Showing how easily this hooks up with a single USB connection - knowing that this design was by hams/for hams - has really made up my mind that this (the original kit) is my next QRP - and FIRST SDR radio. Thank you for the excellent review. AA0NI/OKC
mine arrived the other and excited to h9oo9k it up. Now hooked up to my 10m converted 11m beam antenna. Went through everything following your video, Excellent job of explaining everything! On my display only shows a static line can't seem to get the waterfall? But otherwise I am very impressed with the radio. Thanks George, Alberta Canada -10c today, snowing 22-jan-20222 2:16pm
Well done review. Once they iron out what I see as bugs, I think it will be an impressive little radio. I like the idea of the built in pan adaptor. KU3X
i dont mean to be so offtopic but does any of you know of a trick to log back into an Instagram account? I was stupid lost my account password. I appreciate any help you can give me!
@Fletcher Emory i really appreciate your reply. I found the site through google and Im trying it out atm. Looks like it's gonna take quite some time so I will reply here later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
Thanks for sharing! Having been off the air for 16 years, I'm getting back in but at reduced equipment/antennas etc. Darned HOA :) Amazing looking little rig. Not clear on where they can be purchased.
John- Well, it is available from two sources. The actual radio was designed in the UK and is available as a kit. All the hard stuff has been done for you. It's basically boxing it up and adding the basic controls. There is soldering involved! And you have to align the radio. Today of course, the Chinese have cloned it. It's available as the RS-918SSb from Risen radio. Their clone is not the latest revision circuit board. It does work though. Still, this radio is not a turn-key thing. It's for tinkerers. The output TX isn't very clean, but OK at 10W for QRP. If you are getting back in, make a higher pile of dabloons and buy a IC-7300. It's a slam-dunk great SDR radio and can do it ALL. You will have great support from Icom and a Huge community of users. Take this from a guy who has tried them all!
I got the same model, just came in, I put it on a wattmeter, I get over 30 watts on high, go into PA menu and had to change Reduce power to On to get it to down to QRP power levels.
Very nice overview, I have just ordered one of these. At 9:40 you mention the mcHF is connected to a 'Pipo' computer, what is this and what extra benefits do you gain? John G8TDU
thank you very much for sharing the details. i just received mine and have to yet try out. could you please direct me on how are you using it with the solar bank? thanking you in advance!
Great review! Is it possible to us a SCS pactor modem with this radio? I'm thinking of an aircraft application. Many thanks, Robert (Bob) Chambers 8P6RC
Nice work on this! I just got my RS 918 today and spent a few hours with it. I can't seem to get it to work consistently on FLDIGI. Do you know how to, I guess calibrate the output power meter? It's supposed to be a 10 watt radio but I appear only to be getting 3-5 out of it tops. Not sure which menu item to change for that, especially in digital modes which I run pretty much all the time. I also noticed the ALC didn't move when I did get it to transmit on FLDIGI. I will see what the compressor button does as you showed here and hope it helps. I got no responses on JS8 or FLDIGI upon transmit at 3-5 watts and wondering if it's even getting a signal out. It does appear to be receiving. But I wonder if either I'm not putting out enough power, or the lack of ALC movement means I'm not really getting out. Any thoughts on that...anyone in the chat?
@@Yavor54 LOL! I know there's a learning curve with radios and am trying to be patient, but I may join you in selling it. This morning, I have no volume coming out of it. I did increase the compression and the ALC meter has a couple of dots indicating that there's something there but they flash and don't hold. So I have no idea if I'm getting out with it or not.
hi bob. when the kit arrives, are there tons of soldering that you need to do or is the kit almost completely soldered with the tiny components that it needs? i checked out M0nka site and it APPEARS that most of the stuff ( the tiny bits at least ) have been soldered. Is this correct?
Just wanted to say thanks for the great videos. Very informative and well done! Is there any way to contact you with a couple of questions about the RS-918?
No it does not. There is simply not room inside. At this power level, you really want to be running resonant antennas. I use folded dipoles on 20 and 40 with this radio in the field. Same length as a dipole and they have gain. PS: because of the finals used in this radio, there is a lot of power "headroom" and it makes a great difference on average SSB power output. 2 out of three times receiving stations tell me I "can't be running 10 watts"- I'm too strong. And second thing to remember is- don't use an amp with this radio. It's output isn't totally clean.
Bob Nagy thanks a lot for reply Bob! I actually ordered this one model. I was hesitating between this and the more expensive Xiegu with the tuner in it. But found this SDR neater and full of nice adjustable features, besides it has such a cool frequency band visualization (since these are not scanners it is cool to see busy frequencies). From what you say, and from other tubers I learn that these built in tuners are just for refinement of how the radio feels about the reflected signal, not as a fixture for a bad radiating resonance. I’ll dream to learn the CW (working on the comprehension side) and I think it should work on this with a straight key. May be later I may build a tunable loop since I have this old capacitor lying somewhere but in the mean time I probably will try a dipole like you do (except that this implies a good weather day and some sort of an arch or a launcher to throw this cable to a high branch :) Cheers!
Hi. I have a question... I own the rs-918 and I can change the FreeDV to Digital... for sure I'm doing something wrong. Any special process to use digital modes? Thanks for a very nice video. Thanks!
?? Hmmm, if its not available assembled, how did Mr Nagy get it assembled in the shipping box? I would love to get one fully assembled, because i am not physically able to assemble one myself.
What issues are you having? Apparently some are having problems with leakage in the pin-diodes. I replaced the pin-diodes in mine with a relay, and the output is now much cleaner.
@@robertnagy2163 I guess it's a case of " If you can't hear them, you can't work them " I have a few hundred different Transceivers & Receivers, and none comes close to the rspduo. As far as Transmit goes, ANY old Transmitter will do, as long as you get as close to 100% Modulation. Near 100% Modulation, nobody will know what your using if you don't tell them. Just use a change over relay. And with DSD+, you also have a few Digital Modes, up to 2 GHZ. 6 GHZ with the HackRF One. And SDRUno is beautiful and Free. With a PC, the Sky is the Limit.
@@robertnagy2163 Better receivers ? Not So. Their not on a budget. The $20 dongles are a budget, but their not even close to the rsp series. You'd need many Thousands of dollars worth of test gear to measure the difference between the Kenwoods 990 receiver and the RSPduo, and what's the price difference ? I'm talking about the Original from England, Not the Chinese Imitations.
@@paulfrancis8836 Paul- Respectfully, as amazing a job as SDRplay has done in creating budget wide-range SDR receivers, it is unfair to compare them to top-shelf SDR RX's. SDRplay is the Value leader unquestionably. I will continue to promote their products and own almost all of them. Nobody offers what they do at that price point. Yes, you need to spend thousands to excel the RSP line. But it can be - and is - done. For testing and casual listening, there is no comparable RX in the hundred's of $$ range. But when you are operating a contest with several kilowatt stations spaced feet apart, this is not what you will be using. When you are depended on to detect foreign attacks on our soil, this is not what you will be using. Just the ADC chip used in a 24 bit SDR that can sample 30 mhz in real time - costs hundreds of dollars each. There is no shame in this venture. It is just a matter of the reality of our state of digital technology at this time...and the costs involved. Hats off to the gang at SDRplay for these receivers.
Nice coverage of features. But for the life of me, I can't understand why not a single ham UA-cam video maker can properly tune in a sideband signal. It's not that hard. You turn the VFO until the guy you're listening to sounds normal and not like a robot or duck. Also, no mention of the transmit bandwidth and if it's adjustable.
Huh... I did have one guy tuned in off freq. Since radios these days are almost all within a few cycles of spot-on frequency-wise, people usually are on nice even number frequencies. It is almost impossible to be off. That said, I've noticed that each operator has a personal preference in the tone of a received SSB signal. Strangely enough, it is a subjective thing. Maybe your preference is different from the majority of people. Transmit bandwidth is not adjustable.
Showing how easily this hooks up with a single USB connection - knowing that this design was by hams/for hams - has really made up my mind that this (the original kit) is my next QRP - and FIRST SDR radio. Thank you for the excellent review. AA0NI/OKC
Quality overview from a technically knowledgeable ham.
mine arrived the other and excited to h9oo9k it up.
Now hooked up to my 10m converted 11m beam antenna.
Went through everything following your video, Excellent job of explaining everything!
On my display only shows a static line can't seem to get the waterfall? But otherwise I am very impressed with the radio.
Thanks
George, Alberta Canada -10c today, snowing 22-jan-20222 2:16pm
Outstanding video!
Thanks for sharing.
73
Julian oh8stn
Great tutorial! I've just got it today and I'm enjoying it more after watching your video. Thanks a lot! 73!
great video, wonderful radio
Looking forward to reviewing this fine informative video again as soon as mine arrives, thanks so much
Nice video, thanks for this complete description. love that rig. 73
Many thanks for a "pro" video!
Thanks for the great overview! I just got this radio and you have helped greatly.
TXLorenzo where can u buy it from as a kit
Great video. Thanks
Great review, does this project justice. Cheers.
Thanks for this, it was very informative and useful.
Well done review. Once they iron out what I see as bugs, I think it will be an impressive little radio. I like the idea of the built in pan adaptor.
KU3X
i dont mean to be so offtopic but does any of you know of a trick to log back into an Instagram account?
I was stupid lost my account password. I appreciate any help you can give me!
@Phillip Jaxson Instablaster ;)
@Fletcher Emory i really appreciate your reply. I found the site through google and Im trying it out atm.
Looks like it's gonna take quite some time so I will reply here later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
@Fletcher Emory it did the trick and I now got access to my account again. Im so happy!
Thank you so much you really help me out !
@Phillip Jaxson glad I could help xD
Thanks for sharing! Having been off the air for 16 years, I'm getting back in but at reduced equipment/antennas etc. Darned HOA :) Amazing looking little rig. Not clear on where they can be purchased.
John- Well, it is available from two sources. The actual radio was designed in the UK and is available as a kit. All the hard stuff has been done for you. It's basically boxing it up and adding the basic controls. There is soldering involved! And you have to align the radio. Today of course, the Chinese have cloned it. It's available as the RS-918SSb from Risen radio. Their clone is not the latest revision circuit board. It does work though. Still, this radio is not a turn-key thing. It's for tinkerers. The output TX isn't very clean, but OK at 10W for QRP. If you are getting back in, make a higher pile of dabloons and buy a IC-7300. It's a slam-dunk great SDR radio and can do it ALL. You will have great support from Icom and a Huge community of users. Take this from a guy who has tried them all!
I got the same model, just came in, I put it on a wattmeter, I get over 30 watts on high, go into PA menu and had to change Reduce power to On to get it to down to QRP power levels.
The finals are capable of over 30W output...but not with good clean output. Calibrate the whole radio first!
Very nice overview, I have just ordered one of these. At 9:40 you mention the mcHF is connected to a 'Pipo' computer, what is this and what extra benefits do you gain? John G8TDU
Thanks for the video - looks like a nice rig. Just ordered one! G7DMQ
Wow! Thank you for the info!! Excellent video! I like that it actually has a place to plug in a mechanical key for cw!!!!!!
73
WA7AXT
thank you very much for sharing the details. i just received mine and have to yet try out. could you please direct me on how are you using it with the solar bank? thanking you in advance!
Ty will review the video again 🤠
Great review! Is it possible to us a SCS pactor modem with this radio? I'm thinking of an aircraft application. Many thanks,
Robert (Bob) Chambers
8P6RC
1.115 KHz doesn't receive AM signal, he start to receive at 2,5 Mhz when the color of the frequency is white?
where did you get that case and buttons? I like the writing on the buttons like that/.
To have Scope and Waterfall on screen at the same time press Band Up and Band Down at the same time. regards 2E0DVK
OK.. This only works with certain firmware revisions...Sadly not mine!
Just a thought, belt clip. Hay someone failed the assignment
Hello, how do you connect the cables to the pc? Is it just the USB cables? Or do you have other cables for the PTT? Thank you
Wow. Quite a radio but what is the receive current draw. Internal battery option? I did find this on AMAZON for $455. Teeeemmmpting.
Great review. 73
Nice work on this! I just got my RS 918 today and spent a few hours with it. I can't seem to get it to work consistently on FLDIGI. Do you know how to, I guess calibrate the output power meter? It's supposed to be a 10 watt radio but I appear only to be getting 3-5 out of it tops. Not sure which menu item to change for that, especially in digital modes which I run pretty much all the time. I also noticed the ALC didn't move when I did get it to transmit on FLDIGI. I will see what the compressor button does as you showed here and hope it helps. I got no responses on JS8 or FLDIGI upon transmit at 3-5 watts and wondering if it's even getting a signal out. It does appear to be receiving. But I wonder if either I'm not putting out enough power, or the lack of ALC movement means I'm not really getting out. Any thoughts on that...anyone in the chat?
Golly, I sold this radio a few years back- else I would be very happy to assist you!
@@Yavor54 LOL! I know there's a learning curve with radios and am trying to be patient, but I may join you in selling it. This morning, I have no volume coming out of it. I did increase the compression and the ALC meter has a couple of dots indicating that there's something there but they flash and don't hold. So I have no idea if I'm getting out with it or not.
hi bob. when the kit arrives, are there tons of soldering that you need to do or is the kit almost completely soldered with the tiny components that it needs? i checked out M0nka site and it APPEARS that most of the stuff ( the tiny bits at least ) have been soldered. Is this correct?
All the difficult things are done. It's an easy job. Then you have to align the radio...takes 15 min.
TCXO is a temperature corrected osc, not an ocxo or ovenized. Still OK.
Just wanted to say thanks for the great videos. Very informative and well done!
Is there any way to contact you with a couple of questions about the RS-918?
my rs 918 not power....the microprocessore not function..
the sostituite ricambi
Thanks for a fine review! Does this radio have an antenna tuner built in?
No it does not. There is simply not room inside. At this power level, you really want to be running resonant antennas. I use folded dipoles on 20 and 40 with this radio in the field. Same length as a dipole and they have gain. PS: because of the finals used in this radio, there is a lot of power "headroom" and it makes a great difference on average SSB power output. 2 out of three times receiving stations tell me I "can't be running 10 watts"- I'm too strong. And second thing to remember is- don't use an amp with this radio. It's output isn't totally clean.
Bob Nagy thanks a lot for reply Bob! I actually ordered this one model. I was hesitating between this and the more expensive Xiegu with the tuner in it. But found this SDR neater and full of nice adjustable features, besides it has such a cool frequency band visualization (since these are not scanners it is cool to see busy frequencies).
From what you say, and from other tubers I learn that these built in tuners are just for refinement of how the radio feels about the reflected signal, not as a fixture for a bad radiating resonance. I’ll dream to learn the CW (working on the comprehension side) and I think it should work on this with a straight key. May be later I may build a tunable loop since I have this old capacitor lying somewhere but in the mean time I probably will try a dipole like you do (except that this implies a good weather day and some sort of an arch or a launcher to throw this cable to a high branch :) Cheers!
Hi. I have a question... I own the rs-918 and I can change the FreeDV to Digital... for sure I'm doing something wrong. Any special process to use digital modes? Thanks for a very nice video. Thanks!
You use USB mode for digital modes...not FreeDV. Use FLdigi program or WSJT-x program and PC.
V 0.6.3 DOEST HAVE ALL THE GLITCHES
What kind of connector do you use to Power It Up
just have to find one.
I'm using one from baofeng
if this radio is only available as a kit how did he get one in the mail all ready assembled ?
look up the title and use google
How much is this radio complete?🤓
Alex Alonso This radio is not available complete from its designer G0nka-Chris. It is a kit.
?? Hmmm, if its not available assembled, how did Mr Nagy get it assembled in the shipping box? I would love to get one fully assembled, because i am not physically able to assemble one myself.
455 on amazion.
Can i use this as a ham radio base station?
Yes...but you should not attach a power amplifier to it. It does not have clean enough transmit output.
What issues are you having? Apparently some are having problems with leakage in the pin-diodes. I replaced the pin-diodes in mine with a relay, and the output is now much cleaner.
what is the cost ?
Around $400
OK, I found cabinets from China on eBay that looks exactly like this. :-)
Wow, I want one. Where do you order one from?
But has anyone checked the tx spectrum...it is awful
Do not buy chinese illegal copies. You just helping to ruin project and business of original author of mcHF, Chris M0NKA!
Not as good as a RSPDuo on receive. Not even close.
Interesting comparison. I totally agree. I'm releasing my review on the RSPdx today. (hopefully)
@@robertnagy2163 I guess it's a case of " If you can't hear them, you can't work them "
I have a few hundred different Transceivers & Receivers, and none comes close to the rspduo. As far as Transmit goes, ANY old Transmitter will do, as long as you get as close to 100% Modulation. Near 100% Modulation, nobody will know what your using if you don't tell them. Just use a change over relay. And with DSD+, you also have a few Digital Modes, up to 2 GHZ. 6 GHZ with the HackRF One. And SDRUno is beautiful and Free. With a PC, the Sky is the Limit.
@@paulfrancis8836 Well, there are better receivers. It is designed within a tiny budget. It is not even SDRplay's best RX. What a value though!
@@robertnagy2163 Better receivers ? Not So. Their not on a budget. The $20 dongles are a budget, but their not even close to the rsp series. You'd need many Thousands of dollars worth of test gear to measure the difference between the Kenwoods 990 receiver and the RSPduo, and what's the price difference ?
I'm talking about the Original from England, Not the Chinese Imitations.
@@paulfrancis8836 Paul- Respectfully, as amazing a job as SDRplay has done in creating budget wide-range SDR receivers, it is unfair to compare them to top-shelf SDR RX's. SDRplay is the Value leader unquestionably. I will continue to promote their products and own almost all of them. Nobody offers what they do at that price point. Yes, you need to spend thousands to excel the RSP line. But it can be - and is - done. For testing and casual listening, there is no comparable RX in the hundred's of $$ range. But when you are operating a contest with several kilowatt stations spaced feet apart, this is not what you will be using. When you are depended on to detect foreign attacks on our soil, this is not what you will be using. Just the ADC chip used in a 24 bit SDR that can sample 30 mhz in real time - costs hundreds of dollars each. There is no shame in this venture. It is just a matter of the reality of our state of digital technology at this time...and the costs involved. Hats off to the gang at SDRplay for these receivers.
Piri reese probably uséd this to remove snakes out the belle!Explain antenaes on moon lmao
Nice coverage of features. But for the life of me, I can't understand why not a single ham UA-cam video maker can properly tune in a sideband signal. It's not that hard. You turn the VFO until the guy you're listening to sounds normal and not like a robot or duck. Also, no mention of the transmit bandwidth and if it's adjustable.
Huh... I did have one guy tuned in off freq. Since radios these days are almost all within a few cycles of spot-on frequency-wise, people usually are on nice even number frequencies. It is almost impossible to be off. That said, I've noticed that each operator has a personal preference in the tone of a received SSB signal. Strangely enough, it is a subjective thing. Maybe your preference is different from the majority of people. Transmit bandwidth is not adjustable.