Many thanks to Evan (K2EJT) who shares the following article about his portable field radio kit which will be featured on our Field Kit Gallery page. If you would like to share your field kit with the QRPer community, read this post. Check out Evan’s field kit:

FX-4CR Field Activation Kit

by Evan (K2EJT)

I have a lot of QRP field radios (more than I need and then some). Some of them are one trick ponies, and some of them can do several things very well. One radio, however, does everything well, and ticks every box for me. It’s tiny, well built, runs all modes very well, has 20w output, a color waterfall, and doesn’t break the bank.

That radio is the FX-4CR from BG2FX. Now, before I sing the praises of this little radio, I need you to know that it wasn’t always great. In fact, when I first got it it was pretty painful to use. I’m primarily a CW operator, so if a radio is lousy for CW, it doesn’t get used.

This radio was pretty atrocious on CW when I first got it. Keying was strange. It would miss dits and dahs. It had all sorts of popping and artifacts when you sent. It was fine on receive……but sending was pretty much unusable. I got it, used it for one activation in May, and then put it away in my gear closet, disgusted at how bad it was for CW.

Fast forward to the August 2023 firmware update, and Yu fixed all of the weird CW bugs, and now I can wholeheartedly sing the praises of this radio.

This kit lives in a Pelican case I’ve had forever. I forget which model it is (it’s so old the label fell off years ago), but it fits the kit nicely.

Inside the case you’ll find everything you need for a field activation. Notice I didn’t say a CW activation……ANY activation.

CW? Absolutely. In fact, with the latest firmware this radio is an absolute pleasure to send on.

SSB? Heck yeah. The audio from this radio is very good. The external hand mic is tiny but well built, and the radio even has an internal mic which is quite good as well.

Digital? Ah….digital. Now THAT’S what sets this radio apart from pretty much any other QRP field radio out there aside from the IC705. This thing has a built in sound card, so digital is a breeze. Wait….you forgot your USB cable you say? Not a problem, because this thing has Bluetooth digital as well, and it works flawlessly. You’ll notice a cell phone in the pictures. I run FT8 on that via Bluetooth using an Android application called FT8CN. All you need is the rig and your phone, and you’re in business.

Aside from the rig itself and the Pelican case, this kit contains the following:

Bioenno 3ah battery
The hand mic
Power cable
cwmorse.us key
Retractable 3.5mm cable
Rite in the Rain notepad for logging
Pentel mechanical pencil
Weaver 8oz throw weight and 65’ of hi viz reflective cordage
15’ of RG316 coax
Spark Plug Antennas EFHW and a homebrew wire for the antenna
The user manual
My phone for FT8

(Gear links below)

There are also a set of flip down laptop legs on the radio from Amazon to get the viewing angle correct.

Now, this radio isn’t perfect (no radio is). There are a few things to keep in mind.

First, it’s small, but it’s heavy (530g or almost 19oz). Second, because it’s a 20w radio and it’s as small as it is, it can get hot…..very hot if you’re running digital.

Third, the firmware update process is a little nerve wracking. Aside from that, it’s a pretty sweet little radio for $550. It would be nice if it had an internal battery and a tuner, but I can live without those considering how much functionality is packed into this little rig.

Out of every field radio I own (and as I said, I own a ton), this one is probably the most capable. It’s amazing for CW (finally), SSB, and digital. It’s tiny. It’s 20w. It isn’t crazy expensive. If I’m doing anything other than just CW in the field, this is one of the radios I grab most often. Is it the best radio I own? No. Is it awesome for what it is? Absolutely!

Evan

K2EJT

Gear Links:

Readers: Check out Evan’s YouTube channel for more field radio goodness.

3 thoughts on “Field Radio Kit Gallery: K2EJT’s FX-4CR Field Radio Kit”

The latest update from Yu, (I’m aware there’s a Mic Mod) did it include any improvements to the SSB compression.

Thanks for the update, I use mine a lot but like you I’ve a 705 now but also tend to reach for the KX2 as it’s a still my favorite, though the Bluetooth digital is now a winner as I don’t have to lug a laptop and associated Kit.

Evan Thorson says:

November 4, 2023 at 7:27 am

I’m honestly not sure about the SSB compression. I don’t use phone a ton, so I don’t know. When I have used it for voice, I’ve gotten good reports, so it works pretty well regardless.

Reply

I have one, but beyond playing a bit on the desktop, and getting the harrowing firmware update done (thank goodness for the German language YouTube video that explained how to do it!) I have not really used it. It seems like a radio with tremendous potential as a field rig, and it’s terrific to have a designer/engineer who is receptive to criticism and suggestions and comes out with solid updates.

I think getting it on the air quite a bit tomorrow, if we don’t have to deal with flares too much, will be my Sunday project.

I may have missed it, curious about your wire for the great little Spark Plug antenna. Do you have different lengths cut for the different bands?