uBITX now on back order.

The uBITX kit as I predicted, proved so successful when it went on sale on Saturday 9th December, by Monday 11th, Asharr Farhan was telling us all on the BITX20 group, current stock of the first uBITX production run was exhausted!


Demand has just outstripped supply, by what the thinking was there was enough stock to last for 2 months?

Anyone ordering the uBITX now, will not get shipped until after at least the 25th December. This is now being flagged up when you come to order.

Did the uBITX  become more successful overnight than the ICOM IC-7300, did it sell more in it's first days of sale? Or does it say to the main three radio manufacturers, you missed a market for a plain no bells and whistles multiband radio that everyone can afford and muck into and understand?

One thing for certain Asharr Farhan has proved without a doubt that he has been the first to achieve and do this, putting into mass production a multiband rig at a price point that everyone can be part of and enjoy! I am sure as well as the uBITX there is a lot more to come from HF Signals in the future!


Well done VU2ESE!

uBitx price $109 !!

It's a fast and changing world and it appears I cannot write things quick enough at the game of Amateur Radio Blogging!

uBitx pcb complete with plug in display and raduino.

Tony G4WIF has just pointed me to the price of $109 for the uBitx and a new website!

I have just read what Asharr Farhan has said on the BITX20 group. The price will rise to $129 after Christmas, due to production costs, hiring more people etc. 



Of course I have just ordered mine!


Checkout here for details: http://www.hfsignals.com/index.php/ubitx/


Hope you all enjoy getting one just as much as I enjoy writing about these things.



73 Steve

uBitx multiband HF

A  new HF transceiver from India is about to take to market, offering multiband operation 10 through to 80metres, with the inclusion of the WARC bands and general coverage receive.

Asharr Farhan the designer of the BITX20 and BITX40 has been working on the uBitx project for quite sometime.  Demonstrations, and circuit details have been made available freely to anyone on his website Phonestack.com since early Spring 2017, for those who wished to scratch build the transceiver.

But Farhan, not resting on his recent success of producing the single band BITX40 (40m) transceiver, that introduced many to HF for a small price point of "$59" including a recent addition of stable DDS, which he called the Raduino. VU2ESE has now put the uBitx into production, and I understand will be made available soon from his HF Signals website for purchase. (Currently the website only shows the current 40m radio for sale).

Above, a recent tested production run of uBitx transceiver boards.

The uBitx will offer CW and SSB, with 10W output from a pair of IRF510's.  Arduino derived stable DDS using a Si5351 for all the local oscillators.

What you will get in the package will be a fully built and tested board.  My guess is it will be sold with a similar hardware package that was included with the BITX40, which will include the wiring hardware, connectors, pots, power and BNC connectors for the antenna etc. All you will have to do is wire it up, add a speaker and a case to complete the project.


The price for the uBitx has yet to be announced? But again my guess is it will be one of it's major success stories that will take the HF world by storm and introduce many to the affordable world of HF operation. Of course, I expect it will cost more than the BITX40, but you will be getting access to most of the HF spectrum, for something until now that has proved undeliverable to those on small budgets. 

Exciting times, keep watching HF Signals for further details.

The latest 1/4W 1% resistor deals

Resistor deals just get better!

Last time I looked over selling websites it was a 2000 deal, but I have now found a couple of 2500 1/4W 1% metal film Res bargains.

First one is the Chinese site Banggood @ £7.42 (US $9.51) plus a 12% voucher popped up, which you have to bop in at the time of placing the order, taking the price down to a penny pinching £6.53

https://www.banggood.com/2500Pcs-1-14W-0_25W-Metal-Film-Resistor-50-Values-Assortment-Kit-110M-Range-p-1079638.html?rmmds=category&cur_warehouse=CN


I then run the details through ebay and a similar package came out at £6.99 ($9.18):

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2500-Pcs-1-4w-1-Metal-Film-Resistor-Kit-50-Values-Assortment-Pack-Mix-Selection/382146134127?hash=item58f9af406f:g:OT8AAOSwyWZZVqNd


* Please note I have no connection with either company, I just do this for service for you Hams and constructors. £ to $ conversion is done at the time, and can change with currency fluctuations.


Good luck!

The great British export - Sprat on DVD 1974 -2017

You could say amongst our Chinese purchases what is there good from the UK for our hobby?


My new SPRAT DVD arrived this morning, complete in it's jewel case. Although a collaboration of designs and work from G-QRP members from around the world, you could say it is one of the best exports from the UK, putting knowledge right back into the Amateur's hands.

The DVD is well put together as always, an excellent scan of each magazine, with good indexing. Used in conjunction with your browser and PDF reader, you are right on top of each issue.

Revised right up to this current Autumn issue 2017 it has got to be a good stocking filler.

Of course you have to buy one to see if I am right, but I don't think  many will be disappointed, especially with the price!

See my previous write up about it's launch:  sprat-on-dvd-2017

Review soon! G600 Microscope.

Chinese purchases have been few and far between during the last 12 months or so, apart from a few component orders. With time as scarce as hens teeth lately I have not written a review for sometime, but I have returned and have one or two interesting items coming shortly, it will nice to be back.

This one made my mouse button make a sudden impulse buy, as I thought it could be a useful addition to the workbench, especially those like me having ailing eyesight with close up work.

The G600 Microscope including screen, could be a bonus to our hobby arrived this morning, however there is one little extra that needs purchasing before I write anymore, should of ordered it when I placed the intial order. So I guess it will be another month or so before that arrives from China?

Sprat on DVD 2017

                I have just been in touch with G3MFJ G-QRP club sales and he confirms

                                           A new Sprat DVD is now available.                        

                      As I have explained before, but for those that don't read things.
     SPRAT is the journal of the G-QRP club, and is well worth reading for all it's circuits
                  and QRP designs sent in via it's membership from around the world.

 Price for "members only" is £5 (6.5 Euro, USA $8.0, AU$9.5, and NZ$10.5) plus p&p
         non members price is £12 plus postage £1.20 (UK), £3.50 (EU), £5.00 (DX)
 

What they normally say to non members, is join and you get a membership UK price for £6. Which includes 4 Sprats per year, and then you can purchase the DVD at the reduced members price.

More details from the G-QRP Website http://www.gqrp.com/sales.htm

Join G-QRP club here http://www.gqrp.com/join.htm

A visit to Telford Hamfest & the GQRP club

My amateur radio activity has been very much on the back burner during the last few months due to other commitments.

However, rather than cut the lawns, wash the car on a Sunday morning and look forward to a roast beef lunch, sandwiches were a better offering this last weekend. I had arranged to go to the Telford radio rally and maybe pickup a few items. Don't bring back any junk, said my wife! Ugh!

                                        So it was time to get up early dig out the badge.


The Telford radio rally had always been hosted in the centre of Telford town centre for many years, but about 10 years ago it was moved to the Enguity Centre at Coalbrookedale  museum, in the centre of Shropshire where the industrial revolution started.

We arrived quite early and people were certainly up with the larks to get a place in the queue, and maybe grab a bargain? 

This year the rally had teamed up with the GQRP club which had moved it's famous annual QRP convention from Rishworth. Most of the team were there, including George (G3RJV) and Graham (G3MFJ). Bringing along their wealth of experience with the rest of the crew from the hub of the club, giving members free advice, sales, and trying to recruit a few new ones to the fold:

Sadly my snap of the club stand came out blurred and I don't have another replacement, much to my disappointment! If anyone has a photo, please send me a copy and I will edit it in..

However I did purchase the mug to prove my support for the GQRP club.

If you didn't visit the convention you can always join the GQRP club, at £6 for a year's UK membership and not much more for international, it is really an amazing bargain! Including 4 Sprats  (the quarterly magazine of the club) posted to your home! Sprat is packed with designs, QRP circuits, membership news etc. Edited by George Dobbs since the formation of the club in 1974. How can many say they have done a job like that for over 40 years, again amazing!


                                                            Join the GQRP club here.

 
The RSGB had also popped along to offer their helpful sales team with some exciting new publications to read.

Even though I didn't buy much this year it proved to be a very good social event, meeting up with quite a few other Amateurs who share the same interest which I know from around the country.We all picked up a few ideas, hints and tips, and learning news which we wouldn't of heard of online.

The rally was well supported by an excellent showing of folk, quite a few good traders had also showed up for the event. But, I can't help feeling that the Internet has taken over many aspects of the supply of components for our hobby, which are now available very quick and cheap from our friends in the far East.

It was time to have a look outside at a few traders that had setup shop, and grab a cuppa before returning back home late afternoon.

Maybe see you there next year, or you never know where I am going to pop up next!

Crypto virus how safe is Digital broadcasting?

With IT systems crashed around the world, including the UK's National Health IT systems. How open and vulnerable is digital broadcasting to cyber attacks?

More and more radio stations have recently been pulling the plug on Shortwave, and AM broadcasting, in favour of digital. There has been a big push in the UK to get the public over to DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) or streaming radio via their mobile phones and computers. But, has the case now been made to "keep" a national simulcast AM radio system, like the BBC's Radio 4 Long Wave in the UK, along with global Shortwave radio transmissions for state broadcasting in emergency?

UK speaker source for BITX40 & other QRP projects

If your currently on the BITX40  bandwagon of putting a kit together, or you have just  recently ordered one. You will have soon noticed the kit doesn't come supplied with a speaker, what does one expect for such a good price! But for UK builders that don't like spending their hard earned cash. I have found an abundant source of small 8 ohm speakers from the highstreet discounter Poundworld.

Two speakers including cases for One Pound!!

The speakers are marketed for use with portable stereos, MP3 players, etc. A simple test to see if they were any good, I connected them to a reliable audio source and found although not HI-FI, they are perfectly adequate for use in the BITX Kit, or other QRP constructional projects. 

They come packed in either Black or Silver.


Once unscrewed the back of the case, the speaker simply drops out to reveal a 5.5cm 2" unit.

A quick test on the multimeter revealed the value of 7.6 ohm:

Recently while out shopping I have visited 4 different Poundworld's, one as far North as Southport. All carried a plentyful supply of stock in their electrical area. I am sorry I cannot help my readers from overseas, but the unit is obviously made in China so try your Dollar shops.


Good hunting!

Bargain 2000 Resistor deal.

Not had much time to hunt out components of late, but this seems a very good deal for constructors and QRP engineers.

2000 1/4W, 100 different values, 5% resistors. 20 of each value. £6.55 UK just over $8 US including shipping click down to: Resistor deal.

I have just got in there and ordered a bag full before you all wade in..

PW makes an appearance at WH Smith

Until recently Practical Wireless was only available on the newsstand at larger branches of WH Smith. Getting hold of a copy proved useless at smaller branches unless you had it reserved in advance, infact I gave up many years ago asking why it wasn't present every month?  In the end I got a local corner newsagent to reserve it for me, I guess he has been grateful of the business ever since.

However could the tide of policy changed it's direction at my local small branch of WH Smith and others? PW is once again available on the shelf, forefront, alongside with it's sister magazine Radiouser.

Practical Wireless is the only independent magazine representing the amateur radio hobby in the UK, it is good to see someone has finally done something to get it back where it belongs, so a new generation can peruse and purchase it along with us old timers.

IO IO it's off Yahoo groups we go!

With all the recent Yahoo data breach furore and various problems at times of access to Yahoo groups, many Amateur Radio groups are turning their backs on Yahoo and moving to a new group service.

Groups.io is the new place where Hams and I guess many others are moving their discussion groups from Yahoo. I was first notified over a month ago that QRPLABS was moving over, I created an account with groups.io and sure enough if by magic it apppeared in my new groups.io account. Using it has become very easy and straight forward, and I find it doesn't suffer from the access lag that Yahoo groups suffered. Since joining, the BITX20 group has also moved and so have a few others, I expect many others will follow.   

Groups.io has a full automated transfer service for groups that wish to transfer over:https://groups.io/static/transfer  I have not used the transfer myself, but all the groups that have moved I am member of that have chosen to move to the new service appear to have gone over smooth, and they popped into my group.io account.