Hey Uncle Walter, you worked Michael KB9VBR in Michigan. I am still waiting for this Contact to happen, haven't worked Michael yet. It was powerful sunny here I got a badass Sunburn this Afternoon from playing Radio down at the Rhine River. Thx for another kickass Product Documentary Video & have a nice Evening. 73 de YFUG 🍻🙋♂
Thanks so much Uncle G! I got a sunburn today too! I was wondering if anyone would notice KB9VBR. I’m a subscriber to his channel as well. Have a great night! 73 YFUW
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES I believe I subscribed to Michael's Channel about 1 year ago. He's another great portable HAM Radio OP who shared so much of his Experiences to the World and of course so many beautiful Impressions of Mother Nature along the Michgan Coastline. Cool down your Sunburn, UW...73 🙋♂
Bought mine couple of months ago on eBay......decent qRP rig, definitely not a KX2/3 or G90 but it works. The menu system on mine sucks, at times it has a mine of its own. Sometimes it freezes and I have to turn off/on the radio for it to come to life again. 73/K6SDW
Just ordered one, my 1st HF. I’d love to see a vid of this w/ one of your vertical wires. Also ordered a packtenna 9:1 + ATU. Don’t have my general yet, but I’m curious to see how it works listening from Kapaa
Thanks for the Video, I bought from Banggood uSDX+ with Red Straps, it was a BAD build, a very dumb receiver ..... but your unit and test has given me more hope, i may pick a similar unit 73's VE2TSM
Looks like a nice version. I’ve seen multiple versions. I saw one with the mic input on the side next to the knob and they were placed so close together that the knob conflicted with the mic cable and was unusable
I think if you take these radios for what they are... they are FANTASTIC... if you're trying to compare a $120 radio to a $1200 radio... well... "you're special" 😀
Awesome review, thanks for sharing. I posted it on my club's facebook page so everyone else can watch it. Mississippi Coast Amateur Radio Association. Congrats on making that QRP contact with the Hurricanes Special Event station in Mississippi. Hey can you include some information on your antenna as well?
Thanks so much! as I mentioned in the video I've lived a good part of my life down there. I'm a WHO DAT! As for the antenna it is the Slidewinder DX coil from England and a HF Manpack collapsible whip I got on Amazon. I did a video on the antenna that's also on my channel if you're interested in more details. 73
Hi Walt.. I know what you mean about the band conditions.. The past month or so I've noticed that it's harder to make contacts when using my RMOOTA antennas.. I think I did better when we were in the solar minimum, LOL .. But what do I know, I'm just a rookie on all of this, playing for entertainment.. Thanks for the video and your insight.. I'll probably have one of these some day.. 73
I’ve noticed that 20 opens up much later in the day, my midday portable Ops need to move to late afternoon and early evening. Heck it’s cooler then anyway LOL. Thanks for watching my friend! 73
Hi, messaging from Australia. I am a keen 4wd deep country explorer. I have been looking for a long distance portable HF transmitter and Ariel package for emergency coms. Australia has vast open land. I am looking at these small cheap type units, but value your experience and knowledge. The tunnel coil base looks good, and then perhaps a collapsable antenna and wire. Now adjusting the SWR would require a seperate device for tuning, an all in one cheap radio with built in tuner would be perfect. Do you think 5watts would do the job? Maybe this could be a series of videos you could do. Love your to the point not too nerdy approach.
Thanks for watching, Actually you wouldn't need a tuner with that coil just a way of checking SWR, you slide the outer ring of the coil to tune it and match. I actually have another video on my channel featuring the coil. You can really get out with 5 watts but it's very dependent on conditions. For emergency operations I would strongly consider something like the Xiegu G90 which is 20 watts and also has a built in antenna tuner. I think that radio with a HamStick antenna would be all you need for very good portable mobile operation in a 4X4. Hope this helps! All the best and 73! Walt K4OGO
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES Thank you that is excellent advise. Having the tuner built in the radio, removes that point of failure and complexity, and 20 the 20 watt output provides additional range. Thanks again and keep doing what you are doing. You channel appeals to wider audience
After that HOA video, I suppose moving next to the LOVE sign should help people think about their words before they speak them. I would hope. Is this radio a spin-off of the tr(u)SDX or two separate projects?
Haha yes I moved down to the other end of the seawall to avoid getting frustrated while trying to enjoy myself. The (tr)uSDX is actually a spin-off of this original design by the original designer and builder.
Thanks for posting Walt. I have been thinking about getting one of these to carry with me at work. Do you have a link to the particular one that you have? Also do you like the (tr)uSDX better?Thanks.
Thanks for watching! It's hard to compare the two, the (tr)uSDX is a fun little radio but doesn't have the band capabilities that this one has. As for this radio I got it on Banggood but I must warn you it took almost 2 months to arrive and that's why I didn't share a link in the description. The item's id number is 1890124 and if you do a search on Banggood it will come up. 73 de K4OGO
Interested to know if the counterpoise is bare wire. I found that a metre of bare wire in the sea was all that is needed; an insulated counterpoise dropped into the sea did not work at all.
Hi Wayne, I’m away from home and that radio. Mine came with an extra cord so I’m not sure of the exact size. I’ll try to check as soon as I get a chance
Love you videos. I've become a QRP nut myself lately. I have the (tr)uSDX kit radio and have made dozens of contacts SSB in the past week. I also have the same transceiver you're using on this video and it works too. Only gripe is the cheap handheld mic it came with wasn't modulating correctly. It would key the rig, but audio was extremely distorted. So, I used the internal mic and have made contracts no problem. I agree with your assessment on the internal speaker, it's really good. I wish I could find a cheap mic that works with this. Like you said, it's heavy and I would like to set it down and use a hand mic. Any recommendations? 73/K7KWW
Just saw it on Banggood from same seller I bought mine: Portable uSDX 8 Band SDR All Mode Transceiver USB, LSB, CW, AM, FM HF SSB QRP Transceiver QCX-SSB with Battery Measurement & Analysis Instruments from Tools on banggood banggood.onelink.me/zMT7/myvu69p5
nice vids. i have seen al 3 videos about this radio also seen a lot of mixed reviews. i saw one on amazon for $215. im affraid to get a bad one. only good thing about the amazon that it has free 30 days return. would you mind to share your bangood suplier 73 de KP4MI best regards Miguel
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES I do have an ic-705 but will like one like yours, I live in a costal town in Puerto Rico and dont want to take the 705 to tje sand and salty water. I saw a few in ebay cbeaper than amazon and they will ship fron CA, but they are the black housing not the red that amazon has, also the amazon one talks about new and old modelamd thah they wil ship at random. idk if to vet the ebay one due to also have 30 days return policy or get the amazon one, either way i most me prepare for some trobleshooting and firmware update
Hey Uncle Walter, you worked Michael KB9VBR in Michigan. I am still waiting for this Contact to happen, haven't worked Michael yet. It was powerful sunny here I got a badass Sunburn this Afternoon from playing Radio down at the Rhine River. Thx for another kickass Product Documentary Video & have a nice Evening. 73 de YFUG 🍻🙋♂
Thanks so much Uncle G! I got a sunburn today too! I was wondering if anyone would notice KB9VBR. I’m a subscriber to his channel as well. Have a great night! 73 YFUW
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES I believe I subscribed to Michael's Channel about 1 year ago. He's another great portable HAM Radio OP who shared so much of his Experiences to the World and of course so many beautiful Impressions of Mother Nature along the Michgan Coastline.
Cool down your Sunburn, UW...73 🙋♂
You made contact with Michael KB9VBR. Very cool! It's been a while since our POTA activations matched up. Nice little QRP radio. 73 de Jeff K3JRZ
Thanks for watching Jeff! 73 de Walt K4OGO
K5H was on the OMISS 40 net the other night. He got a ton of contacts.
Had a big pileup, glad he broke for QRP stations, that’s the only way I got through!
I have one too. Same colour and it also works great. I have a second one coming too.
Love mine, I have a feeling I’ll have a second too LOL. Thanks for watching!
Bought mine couple of months ago on eBay......decent qRP rig, definitely not a KX2/3 or G90 but it works. The menu system on mine sucks, at times it has a mine of its own. Sometimes it freezes and I have to turn off/on the radio for it to come to life again. 73/K6SDW
Thanks for watching! 73, K4OGO
Just ordered one, my 1st HF. I’d love to see a vid of this w/ one of your vertical wires.
Also ordered a packtenna 9:1 + ATU. Don’t have my general yet, but I’m curious to see how it works listening from Kapaa
Good luck with your General, hope to get out with this and a vertical soon!
Thanks for the Video, I bought from Banggood uSDX+ with Red Straps, it was a BAD build, a very dumb receiver ..... but your unit and test has given me more hope, i may pick a similar unit 73's VE2TSM
Thanks for watching! Good luck I hope you get a good one! 73 K4OGO
Looks like a nice version. I’ve seen multiple versions.
I saw one with the mic input on the side next to the knob and they were placed so close together that the knob conflicted with the mic cable and was unusable
Thanks for watching!
Greetings Walt! W4TUP in Yorktown. Nice review.
Thanks Rick! 73 neighbor, I work up in Oyster Point.
I think if you take these radios for what they are... they are FANTASTIC... if you're trying to compare a $120 radio to a $1200 radio... well... "you're special" 😀
Yes I absolutely agree! Great point!
Awesome review, thanks for sharing. I posted it on my club's facebook page so everyone else can watch it. Mississippi Coast Amateur Radio Association. Congrats on making that QRP contact with the Hurricanes Special Event station in Mississippi. Hey can you include some information on your antenna as well?
Thanks so much! as I mentioned in the video I've lived a good part of my life down there. I'm a WHO DAT! As for the antenna it is the Slidewinder DX coil from England and a HF Manpack collapsible whip I got on Amazon. I did a video on the antenna that's also on my channel if you're interested in more details. 73
Hi Walt.. I know what you mean about the band conditions.. The past month or so I've noticed that it's harder to make contacts when using my RMOOTA antennas.. I think I did better when we were in the solar minimum, LOL .. But what do I know, I'm just a rookie on all of this, playing for entertainment.. Thanks for the video and your insight.. I'll probably have one of these some day.. 73
I’ve noticed that 20 opens up much later in the day, my midday portable Ops need to move to late afternoon and early evening. Heck it’s cooler then anyway LOL. Thanks for watching my friend! 73
Very good congratulations I love qrp, have you test this radio on 10m?
I need to get a ham license, I’m jealous.
Do it!
Former Slidell resident. Current Biloxi resident.
Who Dat!!!!
Hi, messaging from Australia. I am a keen 4wd deep country explorer. I have been looking for a long distance portable HF transmitter and Ariel package for emergency coms. Australia has vast open land. I am looking at these small cheap type units, but value your experience and knowledge. The tunnel coil base looks good, and then perhaps a collapsable antenna and wire. Now adjusting the SWR would require a seperate device for tuning, an all in one cheap radio with built in tuner would be perfect. Do you think 5watts would do the job? Maybe this could be a series of videos you could do.
Love your to the point not too nerdy approach.
Thanks for watching, Actually you wouldn't need a tuner with that coil just a way of checking SWR, you slide the outer ring of the coil to tune it and match. I actually have another video on my channel featuring the coil. You can really get out with 5 watts but it's very dependent on conditions. For emergency operations I would strongly consider something like the Xiegu G90 which is 20 watts and also has a built in antenna tuner. I think that radio with a HamStick antenna would be all you need for very good portable mobile operation in a 4X4. Hope this helps! All the best and 73! Walt K4OGO
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES Thank you that is excellent advise. Having the tuner built in the radio, removes that point of failure and complexity, and 20 the 20 watt output provides additional range. Thanks again and keep doing what you are doing. You channel appeals to wider audience
Thanks for the videos, Walt! Is this the best antenna setup for this QRP radio? Love the no tuner simple setup!
Hard to say what is the best but this is absolutely a great antenna because of not needing a tuner. Probably my favorite portable setup.
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES Thanks Walt!
After that HOA video, I suppose moving next to the LOVE sign should help people think about their words before they speak them. I would hope. Is this radio a spin-off of the tr(u)SDX or two separate projects?
Haha yes I moved down to the other end of the seawall to avoid getting frustrated while trying to enjoy myself. The (tr)uSDX is actually a spin-off of this original design by the original designer and builder.
I'd love to see this operate on the computer with CAT control. Would you mind doing that? Thanks!
I will definitely get to that! Thanks for watching!
You win the radio collection. I submit.
Hahaha!
Thanks for posting Walt. I have been thinking about getting one of these to carry with me at work. Do you have a link to the particular one that you have? Also do you like the (tr)uSDX better?Thanks.
Thanks for watching! It's hard to compare the two, the (tr)uSDX is a fun little radio but doesn't have the band capabilities that this one has. As for this radio I got it on Banggood but I must warn you it took almost 2 months to arrive and that's why I didn't share a link in the description. The item's id number is 1890124 and if you do a search on Banggood it will come up. 73 de K4OGO
Good transceiver
Yes, I’m hooked!
Interested to know if the counterpoise is bare wire. I found that a metre of bare wire in the sea was all that is needed; an insulated counterpoise dropped into the sea did not work at all.
Yes it’s bare copper!
Please do a follow up video on this transceiver. 73. K7NFO
Absolutely Mike! I plan on taking it out one early evening soon at our local beach with a serious antenna. 73 Walt K4OGO
Walt, what size connector fits the external battery port? 73, WE8USN
I can’t remember the exact size. I don’t have the radio with me. Sorry
Has he ever done a mountain topper?
Or a Venus?
No haven’t done either
So once you charge it. About how long will it roll on a full charge?
I've used it for 3 to 4 hours straight without any issues
How do you hook to external power? What type DC in plug do I need? Help!! Lol
Hi Wayne, I’m away from home and that radio. Mine came with an extra cord so I’m not sure of the exact size. I’ll try to check as soon as I get a chance
Mobile native here! Do you like this one better than the (tr)usdx? 73!
Hey! Yes I actually like this one better. I actually gave my (tr)uSDX away and kept this one.
Thanks!
Not really in Norfolk. He's in Portsmouth which is across the river from Norfolk
yep, I'm in Portsmouth directly across the harbor from Norfolk in Olde Towne.
Love you videos. I've become a QRP nut myself lately. I have the (tr)uSDX kit radio and have made dozens of contacts SSB in the past week. I also have the same transceiver you're using on this video and it works too. Only gripe is the cheap handheld mic it came with wasn't modulating correctly. It would key the rig, but audio was extremely distorted. So, I used the internal mic and have made contracts no problem. I agree with your assessment on the internal speaker, it's really good. I wish I could find a cheap mic that works with this. Like you said, it's heavy and I would like to set it down and use a hand mic. Any recommendations? 73/K7KWW
Thanks! No recommendations on the mic yet as I'm looking for a good one too. Mine didn't come with a mic. 73/K4OGO
Can"t buy it anymore.
Just saw it on Banggood from same seller I bought mine: Portable uSDX 8 Band SDR All Mode Transceiver USB, LSB, CW, AM, FM HF SSB QRP Transceiver QCX-SSB with Battery Measurement & Analysis Instruments from Tools on banggood banggood.onelink.me/zMT7/myvu69p5
On eBay $142
Enjoyed that Walt,love to see you using a KX2,if you can beg,borrow or steal one,there is a long waiting list from Elecraft. Dave EI3IXB
Yes would like to have one myself!
nice vids. i have seen al 3 videos about this radio also seen a lot of mixed reviews. i saw one on amazon for $215. im affraid to get a bad one. only good thing about the amazon that it has free 30 days return. would you mind to share your bangood suplier
73 de KP4MI
best regards
Miguel
I have gone back and looked and my Banggood supplier no longer has these available. Sorry. Thanks for the kind words on the video. 73, Walt K4OGO
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES I do have an ic-705 but will like one like yours, I live in a costal town in Puerto Rico and dont want to take the 705 to tje sand and salty water. I saw a few in ebay cbeaper than amazon and they will ship fron CA, but they are the black housing not the red that amazon has, also the amazon one talks about new and old modelamd thah they wil ship at random. idk if to vet the ebay one due to also have 30 days return policy or get the amazon one, either way i most me prepare for some trobleshooting and firmware update