Відео

Good sir, Unfortunately what you seek I wouldn't be able to do in a simple video. And, as I too am a working man, with wife, house repair needs and trying to run my own business, finding time to be an electronics instructor is difficult, and honestly, I can't afford good camera gear. It was my hope that the video would give people a place to start. For the most part, working on these types of circuits is from taking many things apart that had failed, and having nothing to loose trying to fix them. There are many good videos here on UA-cam that are more educational on circuit function and the like. And the schematic of how the radio was supposed to be built can be found on the internet, and the dedicated usdx usdr Facebook group - those folks are very helpful, and you'll even find links to what you need to upgrade the firmware of the radio. (A very, very scary, and often destructive process.) Now, with that said, I am planning a follow up video and touching on a few things I've done over the last year to improve the radio's operation even more so than what I did in that video. So, from someone who is in the same boat armed with Beofeng, RS-918s and uSDXs.... I can relate, and when I got my first uSDX, I was in the same boat you were. Just wishing all the answers were all in one place. But, eventually I leaned: 1, none of these radios are the same. 2, no one fix to make them work exists. 3, They should bear the nameplate "Fisher-Price!" All the best, friend! And do stay tuned for a follow-on video this winter. -Tom

Most welcome.

That is correct. It's amazing what those header pin are also connected to, should you look at the schematic. ;)

@@tomsworkshop5856 I was fortunate to have already been working with Arduino boards before buying my first of these radios. I now have three. The ISP pinout in the radios and an Arduino Nano or Uno turned out to be the same arrangement.

@@teotwaki Cool, I've ended up with three of them too!! And ya, I've flashed them all, a time or too. And yes, the microphone in is literally on of the pins. And so is ground.

I'm always open to equipment upgrades. But, as an Amateur with limited resources, I tend to run hand me down equipment. Besides, I've only got one more video in the works, and I'll have created all the content I intend to. After all, I'm not paid in anyway to make these videos. And was only hoping that some folks might be helped by my experiences and find their own value in them.

Hi, friend. Would you be willing to make a clearly viewed and easy to follow video of how you did that? I know so many would appreciate it. Thank you.

BTW is is possible to do the update with only a raspberry pi if you already have that. The arduino programmer is unnecessary.

Hey Doug, so the capacitor that I used on the header is just a run of the mill Ceramic disk capacitor that you can buy off of Amazon in a bulk assortment for $15,. I used a 47nF, and it is over-kill. Two others I've worked on sounded better with a 10nF capacitor installed. www.amazon.ca/10pf-Capacitor-Multi-Layer-Resistance-Assortment/dp/B07RWM9TMN/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=2S66BFC1UKI7K&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.qBNfiB-Mnah2LuthN077qKv5aT23XiaDdGyIkx9OSuOFmwzbt3zP8mVLcDqxommNx7hLUrXTmu5JjDKhwhHuIuFTnLSIDXFGkoO2U-8RcnmkUXrZ-8BCbAMoSWOj6N2GXFAVtQ64ji627k6NHcs5TL2-ltapeHAgm-ap0vnC7UCEAOIivwQdrCFaN0IbKhUUyMjh45bfT81GYwh7nxZBX6aeZLa9ULaQd77dvgO9hiiWmKlxWDPUahuSvc8f3cLY1pY1pJzsoW0Brrcb5lKPxNQxu9QXwymzsqDLZ70l0N4.rhwtd1RAsGLKj_75woU5XFLE04FPi11hrpwY-_00EmA&dib_tag=se&keywords=450pcs+multi-layer+ceramic+capacitor&qid=1719961429&sprefix=450pcs+multi-layer+cermaic+capacitor%2Caps%2C161&sr=8-2-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1 As far as the jumpering of the speaker portion of the k jack, The radio is now well and truly built into its permanent station, so I'm not really wanting to take it appart again, as it is working well enough these days. You might be able to hear me on the Aurora Net from time to time. :) With that said, of all the video and pics I had taken the best did make it into the video. But yes, essentially it's just two wires jumping across to the opposite side of the jack. 73 Doug -Tom VE7NGK

@@tomsworkshop5856 Thanks for the reply, Tom. I think I'll forget about the cap replacement. I don't plan to upgrade the firmware, at least not at this time. I have installed the 100k resistor at R23 and done the jumper mod so all is good for now. I'm gathering the parts to build an EFHV antenna to try out using the uSDX+. We'll see how that goes.

@@dougkathydavies3024 You know, I've got a few radios. I love to rag chew, and one of them I use on 80 meters every night, and it sounds good and everything. But the uSDX+ V2 is now installed at my place of work, and gets used at coffee, lunch and after work times. I've hunted 187 parks so far, armed only with a 60' random wire, powered by the OGS-50W amp, and the ATU-100. Out of my fleet of radios, this little thing has become my favorite. I do plan on posting a follow-up video of some other things you can get/do to get the most out of it.. So stay tuned, and good luck! I hope to hear you on the air one day, and hopefuly soon!

Most welcome!

Being this is an open source design you could theoretically re design the filters in the PA stage. However, being MARS operations require reliable equipment, with skilled operators this radio should never ever be used for that service.

That’s very odd. I’d make sure the noise filter and attenuators aren’t turned up. But that would be a new problem I’ve not run into. All 3 of mine can hear a pin drop on the far side of Mars.

Not only might the amp create those emissions, but the radio's own spurious emission will get amplified. And it only takes a small signal that's not resonant with the antenna to cause artificially high SWR readings. The difference being that the amp usually won't blow up from a secondary or even third harmonic that's 45db down from the main signal. ;) But filtering is definitely needed.

Well, this is an interesting one indeed. So, you have a couple of things going on there. Since it may have sat for a very long time, it is possible that the 3.7 volt lithium ion bettery has bit the dust. It's a small pouch battery glued to the shell of the unit - right beside the charge controller and boost converter. The tuner runs on 12v, and thus the converter boosts the voltage from the battery. Due to a bad design, this boost converter is always on, and always drawing a few milliamps of power. After a few weeks the battery is dead. After a few months the battery is shot. With that said, on that board, inside the unit are 2 indicator LEDs. One red for charging, and one green for full. When a correct USB cable is plugged in, it should charge, or at least create the 12v needed to run on the tuner. If this does not happen, make sure you are using a dumb 2.1a USB block, and the dumb USB-C charging cable. Fast charging blocks and data USB-C cables do not work with this tuner. (Like many cheap Ali-Express/Amazon toys with such power in ports. If this doesn't help, I'd suggest removing all the battery related stuff, and putting a regular 12v supply to the unit. As the base tuner is actually a decent design. Hope that helps! 73 Tom

@@tomsworkshop5856 Yes Tom, thanks for getting back ! After giving it a few hours charge, it lit up ! So it seems to work, to a point ! It seems to function on A.M. and SSB, but switching to FM, it seems to shut the tuner off ? Using a very old 25 watt Radio Shack HTX 10, which I think is running less than 25 watts ? Running into a 2 foot helical mag mount on my truck. Have made contacts so it seems to function, but I don't understand it kicking out on FM ? I installed a common mode choke on the antenna lead thinking some RF was getting back ? Still more to do ! Also tells me I've reached Max Power, if I whistle it up on SSB ? Not running anywhere near the 100 watts I thought this was rated for ? Any thoughts ? Thanks !

Ya, they do have some quirks to them. The FM shouldn't really bother it. I've done some FM work with mine at 50 watts. One thing they do suffer from, and causes the screen to crash is bad grounding. I'd make sure everything is well grounded. !! I also never leave mine in auto mode!! It goes stupid at higher power, when it starts a tune cycle, and gets above 9:1 SWR it will show 100s of watts. And at that point you can easily fry your finals !! There's also issues with the quality of diodes used in the SWR bridge, which is the heart of the unit as power and SWR gets reported to the CPU from there. I'd do a google search for ATU-100 diode replacement. Good luck, brother!

@@tomsworkshop5856 Thanks ! Well I know more than I did ! Lol ! I bought the thing some time ago, and kind of forgot it ! And as typical, no instructions to be found that I know of, so just been following my nose ! Thanks again Tom ! '73 !

Hey, well, there's so many different antenna combinations available that it really does depend on what you're planning to do. Set it up in a car, take it out into parks, or set up some sort of home station. I'd suggest doing some searches for HF antennas on here. There's lot's to learn. I hope that helps. And, depending on time, I do want to create a video about the random wire antenna. (You'll need a tuner to use one,) but they do an OK job across the all bands if you get them set up just right. If you're new to the hobby I'd suggest contact your local ham club, they are always wanting to talk and help new comers along. :) 73! Tom

You have summed up the average new ham radio operator very correctly. There are some of us that still love to play, fix and make better. But for many, that would be too much to ask. With that said, I know of two new hams that are less than 16 years old, that have bought tubed equipment and fixed it, ground their own crystals. (thanks to UA-cam instructional videos) and are having more fun with old junk than new radios. The fun for me, is when Chinese junk and old junk get together for a QSO. ;)

Well i sorta disagree that chinese only copy good designs. This is exactly what was said of the japanese at the start of their rise to electronics fame. I think we forget history far too quickly. Even if you look at some of the usdx copies / clones you can see that they have added things to make this a complete product that could be picked up and used by anyone. The integrated battery and thick metal case make the product quite unique. You won't find anything from any other sellers in that size and form factor. So that is already an innovation that no one else has done. It is of course true that the quality is terrible and lacking, This is due i think to many different complex factors. as for new hams being more consumers this is probably a good idea. Ham radio needs to expand from being the preserve of a handful of electronics engineers. This is partly why the hobby is so grey at the moment. Not everyone who wants to operate on the air waves is interested in the same things and this is the advantage of ham radio. here is where having cheap, easily accessible, ready to use gear is an advantage. It encourages younger people with less experience or other people in other industries to come into the hobby and play. The fact is ham radio has dominated by one particular, gender, social class, race for a very long time. This is partially i think because the cost of the equipment and the requirements made it quite hard for other people to participate. So i think what we need to take a less adversarial look at the Chinese sellers and instead start some kind of certification program with a select handful of them to make equipment that meets minimal requirements which still keeping the cost down and allowing others to join the hobby. Yes it's great if you have the time, money and skills to build your own kits but having gear that works correctly and is cheap is the way forward for the hobby.

This radio is an experimental radio. I have tested the Chinese copy and it has some technical problems but it is ok. I would recommend it to experienced hams. The world has changed. You can build good high quality products everywhere, there is a transfer of knowledge all over the world. There are good universities and engineers in China. I would never deny this. China is a big producer of goods for an international market. They produce good quality products and low quality goods accordingly what the consumers like to buy.

Если вы имеете в виду конденсатор в шапке, то да, если собираетесь обновлять прошивку.

Привет! Подскажите пожалуйста где можно взять прошивку

Найдите группу USDx USDR в Facebook, она есть в разделе файлов. @@ИгорьГончаров-я2п

I've used the Hand held Baofeng mic with it, but got reports that it sounded very bad. Now, the little ear piece/microphone one that comes with the UV-5RE is one that I think would work very, very well. But I was hoping to find it, and try it before commenting, but I think I must have left it laying on a park bench somewhere. Hope fully someone else has one, gives it a try, and let's us know.

Wow, definitely worth returning if it only had a millisecond life span. But most interesting that they are still working on ‘improvements.’ Hope you end up getting a working amp in the end. 73

Hi, I have recently received one of these with the extra resistors. Measured at 43 Ohm and 12 Ohm. In PI network theoretical attenuation nearly 9 dB and return loss of about 7dB, equivalent to a VSWR of about 2.5:1. Supposedly better than previous. Just waiting for replacement MOSFETs as the smoke escaped when checking bias voltage. Cheers Peter VK7KPC

So, you've got it set up correctly! With the amp un- powered, you tune the antenna, and then connect power to the amplifier. I've not installed a power switch into the amplifier, but there is a video on here somewhere where someone installs a magnetic power switch inside the amplifier. I just pull the power cord out of the amplifier when I'm not using it, but yes, a switch at the battery or power supply would be very much helpful. For those following along the connections are: Radio out to amplifier in, amplifier out to ATU in, and then ATU to the antenna.

Yes sir, you've got it right. However, there's a different version of this amp being sold now, and it is identifiable by the blue power light instead of red. I recently bought the second version, but have not yet been able to do the modification as they went through-hole for the relay. I'm hoping to make a follow up video on this newer version as to how the modification can be done, because, well, it still doesn't present a good 50ohm load to the radio. Hope that helps!! & 73

@@tomsworkshop5856 Thanks Tom. Yep, I have the blue light version. I will wait for your video and I did order the resistors.

@@migalito1955 Sounds good, hopefully this will be a simple (ish) mod, I do know I need to pull the board out, and that means the temp switch and unbolting the FETs. So, might take a bit of effort, But I'm hoping to find some "top side" connection point after I go through it. We shall see.

@@migalito1955 Hi, Blue light version has an attenuator already fitted Cheers Peter VK7KPC

Hi Martin, thanks for the kind words! So, all of my uSDX+s are running 2.00c, and it seems to work rather reliably. I've also heard, but not tried good things about 4.00c, with 4.00d soon to come out on the Facebook group for these radios. 73, Tom

Well, and that's the reason for this video. For others who are doing that research. I now own 2 of these radios. And, like you, I get glowing signal reports, now. The original one featured in this video is in daily service, and has logged many, many contacts, and has even done net control duty. As far as the legitimacy of this radio, and all those based on it's foundation. It could truly be called a disaster with the licensing changing in mid flight. Not to mention the addition of clones of clones. But I'm glad you are enjoying yours as much as I am enjoying mine.

Thanks, Tom. It is so funny how clones of clones of clones show up. Sadly, they get worse as time goes on! But it is great how popular QRP has become. I started in 1968 and there was never talk of it. Thank you for telling guys how to fix the later versions.

I've heard this a couple of times, but mine does seem to do OK and 15 12 and 10, for as often as those bands have been open for me.. So I'm not complaining.

That's a tough question to answer because everyone uses VHF a little differently. If you're just looking to boost your handy talkie a bit, then Btech (Model # AMP-V25) makes a nice little amplifier that also has audio (in and out) to turn your handy into more of a mobile / base setup. If you're looking to do VHF SSB, AM, or Digital then I'd be suggesting that you look at the offering from RM Italy. Hope that helps. 73! VE7NGK

Thank you sir... But i need to purchase linear vhf 144 to 148 if have can you help me about that sir and im willing to buy thaks 73

@@richardsenining7410 Sorry, I don't have any VHF amps.

It got my 2 watts up to 4.5 watts on my shop's random wire. :) I've got another OGS-50W on its way to see what fun I can have. ;) 73's good sir!

If you please, where do you find the operating manual, as the tuners don't come with one supplied ? Thank you !

Sad to hear that. I'm curious as to what you bought to replace it? And would love to hear how it works for you. :) 73!

Добро пожаловать!! 73!

Good day!! And congrats for holding off transmitting until you get your appropriate license. :) If you're planning to use this radio for CW, you will not be disappointed. The odd behavior comes into play with using it for sideband, and not all of them suffer from it. If you can get the (tr)usdx, you'll have a much more enjoyable experience, especially if you're not comfortable with moding the uSDX. But, yet again, I don't know what you paid for it, but if it was cheap enough, it could be a good learning opportunity. As far as sharing an antenna with another receiver, that's really not the best idea at all, as it will blow the front end out of the other receiver with ease if you transmit without some sort of duplexer... (And that would be a feat to create for HF, IMO.) If you're just receiving with both, then yes, the uSDX will create some birdies that the other receiver will pick up. I know that when mine is tuned around the 80 meter band, it will break the squelch on my VHF receiver. But they are very localized emissions.. All the best!!

Well, if you're looking for the latest, I'd go over to here: github.com/GW8RDI/uSDXOpen?fbclid=IwAR0MN9C83QCF1Jqf92JiBB5VGB2yIvysUgtn6yr5L_Do7c2wAiihL5JjIC4 I hope that helps!

Same here, mind you mine kind of works OK from new, same issues the grounding I fixed using copper foil, added the capacitor, waiting for some smd resistors.

Thanks Trevor! Mine has become my daily driver for lunch and coffee breaks at work. Way too much fun when you finally get it to the acceptable point. :) 73!!

Ya, the USDX is a pain. And the 817’s finals are fragile to say the least. As far as making the USDX almost useable, check out my other video. And search Facebook for the USDX group where you can find better firmware and how to upload it to your radio. Mine’s doing OK now, but dang, RF getting back into it via any connection, power, mic, etc.. makes it sound very bad - and adding the amp really compounds the problem. It seems, for me at least, I get the best results on 20 meters. I hope this helps, brother. 73s!

Thanks! 40 and 80 have weird sound to them on both my radios this week. Most of the folks I talked to on 80 last night were commenting on the after effects of the geo storm we had last week, so may don’t do anything drastic just yet. ;) Also, the Noise filter / blanker (NB) setting seems to work more aggressively on the lower bands. (On mine, anyway.) All the best!! Tom, VE7NGK

Two things come to mind. Drive power should be 2 to 5 watts, and if you're using an mcHF/RS-918 type radio, (Or similar experimental radio,) harmonics. Often times the 3rd harmonic.

@@tomsworkshop5856 Hi Tom, thank You for your answer. Yes, the drive power exceeded 5W - in fact it was around 6-7W. But would it make such a difference? Today I tried handheld Albrecht 2,5W and USDR reduced to similar power. The amplifier gave 40W on output , and a few qso-s were made with good reports. Harmonics - yes, but would it not affect SWR (and it was exactly as expected)? Anyway - best regards - Maciej SP5ZE

@@MaciejSzewczyk-x6w They often do effect SWR, but in some cases, especially with non-resonant antennas that are being made to transmit with a balun or unun, such as the popular 9:1 random wire. The SWR, even with out a tuner can often be under 2:1 on all HF bands, thus, the harmonic(s) might not affect the SWR as you would expect. Now, if it is a mono band antenna, I'd be surprised. But, not everything works out to simple answers. Also, I often run my amp in excess of 75 wats on 80 meters. It gets warm, the fans run a lot, but it seems happy doing that. ;) I just wouldn't recommend doing it, if you don't have replacement IRF530s on hand.... All the best and 73's VE7NGK

@@tomsworkshop5856 Thanks, 73!

Good day George. So, I've stopped using my uSDX with this amp as it creates far too many spurs and harmonics. The class E final setups in those radios are not up to being connected to an amplifier at all. I've exhausted many hours trying to clean up the emissions. With that said, I use this amp with my RS-918, that has had Wayne NB6M's modifications done to its filters. The OGS-50W is a dumb amplifier, and has no input loading, thus, unless they've changed something in the last year, I'd wonder how you got a good match at all. (And I'm not doubting you and the fine manufactures change things everyday!) The tests I did used the SWR meter in the RS-918, confirmed with a direct connection to a dummy load (Showing 1:1ish) and my Random wire without tuner (2:1) and then tuned 1.06:1 Using my ATU-100, and the OGS powered off in between the radio and tuner, and repeated on all bands. Once the the amp is powered on and trips into transmit, the reported SWR on the antenna tuner stays low, 1.15:1 (Some change expected with the increased power, and resistance of coax, balun, etc.) However, the radio's indicated SWR (5:1) was so high that radio was only pushing 2.5 watts into the amp, while set to 5 watts, in many, but not all of the bands. There is good news: The harmonics detected from the output of the antenna are 40 to 50db lower than the fundamental, compared to 9db lower than the uSDX substituted for the RS-918. Test set up was TinySA, using supplied antenna polarized in the same direction as the random wire and 40 feet from center of that transmitting antenna, with the TinySA set to measure harmonics. (Notably the 3rd harmonic was the worst in all cases, with both radios, likely because the amplifier favors frequencies in the 10 to 15MHz range.) So, you are correct. If your radio is dirty, or has high DC out, such as the uSDX families of radios. (This is evidenced by the uSDX radios only generating about 30 watts out of the amplifier, but traditionally built commercial radios without the DC component will do 55 watts with the same 3.5 watts in.) Don't use this amp without a filter system BEFORE the amplifier, unless you've cleaned up your radio's emissions to all harmonics being -50db or better. A filter setup after the amplifier is a good idea, but if you haven't cleaned up what it is amplifying, you will be converting all of your output to heat in the filter network. It should be noted that it will work on 10 meters, or as you say 11, but it is super inefficient. I hope that helps, and all the best to you!

@@tomsworkshop5856 Appreciate the thoughtful reply. I will set up the OSG-50 with an RS-918 (one of my favorite portables!) and see what I measure. My measurements were with the SWR meter and transmatch at the base of the antenna. The OSG-50 was left inline, both powered and unpowered, and worked well, with many spurs noted, which likely reflect the Class E operation, as you noted, of the (tr)usdx. I use an LPF-7, as well some other stiff filters on most of my Chinese equipment, as the second harmonics are often troubling. I am a product of the early sixties amateur scene, and recall "pink slips" for inappropriate emissions. All said, this amplifier is a work in progress, and needs a bit of work to be a good ham radio product. V73 George KF5WFA

@@plotdoc Hey, Thanks for the kind words! I do agree, the amplifier is a work in progress. BUT, I can say I've now logged over 100 hours of TX time on it. So, at $1 an hour investment, seems to be rather good. lol All the best George!! 73's de VE7NGK

@@tomsworkshop5856FB, Tom. I set up a test rig, using a QRP SWR/Wattmeter between the exciter and the amplifier, and another SWR/Wattmeter between the amplifier and the load, which, for purposes of the test, was a Cantenna KW load (finally, a use for it!). With the exciter active, and the OGS non-powered, the forward power was set to 4 Watt, and was seen on both power meters. SWR stayed at 1.1 or better, on all bands, from 160 to 10 meter. Then I energized the OGS with 13.8V, and repeated all the studies. You are correct, Tom. The reflected power to the exciter was several Watts, making the VSWR nearly 6! The lowest value, 4, was obtained on 15 Meters. I will certainly try your fix, but excellent pickup on this one, OM! 73 George de KF5WFA

@@plotdoc I honestly can't take credit for finding this. But, once it was brought to my attention, fixing it made a world of difference. It's possible to use two 100 ohm resistors to make things happy, but the amp suffers. (I tried) So, the end result is 2:1, and the amp doing its job. Kind of a compromise, but a good way to not hurt your radio. (The amp's finals are easy enough to replace....) Have a good one friend, hope to talk to you on the air. I love 20 meters on Saturdays. ;)

If you take the top off, you’ll see two in the final section. The two I’ve added are just as described in the video.