Manager


Manager - NA4M
Manager Notes
Reviews Home

Reviews For: Blue Cool Radio

Category: QRP Radios (5 watts or less)

eMail Subscription

Registered users are allowed to subscribe to specific review topics and receive eMail notifications when new reviews are posted.
Review Summary For : Blue Cool Radio
Reviews: 8MSRP: 310
Description:
Kit 5 Band CW TX/RX 80,40,30,20 and 17m and Radio AM/CW/SSB 6-20 MHz


Product is in production
More Info: http://www.qrpproject.de/
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0082.4
DL3NAA Rating: 2017-02-09
Fine QRP-rig for CW-freaks Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Apart from the knobs who are too close together the BCR is a very nice rig. I´m using it together with the 80-m-addition. The RX is fantastic and I have made a lot of solid contacts with this tiny rig. Two VFOs give the possibility of working split, storing different QRGs and allows "freedom" at work. Yes there are some bird signals to hear but after adjusting the preselector they are weaker than the band noise. The 5-20 Mhz-RX is fine but with the permanently decreasing number of SW-broadcast-stations the AM-reception isnt a big argument anymore. But for listening to SSB-hams or RX for RTTY, PSK, WSPR and other mods is big fun. For me it nearly matches the K1-4 (same frequencies but 80m as a bonus) apart from no ATU-inside possible and the better keyer-possibilities with the K1. As the K1-4 is not available anymore there is no concurrence. 80 to 17 meter is all you need at the low SSN for the next years.
SM5MEK Rating: 2015-03-16
Good but not the best. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I hav now ben using by BCR för some years and i am pleased with it. The building plan was a little difficult to understand, but when i got the idéa of the plan and coordinates all ok. Elecraft instructions are much better. The filter is minimalistic but works. This is not the first project to do and it is good to have some knowledge of reading electronic circuits. All komponents was in package, also on correct value. I burned one IC but got me a new after abt a week. (Payed for it)
This is a simple radio for vacation trips or day trips. Light weight, easy to handle friendly to batteries, and works on QRPp. Resonable small. My full package with radio, tuner T1, batt, keyer, antenna and counterpoise weight abt 1,8 Kg. with package bag.
DD2NU Rating: 2010-05-12
nice QRP rig Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Make some upgrades or build the new revision with new case and encoder, then it is an very nice QRP rig. You can look at YouTube...

W8ZNX Rating: 2009-04-11
the HORROR , the HORROR Time Owned: more than 12 months.
AWFUL
NO WORSE THAN AWFUL
case is a cheap joke
cool blue
its not cool
and its not blue

try to figure out a german parts list
many parts are not marked very well
even with a magnifying lamp
its a process of elimation figuring out
what part is what
guess

manual not too bad
was able to figure it out
payed extra for the 80 band kit
just try fiting it in

sorta kinda works
lots of receive birdies

man
when i think
how much money wasted on this PILE
could have built a Elecraft K-1 or OHR 500

LX1LH Rating: 2008-07-22
Dissapointing for a portable unit Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I have builded three of these radios (all as builder for hire) the last one was never picked up so I kept it (with refund of course).
The kit is easy to build if you are capable of the German language, because the German documentation is far better than the English one. Despite the promise of no need of measuring equipment except a volt- and wattmeter ... you will run better with a complete line of hf measuring equipment and lots of spare parts - since the kits never arrive complete.
What you get is a pretty good receiver but a lousy portable unit. Case quality is poor, casing is tight tight tight and my unit has proven that it cannot take rough treatment like taken outside the shack - compared to a K1 or my ancient Yaesus (Yes I do fieldday with a FT-75 from 1972 ...) which just work. It failed finally after one year of usage this spring after several repairs and I slaughtered it for parts. And guess what ... the other two were frequent guests on my bench too until Elecraft solved the misery of their owners.

Just my two cents.
K4WY Rating: 2007-04-26
Buchsenleiste Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
got a bag? got some parts? you've got the BCR package. Only girly-mans would want more!
I am avid qrp kit builder since Heathkit HW-8 days and although I give anyone the benefit of the doubt for trying I think it would be in Peter's best interest to do a scrub of his operation. These days with solid state IC components and other complexities, a well edited assembly manual is an absolute necessity. I gave up on assembly of this kit, sorry I just dont have the patience. The good news is I found some spare parts I salvaged from an earlier hangar queen project my workbench that helped my sanity.
LA2MOA Rating: 2007-04-26
They really have to learn from Elecraft! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Well, read W9LM's review below! I think Emil wraps it up pretty good. I have exactly the same experiences regarding this kit. The biggest problem is that the manual doesn't at all correspond with reality. My BCR is dead as a fish, probably cause I've put wrong caps in some places. Stupid me, or? Well, I'm quite experienced. I've built 2 K1:s, 2 K2:s, 1 KX1, a bunch of accessories for the Elecraft rigs and a number of Heathkit and Ten-Tec kits. I know what I'm doing! But when the values of small caps doesn't correspond with the values to be found on the actual cap (in some cases the printing is so small and/or poor that it can't be read even with a BIG magnifier), then you're in a big mess.

I'm not going to tell about all missing parts, Emil has already told what needs to be told about that. However, I must tell about the manual, which really speaks for itself! First, in some cases the pictures and the text is completely diverging! The picture shows one thing, and the text says the complete opposite! Pretty spooky, right?? Second, if I was about to export a product to a mainly english-speaking audience, I've would have done all that I can to have the manual and instructions written in proper english. How about hiring a german/english translator with engineering skills? Since I'm pretty good in reading german, I downloaded the german manual, to use as reference, but I'm pretty sure that not everyone can do the same.

I could go on and on forever... I'm pretty sure that the BCR will become a very fine rig, once I'll get it working properly. First, I need to desolder a number of parts and buy new ones from ELFA in Sweden. I will continue the project after the summer.

The guys at QRP-project has A LOT to learn from Elecraft. Would I buy from them again? Well, in fact, I've ordered a "Miss Mosquita" today, to fill my needs of a small monobander to use during my backpacking trips in the Norwegian mountains this summer. Maybe I'm jeopardizing good money here, but EUR100 is not that much...

Finally, I'm pretty sure that the guys at QRP-project will improve everything regarding the BCR, and generally regarding running a business. I have never in my life experienced any sloppy german craftmanship, so this was a big surprise! Yes, I'm driving a BMW so I know what I'm expecting from DL-land! I sincerely hope that I can write a much more positive review of the Moquita, and even of the BCR - when time comes.
DL9OBU Rating: 2006-05-19
My best qrp rig Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
My best qrp rig! And the best kit! Easy to build
wonderfull RX