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Reviews For: uBitx

Category: Ham Radio Kits

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Review Summary For : uBitx
Reviews: 28MSRP: 109
Description:
Multi band multi mode HF transceiver kit
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.hfsignals.com/
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
24.5284.1
W9PH Rating: 2023-03-28
Great kit for anyone Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This is a great kit for anyone. I have been looking at this radio since version 4 and then version 5 and wasn't sure that my 98-year-old father and I could build it successfully with all the soldering connections but then version 6 came out with essentially no soldering. It is mostly mechanical construction of the case and plugging in components. There is a great Internet group to answer questions and offer support.

The kit is really marketed for the technological ham to modify and improve but for someone who just wants to make the basic kit this radio can be built by anyone. It no longer needs tuning and comes ready to go as soon as you make all of the connections.

I am truly amazed by how powerful this kit is and it is relatively easy to make contacts. The receiver is better than expected and the power output is adequate to make contacts. This is not micro QRP. It is still QRP but I am getting almost 14 W on 80 m and close to 10 W on 20 m and it drops for 10 m. This is usable and practical power.

The radio really works and you can really make contacts but at this price point it's obviously not a new ICOM 7300 or 7610 and you have to have realistic expectations. There is no AGC, there are no memories, the radio is low-power, there is no noise reduction on the receiver, no direct connection to the pc or logging program etc. nevertheless I am blown away by how powerful this radio is and It meets and exceeds all of my expectations.

The last transceiver that my father and I built was many years ago and it was a Heathkit HW8. Technology has changed but this radio blows that away because with my old set up the output from the HW8 was too low to really make any contacts by me and having SSB makes a huge difference in usability for someone who isn't great at CW.

I think that they should market this not only for the technical but for the non-technical as long as you're not planning to modify the radio. There are posts which explain how to wire the connecting cables (something that really should be in the instructions) and there are pictures labeling the jacks (something that really should be in the instructions) so you can get the critical information even if you can't reliably read the schematic. I think we could read the schematic but since you can destroy the radio if you wire the connections incorrectly it is nice to get confirmation before you make it into a brick since there isn't anyone to send it to for fixing like the old days with Heathkit.

I would advise a new ham to buy an old hundred watt transceiver as a first radio since it will be easier to make contacts than with QRP but if you really want to get into the radio and make modifications and enjoy doing it I can't think of a better radio for that kind of ham. It is a great 2nd radio and we have real pride in successfully building the radio.

We wanted a kit that we could build that would work, that we could say that we made together and we really wanted the radio to do single sideband and I don't know of any other radio kit that'll do 10 to 80 m and single sideband. This radio works great. It won't bust the pile up but you can make real contacts without great difficulty and I think it's a wonderful radio. It's not going to replace my ICOM as the primary operating radio but it has certainly exceeded my expectations.

Thank you very much Ashhar Farhan ( the designer and manufacturer) because it's a great kit.

David W9PH

VA3SPN Rating: 2023-01-02
Good Radio if You Like to Tinker Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I have both the v5 and v6. Both are decent little rigs for what they cost. Both have been upgraded with KD8CEC software and nextion screens. Calibration can be a challenge, but I found using a NanoVNA (another great but inexpensive item every ham should own) as a signal generator and feeding the signal into the radio aligns it perfectly.
Is it a $1000+ rig? No. Is it a good rig for the money? Yes. If you like to tinker around and modify/build then this is a radio for you.
Now what mod am I going to add next?.....
K6SDW Rating: 2022-01-15
Work in progress rig, not finished product! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
If you like rolling up your sleeves and diving into a "project radio" you might enjoy the uBITX v6.1, if you don't I would recommend looking elsewhere such as the QCX rigs Hans sells, or paying more and buying one of the Chinese radios, some are amazing...

There's a large user group for this rig and some of them have done some amazing modifications. IMO, this QRp 80 - 10 ssb/cw radio isn't really ready for prime time. It took me several tries just to get the frequency calibration "close enough." The VFO is squirrelly and frustrating to use.....however, there's a bunch of mods that should fix this behavior.

I should add that I've owned many many hf radios since 1965.

Just being real here.

GL/73
K3MD Rating: 2021-12-27
$209 80-10 CW/SSB Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I received my kit in 3 days from India. Assembled in 4 hours. I have the version 6. No problems whatever with performance. I do hope the AGC mod in kit form comes back... they are sold out. The keyer is a little "mousy," but works OK. If I feel strong, will put in a straight key jack. This would require tacking a wire to the circuit board in the correct location, I believe. QSO's on SSB FB... good audio. Not an IC-705 or Ten Tec Argonaut 6, but for the price, very good. Ideal rig for FD battery-operated QSO's for natural power multiplier. Selectivity OK for casual use on CW, or just add an external audio filter.
KG7M Rating: 2021-09-23
3.5 - 30 mHz Minimalist Transceiver Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I purchased my UBITX over a year ago and finally got around to hooking it up and installing it in a cabinet. My UBITX is a Version 5. Uses 12 mHz Crystals in the Filter. I believe this is the only version to use the 12 mHz Crystals. All those prior, and Version 6, after, use 11(and some change) mHz Crystals. I added an aftermarket AGC Board.
As shipped, the BFO was definitely not adjusted properly. The little rig sounded like crud upon powering it up. Initially I thought the UBITX was just inferior, or I broke something when I added the AGC Board. I have an EFE 40 SSB that's similar to the UBITX, and it has great audio. I adjusted the Calibration and the BFO and boy, did it make a difference! The UBITX is just as sensitive as my IC-706, and my TR-7. The only caveat is that's it overloads from powerful AMBCB Transmitters. I do live in a large metropolis. I would either need quite a few BANDPASS FILTERS, or - use my Roller Inductor Antenna Tuner. My Tuner covers 1.5 - 30 mHz and peaks the UBITX whether listening to SWBC or using it on the Ham Bands. The General Coverage Receiver in the UBITX covers 0.5 - 30 mHz and has no trouble ferreting out DX. I'm getting about 16 Watts Output in the CW Mode at 14 mHz. I'm delighted with this minimalist rig.
KI5GKD Rating: 2021-08-18
Great little "hackable" radio for the money Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
This little radio gives a lot of "Bang for the Buck" if you want a radio that allows you to easily add features and upgrades as you go along. I pretty much have my primary V6 the way I want it and it's on permanent duty at our off-grid cabin in the mountains of SE Oklahoma. I can operate all night and the battery bank never realizes it and I have worked as far away as Slovakia!

My uBITX has the following modifications:

3.5" Nextion Display
AGC module
ATU-100 automatic antenna tuner

I have built a second in a slightly smaller box to use as a mobile radio in my truck. I have it finished but still have not decided on which HF antenna to get.
AB8JH Rating: 2021-03-02
v6 model: A little rough, but usable Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This is a neat quasi-kit that offers decent value for the money. I say quasi-kit because there is no soldering required, only board placement and assembly of premade modules.
This unit puts out 10 watts on 80 meters and less as you go up in frequency. I think the unit hears quite well, but it is a little broad in the passband. There are no amenities like AGC or an S-meter. I have yet to have it out in the field but it seems sturdy enough to be tossed around a little. It seems to draw only a few amps on transmit so it should be very forgiving on battery usage. This isn't an Icom 705, but it doesn't cost $1200 either. Its a nice QRP option for those on a budget.
AC9XH Rating: 2021-01-08
Ok Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Bought my ubitx kit last year.easy build and installed all new relays axiom.installed new filter and coil mods for harmonics and spurs.installed nextion 3.2 touch screen display.radio works as described.UPDATE. just received the new ubitx v6. all bands ssb,cw. great receive on it was listening to w1aw on 5 ft of solder temporarily hooked up to antenna. kit went together really easy. going to use it for ft8 and other digital modes.Rig fired right up on first try. lots of ideas to add to this rig. I have a version 3 with new relays etc and external filters to make the version 3 compliant for harmonics and spurs.I give this rig a 5 out of 5. fast shipping too.Ordered on Dec31, and i received it today. thats fast considering it takes 2 weeks to get anything thru usps.Definitely a rig to buy. I bought the complete kit with case
ac9xh
KG9H Rating: 2020-12-20
v6 is a good radio Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I just purchased a v6, have a v3 as well. Easy to calibrate and get on the air. Do yourself a favor, purchase the mic offered by Pacific Antenna. This is not a K2 but is a fraction of the cost. Very stable, nice radio for casual operation. The AGC board is a good addition. The 10 watts is plenty for some nice contacts with a good antenna. Mine will stay on the desk in the office though for casual listening and operation.
WB0WQS Rating: 2020-12-18
It is, what it is. Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I kind of look at it as a diamond in the rough (hopefully). V6 version. This is my second ubitx kit.
Had to really stay on my toes when I put the case together, fine. Longer and shorter screws were all ready screwed in place (but switched around in the wrong spots). It eventually did go together in a couple hours, It fired up, CW keyer was lagging(fixed now), along with a few other bugs you might expect to find with a project like this.. After owning it a year, I have made several contacts on cw and phone. It makes a good basic take-a-long rig. I wish I had the time to learn the coding to make a good little rig better.