A lot of people complain about these radios, but not everyone can afford an expensive radio - these let, so many new people get into HF - all you need is this cheap radio and a resonant antenna (I use an end fed with an equally cheap ATU with mine). Even the digi kit is coming down in price now of rthose wanting to work digi modes. It's also perfect for those on foundation licenses that aren't allowed to use much power anyways.
Hey Walt! Thanks for this video. I got one with a battery from china, and so far so good. My plan is to combine it with the AT 100M, and a Micro pa50 for for a tiny 50w rig, or a qrp rig with that doesn't need an external battery. Keep up the good work! I use a "tactical" headset with mine because I am losing my hearing, and the little microphone is tough to pick out call signs. It is a tac sky comtac II with the baofeng ptt connector. Much easier to pick out signals, and the microphone works great. Looks dorky, but I am not a slave to fashion.
Thanks for watching! That sounds like a cool setup. I really need to get out and play with this radio some more, it’s a cool little rig for the price. All the best and 73, Walt K4OGO
I was on 20 Meters and I heard you make the contact with S51DX on 14240. I live just east of Richmond, VA. I too have ordered this same radio and it should arrive today!
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES Make that a general! Thanks. Just got this in the mail and cant tell what coax it uses. Can you tell me if it uses BNC in the back? Thanks Walt
Thanks for posting. I've been looking at these to get back into 20M hf DXING. Worked the world on a SGC2000 and Yaesu FT891 (spoiled by 100W) but this looks to be a minimalist blast.
Straight out of the box made contacts on 20M to Rhode Island and Boston using a small homebrew hamstick mounted on top of the garbage can! I can tell these radios definitely have their limitations but hey for $120. Fun!
Need to post video and not monopolize yours....this rig is amazing. Heterodyne receiver equals my Yaesu 891 IMHO. Hard to believe. Working from FL on homemade windom 10' up. No tuner. Amazing contacts and signal reports from all across US and Canada. People can't believe I'm working 20&40 on just 4 watts even though just above noise floor. I am blown away. Sure, lacks features but who cares. Fun basic dxing. Cheers Steve kk3sc
Really interesting - whilst not 'throw-away' - its a cheaper radio and safer to use in places I wouldnt use my IC705 in. Seeing it work that well out the box, very much a radio that people should be looking at - and its good you demonstrated the antenna and mounting. Great video ! 73 2E0FWE
Im looking into getting one of those in the next few days and its cheaper to buy without the internal battery, i have a HF radio on long loan at the moment and with the size of that SDR HF radio it will fit in perfectly with my QYT KT-8900 2m/70cm radio.. I had a HF-360 antenna, because i live by the sea the joins eneded up corroded and it fell apart, now i use a silverrod CB antenna without the loading coil for my HF work and it works really really well as its just slightly longer than the HF-360.. Thank you for your video.. M6EVD..
Hi, im thinking of getting one of these radios, only for the CW its a built in decoder on it, you can also get both a antenna tuner and a amplifier for this now :) by the way, i own a Yaesu ft 897d so i am just interested in the CW function on the usdx for training purposes, i also got an President Lincoln 2+ and a Kenwood th f7e ... its just that i love tiny radios 😂 73 from Norway.
Thx for the video Walt.. Imma gunna get one of those radios next to play with.. thanks for sharing.. PS I also enjoyed you show with CAHR on Sunday.. nice job.. k0klb
Hi Walt I'm 70 years old and just decided to get my Tech ticket. Piece of cake-I have 60 years experience with radio. I'm thinking of getting the usdx+ v2 since I like the idea of QRP portability and will be moving up to general a while after I get my ticket. Any advice? 73 Ron
Hi Ron, I like this little rig but for my first HF rig I would take a hard look at the Xiegu G90. It’s a shack in the box that includes an ATU. Excellent transceiver for when you get your general. Good luck and hope to catch you on the bands. 73, Walt K4OGO
Thanks so much Adam! I had a blast in the show. Enjoyed reading your comments in the chat. I actually had to go back and read the chat after the show, it was moving quick.
Walt - took DL2MAN's (tr)uSDX unit to Melbourne, AUS and immediately realized that it did NOT support 10m and 15m. Guess what is hot in Melbourne - 10m. The classic (tr)uSDX only supports 80,60,40,30 and 20m. 20m and 40m were poor in Melbourne. Which supplier did you buy your uSDX+ from? I'm looking at ebay and would like to determine a supplier. Also - how do you compare the wattage output between the (tr)uSDX and uSDX+ ? I think I was getting almost 5-6 watts from only 12v with the (tr)uSDX on 20m in Melbourne. Would try the uSDX+ if it's even close in output to the (tr)uSDX. Greg - AC1NY
Hi Gregory, I got mine on eBay from the seller diyradio and it's a pretty decent little radio. I think it's pretty much the same as the (tr)uSDX as far as wattage (just over 5 watts). It's a lot more rugged and solid than the (tr)uSDX. I'm happy with mine. 73, Walt
Hi Walt, how did you power this USDX+? Your LiPo4 battery, Snitpwr unit or another power supply? I really appreciate all your great content. It’s a tremendous help to all of us newer hams. Thank you!
Hi there, could you please confirm if this model has the function knob properly oriented with down/up properly mapped to counterclockwise/clockwise? And does it have an SWR meter? Have you measured the TX power on the higher bands like at 10m? Thanks a lot!
Hi, thanks for the review! Have you figured out the jacks? REAR PANEL I guess you plugged in the spkr/mic where it says "KJ", whatever that means 🙂 Then a simple 3.5mm cable to connect CAT jack to the rig. But then for the same jack, it says PTT OUT, to key an amplifier? Can't be both, can it? FRONT PANEL Has "HP" -- so that is for headphone only, no mic? A duplicate of the larger of the two KJ jacks on the rear? Also on the front is KEY/MIC. KEY is for a Morse key? And MIC is a duplicate of the smaller of the two KJ jacks on the rear? But it can't be both at the same time? Very confusing (to me anyway). Any advice appreciated!
Hi, thanks for watching. To be honest I've only used it for SSB so the mic jacks in the back and power is about all I've dealt with. Sorry I couldn't give you more detail. I'm away from home working so I don't have the radio with me, I need to do a deeper dive on it. All the best and 73, Walt K4OGO
Hyou bought it from a US supplier? Do you have a link? I have the (tr)uSDX, but really miss not having the 17 & 15 meter coverage... De WB2VUO here near Buffalo, NY
The antenna I use at my home QTH is a bit of a compromise but works well. It is a Sigma EuroComm HF-360 www.ebay.com/itm/321710811871?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=7p4KTCMES8S&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=IVyKb51XQj2&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
interesting - had posted a comment previously, but it failed to show up here... anyway, did your rig also have the encoder running backwards? as i had mentioned before, there is a fix via an updated .ino file (usdx_22020511_102wA4.ino), which also improves transmitted audio - these are my favorite variants, but i wish sellers would be honest and not show the better versions with the blue lcd and black screws in their ebay ads
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES these variants are much easier to update than the buttons-on-top versions... take off the top, connect five wires to the ISP header from an arduino programmed as an isp programmer, then upload your compiled .ino w/bootloader via the avrdudess file - takes 30 seconds... i also like that the backlight on/off works on these variants...
Да интересный трансивер, мне достался с кривой прошивкой и не очень хорошим синтезатором MS5351 после замены синтезатора и перепрошивки с хит хаба версией 1.01Х всё заработало лучше, привлекает конечно дешевизна, открытый код прошивки, поэтому покупается ещё какой-то вариант я купил у разработчиков из Германии примерно такая же конструкция но с закрытым кодом. Но если суммировать затраты это уже половина трансивера TX-500 компании Lab599 который сделан просто супер особенно если его брать с собой за город, достоинство этого его малогабаритность, фактически карманный. Но если нет надобности в карманном, то лучше заплатить 1000 долларов это не такая большая сумма и купить TX-500. Но с точки зрения прикоснуться к радиоприёму, да идеальный вариант, особенно тренировочный режим на ключе. Спасибо, не знал что есть такая функция, просто только вчера перепрошил трансивер на новую прошивку.
I would go straight to the G90 if you could. This radio takes a lot of tinkering with to get it really dialed in. Plus as a beginner on HF low power can be frustrating. The 20 watts in the G90 is perfect
I have one sitting on top of my Yaesu 891. I use it a lot to listen, scan around the bands. I made my first HF QSO with a man in Minsk (RA) with 4w with it in my car. It has a CW decoder and practice. I would suggest looking around YTube to see what settings work best
Walt what is the cheapest uhf vhf hf all band radio that you would recommend I want a all in one package but don't want to break the bank with it either 😂
Hi, sorry I’m not a digital guy. I’ve seen this radio used for FT-8 on other videos. I’d do a search for that. Once again, sorry I couldn’t help you. 73
For QRP, super portable digital modes, I recommend QRP-Labs QDX. It's a kit that costs $91 plus shipping for kit, case and power pigtail. Thing is tiny, fitting easily in a shirt pocket. Only 3 connections required: Power, Antenna, USB cable. Kit requires winding some toroids and soldering a few thru-hole components - the rest are SMT and already mounted. PS: I'm not affiliated with QRP-Labs, just a customer and real fan of Hans' designs!
Nice Video. I also bought the USDX + transceiver. But I have a problem. The SSB Modulation is really bad. I can't use it. I tried a reset and put the TX Drive Audio to 2. But it does not work. Do you have a solution for it? 73 DL1SFI
Nice video. I had an earlier version that stopped working after about a month (probably voltage regulator) but I had fun with it and made some good contacts. Maybe I'll give this newer version a try. 73 Ron ua-cam.com/video/o4i7JWiVibw/v-deo.html
I am 1000x more psyched about getting this radio. Only thing anywhere NEAR my price range. Also going to get a CW key for it
A lot of people complain about these radios, but not everyone can afford an expensive radio - these let, so many new people get into HF - all you need is this cheap radio and a resonant antenna (I use an end fed with an equally cheap ATU with mine).
Even the digi kit is coming down in price now of rthose wanting to work digi modes.
It's also perfect for those on foundation licenses that aren't allowed to use much power anyways.
I actually like this one a little more than the rest of the uSDX radios
Thanks Walt…another radio in the way! HI. QRP is so satisfying! You have a very good channel, well done.
Thank you so much Trevor!
Lord help us. You have done it again, another radio. Always good to have a moment with you. You make my day.
Thanks so much Tommy! Yes I have a radio buying addition LOL
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES A man can’t have enough radios.
Hey Walt! Thanks for this video. I got one with a battery from china, and so far so good. My plan is to combine it with the AT 100M, and a Micro pa50 for for a tiny 50w rig, or a qrp rig with that doesn't need an external battery. Keep up the good work! I use a "tactical" headset with mine because I am losing my hearing, and the little microphone is tough to pick out call signs. It is a tac sky comtac II with the baofeng ptt connector. Much easier to pick out signals, and the microphone works great. Looks dorky, but I am not a slave to fashion.
Thanks for watching! That sounds like a cool setup. I really need to get out and play with this radio some more, it’s a cool little rig for the price. All the best and 73, Walt K4OGO
Did you follow through with the set up?
Well done. I like your little radio reviews....very helpful.
Thank you!!
I was on 20 Meters and I heard you make the contact with S51DX on 14240. I live just east of Richmond, VA. I too have ordered this same radio and it should arrive today!
Awesome! Hope yours works as well. I actually work somewhat closer to you at the Northern end of Newport News almost to Williamsburg. Howdy neighbor!
I just got my Technicians and bought this transceiver, nice to know it's a decent one
Congrats and welcome to the hobby! 73, Walt
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES Make that a general! Thanks. Just got this in the mail and cant tell what coax it uses. Can you tell me if it uses BNC in the back? Thanks Walt
That is awesome you got a QSO in Cuba. Glad their signal made it out.
It was pretty cool making that contact!
Thanks for posting. I've been looking at these to get back into 20M hf DXING. Worked the world on a SGC2000 and Yaesu FT891 (spoiled by 100W) but this looks to be a minimalist blast.
It’s a great radio if you know it’s a minimalist cheap rig. 73
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES Roger. That's exactly what I want. After quality rigs now how low and minimal can I work the world.
Straight out of the box made contacts on 20M to Rhode Island and Boston using a small homebrew hamstick mounted on top of the garbage can! I can tell these radios definitely have their limitations but hey for $120. Fun!
Need to post video and not monopolize yours....this rig is amazing. Heterodyne receiver equals my Yaesu 891 IMHO. Hard to believe. Working from FL on homemade windom 10' up. No tuner. Amazing contacts and signal reports from all across US and Canada. People can't believe I'm working 20&40 on just 4 watts even though just above noise floor. I am blown away. Sure, lacks features but who cares. Fun basic dxing. Cheers Steve kk3sc
Really interesting - whilst not 'throw-away' - its a cheaper radio and safer to use in places I wouldnt use my IC705 in. Seeing it work that well out the box, very much a radio that people should be looking at - and its good you demonstrated the antenna and mounting. Great video ! 73 2E0FWE
Thanks so much for watching! 73 K4OGO
Im looking into getting one of those in the next few days and its cheaper to buy without the internal battery, i have a HF radio on long loan at the moment and with the size of that SDR HF radio it will fit in perfectly with my QYT KT-8900 2m/70cm radio.. I had a HF-360 antenna, because i live by the sea the joins eneded up corroded and it fell apart, now i use a silverrod CB antenna without the loading coil for my HF work and it works really really well as its just slightly longer than the HF-360.. Thank you for your video.. M6EVD..
Thank you so much for watching Clive! 73 de K4OGO
Very useful post. Thank you.
Thanks for watching!
Hi, im thinking of getting one of these radios, only for the CW its a built in decoder on it, you can also get both a antenna tuner and a amplifier for this now :) by the way, i own a Yaesu ft 897d so i am just interested in the CW function on the usdx for training purposes, i also got an President Lincoln 2+ and a Kenwood th f7e ... its just that i love tiny radios 😂 73 from Norway.
I love tiny radios too! 73 de K4OGO
Thx for the video Walt.. Imma gunna get one of those radios next to play with.. thanks for sharing.. PS I also enjoyed you show with CAHR on Sunday.. nice job.. k0klb
Thanks so much!! The CAHR Show was a blast!! 73 Walt
👀 . . . 🙋♂
I just pulled the trigger on one of these myself. Can’t wait to try it out. 73s! KJ5GIH
Hi Walt I'm 70 years old and just decided to get my Tech ticket. Piece of cake-I have 60 years experience with radio. I'm thinking of getting the usdx+ v2 since I like the idea of QRP portability and will be moving up to general a while after I get my ticket. Any advice? 73 Ron
Hi Ron, I like this little rig but for my first HF rig I would take a hard look at the Xiegu G90. It’s a shack in the box that includes an ATU. Excellent transceiver for when you get your general. Good luck and hope to catch you on the bands. 73, Walt K4OGO
Yeah, but $450 vs $100 ---- it fills a different niche. For $450, I'd find a used FT-817.
Janez in Slovenia has the Big Ears. He's the perfect Guy for asking for Signal Report. Good job Uncle Walter 💯🙋♂
Yes he's a great guy, I've worked him a few times. thanks Uncle G!!!!!
I saw you on Coffee And Ham Radio and I hope they have you again soon. Keep up the great work. New Sub.
KO4HPC T.N. 73
Thanks so much Adam! I had a blast in the show. Enjoyed reading your comments in the chat. I actually had to go back and read the chat after the show, it was moving quick.
2:15 I think one could work Janez with a paperclip and a 9V battery. 🙂
I worked with my toaster when I was in Poland hahahaha
Walt - took DL2MAN's (tr)uSDX unit to Melbourne, AUS and immediately realized that it did NOT support 10m and 15m. Guess what is hot in Melbourne - 10m. The classic (tr)uSDX only supports 80,60,40,30 and 20m. 20m and 40m were poor in Melbourne. Which supplier did you buy your uSDX+ from? I'm looking at ebay and would like to determine a supplier. Also - how do you compare the wattage output between the (tr)uSDX and uSDX+ ? I think I was getting almost 5-6 watts from only 12v with the (tr)uSDX on 20m in Melbourne. Would try the uSDX+ if it's even close in output to the (tr)uSDX.
Greg - AC1NY
Hi Gregory, I got mine on eBay from the seller diyradio and it's a pretty decent little radio. I think it's pretty much the same as the (tr)uSDX as far as wattage (just over 5 watts). It's a lot more rugged and solid than the (tr)uSDX. I'm happy with mine. 73, Walt
Hi Walt, how did you power this USDX+? Your LiPo4 battery, Snitpwr unit or another power supply? I really appreciate all your great content. It’s a tremendous help to all of us newer hams. Thank you!
I actually power this with a little 10 amp power supply I have but all those you mentioned will work just as well. All the best and 73, Walt
If this transmitted at 10 watts with 12v battery this would be an awesome QRP radio.
Yes it would!
Hi there, could you please confirm if this model has the function knob properly oriented with down/up properly mapped to counterclockwise/clockwise? And does it have an SWR meter? Have you measured the TX power on the higher bands like at 10m? Thanks a lot!
I never managed to receive any station. Transmitter worked only with CW, despite the mode chosen. For few bucks one gets what is worth it.
I have one of these it came with no Arial can you tell me where to get one enjoyed your Video
Hi, thanks for the review! Have you figured out the jacks?
REAR PANEL
I guess you plugged in the spkr/mic where it says "KJ", whatever that means 🙂
Then a simple 3.5mm cable to connect CAT jack to the rig. But then for the same jack, it says PTT OUT, to key an amplifier? Can't be both, can it?
FRONT PANEL
Has "HP" -- so that is for headphone only, no mic? A duplicate of the larger of the two KJ jacks on the rear?
Also on the front is KEY/MIC. KEY is for a Morse key? And MIC is a duplicate of the smaller of the two KJ jacks on the rear? But it can't be both at the same time?
Very confusing (to me anyway).
Any advice appreciated!
Hi, thanks for watching. To be honest I've only used it for SSB so the mic jacks in the back and power is about all I've dealt with. Sorry I couldn't give you more detail. I'm away from home working so I don't have the radio with me, I need to do a deeper dive on it.
All the best and 73, Walt K4OGO
I am thinking about getting one as a backup for my go bag. Good video 👍 73 KV5P
Thanks Mike, hope you get a good one and enjoy it! 73 Walt K4OGO
Hyou bought it from a US supplier? Do you have a link? I have the (tr)uSDX, but really miss not having the 17 & 15 meter coverage...
De WB2VUO here near Buffalo, NY
Sorry, I don't have the link with me as I'm in Europe on travel. It was a USA seller on eBay. 73, Walt K4OGO
What antenna are you using? You are getting great distances.
The antenna I use at my home QTH is a bit of a compromise but works well. It is a Sigma EuroComm HF-360
www.ebay.com/itm/321710811871?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=7p4KTCMES8S&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=IVyKb51XQj2&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
interesting - had posted a comment previously, but it failed to show up here... anyway, did your rig also have the encoder running backwards? as i had mentioned before, there is a fix via an updated .ino file (usdx_22020511_102wA4.ino), which also improves transmitted audio - these are my favorite variants, but i wish sellers would be honest and not show the better versions with the blue lcd and black screws in their ebay ads
Yes mine is backwards as well, I’ll tinker with it eventually and look into that file which will improve the audio. Thanks for the info! 73 Walt
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES these variants are much easier to update than the buttons-on-top versions... take off the top, connect five wires to the ISP header from an arduino programmed as an isp programmer, then upload your compiled .ino w/bootloader via the avrdudess file - takes 30 seconds... i also like that the backlight on/off works on these variants...
I suspect much of the bad reviews are folks trying to get a $115 +/- radio to work like a $1000 radio
Да интересный трансивер, мне достался с кривой прошивкой и не очень хорошим синтезатором MS5351 после замены синтезатора и перепрошивки с хит хаба версией 1.01Х всё заработало лучше, привлекает конечно дешевизна, открытый код прошивки, поэтому покупается ещё какой-то вариант я купил у разработчиков из Германии примерно такая же конструкция но с закрытым кодом. Но если суммировать затраты это уже половина трансивера TX-500 компании Lab599 который сделан просто супер особенно если его брать с собой за город, достоинство этого его малогабаритность, фактически карманный. Но если нет надобности в карманном, то лучше заплатить 1000 долларов это не такая большая сумма и купить TX-500. Но с точки зрения прикоснуться к радиоприёму, да идеальный вариант, особенно тренировочный режим на ключе. Спасибо, не знал что есть такая функция, просто только вчера перепрошил трансивер на новую прошивку.
Would you think of this as a reasonable beginner HF radio. My goal is a G90. This might be a good transition and help me get used to HF
I would go straight to the G90 if you could. This radio takes a lot of tinkering with to get it really dialed in. Plus as a beginner on HF low power can be frustrating. The 20 watts in the G90 is perfect
I have one sitting on top of my Yaesu 891.
I use it a lot to listen, scan around the bands.
I made my first HF QSO with a man in Minsk (RA) with 4w with it in my car.
It has a CW decoder and practice.
I would suggest looking around YTube to see what settings work best
Do you know the model to that baofang mic you used? I'm debating getting one cause the included speakermic in my unit wasn't very good lol
I really don’t and I’m currently traveling so I can’t take a look at it. Sorry
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES thanks for the quick response! :)
Sorry it wasn’t much help!
Dont worry about it! The video was still immensely helpful & entertaining
UV-3R Handheld Microphone
Amazing qrp Radio. 7351
Could you make a full video of just making contacts on this little thing? Just got it for Christmas and want to see more!
I will try to do that! 73
Walt what is the cheapest uhf vhf hf all band radio that you would recommend I want a all in one package but don't want to break the bank with it either 😂
To get all that your cheapest option is probably the Guohetec Q900. I’m actually interested in that radio myself.
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES thanks I will check it out
Hello , COASTAL WAVES & WIRES . Have you yet try Digital Mode yet? If I used PTT in the menu would that be what I need with a AUX to Radio to PC ?
Hi, sorry I’m not a digital guy. I’ve seen this radio used for FT-8 on other videos. I’d do a search for that. Once again, sorry I couldn’t help you. 73
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES Thank You, Also Thanks for the Video. Right out the box with QSO. 73
For QRP, super portable digital modes, I recommend QRP-Labs QDX. It's a kit that costs $91 plus shipping for kit, case and power pigtail. Thing is tiny, fitting easily in a shirt pocket. Only 3 connections required: Power, Antenna, USB cable. Kit requires winding some toroids and soldering a few thru-hole components - the rest are SMT and already mounted.
PS: I'm not affiliated with QRP-Labs, just a customer and real fan of Hans' designs!
Just got one but no instructions for CAT connections.
I’ve seen some videos of this rig with that info. Sorry I’m just a SSB guy.
Can you hook this radio, with battery, up to an external power source or do you have to order the radio without the battery?
Yes you can hook it to an external source, even if you have the model with a battery
Nice Video. I also bought the USDX + transceiver. But I have a problem. The SSB Modulation is really bad. I can't use it. I tried a reset and put the TX Drive Audio to 2. But it does not work. Do you have a solution for it? 73 DL1SFI
I don’t have a solution but I will do some digging. Thanks for watching!
Many thanks. Kind regards from Germany.
What makes this a + over the ones that are not + (plus)?
That’s a good question and I have no idea
Very interesting !
How is this device performing in higher frequencies such as 21 MHz, 28 Mhz?
It performs well on 17, 15 and 12. I have only used it a few times but found it worked pretty good. I really need to revisit this radio.
Where to buy the antenna? I'm from Indonesia 1:22
www.ebay.com/itm/321267967970?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=7p4KTCMES8S&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=IVyKb51XQj2&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES thanks
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES what about radio compare to usdx and tr usdx
@@GoExploreCh this radio is about the same as a uSDX in performance.
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES what about tr usdx ?
Do you have to have a license to talk on this radio
Yes
thx 73
It's a shame it doesn't do FM out of the box, 10M 29.6fm is coming alive.
Hi, i have seen that the fm/am function on this radio is a "gift" and you must choose it in the meny, but its there :)
Lots of fun. Bill WT9L
Fun little radio!
Nice video. I had an earlier version that stopped working after about a month (probably voltage regulator) but I had fun with it and made some good contacts. Maybe I'll give this newer version a try. 73 Ron ua-cam.com/video/o4i7JWiVibw/v-deo.html