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Reviews For: FX-4a HF Transceiver

Category: QRP Radios (5 watts or less)

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Review Summary For : FX-4a HF Transceiver
Reviews: 4MSRP: 395
Description:
4 bands (40, 30, 20, 17m) QRP (5W+) Transceiver.
SSB and CW. Small and handy.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.lnrprecision.com/transceivers/
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0044.5
W4TU Rating: 2022-01-30
One of the smallest multiband HF SSB/CW rigs ever made Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've had the LNR Precision FX-4A for several years. I had one, sold it, regretted it, and finally bought another on the used market a couple of years ago. It's extra small size and light weight make it an ideal portable rig. The only negative for me is the lack of an adequately narrow CW filter, something LNR acknowledged in their documentation. While I have the 4SQRP Hi-Per Mite audio CW filter board they provided it's never been hooked up. I've been using the Funtronics ADSP-2 DSP unit, which is tiny, and it does a good job for me.

On my current unit I find the received audio through the speaker mic. or the phones jack with an external speaker to be more than adequate. The receiver sounds good and is more sensitive than what I expected from the published spec. On transmit the FX-4A does get good audio reports using the stock mic. In the one big setup menu you can enter your callsign and send a CQ and call with the push of a button. Output power is tied to the sidetone volume as others noted. It's an annoying little quirk for those of us who want to run QRP and yet want a fairly loud sidetone. My radio can put out as much as 8W-12W depending on band.

All in all it a fun little rig with the emphasis on little.
WB3BIQ Rating: 2016-06-05
Excellent Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I have owned the fx-4a for several months now. This little palm-size, four-band CW/SSB transceiver is really amazing! It is rated at five watts output. Mine gets ten watts out on CW and SSB when measured with my accurate OHR wattmeter. It is the smallest SSB transceiver that can actually be held in the palm of your hand. I power mine with one of those inexpensive 12.4 volt Chinese Li-Po battery packs velcroed to the back. (They cost less than ten bucks with charger on Ebay.) I also velcroed a tiny one-watt boom cube to the top for a complete hand-held transceiver.

I had an initial disappointment with this transceiver in regard to low transmit audio--an email to Larry at LNR and several posts here on eham solved this immediately and quickly. Larry emailed me a pictorial of the PCB's showing me where the MIC GAIN trimmer is located. By advancing this trimmer cap 1/4 to 1/2 clockwise gives more transmit audio than one could ever need. ( if you check out my profuse QRZ.COM webpage and scroll down to the FX-4A part, I show this pictorial and the location of the trimmer.)

I have posted two video clips of this transceiver on YouTube-- the first one shows the FX-4A in several CW QSO's. Here is the YouTube link to the CW one:

https://youtu.be/RoydXdu3eVM

The second one shows the FX-4A in a two-way 40-meter USB QSO. Here is a link to the SSB one:

https://youtu.be/Dm10fXGXEYE

The FX-4A has very crisp, pure audio that is very pleasing to listen to. The transmit audio is the same. I like the dual VFO feature also. I use VFO A for CW and VFO B for the SSB portion of each band.

This is an amazing little four-band transceiver. It is built like a brick. I hope this review helps you out if you are considering a very small dual-mode transceiver. 73's and enjoy the videos from Rick, W B 3 B I Q.
W8MQW Rating: 2015-07-02
Really robust Time Owned: N.A.
Used it for several days now. Selectivity is quite sharp. Calibration is excellent. Received audio is clean and pleasant but AGC action is of low authority. You must ride the volume---sudden strong signals will distort unless volume is quickly backed off. I read 11 watts out on CW on an LP-100. The fixed mic gain is insufficient with supplied hand mike. There appears to be no way to go to a memory channel and then tune nearby or to copy memory into vfo. Online manuals are not up to date: for instance, tapping the VOL/WPM has been replaced by tapping the tuning knob. Why did LNR use a 2.5mm coaxial power plug instead of the standard 2.1?

This radio is a tank; no worry about travel damage.
AE7YD Rating: 2015-04-16
update: great Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
having used it now more extensively it is time for an update.
I tried with an original Yaesu speaker/mike and the modulation level was better but still not enough. An email
to Larry he explained where the mike gain trimmer potentiometer was inside the radio. The construction is
very professional and sturdy.
After adjusting the mike gain I now have a good modulation.
On the air reports are better with the Yaesu mike than with the original one. It might be because I don't have a loud voice.
Overall an outstanding little radio ideal to throw in the brief case for travelling or for lunch break at the park.
Worth every penny.