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Reviews For: BuxCom Rascal

Category: Interfaces, Radio to computer, amp, rotor, coax switch, internet

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Review Summary For : BuxCom Rascal
Reviews: 121MSRP: 49.00
Description:
Computer-radio interface
Product is in production
More Info: http://buxcommco.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
001214
DB1JAW Rating: 2003-12-27
Rascal GLX totally satisfied Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Simply have to let you know that I´m totally satisfied with the Rascal GLX ! Also use 2 other different interfaces (Digi-1 German brand) but the Rascal beats it by far. 100% user friendly and almost ready to run out of the box. The Rascal is used for digital modes with IC-703 on shortwave and Kenwood TH-7F for lokal EchoLink. Great piece of equipment - really a "GOOD BUY" Wish one of the major European suppliers would add this one to it´s stock ....
W7CO Rating: 2003-11-22
EXCELLENT Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Gee,I'm glad I bought The Rascal GLX before I read the latest review. I ordered mine on Tuesday and had it Thursday. Clear accross the country. I couldn't ask for better service. Up and running without any complaints. That said I think the instructions sheet could be done a little better. The only thing I wish I had done was order another cord for my other radio at the same time. Now it will cost me another shipping charge. My bad.

No other grips. I couldn't have homebrewed one up for any less.

Mike W7CO
WD0EFQ Rating: 2003-11-10
Very good product. Excellent value. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Product: Rascal GLX (no assembly needed).
Price: $40 including 1 rig interface cable
Shipping: $10
Rig: Elecraft K2
Computer: Homebrew Athlon 1 GHz with 128M RAM
O/S: Windows 98SE
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Really appreciate excellent value. Was making first PSK31 contact within 45 minutes of opening the box.
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Product worked great out of the box.
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Included assembly instructions (for previous model?) which I did not need.
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Female microphone connector had very tight connections. After I was unable to put connector on rig, opened connections with large paper clip. No problems since.
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Color coding for sound card connectors did not match colors on sound card.
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Heartily recommend Rascal GLX.
KE4HGP Rating: 2003-09-13
Excellent Product Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I first bought a Rascal Mark V, about four months ago works like a champ.Decided i wanted another interface for my Laptop,and after looking at the others i decided to go with another Rascal Mark V.Good decision works like a champ too.So Bucks Rascal Works Great,+ a value for the price.Hats Of to Buck.
N8ZUZ Rating: 2003-08-31
kit is great bargain Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I just bought two kits even though I read the reviews. You can read my writeup on the Tigertonics Signalink that I also own.

Basically, I bought two kits for less than one signalink. This is less than 1/5th of a rigblaster. The kit was very easy to build. I use the unit on an HT for echolink. It works great. I like the Rascal kit for the serial PTT keying. It's working great with great audio reports of clean audio.

I have built various kits for various things including a full size airplane kit. The lure for me to kit build is that I can maintain whatever I build easily. Now that I know (from the schematic and construction) how it works I can easily fix it if it breaks.

There isn't anything earth-shattering about the kit, it's easy to put together. It works great and I doubt you could get all the little parts for $20 somewhere else.

It sounds, from the reviews, like some of the units built by Buck have construction problems. Get the kit and do it yourself for less. If you want, add a DIN connector so you can make your own cables for a variety of radios.

Buck answered an email question I had about connecting it to a commercial rig very quickly. No bad experience for me. Sorry others have had bad experiences. I have had a positive experience and would buy from Buck again if the need arises.

73'
N3IZN Rating: 2003-07-29
No problems here. Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I read the reviews and even with all of the complaints decided to risk the $20. Don’t know if it was Buck, but who ever answered my emails was polite and prompt.

Put the kit together in about an hour, with interruptions from my 3 year old, and I was copying zedL stations on 20 meters. Yes the soap dish is cheesy and I didn’t use it. I don’t think I could have bought the parts separately for this price.

So if you’re a Master Card Ham, stay away from it. If you like to tinker and can read and understand the most basic schematic, it is an inexpensive way to go digital. Then you can customize it any way you want.

I plan on getting another one for mobile operations.
K4YAK Rating: 2003-07-27
Good, not perfect Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
With the Rascal kits on sale for $20, it's hard to purchase the parts for less. The documentation was scattered and disorganized, but all of the essential information was there. I put the kit together in an evening and it works perfectly for basic PSK31 functionality. The plastic case it came with is awful, but I easily fitted it in an Altoids tin. I also replaced the tiny transmit-indicator LED with a more substantial unit.
W4KRL Rating: 2003-07-27
Great for experimenters Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Bought a RASCAL kit to work PSK31 with my old Kenwood TS-520. Got the kit two days after I ordered it late at night. This is not a HeathKit. The parts are good, the pc board adequate, the instructions could use some work but all the information is there. Built it during lunch and started making PSK contacts immediately. This got me so fired up that I bought a new Icom 706MkIIG. It was easy to rewire for the 13-pin DIN connector especially with the schematics on Buck's website. That worked great but I decided to use the 6-pin data connector instead becuase it lets you key the rig without making the mic active. Stole the idea from Buck's RASCAL Mark V of putting a DIN connector on the box and making different interface connection cables. I figure that I've made this one kit work three different ways. For $20 that's a good deal. With all the digital mode software that is available this one kit should get me on RTTY, SSTV, and packet.
KB0NAZ Rating: 2003-07-09
SKIP THESE Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Same problem as others,CHEESY constuction,and the guy is an A>>hole! Very "snotty".He's right and the rest of the world is wrong no matter what.Skip this so-called company..The one I ordered didn't work either until I repaired it.A better interface is the Donner's Digital,or a Signalink. I dumped both my Rascals ( one bought and one from a trade) and replaced with Donner's Digital Interface.
AA4MF Rating: 2003-07-08
Forget the Soap Dish Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I ordered a RASCAL for my 706 and received it quickly. I hooked it up and it wouldn't key my mobile rig with my laptop. I tried my laptop with my RigBlaster Plus on my home station and it worked fine. Buck told me that it was checked before it was shipped to me and all was fine so I spent quite a bit of time and frustration trying different Digipan settings and trying to troubleshoot my computer.

Bought a Rigblaster Nomic to replace the RASCAL. It worked FINE - I made many PSK31 contacts using Digipan! OK, Buck, I guess it wasn't my computer or my radio. I promptly sent the RASCAL back.

BTW, the plastic soap dish enclosure isn't very impressive IMHO.

This is a very simple circuit - shouldn't be that hard to make a few $$ and provide a quality product at the same time. I don't recommend this. Spend a few more $$ and get a Rigblaster that works right without the frustration level.