I am seriously considering getting one of these kits. I am taking my technician test soon then study for general. I was interested in my teens now 60's and finally going to do it.
I bought mine from Gigaparts also. I upgraded mine with the Nextion display and the additional arduino nano along with the upgraded firmware to allow it extra capability like decoding CW and WSPR transmission. I have about $255 tied up in mine. It's a great radio.
I am a new ham, received my technician on 06/21/2024. I have since upgraded to extra. I am definitely not an Elmer, I am more like an Elmo :/ Anyway, I just got back from Huntsville Hamfest. I had a great time and met some amazing people. Having watched this video before Hamfest, I purchased this kit while I was there and hope to put it together within the next few days. I appreciate your approach here, keep it up :) Hopefully, I won't let the magic smoke out and I will be able to reach out from NE Florida soon for a QSO. 73/KJ0NES Casey in Jacksonville
@@KJ0NES-FL-HAM Hi Casey! Have fun with that radio and welcome to our great hobby. I’ve lived and worked in Jacksonville a couple times in my life. I love Duuuuuvvvvaaallll 😂
Lovely bit of kit! I'm poor, but I want a transmitter. So here I am learning to make one. Not the video I was looking for, but I may actually get myself one of these because the price is fantastic!
That is awesome I'm am brand new to ham I'm currently studying for a tech license and this is the kind of stuff I'd like to learn I very surprised how affordable it is awesome vidio thanks keep up the great videos
I just purchased one of these as well. Couldn't get Gigaparts to take my money (I think they were having issues with their website) so I ordered one direct from India. Much to my pleasant surprise it was on my doorstep (in Pennsylvania) in less than 10 days! Please make more videos as you do different mods to it, I have a couple I'm looking into doing myself. Thanks and 73 de KM3P
I bought one of these kits last summer, thought I'd make a Christmas project of it, it's still in the box, I'll get to it some time, great video Adam G7CRQ
I love the idea of an HF kit radio that is easy to build and is open to modification. I've been watching this kit radio for a while but haven't gotten one because I've been waiting for someone I trust to build it and put it through it's paces. I trust you, so know I'm going to get one. The fact that I can get this at Gigaparts makes it even better (I have nothing against ordering from India except I get impatient when waiting for a new radio. Thanks Walk...73...KN6KNB
Walt, my friend John, n6vcw, got one of these for his birthday and I came looking for a video on them. Bam! Yours popped up first. Being a haughty "solder-only" kit builder and would ONLY soil my hands with a kit that required actually soldering soldering stuff, my first inclination was to "poo-poo" it. But your video piqued my curiosity. For the money and the coverage and other features you demonstrated/described, this looks intriguing. AND you can mod it? I'm in! Basically, I respect the recommendation of a guy whose idea of hamming is taking a small rig and decent antenna down to the beach, throwing a radial in the surf and working DX. (Stll in love with your Hawaii QSO video.) Thank you for the recommendation; please keep us informed re the mods and your experiences! 72 de William, k6whp SoCal
Thanks so much for the kind words William! Have you seen the new sBitx from these guys? It’s a Raspberry Pi based kit and I think you can get it in a less constructed kit form. It’s on my radar and I’ll probably get one soon. All the best and 73! Walt K4OGO
No Soldering. It's almost Plug and Play. I built mine on Tuesday and put it on the air yesterday. Made 5 QSOs on 7160khz SSB on the Worked All Britain Net 3 English Hams one Welsh Ham and one Scottish Ham. Just need some stereo plugs to get on CW. 73 G0IMB Manchester UK
I've had my uBitx v6.0 almost three years and it's been a great rig. I modded mine with the nextion display and extra arduino nano to give it added features. It decodes CW and sends WSPR transmissions that can then be accessed on WSPRnet. My WSPR on 40m was heard in New Zealand and Tasmania in Australia from Texas using a homebrew magnetic loop antenna laying on the floor next to my radio table.
Frikken awsome sneaky lil self essembled snap tite & wire to get on air in no time. Great job Uncle Walter....hey and even the incoming RX Audio doesn't sound bad at all. 209,90$ Investment was worth it the Money for sure. BARGAINER & the Fun Effect combined. Happy Sunday into VA-State. 73 de YFUG 💯👍👍👍🙋♂️🍻
@@Downeastwaves any simple 12v power supply on Amazon will work, the amperage draw is low, I used a 10 amp supply I have on my bench in this video. As for antennas I used my Sigma EuroComm HF-360 but there are so many different antennas, it depends on your space and situation. I really don’t have a video in terms of power supplies but a ton of antenna stuff on my channel.
Walt, great video. I was wondering if there was a simple HF kit to build and you answered that question. Thank you for that information. Did you find out what was wrong with why the radio was sounding narrow? This is just my troubleshooting curiosity. I was an electronics tech. for over 30 years. Thank you again.
Hi Walt! Quick question. How about modulation? I’m using cheap baofeng mic, and I was thinking to replace the inner electret mic, or to install a small mic preamp inside. Any suggestions?
Much as I like Ashar and the Bitx transceivers I find the 'kit' classification amusing, it's like buying a car and getting the wheels in a separate box then claiming you built a kit car.
Yes it is somewhat like that but as I mention in the video it's a great platform for modifications and getting started with experimenting. All the best and 73
Selling it as it is, it's a great start to building and homebrewing for someone who has never built anything before. It is highly modifiable and is a great basic design that gives folks an affordable access to HF radio. I have used it with the upgrades and it really gets into being a great radio after the mods. Everyone has to start somewhere, and the uBitx is a great radio to start the hobby of building.
Yes but It is all relative, I knew a ham who started in the 30/40s he MADE his own capacitors, resistors and ground his own crystals from a bit of quartz - next time you solder an IC into a ‘real’ kit remember him!
Walt, I have a uBitX v6 that I'm doing a ton of mods to, including an entire replacement front panel I designed around a Nextion LCD. I'm right in Western Branch Chesapeake and we should get together and compare notes.
Hey Walt, I am just seeing this video. Curious: does it have a built-in antenna tuner? If not, are you running an external tuner? Also, what power are you getting on 40m & 20m. The gigaparts site says the power goes down as the frequency increases! Thx man!
No this does not have an internal tuner. I have a external ATU but I don't need it for 20 meters as my antenna is resonate there. I haven't done a power test yet but yes I've seen that it goes down as frequency increases. Thanks for watching.
I am using a 12vdc 5 amp switching "brick" power supply with mine and it works great. Some folks seperate the power supply for the power amp section of the rig and run higher voltage on the transistors since they can handle higher voltage but you have to use larger heatsinks for them. With greater voltage the transistors have greater output but you have to take precautions to run them like that.
Hey Walt! This just showed up on my feed. Nice little radio! Looks like a fun project. Would love to know what else you might have done to it. 73 de K2CJB
Hey and thanks for watching, unfortunately I’ve been traveling for work and overseas since putting this together and haven’t had time to do the mods I want to do. I’m currently in Europe but will be home soon and will start tinkering with this radio. 73 de SP/K4OGO
Interesting, I already have an IC705 but for the price and as a kit, this is too good not try ! Ordered today, will make videos once kit arrives of 'build' and usage.
Please folks, don't tell people they're 5/9 when they're more like a 2/4. Let's have some standards and not worry so much about hurting feelings. I'd rather know if my gear is sub-optimal than exchange a bunch of useless pleasantries.
I am seriously considering getting one of these kits. I am taking my technician test soon then study for general. I was interested in my teens now 60's and finally going to do it.
Awesome, good luck on the tests!
@@randyb168 How did you do on your tests? De KD5INM
I bought mine from Gigaparts also. I upgraded mine with the Nextion display and the additional arduino nano along with the upgraded firmware to allow it extra capability like decoding CW and WSPR transmission. I have about $255 tied up in mine. It's a great radio.
Awesome, thanks for sharing!
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES Be sure and show us what you did with yours.
@@kd5inm will do!
Sheesh gigaparts is highway robbery
I am a new ham, received my technician on 06/21/2024. I have since upgraded to extra. I am definitely not an Elmer, I am more like an Elmo :/
Anyway, I just got back from Huntsville Hamfest. I had a great time and met some amazing people. Having watched this video before Hamfest, I purchased this kit while I was there and hope to put it together within the next few days.
I appreciate your approach here, keep it up :)
Hopefully, I won't let the magic smoke out and I will be able to reach out from NE Florida soon for a QSO.
73/KJ0NES
Casey in Jacksonville
@@KJ0NES-FL-HAM Hi Casey! Have fun with that radio and welcome to our great hobby. I’ve lived and worked in Jacksonville a couple times in my life. I love Duuuuuvvvvaaallll 😂
Lovely bit of kit! I'm poor, but I want a transmitter. So here I am learning to make one. Not the video I was looking for, but I may actually get myself one of these because the price is fantastic!
I love this little rig. One of my best ham experiences so far.
It’s a fun little rig! 73/K4OGO
Since my soldering skills suck, I might be able to do this. Thanks for the video!
Thanks for watching! Give it a try! All the best and 73!
Forgot they might still be around. I never had a good experience with mine. Glad they are doing better.
I’m happy with this one, honestly it’s not an ICOM or a Yaesu but for 200 bucks it’s a great little rig to experiment with.
Way over priced for any kit for 200+ bucks you can buy a better radio the point of kits is the parts are cheap nothing in that kit justifies the price
That is awesome I'm am brand new to ham I'm currently studying for a tech license and this is the kind of stuff I'd like to learn I very surprised how affordable it is awesome vidio thanks keep up the great videos
Thanks! Welcome to the greatest hobby on earth! Hurry up and get that license!
This is my POTA hunting rig, great little kit to build.
Fun and easy build!
I just purchased one of these as well. Couldn't get Gigaparts to take my money (I think they were having issues with their website) so I ordered one direct from India. Much to my pleasant surprise it was on my doorstep (in Pennsylvania) in less than 10 days! Please make more videos as you do different mods to it, I have a couple I'm looking into doing myself. Thanks and 73 de KM3P
Will do! Thanks for watching! 73, K4OGO
Cool toy, got to get one of these Walt, incidently i was an CW op for the TM0HQ team for over ten years !
See you later my friend.
73 from France.
Thanks for watching my friend! 73!
I bought one of these kits last summer, thought I'd make a Christmas project of it, it's still in the box, I'll get to it some time, great video Adam G7CRQ
Thanks Adam, it probably took me an hour to build it. 73/K4OGO
I love the idea of an HF kit radio that is easy to build and is open to modification. I've been watching this kit radio for a while but haven't gotten one because I've been waiting for someone I trust to build it and put it through it's paces. I trust you, so know I'm going to get one. The fact that I can get this at Gigaparts makes it even better (I have nothing against ordering from India except I get impatient when waiting for a new radio. Thanks Walk...73...KN6KNB
Walt, my friend John, n6vcw, got one of these for his birthday and I came looking for a video on them. Bam! Yours popped up first. Being a haughty "solder-only" kit builder and would ONLY soil my hands with a kit that required actually soldering soldering stuff, my first inclination was to "poo-poo" it. But your video piqued my curiosity. For the money and the coverage and other features you demonstrated/described, this looks intriguing.
AND you can mod it? I'm in!
Basically, I respect the recommendation of a guy whose idea of hamming is taking a small rig and decent antenna down to the beach, throwing a radial in the surf and working DX. (Stll in love with your Hawaii QSO video.)
Thank you for the recommendation; please keep us informed re the mods and your experiences!
72 de William, k6whp
SoCal
Thanks so much for the kind words William! Have you seen the new sBitx from these guys? It’s a Raspberry Pi based kit and I think you can get it in a less constructed kit form. It’s on my radar and I’ll probably get one soon.
All the best and 73!
Walt K4OGO
Cool little radio.
It’s so cool Adam, can’t wait to start modifying it!
No Soldering. It's almost Plug and Play. I built mine on Tuesday and put it on the air yesterday. Made 5 QSOs on 7160khz SSB on the Worked All Britain Net 3 English Hams one Welsh Ham and one Scottish Ham. Just need some stereo plugs to get on CW. 73 G0IMB Manchester UK
Congrats! 73 K4OGO
I got one a couple years ago good little qrp rig. they work good but have one quirk it must be tuned with the vfo very slowly.
Roger that!
That is right on
Looks like a fun kit / radio 👍
It's a fun little kit and super easy. Looking forward to performing some surgery on it and doing some mods. Thanks for watching my friend!
I've had my uBitx v6.0 almost three years and it's been a great rig. I modded mine with the nextion display and extra arduino nano to give it added features. It decodes CW and sends WSPR transmissions that can then be accessed on WSPRnet. My WSPR on 40m was heard in New Zealand and Tasmania in Australia from Texas using a homebrew magnetic loop antenna laying on the floor next to my radio table.
I've been looking all over for a source for this kit. I'm in the UK but I've not found any place that has them.
Frikken awsome sneaky lil self essembled snap tite & wire to get on air in no time. Great job Uncle Walter....hey and even the incoming RX Audio doesn't sound bad at all. 209,90$ Investment was worth it the Money for sure. BARGAINER & the Fun Effect combined. Happy Sunday into VA-State. 73 de YFUG 💯👍👍👍🙋♂️🍻
Absolutely Uncle G! It’s always a thrill to turn that knob after you build something and it works! Hope you’re doing well my friend. 73!!
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES Great, just great that's all I can say about it.
Ok, now I want one...
Fire up the PayPal pay in 4 hahaha
sound seem to be poor with distortion, Did you try large speaker?
No I haven't done much with this radio. I need to bring it back out.
Very neat!
Thanks for watching!
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES thinking I might be able to do that. But what about the antenna and power supply? Got a video on that?
@@Downeastwaves any simple 12v power supply on Amazon will work, the amperage draw is low, I used a 10 amp supply I have on my bench in this video. As for antennas I used my Sigma EuroComm HF-360 but there are so many different antennas, it depends on your space and situation. I really don’t have a video in terms of power supplies but a ton of antenna stuff on my channel.
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES thank you so much
Kool....looks like fun.
Thanks for watching! 73/K4OGO
Walt, great video. I was wondering if there was a simple HF kit to build and you answered that question. Thank you for that information. Did you find out what was wrong with why the radio was sounding narrow? This is just my troubleshooting curiosity. I was an electronics tech. for over 30 years. Thank you again.
Yes I adjusted the settings and got it sounding good.
Very cost effective
Hi Walt!
Quick question.
How about modulation?
I’m using cheap baofeng mic, and I was thinking to replace the inner electret mic, or to install a small mic preamp inside. Any suggestions?
I’m trying to figure out a better mic as well. I think you are on to something by installing a preamp. I’m going to start doing some digging in this.
WOW, I have all those tools!
Cool!
Thanks for stopping by the channel and watching! 73, Walt K4OGO
Much as I like Ashar and the Bitx transceivers I find the 'kit' classification amusing, it's like buying a car and getting the wheels in a separate box then claiming you built a kit car.
Yes it is somewhat like that but as I mention in the video it's a great platform for modifications and getting started with experimenting.
All the best and 73
Selling it as it is, it's a great start to building and homebrewing for someone who has never built anything before. It is highly modifiable and is a great basic design that gives folks an affordable access to HF radio. I have used it with the upgrades and it really gets into being a great radio after the mods. Everyone has to start somewhere, and the uBitx is a great radio to start the hobby of building.
Yes but It is all relative, I knew a ham who started in the 30/40s he MADE his own capacitors, resistors and ground his own crystals from a bit of quartz - next time you solder an IC into a ‘real’ kit remember him!
I like that.
Hi Walt.
If you don’t mind, I would love the full dimensions of that radio.
Hi, Sorry I don't have it with me currently but it is about 4 inches high, 10 inches wide and 10 inches deep.
Thank you.
73
Did you do anything to upgrade the tx audio
No it’s still stock out of the box and build
Walt, I have a uBitX v6 that I'm doing a ton of mods to, including an entire replacement front panel I designed around a Nextion LCD. I'm right in Western Branch Chesapeake and we should get together and compare notes.
Yes that’s a great idea neighbor! 73/K4OGO
Now it is rare due to Fahran the owner shifted and made the company into us entity so sad we miss thath
Hey Walt, I am just seeing this video. Curious: does it have a built-in antenna tuner? If not, are you running an external tuner? Also, what power are you getting on 40m & 20m. The gigaparts site says the power goes down as the frequency increases! Thx man!
No this does not have an internal tuner. I have a external ATU but I don't need it for 20 meters as my antenna is resonate there. I haven't done a power test yet but yes I've seen that it goes down as frequency increases. Thanks for watching.
Do you connect this to a power supply? Also what kind of antenna connector does it have. Thinking about ordering one but what else do I need to buy?
Yes I connected it to my 12 volt power supply and it has a BNC antenna connection.
I am using a 12vdc 5 amp switching "brick" power supply with mine and it works great. Some folks seperate the power supply for the power amp section of the rig and run higher voltage on the transistors since they can handle higher voltage but you have to use larger heatsinks for them. With greater voltage the transistors have greater output but you have to take precautions to run them like that.
SOLD! take my money lol
What antenna you are using?
Sigma EuroComm HF-360 multiband vertical.
Thank you !
I can't find or bring up the alignment aid
what is the huge radio behind you?
That’s my 1959 Hammarlund HQ-180 receiver
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES looks to be in excellent shape. love the old ones.
@@shawnsutton3350 me too! It belonged to a silent key that lived across the street from me. Pretty special radio.
thinking about this radio for qrp pota
Nice one ... 😉
Thanks! Yes this was fun to build.
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES yees🤘. Maybe the nextion display is the next 😊
Is there an S meter?
I have never built as kit. Is this the one to try?
Yes indeed Tommy, this is super easy.
Hey Walt! This just showed up on my feed. Nice little radio! Looks like a fun project. Would love to know what else you might have done to it. 73 de K2CJB
Hey and thanks for watching, unfortunately I’ve been traveling for work and overseas since putting this together and haven’t had time to do the mods I want to do. I’m currently in Europe but will be home soon and will start tinkering with this radio. 73 de SP/K4OGO
Interesting, I already have an IC705 but for the price and as a kit, this is too good not try ! Ordered today, will make videos once kit arrives of 'build' and usage.
Awesome! 73/K4OGO
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES this channel is very good, thanks for all the inspiration !
@@alzeNL thank you so much!
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES Just arrived today - very excited to be building this soon !
Transmits on 11 meters??
My unit can't transmit on 11 but it can be modified for 11 meters.
does it work on 11m?
Not out of the box but it can be modified for 11
Sigma Eurocane? I need to see that
Sigma EuroComm HF-360
Do you still have this?
Yes, it’s sitting on a shelf
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES ok, you said you were going to do some mods etc. Did that ever happen?
@@N4GW no just haven’t had the chance
The price is nice, but that rx audio sounded *horrid*; it was intelligible, but choppy.
👍🇬🇧😄
I have yet to make contact on this radio. This "simple" kit is still way beyond me
do need a license use a uBITX V6 HF Transceiver kit
Yes
You can listen without one though
Remind me he too bad they Heathkit
Please folks, don't tell people they're 5/9 when they're more like a 2/4. Let's have some standards and not worry so much about hurting feelings. I'd rather know if my gear is sub-optimal than exchange a bunch of useless pleasantries.
What do you really learn by putting this together though. You might as well just buy a 7300.
Looks like a fun kit / radio 👍
It was a blast! Can’t wait to start doing some mods to it and experimenting. Thanks for watching my friend!
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES I'm trying to design a 80 to 6 meters SSB transceiver. Will release the circuit soon