AmateurRadio.com

I had some trouble closing the lid on the “Just good enough 10 MHz reference” due to the size of the BNC jack. Therefore I changed it to an SMA (SubMiniature version A) female jack. A thin cable connects it to the K3’s SMA input and there is no need for any SMA-BNC adapter on that end.

At the same time I moved the GPS antenna to a more central location in the tin, in the hope that the walls of the tin would interfere less with GPS reception. That’s the theory anyway, if it matters much in practice is a different story.

Actually, I think I’m going to use SMA more often with these clear top tins and also Altoids tins. They take up much less space and are easier to install and to work with.

There aren’t any high power applications for circuitry in such tins, so I cannot so any reason why the SMA won’t work just as well or even better than the BNC.

Sverre Holm, LA3ZA, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Norway. Contact him at [email protected].

Xiegu X108G Outdoor Version

Continued Review: October 14, 2015

Having played with the radio mostly doing some CW operations and some shortwave listening I have stumbled across a few little issues that I am hoping can alos be fixed by Xiegu by way of firmware issue.

I have to say once again that this little radio does pack quite a punch for what is in the box, and at the same time this radios performance is guaranteed inside the amateur radio bands, anything else like expecting a hard headed shortwave radio or am broadcast band radio for DXing might be just a bit naive.

Again I have operated this unit on cw and have still to test it on SSB. But in my cw tests I can tell you that the cw tone tested against other radios seems to be spot on. When up against the FT-857 the blue light flashes right along on the same frequency. The 500hz filter also works extremely well and takes all that noise out and allows working the intended station easy. I run the radio with the ATT off and signals are clearly heard without a problem on my windom. I used straight key for my operations but there appears to be an issue with the built in keyer, it wants to add extra characters so until this is fixed stay with a straight key.

So what have I found that needs to be addressed on this radio, let me start:

I was attempting to check into a voice net on 40 meters one evening as they were looking for checkins on phone or cw. So I figured I would test the split function out and set one VFO to cw and the other to SSB, well I was surprised to find that the radio will not transmit cross mode, I would have to have both VFO’s in the same mode to do anything which did not work obviously.

The second issue that brought me to this split mode was the fact that no CWR (CW Reverse) is present that will allow me to listen to the required SSB while in cw mode to check into the same net.

This has been addressed with Xiegu to see if there is a firmware fix for the issues stated, including the Iambic keyer problem. As the radio is now it would make a good SSB rig, but performance as a dedicated cw rig and not being able to check in using CWR kind of takes away the joy of portable use and using the radio as a go-kit emcomm rig. The 20 watts of power and its size is nice when you need that extra bit of punch.

The multikey microphone as well as the two programmable keys makes the mike a handy addition to this radio. HRD can be used and the IC7000 is the settings that are used in HRD to use the radio. We are still working on pin outs for the ACC jack to figure out if full PTT and audio in and audio out are present for digital operations and HRD.

Voltage Test: I did a voltage test to see what the minimum lowest power was to allow this rig to operate, this was asked of me by another portable radio operator. So I found 11 volts is the absolute minimum that the X108G will operate, once 11 volts is reached the radio will then start to motorboat and funny things happen to the radio, many of my battery packs I use for portable operations and teh other radios I use will cut off at 10.6 volts.

The other test that I want to do is to test the radio against an SDR radio like my KX3 or even by SDR dongle to see if any transmit spurs exist outside of the ham bands while in cw. This radio has attained FCC Certification so I know it has already gone through some hoops and hurdles.

So while I await a response from Xiegu I will continue to enjoy this little radio that has been designed as a minimalist radio with no extra bells and whistles attached to it.

Fred Lesnick, VE3FAL, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Thunder Bay Ontario, Canada. Contact him at [email protected].

The price is certainly falling for this rig, but quite a few people have expressed disappointment. I cannot comment on these reports. Some are disappointed saying it is, “cheaply made”.

This is a trend of our age: I have noticed that M&S underpants are now thinner and not as good. My wife recently bought a coat (not M&S) and this was thinner than the one it replaced.  No, making goods to fit a price seems to be the way things are today, rather than built to last. This says lots about our “consumer society”. Things are not made to last any more: they are designed to wear out or fail so we buy new items.

This is a state of affairs that ultimately cannot last.

Roger Lapthorn, G3XBM, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Cambridge, England.

The Master of the QRP Video, Peter Parker - VK3YE has launched a new ebook for the Kindle titled Minimum QRP.


The book is available for purchase direct from Amazon for a few Pounds,  Dollars, or whatever currency your country uses. Just search "Minimum QRP"


The book is written and put over in the simple Peter Parker methodical way, but if you still don't understand the book, don't worry, you can always refer back to his amazing back catalogue of VK3YE video material on his channel.  If you like the VK3YE Youtube output buy the book, you will not be disappointed, there is something in it for everyone from the novice to the converted.


                                                                         Cover courtesy VK3YE





Further details from the VK3YE Website: http://home.alphalink.com.au/~parkerp/miniqrp.htm



If you don't own a Kindle like myself, this doesn't stop you reading and purchasing.  There is a Kindle App available for Android and iPad. Or if  you just want to use Windows on your PC to read, there is a Kindle program to download for free from Amazon. App information and download link here for UK users. Once you buy the ebook the file is then downloaded into your Kindle folder.


Steve, G1KQH, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from England. Contact him at [email protected].

The Master of the QRP Video, Peter Parker - VK3YE has launched a new ebook for the Kindle titled Minimum QRP.


The book is available for purchase direct from Amazon for a few Pounds,  Dollars, or whatever currency your country uses. Just search "Minimum QRP"


The book is written and put over in the simple Peter Parker methodical way, but if you still don't understand the book, don't worry, you can always refer back to his amazing back catalogue of VK3YE video material on his channel.  If you like the VK3YE Youtube output buy the book, you will not be disappointed, there is something in it for everyone from the novice to the converted.


                                                                         Cover courtesy VK3YE





Further details from the VK3YE Website: http://home.alphalink.com.au/~parkerp/miniqrp.htm



If you don't own a Kindle like myself, this doesn't stop you reading and purchasing.  There is a Kindle App available for Android and iPad. Or if  you just want to use Windows on your PC to read, there is a Kindle program to download for free from Amazon. App information and download link here for UK users. Once you buy the ebook the file is then downloaded into your Kindle folder.


Steve, G1KQH, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from England. Contact him at [email protected].

AmateurLogic.TV Episode 83 is now available for download.

ALTV’s 10 Anniversary Special! We relive some of the highlights of the past decade of AmateurLogic.
1:42:04

Download
YouTube

George Thomas, W5JDX, is co-host of AmateurLogic.TV, an original amateur radio video program hosted by George Thomas (W5JDX), Tommy Martin (N5ZNO), Peter Berrett (VK3PB), and Emile Diodene (KE5QKR). Contact him at [email protected].

Fritz Raab (W1FR), the ARRL's 600m Experiment Coordinator, has indicated that this year's '630m Special Operating Event' will be held on the weekend of November 13 / 14. Mark your calendars if you plan to participate as it looks as though, once again, along with the numerous U.S. experimental stations beaconing and coastal maritime stations, several Canadian 630m stations will be active and looking for realtime CW 'crossband' contacts! Canadian stations will 'CQ' on specific frequencies and will listen for calling stations on designated HF (80/40m) answering (QRSS) frequencies.

Unlike last year, the Canadian stations will be operating for several hours on both nights, since there will be no conflict with the ARRL's CW Sweepstakes Contest as in 2014. Please stay tuned as there will be further details to follow regarding specific stations, frequencies and times ... notifications will be published on both the ARRL and RAC web 'news' pages as well as on numerous ham radio reflectors.

There's still lots of time to tweak up your 630m receiving capabilities ... it should be an interesting weekend, especially if the mid-November propagation cooperates.

A summary of last year's Friday night crossband activity can be found here.
Steve McDonald, VE7SL, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from British Columbia, Canada. Contact him at [email protected].