CQWW-CW from an HOA; Anan-10E vs. Hermes Lite 2+

I went into the contest with the goal of testing the performance of the HL2+ in crowded CW conditions.

Rather than writing a dry narrative of "How I spent my weekend" (actually only four hours of it), I'll just sum it all up in bullet points:

Hermes Lilte 2 becomes HL2 Plus, awaits CQWW-CW

With the arrival of my Apache Labs 10E, I finally worked up the courage to put my HL2 under the knife for the surgery required to convert it to a Plus version.

No, it didn't get fatter; it just got better.

The update required removing a 0603 ferrite bead, adding a 0603 resistor & a small piggy-backed PC board, and updating the gateware.

And a few other small things that, all tolled (or is it "told"?), took 20 minutes.

It's the gateware thing that got me - I'd never heard of either the word or the process, but I know I didn't want to risk bricking the HL2.

Long story short - I should have done it long ago. Everything went smoothly.

Hermes Lite 2, 10-160m harmonic output

I went through the rest of the bands today and the HL2 looks good on all of them. My HL2 includes, of course, the N2ADR Low Pass Filter board, as they all should (and probably do).

 

10m

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12m

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Hermes Lite 2 - Compliant on 10 meters?

While waiting on an "Your Anan-10E is ready" email I thought I'd test a claim on Apache Lab's website regarding SDR radios that use the AD9866 processor - ie, the Hermes Lite 2.

Apache Lab's comparative chart claims that the HL2 is not compliant on 10 meters. News to me...let's have a look.

[UPDATE: Harmonic content is within spec on all bands. I'll check IMD later in the year.] 

I also wanted to test receiver sensitivity. I was asked about it in several emails after posting a video comparing receiver sensitivity of the QMX+, KX2 and FT-891.

 

I'll be the first to admit that receiver sensitivity is down the totem pole when it comes to receiver specs, topped by selectivity and dynamic range. Still, it's a useful test if only to verify the lack of a problem where one might be suspected.

Update on my new Hermes Lite 2

A few people expressed interest in the HL2 that I mentioned a few weeks ago - two of those were CW ops who want to know how it does on that mode.

To improve its performance on CW, I ordered the mod kit which converts the rig to a Plus model.

The mod kit was sent out by WA2T the very day I ordered it but it arrived after we'd left for Iceland and has been with our neighbor since then. We are home now, but our neighbor is out of town!

She returns later this week, but we leave again for three weeks a few days after her return.

Now that you've suffered through all that, the short story is - I won't know how the Plus version of the HL2 performs on CW until late July.

But in the meantime, I've been using the HL2 on a daily basis on digital modes. Mostly FT8 with a bit of WSPR thrown in, and I'll say this - I love this radio! Talk about "bang for the buck..."

The HL2 with Thetis and WSJT-X software was a cinch to set up. I am no longer missing my old Apache Labs or Flex rigs. That weird, tough-to-explain satisfaction that comes from having a radio totally controlled by a PC - and all the functionality and flexibility therein - is in complete attendance with the HL2.

I don't yet own a mic for the HL2 but the comments on Pure Signal fidelity by those who do have piqued my curiosity on even my least-favorite of modes, so I'll give it a Go, eventually.

On FT8, the radio performs well, which is to say that a super-strong signal appearing on the waterfall does not diminish the presence of weaker stations.

More later on this amazing radio, but it'll be a while.

For now, I'll go out on a limb and say this: If you're an op who likes digital modes and wants a high-performing radio that won't break the bank, the Hermes Lite 2 needs to be on your Short List.

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Other options in the same price range:

Square SDR (page is in Czech but Google's Chrome browser will translate it)

A 6-160m near-equivalent to the HL-2 from EU1SW

I have no experience with either of these but comments from users on both a quite favorable.

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