About time to start the "What are you working on?" thread...
I started a very ambitious -- maybe too ambitious?? - project called the mcHF Transceiver. It is an 80-10 open source SDR transceiver design utilizing (2) PCB's in a very compact arrangement. Sort of a poor man's KX3 if you will. It is almost entirely SMD. Very few through hole parts. And the MCU - ugh a QFP 100 chip! I messed up my first UI board & MCU...
This time I started with the RF board and am doing much better. Lots of patience, 0.015" solder, flux, bamboo tweezers and very fine tips in my Metcal solder station...
Here's my Google photo album: https://goo.gl/photos/snK5Ya2pm4yGvSv9A
Look in the LO section - at U9 & U12/U13. Those were murder! BTW, the four pictures of completed boards are Gavin's, M1BXF. I have those in my album for reference purposes...
My goal is to have it done by Ozarkcon and show it off there. I'm going very slow, one section at a time. I double check the schematic, the BOM and my home made board layout diagrams. I also clean off the flux with every section. And I inspect each solder joint with a 10x loupe (sometimes it's even hard to see with that!). My phone has also been helpful. Sometimes you can snap a pic then display it all blown up on the computer screen.
It has been both challenging and rewarding. Oh, I also 3D printed the case. There are designs for that. I actually had to "expand" the printing bed of my printer twice to accomplish that! Ha, ha! 
This design has a very active Yahoo Group:
https://uk.groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/M0NKA-mcHF/conversations/messages
Chris M0NKA is the designer & did the original programming
http://www.m0nka.co.uk/
Clint KA7OEI has done all the most recent programming (and adding functionality)
http://ka7oei.blogspot.com/search/label/mcHF%20SDR%20transceiver
mcHF
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| | | | mcHF Lest anyone thinks I only like ancient radio here is one of the most modern - and greatest. 3d printed case. Complete SDR QRP transceiver, with own scree... | |
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Dan -- KB9JLO
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