| W0CKI |
Rating:  |
2023-09-29 | |
| Great kits |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I have built and used several QCX minis', QCX pluses and a couple of the original QCX rigs.
I worked stations all over the US and some DX. Great WSPR rigs. Unbelievable results with low power.
Dollar for dollar they can't be beat. Great RX. Could use the addition of AGC.
They are not kits for the new builder. While the instructions are first rate, the kit is not the Heathkit of days gone by.
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| VE3EGA |
Rating: |
2023-09-29 | |
| Was OK as a simple Kit! |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
A Single Band CW Radio designed by Hans Summer of QRP-Labs TURKEY (you choose the band) was originally produced for "YOTA 17" and 90 Kits were built by young people as part of the program. Since then the QRP folks have taken a special interest in this amazing radio and (at the time of writing Dec 2017) 1453 Kits have been shipped.
I let this one go to a 'New Home' IMHO it was a better design layout than the newer 'sub-compact' QCX-Mini - (which I bought two of - factory-built!) and both of which I sold because after 12 Months of storage one died during storage - go figure!
Neither Mini had even had a QSO! |
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| VE7ZWA |
Rating: |
2023-02-18 | |
| Excellent kit to build, Excellent to use. |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
I have now built 2 QCX+ kits (40m first, 20m second). These are my first building projects since building an Elecraft K1 around 20 years ago. I had ordered the enclosure and AGC module - both well worth the few extra dollars. A great building experience!
I am amazed at how rugged these kits are. In my first build (QCX+ 40m) I soldered a couple of 8 pin IC into the wrong position (Follow Hans instructions, check the component twice, then a third time before soldering!). Had to go back, de-solder and then re-solder into the correct position. I was worried the excessive heat might have damaged the components. Not an issue as it turns out. After alignment the rig preforms flawlessly!
I have since built the Clock & GPS module (also in an excellent enclosure) and the 50watt amp. I now have the QCX mini for 30 meters as my next project. |
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| ON4CCU |
Rating: |
2022-09-17 | |
| Excellent receiver |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I just finished building the 20m version of the QCX+. Thanks to the outstanding quality of the PCBs and good instructions, the kit went together without any problem. Don't be worried about winding the toroids, just take your time and work methodically (there are different suggestions of winding techniques for T1 in the instructions, just pick one that works best for you).
Alignment is very easy, all the tools you need are built-in. After some tweaking of the LPF toroids, I get 4-5 watts output, depending on the power supply voltage. The receiver is just amazing: very quiet and comfortable to listen to, no ringing from the sharp filters. I recommend ordering the optional AGC module, although not perfect it works reasonably well and protects your ear drums :-)
My next project will be the mini version of this radio, for 40 meters. Also, I can't wait for the multi-band/mode version that's been under development for quite some time! |
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| W8MQW |
Rating: |
2021-12-17 | |
| QCX+ is the best kit-building experience yet |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
The latest version of the QCX+ kit is one of the best kit-building experience I have ever had. Hans has incorporated suggestions from builders (like ke9uw) that has made the experience smooth as silk. Much improved kit experience over the QCX kit and the chaotic VFO kit. The optional enclosure is just gorgeous! The experience was greatly improved by ordering the toroids wound by Mychael: toroidguy@earthlink.net
After the build was complete, I temporarily connected his GLG1 GPS kit and the onboard software automatically calibrated the transceiver to within 20 Hz. High tech at its best. |
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| VE3SIF |
Rating: |
2021-09-29 | |
| neat little radio |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I have the 40 meter version that was factory-built (inspected by Hans). It has worked flawlessly and I've made some good contacts with it. As others have mentioned, no AGC is tough, especially when coming across a big signal while wearing earbuds. The cw decoder is so-so - most are. I bought a 3D printed kit from W4MHZ because I wanted to have the key function in case I didn't want to bring along a key. The enclosures on offer at the time I bought this didn't have a key function, only a plug in for an external key. The enclosure works fine, the keying is slow, but doable using the little keying switch.
If you'd like to see it in action, I put a video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8Lob6OIh4o |
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| VE3MVW |
Rating: |
2021-09-17 | |
| The Best Value In Amateur Radio Today |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I have the 20M version of the QCX+ with the optional enclosure which sell for $80.00 US. The kit arrived to Canada in just under 2 weeks. You must download the instruction manual from QRP Labs website. I suggest reading the manual first and have a well organized work area. The most tedious part of putting the kit together is winding the toroid coils particularly T1. After that the rest is pretty standard through hole soldering. Once you power up you will set up and align the radio via menu options. All in all I am extremely impressed with the quality. The radio is packed with features that you wouldn't expect for under $100.00. Dual VFOs, electronic keyer, RIT, CW decoder and memories to name a few. My QCX puts out about 4 watts with a 13.8V input power supply into an Alpha Delta DXEE up about 25 feet. From Southern Ontario I have worked Florida, Colorado, Arkansas and France so far with decent signal reports. I also find the receiver sensitive and stable. If you like to build kits and operate QRP CW you will not be disappointed. |
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| K6SDW |
Rating: |
2021-05-28 | |
| Fun kit, so-so receiver |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
First and foremost, I'm a huge fan of Hans, he sells his designs for amazingly cheap prices.
With that said, the QCX kits are not for beginners and putting one together can be tricky. Also, sorry Hans, the receivers in the kits are so-so, especially when you consider there's no AGC circuit. Of course, for the price, Hans had to leave something out and I get it.
If you're new to electronic kit building, I would suggest starting with a simple kit for practice. If you just have to have a QCX+ rig Hans sells already assembled units at great prices.
73 |
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| NM3A |
Rating: |
2020-08-12 | |
| Great CW QRP Tcvr |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| Bought first one (40m) at FDIM in 2018. 20m one purchased FDIM 2019. I won't repeat the excellent reviews here, just to emphasize that the features are that of a top tier HF radio. Keyer, CW decoder are as good as they get and display does everything you need. Portable operation showed excellent power efficiency. A small 3Ah battery will let you operate for many hours. My 7Ah has never even dropped voltage despite as many as 8 hours of use at a time. I only use it for CW, so I have not upgraded past 1.03 firmware. Latest firmware makes for computer aided transceiver control. You could wish for lots of other things, but at this price point, you got everything you need. Fun to put together, fun to operate. Would suggest getting or making an enclosure though at a minimum. |
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| KM6ZX |
Rating: |
2020-04-14 | |
| First Ham Radio |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I stumbled on the QCX while browsing electronics web sites, and on a whim I ordered the 40m version. Then I went to ARRL to get the Technician Licensing manual. I built the QCX in about a day and a half, no issues with the build or getting it aligned. I'm no electronics expert, but I did follow the directions and the advice of a professional electronics technician. As soon as the radio was finished, I went about building the optional GPS receiver. Stupidly, I connected the GPS receiver to my QCX without reading the manual thoroughly, and fried the final amplifier. But the documentation and the schematics are so clear, I was able to successfully troubleshoot, find the bad parts and replace them. That was a huge confidence builder. This particular "flaw" has since been corrected in the latest user-upgradeable firmware.
I made my first ever QSO on on the QCX using a long wire antenna into a QRP-Guys Multi-Z antenna tuner. Since then I have tried all kinds of home-brew antennas. After one year of being almost exclusively CW, I can read code at 25 wpm and often much faster. When the band conditions are right, I have been able to make contacts all across the country and into Canada and am able to sometimes play with the pros.
The only two things I do not like about the QCX are it has no noise rejection and no auto gain control. But both features would probably increase the price of the kit, and some people might not buy or get into the hobby. So they probably aren't really flaws. Hans has been doing a very good job updating the firmware, fixing bugs, and adding features, and I have been able to upgrade my QCX to the current revision. I do have another radio now that has more features, but I still use the QCX quite often because it is so much fun and I smile every time I send "rig is QCX at 5W QRP".
From a beginners perspective, I think a lot of people are still interested in getting started in amateur radio the old fashioned way. With the QCX this may have never been easier. Hopefully many of the kits are being sold to beginners, which would be a very good thing for the CW community. Without bringing in new CW enthusiasts and getting them hooked, many of us won’t have anyone to rag chew with in 20 or 30 years. That being said, it takes a bit of persistence and a bit of Elmering to be successful. So when you hear the beginner who is struggling on the air, please answer them and be helpful and patient. You might be having a nice QRQ QSO with that person in a year or two. |
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