uSDX 8 Band SDR HF QRP Ham Radio Transceiver Overview
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- Опубліковано 19 сер 2024
- Today I take a look at the new-ish uSDX QRP HF Transceiver which I purchased from Banggood. It is a Chinese radio for a low cost, but packed with features. Watch the video and let me know your thoughts, and for more info, check the link below.
Purchase link: bit.ly/3suqAo6
Coupon: BGf23696
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It does TX/RX in FT8 according to the manual...For FT8 (and any other digital) operation, select one of the pre-programmed FT8 bands by double-clicking the rotary encoder, connect the headphone Jack to the sound card microphone Jack, connect the sound card speaker Jack to the microphone Jack, and then press and hold the MENU button and turn the large knob to enter the 3.1 menu to initiate VOX mode. Turn the volume down to a minimum and then launch your favorite FT8 application (e.g. JTDX).You can set the sensitivity of the VOX in the VOX Threshold parameter.
The manual does not mention that 6 meters is within it's limit of operation.
Where did you get the manual
VFO is not backwards on mine. CW decoder is amazing. You can double press the VFO and adjust bands. Also volume can be adjusted outside menu. By pressing VFO, holding in and turning will adjust volume.
I have had mine for about 3 months. There are several variants of this transceiver - internals appear to be the same but the box and location of the VFO, so239 vs BNC. It has a built-in microphone and a PTT button so it might be good for SOTA use where every ounce is important.
I'm pleased with it for what it is. Is it an IC-705? Not even close, but its a functional CW/SSB multiband transceiver for about 1/10th the cost of an IC-705 or a kX-3. I believe that you need to have realistic expectations with the radio.
YMMV
73 de AE6FE
Ant port:
1. PL259 more common without adaptors.
2. BNC seems to maintain tight connections over the 259.
73s folks from vk4fpkl. I have this radio, and although it's had a bad rap I am still happy with mine. I be toying with the thought of removing the battery and maybe adding extra filters for the higher ssb bleeding out of band, well , I will give it ago.
I will still use some kind batteries but , not the one that is in it , as I tend to use it at home.
Since with all digital modes we simply transmit an audio modulated tone on SSB, and this rig runs SSB and has a mike input, it should run any digital mode just fine. The only thing is that, like virtually every ham rig, you need to plug in a computer with a sound card into the rig. While it is true that the rig won't run digital mode internally, it is misleading to present that fact as if it as shortcoming that other rigs don't have None of those fancy rigs in you shack will run digital unless you plug in a computer and sound card, just like this little QRP rig.
And, thank you for all you do for the hobby. I can't thank you enough for the way you bring in the much needed new blood and ideas to our hobby that, otherwise would die when the last of the old timers becomes silent keys. Keep up the good work.
Just busted it out of the box this evening, interesting rig. I was heard 750 miles away on 20 meters on a reverse beacon, running about 1 watt to a wire that sort of wraps around my bedroom on the floor. That pretty much surprised me as I was just figuring out the CQ calling auto set-up and did not think anyone would hear me considering the low power and bad antenna set up. So far it's quirky but kind of neat, well built and it works reasonably well, I don't regret the purchase. 73 and cheers Dale KK9D
That reb button is for using it like a walkie-talkie.
I use my unit as a backpack handheld with a ham stick set directly on the antenna connector.
They usually have the cables inside the PTT microphone poorly placed, it also sounds better with one of the SMD capacitors that has its place but is not usually installed. In addition, the output filters can be improved... the more sugar, the sweeter
Thanks for the demonstration, i enjoyed that! I ordered mine from China on Jan 30/21 and it arrived in Canada yesterday Feb/9/2022. That was quick. Now i wait.......and wait. LOL
This is the 'YUGO' of Ham Radio transceivers!
Great review, I have this transceiver and have worked some voice contacts but mainly use it for FT8, it's great for this mode and works well via vox switching. I've made multiple contacts on varies bands from here in UK, worked most of Europe and across to States. PSK reporter has shown reception of my qrp sidnal in VK. Works well from internal battery but I power it with a small power supply when in the shack. 73s M3IHC
@gary ward. How did you get it to work on ft8. Did you use a digirig or winlink? You should make a video on that.
Just upgraded to general a couple days ago, and ordered this for my first HF rig as I am on a VERY limited budget.. this hobby can get expensive. Who knew. Should be here soon. Can’t wait to try and make my first contact.
73
KQ4DGW
Thank you for reviewing this jason, you show clearly how to use it. I now know how to use it. Which is great because there was no manual.
Thanks for the review Jason. I have used this radio on FT8. I'd use it more if I could get the uart working properly. It claims to use TS480 commands but I can't get it to talk back to HamLib in wsjt-x. Owners manual doesn't give uart config info. Also, going into a dummy load, I get the same output on CW whether using internal battery or external input, 4 watts.
Thank you for reviewing this Jason, I look forward to hearing you report on the results when you POTA with it. Yagis have ended forever any chance of hearing most second halves of any QSO.
This comment puzzles me. I use a simple 70 foot grasswire to listen to SSB conversations while I'm laying in bed, I almost always can hear all the members in nets or in regular two-way QSOs. ??
Ordered mine from banggood for australia delivery. i can't wait. researching appropriate diy vertical antennas for it
It’s so heavy because of the internal battery. Don’t use the hand-mic that comes with it. It’s rubbish. The internal mic works well. The red button serves as a ptt as well as the button on the top panel. On frequencies above 40m the radio makes lots of spurious emissions. Filters and adjustment of the finals is suboptimal on higher bands. Try 40m and below to get the best out of the radio.
when in menu push the dial to get back to menu choices instead of pressing the menu button.
Excellent video, I bought a similar unit and wished I had bought the DL2MAN instead - my unit vfo is squirrely and slow, making navigating the menu's a nightmare .,,, 73/K6SDW
Look / sounds better than the ham builder radios I'm definitely looking into it for my truck for mobile portable use
great little radio. running about 6 watts I worked several states on 40 meters in the space of a couple of hours, including a fairly long rag chew. I am liking this. Only wish I could find a manual for it. Anyone kinow where to find the manual? thanks for the video you covered it well. 73 de Gary K8JCR.
I currently have 5 HF rigs, including 2 that can go portable, but just for grins, I am looking at one of these. The price just makes it so attractive. TNX & 73 DE K4DFH
Middle position is off, the far right is for external power source. I have mine connected to AC with an old Dell desktop power supply.
Wow that is cheap! Especially since it can do 10w. I am new to HAM and this will be my first HF radio
How’d it work for you ?
Also with internal microphone we can not use the external. Microphone WX1PJ Giovanni overseas
Really nice concept for an ultra portable, quickly deployable field unit. Versatility in power sources with onboard and external, small size etc. Is it perfect, of course not, but I personnaly dont want to drop $500+ on a piece of gear to carry into the field in a backpack. This, and a wire antenna will fit in a small backpack and you could set it up anywhere and be on the air in minutes. Also from my understanding, it has a CW decoder built in, so for folks like me that haven't learned CW, can still "listen" in on CW QSO'S. While not perfect, it IS the perfect concept for a field unit in MY opinion.
Looks like the red button will turn it into a handheld sort of thing with a mobile whipantenna attached.
Nice rig for somebody wanting to listen to SWL, then QRP with licence.
licence. schmicense
Thanks for taking a look at this unit.
Also - there is an active Facebook group focused around this radio. In their files there is a manual in soft copy.
Good source of infirmation and support for this rig.
Cheers,
AE6FE
Is the manual available anywhere else as I'm no longer on Facebook after my account was hacked some years ago
Mine didnt come with a manual. Altho i hav been a certificated ham since 1994 this radio was not intuitive to me. Thank you, now i hav a better idea of how to operate it. Best 73 de VA3ROD in Scarborough,ON,Canada
The "backwards" tuning dial is how all analog tuners used to work. Tune left to head toward the top of the band. Hams of a certain age may think digital radios have it backwards hi.
Think you can short press the knob it goes thru the memory. Hold down turn for volume.
Also, AM and FM only work on the broadcast receive frequencies. You could probably use a Signal Link or similar to get it onto the digital modes (I've not tried yet, so YMMV.) I recently acquired a QRPGuys Digital AFP-FSK Transceiver III, which I plan to use for portable FT-8. Unfortunately, it's a kit that you have to build, but it does present another option. But hey, just how much QRP equipment do you want to carry? lol
Can you show how to do FT8 on this uSDX unit?
Hey Jason just watching your program
the reason the tuning is wrong is that they used the wrong type of encoder, its on all the forums, its a simple fix if you dont want to replace the encoder, just snip the two outer pins on the encoder and transpose them
can you please drop a link to the forum thanks
Tried buying it when it was $150. They kept messing around with delivery dates for about a month. Gave up on it. Now a "new" version is out. Not interested in it for $200 (shipping included)
The corded mic sucks. I use the red button to transmit. I love it great reports back . I first tested it on 40 with websdr to see and hear my signal and audio. I'm happy for the price .
This a great TX qrp impresive recepción the audio TX IS very easy in the PA menú min BIas 10 and PA bias Max 140 have one and hace many qso.s and activities on zone of Spain iam very satisfaced IS really good
I just got one put it in my truck with a super antenna on the roof I was on internal battery so far recieves well againi was on 40 middle of the day so I wasn't expecting much on transmit
Thanks for sharing
Bottom red button is the built in key.
thank you
Jason, I received my uSDX about 3 weeks ago and I'm enjoying it...but I've only transmitted on CW so far. There is a face book group dedicated to the uSDX transceivers that you may find interesting. Each of the radios will differ in capabilities within versions. Despite the advertising, some will not work on 160 mtrs and 6 mtrs (Mine is one of those.) The weight is due to the internal battery. Mine did not come with the charger, but I've found that a 12.6 vdc, 1.0 Amp cube charger does just fine. That also, is not true for all versions. I've not tried mine yet on external power.
Some are more spectrally clean than others. There seems to be some controversy about the proper bias settings to get the SSB audio to work correctly, I've not tried it yet on mine. Mine also has some glitches when rotating the encoder knob and will jump between settings. I may try to replace that encoder. There are a few UA-cam videos in which various creators show disassembly of the unit. Looks easy enough. So, overall, I'm happy with mine but it IS A QRP radio.
Hi Jason , my radio sounds very much the same as yours.
Their is a fellow that is on UA-cam from Mexico I believe, he has bought a few different models including the radio that we both have.
He was talking about some of these glitches and also, their is a factory reset, by pressing the menu button down and then you turn the power on.
This will say on the screen , factory reset , and once this shows on screen, you then let go of the menu button.
On his page their are English subs , and also links for the software for this radio including others links .
From what I understand , the software for your radio has been addressing those glitches.
I have bought two radio's from Banggood, one is like the one we have , also , he has been looking over other models .
I have also another QRP , it is more upright but very similar to the one shown to day.
I am still waiting for that radio and hopefully it will not be to long in the post.
It would be very interesting if they may actually have the same software, but I have not seen this radio bring talked about as yet on UA-cam, 73s Paul .
ron, is 5 watts enough to use CW? I am thinking of buying this as my first radio, but am worried about only having 5 watts.. I am only interested in CW.
@@fredjensen1683 Fred, well at a QRP power level of 5 watts, it does take patience and sometimes a little special technique to be successful (i.e. offset tuning, call timing, etc.). If you are just starting out in CW, you may find this rig a bit too challenging. If you've been active in CW for a while, you may find you enjoy the challenge. Hope that helps.
How do you figure out which ones work on 6m?
@@jeffkardosjr.3825 Jeff, from my experience it is pretty "hit or miss". I don't know how to tell when ordering. Obviously, once you receive the unit, you will be able to test. (That is what happened to me.) That's one of the issues with these Chinese clones.
Wish you would have went down to the 40 meter portion of the band I would have loved to hear how good it would have done 73 .
I would guess the power switch is center off and that position you say is off is actually for external power.
Can you do a demo of ft8 using this unit? That would be great to see some winlink action on something at this price point.
The weight is mostly the battery.
That's pretty common
Not a bad radio for the price.
I like the price. I like that it has a battery. I like that it is all mode and all bands.
BUT.....
5 watts is just too low for me for my initial radio. I have to have At LEAST 10 watts. Maybe up to 20 watts. That way I can use it in my compromised QTH and save up for a 100 watt rig.
I wonder if the tuner button has two wires reversed or reversible to reverse the knob tune direction
Where do you show it on the air
Does anybody have a link to a menu manual for this
Interesting little rig. Never heard of banggood though.
Its basically China's Amazon.
It takes a year and a day to get stuff from them. I've ordered stuff before from them.
Yeah, I've completely stopped ordering from banggod because of that, and they are usually more expensive. Aliexpress is usually where I order stuff from (unless I can find it domestic from Amazon or ebay, or cheaper same) and delivery is usually quite good. They have several sellers of this kit and several different variants. Trying to figure out which one is best. Someone suggested banggood is China's Amazon, and I'd suggest that falls instead to Aliexpress.
Is the price worth it OR should I just try to find a legacy hf rig that actually has like 25-40 watts instead on a deal?
I have zero need for a frustrating "toy"?
is possible 27mhz..
Also to me it seems that the usability of this radio depends on who you purchase it from. IIRC it was initially an open source kit plan that was posted on the internet. So several Chinese manufactures have taking to making it and selling it. Some do well, so just slap some components together and offer it for sale.
My usdx works great on CW but fails on ssb. When I listen on another receiver all I hear when I key the mic and speak, is a one time noise.
I so want to get one of these, to play with QRP.
KQ4HCU
73
I have the $156 version 1 and it does pretty good on CW but output audio is not very good
Jordan, does your radio sits more upright and I believe it has no battery.
And it does not bolt in like a , mobile radio.
I do have two different radios, one with the pl259 and the other, has a BNC on the rightside.
And on the face the dial is more centred and just a few menu buttons across the front of the radio and a few connections underneath the main VCO.
On the right side face, it only has just few connections such as PTT, Mic ,Pa but no UART.
73s Paul.
I just don't have the patience for QRP. Looks like a nice affordable rig for SWL , though .
How do you attach external power? Id like to run it off of my bioenno battery.
The DC port on the side that I showed
@@HamRadio2 I need to find a plug to fit it. 73
Nice video 73 de TA2IRX
so turning clockwise increases the band but decreases the frequency? weird
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Wish it could be used in 11 meters.
Press down and turn to change the volume.
I have Ver 2.0 but cannot get it to operate split, I want to transmit on cw and receive on SSB. Have not seen a split menu thus far. My encoder as well does not click just tunes...Fred VE3FAL
I have ver2 also, haven't tried split. I'll check
Do you know where you can get a manual on this little radio? I have one that I just bought but there is no manual. TIA
How long does it operate, on average, on the battery?
Nice, 73!
Check your QRP radio transmit against another receiver. The mic on mine came DOA. It would key the transmit function (red) but no audio output. I had to go to the built-in mic to get audio out. The DSP receiver is great for noise reduction. The weight of the radio is 80% battery. Also, if you rapid double press the tuning knob the radio will progress through all 8 band selections independent of the menu selection . And you can only access FM and AM modes from within the menu and not just by pressing the Mode button. It's a fun little radio. ~ 73 ~ K7KDX
Good info, thanks
iv got one i have question about main dial it sticks,does the alan key on the side by red ptt switch adjust tension on dial?
@@oldolfmann8927 i took encoder off mother board,board no damage tuning dial no damage soo from that and a few friends looking at encoder we work out shaft was bent before it was mounted on board
When you said you’d love to do ft8 on this are you saying it has that function or does not?
I think it does not, but you could probably make it work with some external devices
@@HamRadio2 thanks. I’ll probably end up with more HF radios. I was only thinking of voice when I ordered this…then learned about ft8 at field day. Seems like a nice first step in the data realm
What kind of microphone did you use?
Does it have a built in ATU?
No
So, I ordered one of these from Banggood on December 20, I have still not received mine. How long did it take you to get yours? KJ4EB Eddie
It was a few weeks.
MIne took over 8 weeks to arrive. Tracking the shipping, it was in the US within 3 weeks, but the US internal shipping (to Florida) took up the balance.
@@w4orh-ron278 that's about normal. It arrives in NY and customs take abt 2 weeks to clear it. I live in FL, another 2 weeks.
Hi! I see there are a lot of these radio models, at different prices. Any idea to know if they’re legit!
This QRP rig did not impress me. I guess the original mCHF is much better. It's a sure pleasure watching your reviews Jason. Looking forward to your POTA experience with this QRP rig.
73
New Delhi
can u use if for cb
It doesn't appear so, but I didn't check
Is there a manual i can download for this radio?
Please see prior post (above) from Guy Hornbeck. A generic manual is on this facebook user site.
It's an SDR, though...no demo of it running with software? 😞
What software?
@@HamRadio2 SDR receivers make use of computer software to do the heavy lifting, so I figured a software defined transceiver might also. I'm brand new to the world of SDRs.
There's no external software for this radio, that I've seen
@@HamRadio2 AHHH, okay. I got confused because the SDR receivers have this great software to do all the things. And, if you get right down to it even the simplest Baofeng is software defined, but we don't call them SDRs. Now it's clear, thanks!!!
Take it to a trw swap meet
how the hell does one cancel an order on that site. Reading the below post ... i only want this if it has 6m and I can't tell for certain. wtf! I keep on clicking cancel it just bring me back to my invoice.
Their should be a cancellation button in PayPal or, if you have not paid yet , just let it run out.
But these radio's ,they are what they are. They will do , 80m , 40m , 20m are okay some go may go to 160m and up to even 10 m.
They are not a big brand and people should know this.
There is s guy in England , who uses the one like a mobile radio, have a look on his channel and see his contacts into the US on 3/ 4 watts.
No one was, making any thing like these unless you built s kit or modified what the original guys had made to get maybe two or three bands and they were not that good or convert the CW one from the QRP guys.
And yet people buy them exspecting them to like gold. They are a good idea, they cost much, the higher bands will bleed with their harmonics, but it has not stopped myself as I will working on it as a project , just I will do with the ubitx.
People talk about ethics, but this did not exist in this format until recently with the Sandwich being produced this year.
They still do not cover the bands your chasing but the are made very good.
I believed radio was a missed opportunity , a lot of people can drive a car, but it does not mean they build one.
@@paulbaker9277 Yeah, It took about an hour with a banggood ai support to get it done. Very frustrating. Make sure you want it before purchasing on the site. was my first time.
It does have 6M and I show that in the video. I am not sure about cancelling and order.
@@HamRadio2 yeah, i was going by someone else's comment and it was not obvious in the product description, so I didn't want to take a chance.
wen i got my the charger was fauliy no manual with it
This thing wants to transmit on it's own in CW mode. How do you stop that?
Does it do 10 meters
Yes
Now about $142 on eBay.
Cool
Just got mine today. Audio is horrible. 😞 No manual to be found anywhere.
Small external speaker works great.
Please see prior post (above) from Guy Hornbeck. A generic manual is on this facebook user site.
yep, seems to clear up as volume is increased
I don't watch videos with click bait faces.
Great! So which parts of this video were your favorite?
@@HamRadio2 lol
I've ordered 3 of these and none of them worked so buyer beware they are Chinese junk. They all worked on receive but failed to transmit. The quality controll is nonexistant.
Very nice simple review tnx. G8ZZF