Qcx qrp rig

Hi,
I read with interest the article about the QCX QRP rig that was designed and built for YOTA. It looks like a very capable yet small and cheap QRP rig.
Has anyone enjoyed one of these radio’s? With me learning CW, it might be fun to actually have a small TX like the QCX to use for SOTA occasionally.

some quesitons i have though are
How many bits does it come in?
I’ll get it for 30m as i have ever used it and by the research on here its a good band for SOTA, is it good for QRS newbie morse too?
What do you power it with as It has quite a large power aperture it can handle?

Including postage its about £41 and it has a bunhc of features:
lcd display
cw decoder
200HZ cw filter
beacon + wspr mode
to name a few.
mono band HF (chosen at time of purchase)
3-5W out.

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Google is your friend to find lot of reviews but this is quite recent and relevant from a “SOTA’ist”…

Nice rig, needs a case. Tempted.

73, Barry N1EU

I have a 30m kit awaiting construction. One day…

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I am still waiting for my 40m kit ordered way back in September. It has been dispatched a few days ago.
I hope it arrives in time for Christmas Holidays…

73 Heinz

looks like a challenge, i might have to make it a new years resolution. Make a kit radio!

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Hans designed the kit to be as easy as possible to get working properly and the instruction manual surpasses even those of Elecraft.

The kit is very cleverly done, a superb job by Hans G0UPL.

I will definitely be ordering a QCX (QRP Labs CW XCVR) once the dust has settled!

73, Colin

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thats two radio resolutions.

  1. finish learning morse alphabet AND numbers AND common punctuation at 5wpm
  2. build my first radio and use it :slight_smile:

Don’t learn it at 5 wpm, learn it at least at 12 or 15 wpm but with big gaps if you’re not already, Farnsworth method I believe. Free software by G4FON.

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yeah the character speed is around 12-15 wpm but with big gaps to make it around 5wpm overall.
currently using a CD in the car and some practice at the radio club.

Hi Anthony,
I’ve heard nothing but good reports about this QRP TRX from Hans. The 17m version that he supplied to YOTA 2017 was a big success. It is a single band rig, so you need to order one for the band you are interested in.

In fact all products from QRP Labs seem to be well respected.

I would be interested in this kit except … it’s only CW and I don’t use CW (can’t seem to get my mind around learning “the code”).

I’m very tempted to buy the new UBitx kit from Fahan in India as it’s an SSB (+CW) multi-band QRP TRX but then I look at the other kits that are still sitting on my workbench, that I never seem to get around to and think, do I want to add another one to the queue?

73 Ed.

I have since a few month a 30 meter version. It’s a great kit. The manual is easy to follow. It can’t go wrong. And you don’t test equipment. It’s built-in ,voltmeter, RF power meter, frequency counter, signal generator.

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Hi Ed,
You’ve learned German as well as English, and probably French and Spanish given your love of travelling. (And Oz). But even one of those languages is far more difficult and requires far more learning than morse code. It isn’t lack of ability, it is the learning method, I suggest. Don’t give it up as a lost cause. You just haven’t found the right learning method.
Seasons greetings, btw.

73 Andrew VK1DA VK2UH

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Just powered my 20 meter version up for the first time 30 minutes ago. Everything seems to be working fine with about 3.5 Watts out. As is, its ok in the shack but must have an enclosure before it is subjected to more rigorous surroundings. W9FHA

This is not just another qrp rig. The receiver is completely different and much better than on other rigs of comparable size. And all this for less than 50 euros… Fantastic. I am planning to order one, as soon as I decide what band to start with.

Fric YU1WC

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Try learning at 20wpm with Farnsworth spacing and see how that works out for you.

I have a 20m QCX still in box. Have to find time to start putting it together.

Hi Anthony,
Yes, there are lots of “bits” to this radio but I’ve never seen better instructions. You can look them over before you buy here: http://qrp-labs.com/images/qcx/assembly_A4.pdf.
73, Etienne-K7ATN

I will create some custom mp3 files with 20wpm code with large spacing. see how that goes, i was thinking the other day some of the characters are a bit too slow at 12wpm as you can still hear the dits and dahs and i learn it so much better when i just hear the sound, the best letters personally for me at the moment are O,M,H,B,E,I,T as i hear the sound and not the dits and dahs.

Yeah i have heard the receiver for its size is fantastic. I am thinking of going for 30m, just because its a cw band.
apparently there is a forum about these and a case you can get off ebay fits it nicely. I just don’t have any test equipment bar a cheap multimeter so can’t test the coils etc when building. Although i think a guy at the radio club will have some i can use if need be.

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All the test equipment you need is built into the kit itself.

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www.g4fon.net/CW%20Trainer.htm