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Reviews For: Mizuho MX-28S

Category: QRP Radios (5 watts or less)

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Review Summary For : Mizuho MX-28S
Reviews: 3MSRP: 329
Description:
10m SSB/CW handheld transceiver
Product is in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0034
W8MJE Rating: 2008-12-20
GGood little QRP phone rig Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I owned two of these (with the AEA label) at different times. I used them mainly on SSB, and re-crystalled one for better VXO coverage of the phone segment. I mainly used ity as a backpacking rig, along with a 10M dipole, but during the 90-91 sunspot peak I made a fair number of DX contacts from home with a Butternut vertical. Given the limitations of a VXO'd rig, it's not bad, and it's still small compared to most QRP SSB rigs today.
K7VO Rating: 2006-02-22
Spartan brick SSB/CW HT for 10m does a great job Time Owned: more than 12 months.
As KH7L pointed out, the Mizuho MX-28S is the same radio as the AEA DX-Handy 10 MX-28S. It was also sold as the JIM MX-28S. The one advantage to a radio with the Mizuho nameplate with a shiny silver (not matter grey) case or JIM nameplate with a charcoal grey plate is that it was built more recently than the AEA version. I also own or have owned the matching handhelds for 2m, 6m, 15m, 17m, 20m, and 40m. All are good. I'll cover issues unique to the 10m version where possible.

The MX-28S puts out 2W SSB or CW on two 50kHz segments of the 10 meter band between 28.000-28.700. I have made quite a few contacts with this rig and it consistently receives good reports when the band has been open. 10 meters does open at the bottom of the cycle, with Es openings similar to the ones on 6m being the most common. I find using a counterpoise really improves my ability to make contacts with the telescopic whip that came with the radio.

CW is terribly awkward *UNLESS* you have a CW-2S With the CW-2S and an external key is a pleasure while using the little pushbutton and holding the PTT with the other hand is a royal pain.

Receiver performance is very good indeed. Frequency is VXO controlled (you are actually warping the crystals) and the VXO knob operates smoothly. Tuning is coarse, though, so turn it gently in small increments to tune in the station you want to work.

Charging is done with an ordinary 12V wall wart and the charging circuit is controlled by a switch on the bottom. External operation is at 9V -- not 12V -- so be careful not to put 12V into other than when the charging circuit is turned on. I use the rig with 1600MAH NiMH batteries and they last a good long time and charge up in the radio with no problems.

The only real caveat is the limited portion of the band the rig can cover at any one time (two 50kHz segments determined by range crystals). The radio is spartan, but it also consumes little power and is lightweight, making it ideal for hiking and the great outdoors.

Do I recommend the rig? Yes. I give it a "4" because of the limited band coverage and the fact that CW seems to be almost an afterthought on these.
KH7L Rating: 2002-05-26
Fun mono band HT 10 meters Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
This is exactly similar to the AEA Handy Dandy. This is the original that was made by Mizuho. AEA contracted Mizuho's factory Santec, to produce the radios. Great little radio for SSB, but limited to the 100 khz. All the same TX/RX specs as the other MX radios. Great for working sideband when 10 meters is in. CW....well, there is hardly anyone on even if you use 100 watts.

Hard to find as production was stopped in 1992.