I noticed the radio has a SO239, most QRP radios have BNC plugs. *edit* just watched the video to the end :) good luck getting your general, HF is awesome. 73
Thanks for posting this incredible little HF rig. It's gonna be my next acquisition. BTW upgrade to General and you'll have a blast on 20 - 40 and 80 meters.
This gives me all the more reason to get started with learning about HAMS....I consider myself a rank novice, so exactly where to begin is still a question I have. This particular transceiver looks to me like a must-have.
Funny thing - "novice" used to be how you started into ham radio. Now, it no longer exists. You start as a "technician" instead. You can find question pools online that allow you to test yourself. These use the same question pool the actual test uses so it gives you a feel of what the real test will be like. If you are getting at least a 90 on those online tests then get with the local ham clubs (they are everywhere!) and schedule an actual test to get your license!
An S7 QRP 10 mile groundwave contact is really good, your antenna seems to be doing an FB job. I've owned several HTX-100 rigs over the years, nice radio, Used one for beacon service also.
Great transceiver and there are SDRs out there that require a computer to interface with going for almost the same that don't even transmit on the Amateur Bands! This radio is hard to beat granted you can't compare it to a 5k transceiver in price but some of the older SDRs could receive as good as those radios and had more features. Just because some of the high-end transceivers cost big dollars don't mean they have real good performance. There are 60+ tube rigs that can outperform the overpriced new equipment like the vintage Collins rigs. There's a lot of bang-for-buck with this little rig and is an excellent starter rig. Thanks for the review and look into "Magnetic Antennas" you might be shocked on how well they can perform without tall towers and long wires.
I think it's really cool it's a nice little rig wow I might be interested in backpacking with this little radio for 160 bucks thank you for sharing this on RU-vid I get to work all the bands ❤️❤️❤️❤️
I've been a prepper/ sure for years, but have never took the time to get into ham radio, I drive truck for a living, but I drive local, still I could bee 150 miles away if the shtf, , I just ordered this radio, , my plan is to put this radio and a wire antenna in a Faraday bag and keep it in my truck, and buy a basic station for my house, , my wife has little interest in ham radio, , but I'm going to act like I need her help to pass my ham,s test, and teach her at the same time , , my hope is if everything crashes I'll at least be able to contact my wife to let her know I'm still alive and I'm walking in
Thanks for producing and posting the video. I'm thinking of getting the same transceiver. I like your dude of repurposing an HT microphone. I believe it's the same kind of microphone that is sometimes packaged with this radio. I hope you get your general license. That is where this little radio and a decent antenna can really shine. 73 de AE6FE
Great product review! I've been considering something like this for a while but could never make up my mind. Think I'm convinced now. I'll be upgrading to General next month and look forward to carrying this with me when we go RV'ing, maybe even a POTA ! 73's de KI5IMV
Nice radio! And the difference between 5W and 100W is only about 15db (or, about 3 S-units). By the way, the Extra exam was easier than the Technician exam I took back in 1980, so I'm sure the General exam would be super-easy for you! Go for it!
The red button on side of the radio is actually designed to be used as a PTT button when using the set as a walkie-talkie and holding it in your RIGHT hand!
hello. Just wondering what type of SDR software you are using in this video? And of all the QRP radio's being sold which one do you recommend? Happy Christmas -40c Alberta Canada
On the external power jack, what is the jack size and is the center pin + or -? I have the same radio but they don't supply an external jack even though I got the charger which is included and added the microphone to the order. The rig works great since been working plenty of CW and worked SSB on 40, 20 and 15m. DX on 40 down to Costa Rica and Cayman Islands from upstate New York. Let me know on the jack size and polarity.
Do you have any specs on the power cord? Mine came without one. I mean, is the center conductor positive or negative? Do you know what size plugs? I see there are two power plugs on the left hand side.
I warmly welcome. I also have this problem with the reverse operation of the knob and I do not know what to do, I do not have a cable to program and improve or a program, the knob goes the other way, the external microphone turns on but without modulation.
Yup still working, I am actually working a portable power box for it which i will be putting up in a few days or perhaps next week, its been very good so far
Will the Atu-100 work with this radio? I ordered one as I have this radio ordered also, but now I see that the Atu-100 required 10 watts minimum to work?? I want to operate portably and it will be less than 10 watts most times, so will the Atu-100 work?
lol I think its just a reflection on my lens but it kind of looks like the "Check Engine" UFO lol Then again we are close to Area 51 so you never know...
The only reason some people think QRP has to be 5W is because that's contest protocol. Out in the real world, the term just means "low power". We don't need to make contest rules our legal code -- especially those of us who don't contest anyway. I figure anything under 25W is QRP. You can set the dial anywhere else if you want.
George, if the radio has a CW decoder in it, can it be used to encode CW from a keyboard (I know about the key jack), or would you need some sort of CW encoder to send CW (assuming you idn't want to use a key or a set of paddles)?
I got the ATU-100, from what i had read it will tune down to 1 watt and I tested it out when I got it, worked perfectly. There is an ATU-10 that is made for QRP however its only in kit form now.
How long did it take to arrive and is the internal battery replaceable? I don't have a mic with a single pin. Strange they don't accept a standard dual pin mic
You can take the unit apart and replace the battery it looked like a fairly simple operation, No idea on why the mic takes a single pin, would have made sense to have a dual one since its more common. Took about a week and a half to get here.
@@rickbecker2676 Right here, it was a two pack used the other for another radio www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07R1WMHWF/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I want to buy something that my two sons and I can communicate with. We're all within a 20 mile radius. I want something that's easy to use for me. They're more tech savvy than I am. I want to give it to them for Christmas.
Hi, I'm JJ0TUC. I have assembled uSDX. However, I am having problems with "! V3.3=1V" and the screen does not proceed. the version of the PCB is JA2GQP with 74HC4053, Arduino NANO and the version of the firmware is 1.02w. Can someone please tell me how to fix this problem?
Thanks for posting this. Just got mine. Are you aware of any manuals or documentation someone have posted? Mine came with none and so far the only induction s I find fall short of comprehensive.Neat little rig though. Look forward to your update. 73- AA1CJ
Its just a cheap mic I got off Amazon, got a better one coming, but it seemed to work ok, think it was like 12 bucks, has a single plug for both audio and mic
I wonder if you have found any accessory vendors that may carry microphones, ant tuners, connectors for external power, etc. It has been a couple of weeks since you posted your video. How is the little rig holding up for you!? de af0x
So far its been pretty darn good, I must have got lucky because it works very well, I have a new Mic I picked up, as well as an ATU100 antenna turner but mainly working on a box for the battery and power supply, once I have everything I want for the power box I will do an update on the radio and other goodies I have for it. Even picked up another end fed antenna for it as well.
@@Iridium242 I liked your review so I went to Banggood and ordered a black one. HRO has the MFJ efhw antenna cheap so got one of those too :-) Should be fun doiing a WAS on qrp . Thanks for taking the time to demo the rig. Carl
Enjoyed watching your video. I have been doing alot of research with this radio and am still looking at reviews. One thing I saw, was your power cord. This is the first time I have seen someone actually use an external power source and mic. Can you please provide the link or source where you got the power cord and mic? I saw the mic was PRYME and I found several online, but wasn't the specific one you shared. 73s. KD8VSP
The Mic is here www.hitechwireless.com/pryme-spm-100-observer-light-weight-speaker-microphone-series/ The power cord I made, its just a cig lighter plug with connectors for the battery terminal. Got the plug off amazon.
I've been a tube radio ham since 1973...and my old Drake TR-3 is about shot. This looks like a nice radio. A question: since I am not familiar with SDR radio beyond what it is, what is the UART port for?
Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitters or UART, allows you to interact with the system via a shell, you can edit most open source code as well as add and remove features to the source code. Think of it as a serial port of sorts, You can also interact with the radio and add things like a CAT control via this port.
@@Iridium242 Ok, thanks for that. I have no idea how to do any of that. As I said, I've been tube based forever. This would be a nice little radio. Probably use it as a base station to start. I have a good vertical antenna that I just had checked with an analyzer, and all looks good. By the way, what impedance is that mic? I would love to see if I can get either my D104 or Shure 33D to work.
Since you are talking to beginners please always stress that it is illegal to use any ham radio without a license. When I bought my first radio I had to show the salesman a copy of my license before he would sell it to me. This includes vhf/uhf handhelds like the baofeng. Good video.
No, please don't. Why is it that there are those that just can't help themselves to point this out every chance they can? Makes you sound old, elitist, and a preachy know-it-all. Yes, when I bought my first radio I ran into the same requirement. Times have changed, it's easier to get equipment and I think it's great. I'm happy to see this hobby growing. Watch NotaRubicon's channel for this very topic. He deservingly rips HAMs for comments like that and I love it. (FYI I'm a Ham). Oh.. and even worse, if you are going to lecture people, as the others have already commented, at least have your facts straight.
@@Iridium242 Ok. I was thinking this was something along the lines of the old Citizen Band radios when I was a kid. I don't keep track of the laws, but I would have figured I would hear of a change that big!
I've been a no-code tech for decades now. Not sure how times have changed since I first got my license in terms of what I can do with my existing license. BUT, I'm going to get one of these nifty little units because at this price, what have I got to lose? I will also put some effort into upgrading my license as well. I found a video of someone taking the entire radio apart and it's kinda interesting. He says he's surprised at the quality of everything. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-JNLpW5FYDok.html
I have one of these on the way! It’s coming with the ham geek tunable telescoping , thing but for a random wire or end fed or should have an antenna tuner as a absolute must or could I get close and not worry with a loop cut for the band that I am operating on ? Ke4tdg. 73 ps big fan of loops been a ham for 20 some years. The only antenna I have ever ran is a full wave sky wire loop. Lol
George, go get your General so you can use that radio on the upper bands of HF like 20, 40 & 80 Meters. Also, make sure you renew your ticket it expires in April 2022. de N6KV
