I use CW mostly and have once or twice used qrp ssb but when you need to build a simple rig to get a message out, Cw rig comes thru 100%.
2 to 3 transistors a crystal and variable cap to pull it a little ,or varicap diodes with a potentiometer for full bandwidth.
no need for a bunch of chips. Now if you are using chips, 2 can build a nice little transceiver. ne602 oscillator chip and a lm386 audio output chip. add some parts,wala!!!.Also if a ham is just starting out, CW QRP is the way to go.
73
David
ac9xh