BG2FX sends a PACKAGE from CHINA to HOA HAM -- What's In The Box? (FX4CR)
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- Опубліковано 6 вер 2024
- BG2FX sends a PACKAGE from CHINA to HOA HAM -- What's In The Box? (FX4CR)
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#HOAHam #BG2FX #FX4CR
I love mine!!! Winlink and FT8 works well too. Great survival backpack rig.
Psyops, I just had to have one! Really looking forward to using it.
Now you know why I was bragging about it. I did ditch the case it came with and put it in a small pelican 1170 case. And it fits in a faraday bag I have. This radio made me ditch looking for a mountain topper. This has potential to go in my survival everyday bag. Granted, nothing beats my ic705. But, this is great for weight and hikes.
One thing that makes you unique among HAM UA-camrs, Bob is your "scripting": you don't ramble, you don't repeat yourself, you're very informative and you have a point to make in each video. The HAM UA-cam creator community varies in this regard, but IMO it weights towards rambling and "off the cuff". Something like this, where you are genuinely amped, is just fine and enjoyable! But I note that even here, you planned to do a thing (briefly describe and show in action) and you did it. However, I'm not ‼on team "let's have more unscripted HOA HAM".
Don't worry The Carys, my personality will only allow unscripted Bob to show up occasionally. Thanks for watching.
Thanks for your video. I am also very excited about this radio. I have used and am using the Xiego G90 for POTA, what a great radio. I am interested in doing digital and with the sound card built in, the FX4CR looks like it would be great for FT8. I have watched all the You Tube videos on this radio so after watching and reading everything about this radio, I ordered from BG2FX, Yu. I was impressed that he acknowledged my order and the funds, and the thanked me for the order and support. I can't ever remember a manufacturer, or ham radio store for that matter acknowledging the order and expressing their thanks for the order and support. All the comments I have read and seen comment on the quality of this radio. Probably won't get it for another month, but I am anxiously watching my email and mail box. 73, Norm, Looking forward to more of your videos.
I'm enjoying mine thoroughly! Amazed at all Yu packed into such a small package.
Definitely a cool little radio. Just started using my Xiegu G90 after a long absence (video coming next week). After a few uses I might start looking to widen my radio collection with this cute little one. Enjoy the new radio! 73!
I intend to have a blast with it! Still love my G90.
Thanks for the review. I am in touch with the manufacturer to get one. Right now he's just getting the boards done as per last mail received. Real small and portable, pricy but worth it.
Its an incredible little radio. And yes, Yu is slammed. A 1 guy show (outsourcing a lot of course) and up till now, the attention of detail has shone through.
I have the FX-4C (not the R which is a later model.) It is my favorite radio to take on hikes and to do SOTA. This radio is great!
Glad for that feedback wolson9. This is my first radio from Yu, and I have pretty high expectations.
Same!
Is it doable to diy a portable battery for this?
@@zhangbohan7986 Yes, certainly! That is how I do it.
@@wolson9 Looking forward to your video about this,thanks
Unscripted was great in this instance. Just wait until you try this little beauty on FT8 over Bluetooth with the FT8CN Android app and your phone. My favorite portable rig.
Thanks for watching MrNumbr6. Glad to hear it is your "favorite"!
Superb radio, my first contact on it was Uruguay on a Cobwebb fm London… 5/2 rx the bluetooth FT8 interface is brilliant with FT8CN (FT8 for android) and i’m having a lot of fun with it an the AX1, T1 & ZM2
I haven't had much time with it yet, but every time I turn it on a huge smile comes across my face.
Bob, I have the FX-4C and I love it. I am waiting for my FX-4CR radio to arrive, I have been waiting for a month and a half now, can’t wait until it arrives!!!!
73,
KN6STX
I smile every time I power up! So much in such a small package.
About the small manufacturer vs. mass production. Things like this radio are coming out of China and the far east because technology has brought the cost of producing small runs of components down to the point where they can be competitive with large mass-production runs. Today, you can sit down at a computer, design a circuit, run it in an emulator, generate a PCB design with specific components and order a small prototype batch to test. You specify the components and many of them are installed on the board in the fab house for you. You install a few big parts, test it, make changes and repeat the process a few times until you are happy enough to order a beta test run. Same thing for mechanical parts, like the case and heat sink. CAD driven metal working has made the beautifully machined case and parts practical at low cost. The real craftsmanship here is still there and Yu seems to be a master of it. But the craftsmanship is in the design phase, not stuffing boards and soldering them. I don't know what Yu's day job is, but I'll bet he's a very competent and skilled designer for some company. I've also been impressed with his responsiveness to his customers. I feel confident in ordering this radio (directly from him, as you said) and have done so. Can't wait for it to arrive. Thanks for the informative video.
I appreciate your observations and input, and do look forward to your thoughts once you have the rig in hand and have had a chance to use it.
My only regret is as a UA-camr, I have other things competing with my time and I just can't spend as much time enjoying this as I would like.
My understanding is that some of the countries in that part of the world have basic level licenses with 20w maximum limits, hence the 20w radios like this one and the Xeigu G90.
Hey Bob! Any initial impressions regarding noise reduction, if it has one and whether it's good enough? I'm probably going to sell my G90 because of the lack of noise reduction, and the FX4CR seems a good replacement (aside from not having a tuner, which is fine). Thanks and all the best, sir!
Levy, haven't had enough time with the rig yet, so I don't have an opinion. Opened the box, rolled the camera, posted the video...then it was off to the real job that pays the mortgage.... I will get to it.
@@HOAHamRadiothanks for all your work on the channel, sir.
I ordered one. Tnx.
You're welcome? I'm sorry? LOL, I think sometimes I cause people to spend their hard earned money. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Great looking radio, I have the FX-4L on pre order and expect it to be shipped soon. Have fun with it.
Thanks for watching Joel; my hunch is you will be liking your FX-4L.
Yep. It is impressive. One of the ex-radio hippies of my acquaintance has one & loves it. If I didn’t already have four other mini-SDR boxes . . . . Nice video & review. 73 de W8IJN
Thanks for stopping by and giving it a look @haramanggapuja.
@@HOAHamRadio Yer welcome, amigo. If you get to Dayton in May, stop by the Begali Keys booth for a chat!
On the BG2FX website the pre-order info states something about "Pre-sale buyers received radios with an error that causes higher than normal spurious emissions. A hardware modification and firmware update will fix if. Users who are unable to mod the board may remove and return the board for modificaton." What that your case or has this been resolved with new orders?
I know the pre-orders had this problem. Mine was the "second" batch, and I believe Yu made a mod on the board, or, ordered new boards -- not sure how he could have ordered / received them so fast, so I expect mine was a re-worked board. It is supposed to be fixed for all new orders, but an email direct to Yu, from his website, would get you an answer directly from Yu.
@@HOAHamRadio Thanks for the reply. I suspect the issue has been resolved. Have another question...How's heat dissipation when using full power?
@@anthonyspina4093 I haven't worked it hard yet, so I don't know if I have a good answer. Want to get it out POTA SSB voice (my operating method) and then I'll have a better idea.
One question comes to mind; why this over the cheaper Xiegu G90? The G90 is 20 watts too and has a built in tuner (one of the best available).
Size, and did I mention the size. Also, the size...its tiny.
@@HOAHamRadio The FX-4CR would pair well with one of those little ATU-100 tuners if you find that you need a tuner. They're both so small that you could fit them plus a portable antenna in a go box the size of a shoebox. Add a battery, a fishing pole and a beach umbrella spike and you have a perfect compact POTA setup. Living in Tampa there's also BOTA, Beaches On The Air, plus being on the shore would give you the "salt water amplifier" effect to the west. You could probably work the left coast, maybe Hawaii, even Japan on FT8.
@@jaym1301 All great suggestions! I think I'll be at it for a while with this rig!
I was excited about mine too, until I put it on the air (CW).
Uh oh..... Yu seems to be standing behind his work, so I would expect you will either have a software update solution, or a hardware replacement.
He already updated the software. It’s gtg now for cw. Believe me. ;)
Great video. Please post more content with this radio. I hope to buy one someday and want to experience it vicariously through you in the meantime 🤣
Thanks for watching Jeff, I will most certainly be posting on this rig.
Bob, I’m envious! I missed out on his last stock, as the website showed available, but hadn’t gotten updated. He offered to refund my money, but I told him to keep it and count me in on the rotation - next batch. I can’t wait! Enjoy! 73. Joe - W7BWA
Hurry Joseph, just checked his site to download the manual, and its available again for order! I missed the pre-order, but got in right after he opened in up again.
@@HOAHamRadio Call me Joe. He has my money from last time so I should be good. Thanks Bob. 73.
Fantastic Joe, you are already in line and you'll benefic from the fixed glitches found on the early adopters!
Regarding Ali Express, the word is the those sellers gut the internals of Yu's product and try to sell what's left for normal price
Yikes, I've heard horror stories from others. Thanks for watching Nikola.
Good on you Bob. On paper it’s a little beast of a machine, that it’s pumping out 20w in that form factor opens up so many options for a portable operator.
Like you I think this is phenomenal - I’m just waiting till the “kinks” have been ironed out.
What is truly interesting is just how incredible value for money the Xiegu x6100 is. But that’s not what I’m after.
Yes, kinks, there are likely some still lingering to be worked out. That is the risk which, in my excitement, I failed to mention.
Hi Bob, love the unscripted Bob. This was a great first impression video. I too, am excited about this radio, and your video is pushing me towards the purchase. I see that you have another video on this so I am heading there right now. I am afraid that if you give this a rave review, I am going to have to try to explain to my wife why I "NEED" this little radio. 73
"NEED", of course you need it! I appreciate the feedback. I only use SSB voice and this radio is great. I know others are doing digital with no issue. I did hear there are still some bugs on CW. There is a Facebook group out there for this if you want to dig a little deeper.
I've often heard that it's easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask permission. Just kidding. HIHI 😂
It does look like a fun radio 👍
I'm counting on it. It's tiny which makes it incredibly intriguing. Thanks for watching Ape.
Great video. I need to order one too. 73
He's stocked out at the moment, but seems to have more components on order and plans to continue the build...from what I can tell.
Hi Bob. First time catching your channel. I love your enthusiasm for this rig. I ordered mine a month ago. Haven’t got a shipping number yet. I do have a kx2 and I’m happy with it. But sometimes I wish for a bit more power on SSB. I pretty much stay on cw because of that. Also I wanted 6 meters even though it’s qrp levels there. I tend to use resonant antennas also. I like my MFJ-1982 EFHW 80-10 meters. I’m looking forward to the digital aspect of this rig and also the Bluetooth on ft8. Buying a cheap android just for that. How long did you have to wait? De n5vwn
...Android is something I don't currently have and will need to invest in as well to fully benefit from the digital. I missed the initial pre-order, but got in pretty early once Yu opened ordering back up; if I remember correct, it was a little over 1 month from order to ship. My wait was likely for more production time and I expect he had most if not all of his components in stock; that is my guess -- not sure this time around, but I expect due to the response he is getting he may be in a procurement cycle...again, that is purely a guess on my part. Hope your wait isn't long and that you enjoy your new rig!
There was a modification after the preorder because of spurious signals. Either fixing that or waiting for new boards could have slowed things up. My guess. De n5vwn
I have the original FX-4C and having fun with it.
Just curious if there were minor issues when it was first released, like there are with the FX-4CR? Should be in pretty good shape by the time you get yours, but there have been some hardware changes, and several software updates.
I DO like it, actually, love it.
@@HOAHamRadio when I first got it, it wouldn’t turn on. I contacted Yu and he sent me pic’s on what to correct. Opened it up and moved a couple of things so they weren’t touching other things and it started up. No software problems that I’ve seen. Only bad thing I say about it is the delay in going from transmit to receiving. Just a smidge to long. I see, in other videos, the same issue with the new one. I’ve tried FT 8 with it but I wasn’t able to get it to work. But I’m not good with FT 8. I’ve made many contacts on it and activated a couple of parks with it. I’m a fan. I want to learn CW and see how this would do with that as well. Looking forward to seeing how it works with you. I appreciate your videos, it helps me with learning new things. And of course more money to spend on new fancy stuff.
@@timw8ngt Thanks for the positive feedback and apologies for costing you money. The FX-4CR has the transmit to receive delay as well; tolerable but its there. I'm amazed such a small radio can give 20 watts!
Unscripted Bob is awesome 😊
Thanks for the kind feedback.
Price is reasonable considering it's bleeding edge tech.
Agreed, I think its a reasonable price for what you get.
Bob, I enjoyed this video very much! Your excitement is infectious…do both scripted and unscripted ones, my friend. I look forward to your additional videos on this rig so we can get your views on its feature performance. Keep up the great work! 73 de K4FMH
Thanks for the compliments Frank, much appreciated.
Bob, calm down... :) That is a cool little rig - thanks for sharing with us - hope to see a LOT more of it. 73s de ki5gx
It will make appearance on the channel for sure! I guess I did get a little excited...for me.
is this all mode mf fm cw and what is is the output power ?
Full specs can be found here...img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/15752049-75c0-4c53-9b88-c4e3901e4f90/FX-4CR-User-Manual.pdf USB, LSB, CW, AM, FM, up to 20 watts
I have watched several of your videos, just now subscribed.. You are fine either way, scripted or not.
Appreciate the feedback Mike and thanks for subscribing!
@@HOAHamRadio That is a neat looking little rig by the way. thank you for showing it off .. :-)
Bob, I prefer unscripted videos! I thought it was great!
Thanks jduke008, I'll invite unscripted Bob to come out and play a little more often.
I like unscripted Bob!
Don't be afraid to do that again.
I will Vincent; need to let my hair down every once in a while. Thanks for watching.
5:1 would mean Perfectly readable, barely perceptible…now how is that possible? 😅
Faint signal but great audio output output plus very little QRM/QRN at the receiving station? Bob just unboxed it and got on the air with it so maybe it was using its lowest power setting of 100mW by default. The manual doesn't say what the default settings are. If that's the case a 51 reports from a station around 800km away is fantastic and speaks well for the wee FX-4CR's transmitter.
@@jaym1301 I’m not concerned with the transmitter so much. My comment is just about the report. A 5:1 to me just seems like an oxymoron 😀. If I can barely perceive something then how could I call it perfectly readable? Either way, not a big deal. It’s all relative.
@@forgetyourlife The first number is readability, the second is signal strength. Maybe the receiving ham was judging strength by his S meter not his ears. I've heard signals that were barely moving my meter yet were loud and clear in the speaker. I'd have given them a 58 or 59.
@@jaym1301 or a Q5 yes. I understand.
LOL, it was readable but hitting S1 on his meter; that's how I took it.
If good content is rambling, then ramble on.
This radio indeed made me ramble...and it will happen again.
Bob is giddy! 🤣 Looking forward to your follow ups on this one Bob! 72 - KF6IF
Giddy, guilty as charged. Thanks for stopping by and commenting Phil.
We love unscripted Bob! Also, this looks to be an interesting rig. Its onboard controls seem like they not be great for blind ops like myself, but bluetooth control could well change the picture there. It sure has nice receive audio. Vy 73, de KB5ELV
Thanks for watching Buddy; the receive audio and sound quality from such a small speaker was pleasantly surprising.