QRP reviews for QRP rigs

 

An interesting concept from WD4ELG: a very brief summary of various QRP rigs. The Good and the Bad of each, distilled down to the minimum, by various QRPers:

 

FT-817ND biggest positive: shack in a box. I did Satellites, SSB, CW, digital (with Signalink), FM. Listened to air band and police band. It is rugged. I worked DX from the car. It was my go-anywhere rig.
FT817ND biggest negative: you really need the CW filter. And the SOTA SSB modulation enhancer. And it was getting long-in-the-tooth.

IC-705 biggest positive - SDR shack in a box. Think 7300 in a portable size, plus bluetooth and Wifi. CW paddle and the included microphone, and you are ready to rock and roll. I use it in shack daily, and can take it to a local park.
IC-705 biggest negative - it is the largest rig. Possibly most fragile. I'm not taking it anywhere unless I have it protected in a backpack.

Penntek TR-35 biggest positive - everything from the front panel without menus!
Penntek TR-35 biggest negative - limited bands, won't work if battery is below 10V.

QMX biggest positive - Hans is a genius. SDR QRP rig now with SSB, for $150! Menus are intuitive.
QMXbiggest negative - so many options and capabilities, I need my cell phone to keep a local copy of the manual.

MTR3B Currahee biggest positive - smallest rig. TINY. Runs on a 9V duracell.
MTR3B Currahee biggest negative - everything is via menu, and it takes some getting used to. Only three bands.

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QMX+ biggest positive: 6-160m, all modes in a tiny size
QMX+ biggest negative: narrow range of DC input doesn’t easily correspond to any battery type

KX2 biggest positive: complete station (rig, battery, ATU)
KX2 biggest negative: Unknown. The perfect QRP rig?

KX3 biggest positive: excellent rx characteristics (a mini-K3)
KX3 biggest negative: NiMH internal battery chemistry (low DC out, poor discharge curve)

(tr)uSDX biggest positive: cheap
(tr)uSDX biggest negative: poor audio receive, high level of splatter on SSB tx, poor menu accessibility

mcHF biggest positive: high performance-to-cost ratio
mcHF biggest negative: hit or miss on quality control

Hermes Lite 2 biggest positive: very high performance-to-cost ratio. Excellent on SSB, digital
Hermes Lite 2 biggest negative: requires PC for operation, good (not great) on CW.

SW-3B biggest positive: small, full 5W output, 3 most popular bands
SW-3B biggest negative: no major negatives

zBitx biggest positive: none
zBitx biggest negative: falsely advertised, poor receive-to-transmit transition

ATS-3B biggest positive: excellent low-noise receiver, sounds like a much more expensive rig
ATS-3B biggest negative: extensive SMD construction, difficult for many (most?) builders

IC-705 biggest positive: does everything, everywhere
IC-705 biggest negative: high current draw, awkward/unbalanced for table-top use

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FT-817nd biggest positive: DC-to-daylight (160 - 2m all-mode coverage)
FT-817nd biggest negative: needs and external battery and external antenna tuner
FT-817nd second biggest negative: lack of CW filters

Elecraft KX-1 biggest positive: rig in the palm of your hand (radio/battery/ATU)
Elecraft KX-1 biggest negative: minimalist menu can be cryptic (I need to bring a cheat sheet with me)

QMX biggest positive: lots of features in a tiny radio
QMX biggest negative: lots of menus to work through

QCX-mini biggest positive: easy to use
QCX-mini biggest negative: single band

QDX biggest positive: easy to use for digital operations
QDX biggest negative: no phase-shift modes, only FSK

Penntek TR-35 biggest positive: no menus
Penntek TR-35 biggest negative: sidetone volume is a function of power out and RF/AF gain - can be loud if I have RF/AF gain max'ed out

(tr)uSDX biggest positive: easy to build, relatively easy to configure
(tr)uSDX biggest negative: weak audio that leads to oscillation if gain is too high

SW 40+ biggest positive: easy to use
SW 40+ biggest negative: no internal keyer

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MFJ-9030 biggest positive: simple single-band, fun
MFJ-9030 biggest negative: Drift, resolved by contacting Rick K1BQT and MFJ, new caps from MFJ installed

MFJ-9440 biggest positive: EXCELLENT processor, adj. to 5W PEP with 12V gel cell
MFJ-9440 biggest negative: single band, CW option stunk

OHR 40M Sprint biggest positive: Sensitive receiver, solid 2W out, fun to op
OHR 40M Sprint biggest negative: DC receiver

OHR-400 biggest positive: Four-bander, fun to op
OHR-400 biggest negative: Large for a knapsack, digital freq counter accessory

IC-703 biggest positive: great big rig feel, Icom did two fixes under warranty, INRAD made filters, In 2004 $399 out the door from HRO
IC-703 biggest negative: CW filter solder to board not a drop in, requires a few minutes to take apart 

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