-bander, so when I ran into Rex at Boxboro (aka ARRL New England Convention) a month after Lobstercon, I asked about a 17-meter kit. As it happened, he had developed an 18-MHz version and had just one "out in the car." I waved cash and he assented to let me take it home.

Parts for QRPme's ROCKmite

It was February before I sat down to assemble the new kit. In three days the board was done. I wired up the off-board sockets and switches and placed the circuit board in the bottom of my powder-coated raffle win.

The smoke test went poorly. When I turned the rig on, its 9V battery got hot fast. I yanked the plug and hoped no damage had been done. Dismay slipped to disappointment and disgust. After brief and sour troubleshooting, I buttoned up the blunder and stuck it out of sight.

Resurrection

Among my new year's resolutions for 2021 was "Put Rockmite II on the air." Five-plus years after its banishment, with patience and care, I made a number of adjustments and prepared to apply power again. This time was a success: The radio was pulling in signals and putting out more than 300 milliwatts.

Over the next couple of weeks I used my roof-mounted cobweb to call CQ around 18092 kHz. In 13 tests, I hit the reverse-beacon network 8 times but got no responses. Thankfully, on February 3, KW4JM called CQ near enough to my crystal frequency that I could get his attention. A few days later, I snagged KX0R. The Rockmite was proven, but it still hadn't gone portable.

A week or so later, I built a simple dipole and drove up Mount Agamenticus to find a tree where I could hang it. Eventually I got set up, paddle ready and earbuds in, and flipped the switch.

Such screeching! I stripped the buds from my ears to kill the cacophony. Broadcast bleedthrough was intense on Mount A. I was daunted. There would be no activation today.

Summits on the Air Success

From then on I made single contacts from home every few months and ignored my unmet goal. Finally, on December 29, 2022, I carried the kit up New Hampshire's Parker Mountain for its second field test. Standing there on a frosty hilltop, radio and battery in one hand, 6 feet of coax stretching up to the dipole, and a mini-paddle strapped to my thigh, I called CQ SOTA. Within a few minutes, I had successfully activated W1/NL-010 solely on 17 meters with a QRPp crystal-controlled radio. Mission accomplished.

Excerpt from the SOTA Database showing 4 18 MHz QSOs made atop Parker Mountain.

In Good Company

Huddle up.

Learn the inner workings of the Rockmite ][ under the tutelage of Scott, NE1RD, from the Nashua (New Hampshire) Area Radio Society.

Selected links:

Essentials:

Presenting... Lobstercon steamed lobster!

Notes

  1. The original was spelled Rock-Mite. The QRPme revision is spelled Rockmite, although my board shows ROCKmite.
  2. The use of brackets instead of the more typical Roman numerals for the QRPme rig really complicates including the full name in Markdown links and images!
  3. Photos are all © Scott Richardson.
  4. Last modified November 30, 2025.

Aves Specta · Est. 1999