| K0RDS |
Rating:  |
2024-01-27 | |
| Nice little QRP Radio. |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
| This is my second QRP Plus that I have owned. The first one I bought new when they first came out and then I made the mistake in selling it. Well about three months ago I had the chance to buy another QRP Plus but this one was upgraded to the ++ model. This radio is really simple to use and works great for my QRP needs. I use it with my horizontal loop and also my Hustler 5BTV ground mounted vertical and at 5 watts it does a very good showing of itself and I did not have to break the bank to buy it. 73, Richard, K0RDS |
|
| HB9FIH |
Rating: |
2017-10-18 | |
| vry usefull for me |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I own this RIG now for 4 years. Not many time used. But now in QTH TA3 I feel the receiver is better than from other RIG (I work mosty in CW). Especially in bad condx. I could work (all in CW) few SOTA stations located in HB9 from TA3.
For SSB I tried one time, but the modulation was bad, maybe the wrong mic.
Driving a PA the 5 Watts from QRP Plus results in, depending on bnds, 70-120 Watts. |
|
| K7LZR |
Rating: |
2014-08-24 | |
| Its not as bad as that..... |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I've been using one of these for awhile now and I don't think its as bad as some say.
I didn't get a mic with mine, so I rewired an old dynamic hand mic for it and it sounds good and shows 4.0-5.0w PEP depending on band.
The receiver is as good as any other single conversion design which I've come across with regard to noise floor and sensitivity. Overall selectivity is provided by a crystal filter in the I.F., and additional filtering is available in the audio stage for better CW operation.
This rig is a bit too big & heavy for back packing but great for portable use.
So no, its not a contest rig but it was never meant to be. And there are other QRP rigs these days with optimized features. But if you want a good, simple, no-frills little radio, then here ya go :). |
|
| W8ZNX |
Rating: |
2008-02-03 | |
| nothing special |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
owned mine for about 9 years
its a interesting radio
made lots of contacts with it
but
never took a shine to this radio
more i used it
less i liked it
funny still love my beat up old 509 Argonaut
the Index QRP +
its too large and too blinking heavy for backpack camping
too small to be a good fixed station
strong sigs just blow it away
pain to try and change settings
never liked the keyer
did not care for how it worked
fall 2007
sold it on e bay
do not miss it one bit
mac |
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| KG9H |
Rating: |
2007-03-03 | |
| Great little QRP rig |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Got to tell you guys.... I am absolutely amazed at this little radio. I got it from a guy that "tried" to fix it. After about three hours, I can tell you that I am really amazed with it's performance. Even on 80CW it really holds it's own. See you some night on 3.552Mhz. Have not tried it on SSB, so cannot comment on that mode.
-73- Frank KG9H |
|
| XE1UFO |
Rating: |
2006-08-23 | |
| RE: A NEW QRP+ AND QRP++ USERS GROUP |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
This is a great little rig, built like a battle ship. It has a lot of built-in features, such as the VOGAD audio spaeech processing on TX, the RX SCAF audio filters which works VERY well, and a nice CW keyer.
Hey: We are forming a new group of people who are using (or interested in) the Index Laboratories QRP+ and QRP++ SSB/CW rigs. These rigs were the Grand Daddy and Daddy of the SG2020 series of radios. If you are interested, please visit us here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/xe1ufo/
Thanks for looking!
Dr. Steve, XE1UFO a.k.a. KA5SUT
QRP+ #488
Flying Pigs QRP #399
=====================================================
Author of the world's only "Worked All UFO's" Diploma
=====================================================
San Juan del Rio, Queretaro, Mexico |
|
| AF9J |
Rating: |
2005-11-15 | |
| A good rig for casual QRP |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I owned A QRP Plus (serial # 1040) until January 2005. I bought it back in the early 90s to use as a contest radio (I prefer to use dedicated QRP-type rigs, rather than a FT-1000, etc. turned down to 5 watts), and had itr factory updated to the final QRP++ iteration. It was OK for contesting, but it had its limitations.
On the receive side, the audio filter was good for both CW & SSB, and had good audio quality. But, it suffered from both AGC pumping, and blowby if there was a strong adjacent signal (even with the receiver updates installed). It also wasn't the greatest for SWLing, due to the fact that it's bandwith was too narrow for decent AM reception. Also, the receiver didn't have a Noise Blanker. I suffer from power line noise, and listening to it through the QRP+ could be a real hassle (especially on 160m).
On the Transmitter side, the CW audio was good, with nice clean keying. But, changing keyer speed on the fly (don't forget, not everybody runs 30WPM [like I can do] in contests) could be a pain, due to the fact that you had to press 2 buttons at the same time to change the keyer speed. SSB was sort of an afterthought with this radio. Even with the VOGAD update installed in QRP+, I didn't have the decent audio punch in SSB contests, that I had in my SGC SG-2020 (which had an RF processor). Part of this could ahve been due to the fact that you had to use an electret mike with the QRP+, instead of a dynamic mike (which has better audio quality). You also had to be very careful to have a decently grounded (or at the very least a current choke installed inline between the rig and your antenna). Otherwise the QRP+ suffered from seroius RF feedback. Due to my living conditions, I've always had to make do with crappy random wires (typically zig zagged 100 footers), a t-match, and a counterpoise. On 15m, my QRP plus used to seriously suffer from RF feedback, in spite of using a current choke, a t-match with an internal balun, and a counterpoise in my antenna system.
If you can live with these limitations, and don't expect the world of the radio in a contest, it's a good rig for casual QRPing. By 1997, my QRP+ was relegated to backup radio status (I had bought a SGC, SG-2020). Hard times forced me to scale back my hamming, and sell my SG-2020 in 2000, In 2004 I was financially in better shape, and bought an IC-703 Plus. It's head an shoulders above the QRP+ in my opinion. The QRP+ was sold in January of this year (I needed the extra money).
By the way, the SGC, SG-2020 is sort of the followon to the QRP+. It too was designed by Bruce Franklin, and it's control functions are similar to the QRP+. It's a better SSB rig, and the receiver issues were mostly rectified in the SG-2020. Still it can suffer from RF feedback (which my IC-703 Plus doesn't suffer from). |
|
| KD2JF |
Rating: |
2005-10-02 | |
| A keeper |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| I have owned the QRP+ since early 1996 (s/n 1075). I had to replace the memory battery once in 9 years. I also bought the matching microphone for the radio. I will never give this thing up as its one of the neatest radios in my collection. I've worked QRP SSB/CW from every location I can think of and always had fun. The SCAF filter works like a charm. Only mod i've made was to remove the plastic window cover over the display. Now you can see the display clearly in any light level with no backlight needed. Also the plastic cover would vibrate when listening to SSB on the internal speaker. This radio reminds me of the days when radios had big knobs and big meters. Too bad they dont make it anymore. |
|
| K2JF |
Rating: |
2005-08-08 | |
| Great fun! |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
| I bought this from a Colorado ham (the builder) earlier this year and have fallen in love with it. Everyone's into the Yaesu and Elecraft radios but I'm partial to this one. What do I love about it? the bandwidth adjustment for one thing. By just pressing one button and turning the main tuning dial you can adjust the bandwidth from 2.4 down to 100 Hz. I operated my first contest this past weekend - the NA QSO CW contest and that narrow filter was outrageous! I like the receiver, the tuning rate, the backlit frequency display - I'm just really enjoying operating away from my home QTH with this radio! |
|
| AE4TO |
Rating: |
2005-02-23 | |
| One the best classic qrp radios! |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| The creation of Bruce Franklin...this is a radio that is a lot of fun. It has a very low current drain of 140 ma on reception. I use mine mainly for cw and the scaf filter works very well. The radio is sensitive and I am able to copy weak signals on the congested 40 Meter band. Starting with serial number 1300 this radio was upgraded to the so called QRP++. The radio is fairly small and rugged and covers all the ham bands and has general coverage too. This is a real qrp classic that is a keeper,lots of fun, practical and can be found for $200...$300.Thank you Bruce! |
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