Category Archives: QRP Radios

CommRadio CTX-10 approved by FCC

The CommRadio CTX-10

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, R. Lewis (KF5GV), who writes:

Just noticed on Universal Radio web page the Comm Radio CTX-10 has been approved by the FCC. They are accepting pre-orders on Dec 1. No indication of pricing but hope they announce it soon.

Thanks for the tip!

I’m looking forward to checking out the CommRadio CTX-10. For one thing, it’s in one of my favorite radio categories: portable general coverage QRP transceivers!

Since the CTX-10 receiver is likely an iteration of the excellent CommRadio CR1 series, I expect it’ll perform well on the broadcast bands as well as the ham bands. I look forward to reviewing the CTX-10.

Follow the tag CommRadio CTX-10 for updates.

73 Radio Row: A retailer with QRP goodies

73RR Logo - B

(Source: 73 Radio Row press release)

A new website designed for radio amateurs, SWL’ers, CB’ers and all communications hobbyists has launched on the Internet recreating the atmosphere of the famed Radio Row in New York City.

According to its founder, Richard Fisher, KI6SN, “’73 Radio Row’ takes its cue from an era when New York’s legendary radio district bustled with communications fanatics shopping for surplus and used gear along Cortlandt Street in Lower Manhattan.” 73 Radio Row’s Web address is: http://www.73RadioRow.com

The site features used radio receivers, transmitters and transceivers, as well as unbuilt kits, new/old stock antennas, Morse instruments and station accessories of all kinds.

“We are crazy about radio, the same as everyone else,” Fisher said. “RETRO is NOWtro.” For complete details, visit: http://www.73RadioRow.com or write to: [email protected]. Call (951) 395-1923.

I discovered 73 Radio Row right after it launched–I ordered a portable ER TiCK Deluxe Keyer for the very affordable price of $26 US shipped.

IMG_20160507_073723040-001

The keyer was dispatched immediately and I received it within a couple of days.

I just noticed, this morning, that Richard has listed an American Morse Equipment Precision Straight Key for $35.

KK1+-+A

I know Richard Fisher (KI6SN) quite well and can certainly vouch for his integrity. In fact, he’s even giving a portion of 73 Radio Row proceeds to Ears To Our World–what a nice guy!

The new LNR Precision LD-11 transceiver is essentially general coverage

[FYI: This is a re-post from my blog, the SWLing Post]

LNR-Precision-LD-11

A couple weeks ago, LNR Precision sent me their new LD-11 Digital Direct Conversion QRP transceiver on loan for review.

The LD-11 is basically a small, tabletop SDR transceiver. It’s like a miniature, simplified version of the Icom IC-7100 I’ve also been evaluating.

The LD-11 is an all-mode and all-band transceiver–meaning, it includes SSB, CW, CW-R, Digi, AM and FM modes on all amateur radio bands (160 – 10 meters).

Though the LD-11 isn’t advertised as having a general coverage receiver, it will indeed tune the entire HF band.

You do this by entering the LD-11’s administration mode. LNR describes this in the LD-11 product manual, but suggests you contact them for help the first time you do this. In the admin panel, you’ll find functions that allow you to set the band edges on each amateur radio band.

For a preliminary test of broadcast reception, I moved the lower band edge of the 30 meter ham radio band to 8.2 MHz.

LNR-Precision-LD-11-front panel

After saving the settings and re-starting the LD-11 in normal operation mode, I could then tune the entire 31 meter broadcast band on the LD-11.

Hypothetically, you could either widen each amateur radio band to include adjacent broadcast bands, or you could simply set one of the ham bands to include the entire HF spectrum. To make it easier to navigate and tune through the bands, I’m choosing the former method over the latter.

Since the LD-11 has a proper AM mode, broadcasts sound great–especially via headphones!

Proper AM filters for broadcast reception!

Better yet?  The AM filter width can be widened to an impressive 9.6 kHz! Woo hoo!

LNR-LD-11-Shortwave-AM

The LD-11 has four filter slots: F1, F2, F3 and F4.

The F1-F3 slots can be set to a fixed user-defined widths (common widths are default).

F4 can be altered to any available filter width without having to enter the admin mode of the transceiver. Simply press the “F” (blue function button) and the FILTER button simultaneously and use the encoder/tuning knob to specify the filter width in .1 kHz steps. Pressing the F and FILTER button simultaneously again, will save your filter width for the F4 position.

I’ve been using the F4 filter position for widths between about 8.2 and 9.6 kHz in AM.

It’s still early days with the LD-11, but I’m enjoying this little transceiver immensely. It reminds me of one of my favorite QRP transceivers of yesteryear: the Index Labs QRP Plus (though the LD-11 is much smaller, more versatile and has a much better front end than the QRP Plus!).

LNR Precision sold out all of their first run LD-11 units within moments of having announced availability. I’m willing to bet they’ll bring a few LD-11s to the upcoming Dayton Hamvention, though.

Check inventory status and view LD-11 details on LNR Precision’s website. 

LRN Precision announces two new QRP transceivers: the LD-11 and MTR5B

LNR-MountainTopper-LD11-Announcement

LNR Precision announced two new QRP transceivers this weekend: the MTR5B and LD-11.

Below, you can find details I pulled from LNR’s press release and website for both units:

LNR-Precision-LD-11

The LD-11

The LD-11 is a new 11-band QRP transceiver based on the LNR’s LD-5 transceiver. The LD-11 covers from the 6 meter band down to the 160 meter band. A new feature on this model is a built-in panadapter. AM/FM/SSB and CW modes are all included.

Here is the description from LNR’s website:

The new LD-11 is Digital Direct Conversion, SDR type, build-in CPU (SM32a) DSP radio in which RF signals are directly converted to a digital data via differential and balanced A/D converters. This enables direct sampling with extremely low phase and floor noise.

The DSP is unique and features two independent channels. It also employs a unique differential algorithm within the software which is applied for IQ processing of the channels with phase suppression of the unwanted side-band channel.

The balanced ADC and DAC gives additional noise floor reduction and the receiver can handle interfering signals that are 100 dB stronger than the desired signal at a frequency separation of 10 kHz, and is about 130 dB stronger at 50 kHz separation. As the receiver and transmitter are using the same DSP channel, there is no gap between the receiver performance and the transmitter performance. Thus, there is a clean neighborhood on the bands. At the development stage, our intentions were motivated by the TX side-band noise of existing SDR manufacturers, so our aim was to fully equalize our transmitter to have noise performance that is compatible with the best modern receivers, or even better. After a arduous year of development , we think we achieved it!

This 11+ band radio is based on the LD-5, which has proven to be one of the most exciting QRP transceivers introduced in the last few years. Quite frankly, the performance rivals high end units offered by other manufactures at a much lower price point. Our motto is that we make QRP transceivers that you will want to take out in the field (without fear of breaking the bank).

LNR-Precision-LD-11-L-Side LNR-Precision-LD-11-R-Side

Note: I will review the LD-11 in the coming weeks and post images and notes here on QRPer.com.

MTR5B

The MTR5B

The new MTR5B 5-Band Mountain Topper is a fully-assembled 5-band CW transceiver KD1JV designs “Steve Weber” kit. The following are specifications/features from the LNR website:

40M, 30M, 20M, 17M, 15M
Size: 4.337″L x 3.153″W x 1.008″T
Weight: approx 6.4 OZ.

Features:

  • Switch selected 40/30/20/17/15 meter bands (no band modules to lose or change out)
  • Wide operating voltage range, 6 to 12 volts 15 ma Rx current at 12V supply
  • Efficient transmitter. Low current with 4W output
  • LCD display
  • Push button or Optional rotary tuning
  • 24 hour clock built in, with battery back up
  • Three 63 character programmable message memories
  • Message beacon mode with adjustable pause time

MTR5B-1

If you were lucky enough to grab a first production unit of either of these radios, I would love to post your overview/review! I’m looking forward to checking out the LD-11.

The Ten-Tec Patriot: an open-source SSB/CW/Digital transceiver

507-Patriot-low-res

Today at the QRP ARCI conference, Four Days in May, Ten-Tec is showing off their latest open-source transceiver: the Model 507 Patriot.

507 Patriot 001

Building on the concepts behind the Model 506 Rebel, released last year, the Patriot is open-source and firmly targeted at the makers and experimenters amongst the amateur radio crowd. Like the Rebel, the Patriot is spartan by design, leaving it to the maker to develop the transceiver’s character via crowd-sourcing.

The Ten-Tec Patriot at my QTHUnlike the CW-only Rebel, the Patriot has SSB and digital modes in addition to CW.

Mic and line levels are adjustable by recessed pots on the right side of the Patriot
Mic and line levels are adjustable by recessed pots on the right side of the Patriot

The Patriot arrives as a fairly bare-bones 20/40 meter transceiver, but with all of the essential functions pre-loaded, including:

  • AF gain
  • RIT
  • Bandwidth selection
  • Tuning step selection
  • Band selection (20 or 40 meters)
  • Tuning knob/encoder
  • Mic Level
  • Line Level in/out
  • CW Speed

I’ve had the Patriot’s progenitor for about a week now, and have had it on the air a bit. But as this is a very early beta version, I can’t comment on much other than to say that audio reports have been quite good on SSB. I’ll dive into the digital modes after the Hamvention.

Ten-Tec Patriot

Of course, when I receive an actual production unit of the Patriot, I’ll give a more thorough overview.

In a nutshell?  I like this direction for Ten-Tec and am happy to see that they are growing a new line from the seed planted by the Rebel. By producing basic, open-source, and relatively affordable radios, Ten-Tec may actually be blazing a path to transceivers with benchmark performance and crowd-sourced firmware. I have no idea if Ten-Tec is contemplating this, but I’m sure many manufacturers are–it’s a great direction for any company.  Meanwhile, stay tuned for more on the Patriot!

Ten-Tec Patriot

Ten-Tec Patriot Back

The KX3 helper: a simple, effective non-slip pad

KX3-Helper-WithKX3

I recently purchased the KX3 helper from W1SFR and can report that I’ve been very pleased with this simple, affordable, non-slip tilt pad.

KX3-Helper

While I like the built-in tilt legs on the KX3, I prefer slightly more angle on my desktop.  The KX3 helper allows you to chose a number of positions and angles for the KX3.

KX3-Helper-Side

 

What I love most is the fact that it will not slip while you’re tuning or making adjustments to the KX3 (even if inserting Mic or Key plugs).

KX3-Helper-TopView

The little shelf on the back of the KX3 helper is the perfect place to hold your KX3 microphone when not in use.

KX3-Helper-FullView

At $13.45 US shipped, I believe the KX3 helper is a true bargain. Check out all of Steve’s radio accessories by clicking here.

OpenQRP kit now available in North America

OpenQRPMany thanks to Graham (G3ZOD) who writes:

The OpenQRP 40m CW Transceiver kit is now available for delivery to the USA and Canada from OpenQRP.com (USA) at $150.00 plus $10.00 shipping (USD).

This provides around 6 to 8 Watts output at 13.5 V on 7 MHz. It includes an LCD display, CW decoder, memory keyer, and has 400 Hz IF selectivity. The processor is based on Arduino technology, allowing experimentation with the firmware. It is designed by Steve Elliott, K1EL, well known for his WinKeyer family of keyers.

(The OpenQRP 40m CW Transceiver kit is also available from Kanga Products (UK) http://www.kanga-products.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=76&Itemid=78  at £89 (GBP) excluding delivery.)

OpenQRP transceiver available in the UK

The OpenQRP transceiver (Photo: kanga-products.co.uk)
The OpenQRP transceiver (Photo: kanga-products.co.uk)

Graham Smith (G3ZOD) writes:

“Kanga Products (UK) provided the first Open QRP 40m transceiver kits at the UK National Hamfest on 27/28th September.
http://www.kanga-products.co.uk/index.php/openqrp-transceiver

The kit is priced at £89 (GBP) and has an LCD display and front panel controls for Tune, RIT, RF Gain, and 6 push buttons.  Output is 6 to 8 Watts at 13.5 V. [T]he Open QRP transceiver also includes a separate chip that decodes incoming CW and CW sent via paddles!

The spec. is available here:
http://www.openqrp.org/files/openQRP_SPECS_R02.pdf

The transceiver was designed by Steve Elliott, K1EL, of WinKeyer fame.
(Kits are also expected to be available in the USA at some point from a separate supplier.)

I was fortunate to be able to purchase one of the kits at the Hamfest.  Although I haven’t yet had time to put it together, one purchaser already has his transceiver up & running.

This is an exciting product for us in the UK, as normally items like this are imported from the USA, suffering high tax and import charges.

It begs comparison with Ten-Tec’s Model 506 Open Source QRP CW Transceiver, which is more or less the same concept based on Arduino technology (probably the Rebel was inspired by K1EL’s design, which he started in 2009).  The Open QRP is single band and a kit, whereas the Rebel has two bands and is ready-built.  The Open QRP has an LCD display and 6 push buttons, where as the Rebel has no display and two push buttons.
When UK companies sell USA amateur products such as the Rebel, they quite often adopt a “dollar – UK pound equivalence” pricing, which makes them far more expensive here than they are in the USA (although the UK companies do have to shoulder the import costs).  On this basis, if the Rebel is priced at £199 (GBP), it will make the Open QRP kit less than half the price at £89 (GBP).”

Many thanks for the info, Graham! Please let us know about your experience building and getting the OpenQRP transceiver on the air!

LNR Precision introduces the FX-4: a four band CW/SSB transceiver

I saw a prototype of the FX-4 at the Dayton Hamvention this year. Initial impressions are that it is well-built and easily back-packable.

I will see about reviewing the LNR FX-4 after they become available.

Many thanks to Chris (K4RCH) for the tip!

(Source: LNR Precision)
FX-4 NEW!

It is has been a few months since we announced the FX-4 Transceiver but it is getting very close to being available for purchase. For those of you that are friends of our Facebook page or visited our booth at Dayton Hamvention got an early peek at it. Here is an updated picture and it will be a very sharp black color. Other pics are on theFacebook page. We have been making some last minute tweaks that we think you will really like. We plan to offer it for purchase under $500 and you can add your name to the wait list which can be found at the bottom of our purchase page.

FX-4 Specs

Transceiver size in inches 4.10L X 2.8W X 1.5T
Transceiver Weight 12.8 oz.
Current Drain on receive 250-270 ma
Current Drain on transmit 1200 ma
Receive/Transmit Bands 7.000.00 to 7.300.00 MHz
14.000.00 to 14.350.00 MHz
9.999.00 to 10.150.00 MHz
18.068 to 18.168.00 MHz
Frequency control 75 MHz
Display type LCD-128×64
Transmitter Max output power 5 watts CW
5 Watts SSB
Spurious emissions -43dB at 5 Watts
Side tone pitch 550Hz to 1500Hz adjustable
Receiver sensitivity 0.3uV
Selectivity -3dB/ 2.6K -40db/ 4.5K
Audio Output 1 Watt with 8 ohm speaker
Keyer Iambic A & B adjustable speed from 5 to 40 wpm
Memory Storage 10 per each Band total of 40
DSP filtering 300KHz, 500KHz. 1.3KHz, 1.6KHz, 1.9KHz, 2.2KHz, and 2.5KHz.
VFO Drift <5Hz after 5 minute warm up at 30c (<10Hz after 30 minute operation @ 40c)

 

A review of the Elecraft KX3 on The SWLing Post

IMG_6686Many of you know that I’m not only into QRP, but I’m an avid shortwave radio listener, as well.

If you’re an SWLer, too, you might might consider venturing over to my shortwave radio blog, The SWLing Post, where I just published a review of the Elecraft KX3. Unlike other reviews of the KX3, this was originally written for the May 2013 issue of Monitoring Times Magazine and focuses on the KX3 as a shortwave radio receiver.

Click here to read the full review.