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Reviews For: OHR Explorer II

Category: QRP Radios (5 watts or less)

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Review Summary For : OHR Explorer II
Reviews: 5MSRP:
Description:
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.ohr.com/index.htm
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0054.8
K2AMV Rating: 2012-10-30
Wonderful little radio Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I bought a used OHR rig for $100 as a first qrp rig, the 40 meter version. I finally got around to doing some work on it yesterday; mainly it was wired with an electronic keyer, which I removed, and added a RCA panel mount jack for my straight key. I connected my Nye Viking Master, a clean 12v regulated supply, and my 135' ladder fed dipole in the attic through the LDG tuner. I fired up this little rig and tuned around 40 meters. I was surprised at just how nice the receiver was on my ears (using a pair of AKG studio monitor headphones. I was able to tune in weak signals effortlessly, with as others have said very low background noise. Not so when working CW on my good old Kenwood 830, even with an optional 500kHz filter. I agree with others, the variable bandwidth feature is great. I called CQ, not expecting a reply, after all the rig was only putting out about 2.5 watts as measured on my meter. To my surprise I got a reply from a MD station and had one of the most enjoyable cw QSOs I can recall. My favorite feature of the rig is the full break-in operation, so smooth to use compared to the semi break-in through vox circuitry that I am accustomed to with my Kenwood. I think this little diamond will have me hooked on QRP. The Kenwood may very well become a SSB only rig for me.
N8RWB Rating: 2008-03-26
Nice little rig! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I just picked one up off of E-Bay for $76 plus shipping. Same comments as other reviews - tuning is smooth; RIT and variable filter are also nice features. First contact was Costa Rica with a 569 report. Not bad for 2 watts into a dipole in the attic. Seems to be a much nicer radio than the MFJ9040 and TenTec 1330 that I previously owned.
VE3WMB Rating: 2005-04-22
Excellent basic monoband CW Rig Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have had my 40M Explorer II for a few years (I am the original owner and builder). This is one of my all-time favorite OHR Rigs.
It is a bit more chunky than some of the current mono-band QRP CW rigs but it is a real pleasure to use on the air. I am always amazed at how quiet, yet sensitive the receiver is.
Signals just seem to pop out of nowhere with almost no background noise. The variable bandwidth filter works very well
and the rig sounds as good or better than many commercial rigs costing many times more.

I am currently using my rig with the power turned down to 950 mW for dedicated milliwatting. BTW the Explorer II has a much improved Rx as compared to the Original Explorer. I also have an OHR 100A and it is very similar in performance to the Explorer II, but for reasons I can't quite put my finger on, I prefer operating the Explorer II.

Michael VE3WMB
K1VP Rating: 2002-05-04
Very Nice Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Its been a few years since this kit was for sale, but used ones are a bargain. This radio has a real VFO with a reduction drive and a variable filter. Like all OHR rigs, the reception is clean and easy on the ears. The keying is nice and the receiver sensitivity is more than adequate. While not a mini-rig among QRP monobanders, it is has a great feel to it and operating it is a real pleasure. I bought a 20M version and liked it so much that when I found a 40M version at a hamfest, I bought it immediately. All around great little rig. OHR rigs tend to be short on bells and whistles, but long on "classic" feel and just plain enjoyable to use.
N0MVA Rating: 2000-04-09
Solid Radio Time Owned: unknown months.
I bought the 40 meter kit from OHR about 4 years ago. My father, who is a retired EE, built it for me because his soldering skills are much better (even at 80 years old). The rig worked first time we fired it up. I've been impressed with the receive audio. It has no built in speaker, but the LM380N chip will drive a 4 ohm speaker with reasonable volume. About a year ago, I accidently reversed the polarity and fried a few components. I know...it was a stupid thing to do, but my middle-age eyes betrayed me on the power cord polarity. Anyway, it took out a diode or two, the LM380N-8 audio chip, and another chip. All the components were easy to find except the audio chip. It's not the 14 pin variety of the LM380...that would have been too simple. After calling around, I found one at a supplier up in the upper midwest. We got it running again no problem. This time, I built a fuse into the box...something I should have done the first time. My favorite part of the radio is the variable filter...really nice for eliminating QRM. It puts out a solid 3 watts.