zBitx from HF Signals

It was only a few years ago Ashhar Farhan's small company HF Signals from India launched the Bitx40, a small 40m rig that was sold as a completed PCB, it was up to you how you housed it and cased it up. It sold in droves, and paved the way for the uBitx a fully functioning multi band HF rig cased, and complete, for a bargain price of HF entry to our hobby.

 Since then sBitx was developed and again opened the SDR path of development, powered by a Raspberry Pi as it's engine.

Well Ashhar has done it again! With the launch of zBitx.

 

This is what he has had to say launching it on Christmas day on the Bitx forum:

After months of work, we finally have the zBitx in production! We were able to price it at an incredible $149 USD for a 5 watt, 80M to 10 M QRP radio with a large 480x320 touch screen that allows you to run CW, FT8 and other modes without needing even the phone that the original zBitx used.

There are many things in the zbitx that will interest the tinkerers here. 

The size. It is just 15.5 cm(6 inches) by 80cm(3-1/2 inches) by 3.5cm(1-1/2 inch). You could slip it into your pocket (if large enough). This includes the battery case that holds the two LiPo batteries.

Power: The zbitx runs off two LiPo 18650 cells. You could ofcourse power it by external DC source (max 9v). This is meant to be a field radio that also works as a great base station. 

Touch Screen: The radio sports a 480x320 resistive touch screen with large text that is easy to read and type. 

Base station: By plugging an HDMI monitor, keyboard and mouse, the zbitx transforms into an sbitx category base station with reduced power.

Software: The zBitx sports the same software that runs the sBitx radios. The zbitx will ship with 64-bit software upgraded to handle the small screen.

Schematics and Software: They will all be released in open source, GPL v3 on github in a few weeks.

 

 

 

 

Deliveries will start in February.

 

Further details and sales get down to the HF Signals Website: https://www.hfsignals.com/index.php/zbitx/

You can certainly bet this is going to be a hot winner in 2025.

The new QMX+

Last week without any fanfare, Hans Summers small company QRP Labs, launched the bigger QMX+. 

A full blown 160m-6m. CW and Digital modes. 5W QRP rig. (SSB to come in a future firmware release).

 

The radio is available as either a kit, or as a ready built option. With optional metal case and GPS Unit to aid frequency alignment, RTC, and Location.

Anything which Hans designs, is engineered and tuned for high performance! With an easy step by step documentation for those who are competent enough to understand and build.

The radio is based on the proven QMX SDR. But where the smaller sister is limited to 5 bands, the QMX+ comes with a full hat of HF bands including 6m.

 

Price starts at $125 + case + options + carriage. (Price may also be subject to import charges, duty etc.)

Further details: https://shop.qrp-labs.com/qmxp

QRP Labs forum:  https://groups.io/g/QRPLabs/

G3XBM informs me he has ordered a fully assembled unit. So it is well worth keeping an eye on his blog for details when it arrives in his shack: https://g3xbm-qrp.blogspot.com/

 

 

QST the end!

 All ARRL fees are up from the 1st January 2024.

An international 3 year ARRL membership, including QST, rises from $217 to $282 a rise of 30% from the 1st January. That's another one I won't be renewing.

Something that is supposed to represent Amateur radio, does not provide good value for money for it's membership. With that sort of hike many members will leave and it will do nothing to encourage new members into the ARRL.

ARRL rates from the 1st Jan 2024:https://www.arrl.org/2024-dues-rates

Switch Electronics

It is always good to see someone having a go. Especially an electronic parts distribution company, something that can benefit our hobby.

 

Read the story below:

 

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/teen-turns-500-ebay-side-31700456?utm_source=newsshowcase&utm_medium=gnews&utm_campaign=CDAqDwgAKgcICjCprqAJMK6gcDDCqJUC&utm_content=bullets&gaa_at=g&gaa_n=AYRtylYUOteSGP8ytmQ9N0wy0vei9ouxxHaq6bHpBRr7wrIGdoneje7rQdjNDRHwT_LSjba0i6FY9qjuETwDHAnokgkM&gaa_ts=6588c6f2&gaa_sig=Xe6g3-6uFkLuk7NVHYRANjHe6GIrGyYQ9o91-BLGd-Vkj-CyNgaLgOkmqo4opTG1xtrGnCGlALoxZzgWSZLobw%3D%3D&fbclid=IwAR03aljBTG2wgFMGXa8SuGK6Ftt0AFpPMB9rCCh2dAwI3f0f-Xo6RBl-8N4 

Website for Switch electronics: https://www.switchelectronics.co.uk/

 

 

 

 

 

Yaesu FTDX101 price drop!

There has been a sudden upping of the UK cashback offer on the Yaesu FTDX101D. Infact it has been doubled from the original cashback offer of £170 to £340!! Taking the price after cashback down to £2659.95.

 

This makes this quite an exceptional saving over the list price for a big base HF station rig.

 

Offer now expired 31.1.24

www.southgatearc.org now redirects to Amateur Radio Daily news

 If you still have the old Southgate Amateur Radio News URL in your bookmarks. You will now find it redirects you to ARD Amateur Radio Daily.. 

Click on the link above for more detail. 

The QMX from QRP Labs

QRP Labs have announced the new QMX 5 band digital transceiver.

 

Initially the firmware supports CW and Single tone FSK modes, but maybe upgraded to SSB in future firmware updates:

Available as a kit or fully assembled, you can bet that this is going to be the hottest QRP product of the year.
 

Further details:https://shop.qrp-labs.com/qmx

Blackpool Rally 23th April

 The warmth from the North welcomes all to the Norbreck rally tomorrow.

Further detail click NARSA

FT8CN V0.87 release

Have just checked in down at the github FT8CN release page, I can see version 0.87 is now available for download.

I count 9 new ammendments, bug fixes and additions.

Check out the link below for further detail:

https://github.com/N0BOY/FT8CN/releases 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ham cake

Today was my birthday, it was very fitting to be presented with a nice cake from my family to help celebrate the milestone.

 

 

Of course the cake was well thought out and appropriate to my long dedication to our illustrious hobby.

FT8CN user manual translated to English

 

Using Google translate, I uploaded the whole Chinese FT8CN V0.83 user manual PDF file. Except for the illustrations, it has managed to translate the whole file quite successfully to English.

There is enough detail for most to get an understanding of all of it's modes, uses and information.

Download a copy from here

 

Teatime FT8CN 10m decodes

 

With sunspots high at 108 & Solar flux at 148. 28MHz is wide open at my QTH at 17:00z.

 

Matoa ISina 5 Band HF

 

We live in very exciting times for new Amateur products. You have only got to blink these days and a new rig appears on the horizon. 

It makes a change not to see the normal Chinese output, but this time what appears to be from Indonesia.

Specification is sparse at the moment, but 5W QRP and 5 wide HF Bands on offer:

1. Band1 3-5 MHz
2. Band2 6-8 MHz
3. Band3 11-14.5 MHz
4. Band4 15-23 MHz
5. Band5 24-30 MHz

https://matoaprojects.com/transceiver/hf-transceiver   

I have also seen them being traded on ebay.com

Price appears to be around $250

FT8CN and the QDX

 

 

It is being reported on the QRP Labs forum, that some have got the little smart QDX digital transceiver communicating with the FT8CN app.

The rig is noticed straight away by FT8CN using an OTG USB lead and a minimum of configuring. 

The QDX and a small phone or tablet, allow true FT8 portable operating with minimum hardware to cart around.

Pick up the thread here

Details about the QDX https://qrp-labs.com/qdx.html

   

The Blog is back on quite a roll.

Sorry I have been away the last twelve months or so, the Blog has had to take a rest from my typing fingers and Amateur Radio has been put well away on the back burner.

I lost both my parents within five months of each other early last year and I still have not really got over the ordeal yet, which had played out over five years before their demise.

Monday FT8CN Decodes

 10m remains very active, this is todays activity at 2 different times.

Around 10:30z:

Around 13:55z:

 

Further details about FT8CN see my Blog https://g1kqh.blogspot.com/2023/02/ft8cn-new-free-android-app.html

Gremlins in the Blog

I had a few problems displaying the blog listing of previous blogs yesterday, after I had uploaded a new blog about the FT8CN app. I have found out what caused it and all should now display correctly on your phones, tablets and PC's.

73's Steve

FT8CN 10m decodes

Around 16:30z I switched to 10m, the band was wide open to the UK.

Examples of FT8 decoded using FT8CN on my android tablet:

 

 

FT8CN a new FREE android APP..

There is a new FT8 APP for Android doing the rounds, called FT8CN from BG7YOZ (China). It is a free download and unrestricted in use. It is in the early stages of development, but is already up to version 0.86.

Download the APK file from here:https://github.com/N0BOY/FT8CN/releases

You  will need to give your device permission to allow install of the APP.

There are various ways to configure the radio connection. The simplest VOX appears to use the Android device's internal mic and speaker.(Of course you could pipe the audio directly in and out via the audio socket on your Tablet or Phone). Direct CAT allows a USB connection, Bluetooth is available, and connection via a WiFi network. All these seem to be in early stages of development.

 I soon got it installed, and enabled, decoding the audio using the internal mic of my Android tablet..

 

 

Split mode enabled showing Spectrum scope and received decodes.

 

 

 

It also plots the action to a live map via another quick tap on the screen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The cost of free shipping from China

How China ships your gadgets to you for next to nothing in postal charges, and the harm it does to our own postal services and economies.

 

 

 

Like he mentions in the video, you cannot send it back for next to nothing if you have a problem..