QRP Radios
Decisions, Decisions,
Which radio will win after all the derision?
No-code, then no need to be CW radioed.
Thoughts: First I need to learn Morse code and be willing to have random QSO's. In order to get a QRP(low power) radio one often has to spend more than I want to. The kits also have more parts than I can assemble and need test equipment to balance circuits. I also note that some of the built radios are very close to the price of some kits. Even though I probably will not build a kit there are ones that could become part of my kit. I have assembled a few mobile Ham radio items.
Below are low power radios from a QRP radio comparison spreadsheet I made. Included below are some of them. Once I learn code and can practice QSO's online it might be tempting to get an affordable one like the CW only $188.00 SW-3B - 5W or the $399 when on sale All mode Xiegu G90 - 20W. Unless it is needed in a go bag this would otherwise be a fun reward porch/yard radio after all the work it took to learn Morse code. I know of no Friends that do CW although some do other data modes that require a PC. I certainly do not need a CW only radio as I could get on the air at home using CW as I have my IC-7300 to get running. Who says I would have any better success with another radio.
K2EJT's Guide to POTA / SOTA Field Activating Episode 1: Radios Youtube
Compare main radio differences
Copy of K2EJT's Guide to POTA / SOTA Field Activating Episode 1: Radios Radio Specs:
Xiegu G90 - 1 to 20W ~ 10-160 M ~ USB LSB CW CWR AM NFM (x2) ~ Built-in wide-range automatic 10:1 antenna tuner ~ Adjustable DSP band filters (CW mode can be as narrow as 50Hz) ~ 1.8-inch high brightness color TFT LCD ~ Built-in CW Decoder ~ Built-in Antenna SWR scanner ~ Built-in mediumwave (AM broadcast) high-pass filter ~ I/Q output for interfacing with a PC or adapter.
$445.00 Price diff. with G106 is $181 ~~ Was sale for $399 on Sept 9, 2023
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XIEGU G106 SDR HF TRANSCEIVER 5W QRP RADIO SSB CW AM WFM SUPPORT FT8 | DATA MODE ($264 on sale w/-$15 discount code as of 10/02/2023)
Pronounce Xiegu as Shee-Goo Translates to "solid" or "firm" in English
SSB/CW/AM - 8 bands - NO CW memory's - All around QRP radio - 5-8W
Weak receiver filter so needs a BCI filter. 3 power levels L:2.51W M:2.85 H: 5.14
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Venus SW-3B CW QRP Radio. SW-3B Only has 1 CW memory.
($188 as of 10/2/2023)
3 Bands 40m, 30m, 20m bands. 👍🏼 I like the band choices 👍🏼
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Venus SW-3B and a Mtr4b Mountain Topper
Price difference. $181.99 (as of 10/02/2023)
Venus SW-3B and a Pentec TR-35 CW Radio
Price difference. $229.00 (as of 10/02/2023)
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Mtr4b V2.3 Mountain Topper has CW 3 memories. Specializes at being a CW radio. -
($369.00 as of 10/02/2023)
4 bands: 80, 40, 30, 20 meters. 🤔 80 meters is not very mobile 🤔
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The Mtr4b V2.3 Mtn Topper and the Pentec TR-35
Price difference is 49.01 (as of 10/2/2023)
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Pentec TR-35 has two message keyer memories.
($419.00 assembled price as of 10/2/2023)
4 bands: 40, 30, 20, and 17 meters 👍🏼Love the band choices 👍🏼
with Pontec has extended RCVR tuning above and below. Listen to SSB. Has optical tuning now standard
Xiegu G90 20W, 10-160B, CW/SSB/Digital, Tuner, ,
Speaker, Metal case, CW/SSB, 8 bands,
No speaker, tuner, or battery.
QRP HF SDR QRP Radio $445.00
All 10-160 Ham bands - (160m, 80m, 60m, 40m, 30m, 20m, 17m, 15m, 12m, 10m)
USB LSB CW CWR AM NFM Digital - SW Listen
Auto Antenna Tuner - Matches antenna with SWR up to 5:1 , No longwire. High SWR protection.
SWR scanner built in - The accuracy of the built-in SWR scanner is sufficient for antenna debugging, and can accurately reflect the SWR of the current antenna feeder system. Scanning power is generally around 5W, which is more accurate than most cheap meters. More precise measurement requires professional instruments.
From 1-20 W in steps of 1W. ~ 10.5-16.5V power supply with 6A or above output power would be recommended
Color screen views: A waterfall, SWR, Power, Filters
Remote Head
XIEGU G90 HF RADIO | SDR | QRP | AUTO ANTENNA TUNER | 20W | REMOTE HEAD $445.00
The G90 is the first model of the new Xiegu G-series. It's a portable 20W HF 10-160 M. multimode transceiver. The G90 uses 24-bit digital architecture. It also includes an internal automatic antenna tuner. Multifunction Mic. Cables.
The G90 has a removable display head that can be separated from the main body and connected via included DB-9 cable. Both the radio's control head firmware and main body operating firmware can be user-updated using separate connectors on the head and body. The programming cable is provided.
Beautiful Color LCD Screen —All vital operating information is clearly visible in daylight conditions. 48KHZ wide spectrum display with waterfall gives you excellent awareness of the signal conditions around you.
Easy to Use —— Intelligently designed, the most commonly used functions are on hardware buttons. Next you can use the Quick Menu function to access often-used functions.
Features
Up to 20W of RF power
High-performance RF front end giving superb selectivity
Modes provided are USB/LSB/CW/CWR/AM/NFM
1.8-inch high brightness color TFT LCD screen
±24k bandwidth fast-scan spectrum display with waterfall
Adjustable DSP band filters (CW mode can be as narrow as 50Hz)
Detachable front panel/display head unit
Built-in CW Decoder
Built-in Antenna SWR scanner
Built-in wide-range automatic antenna tuner
Built-in mediumwave (AM broadcast) high-pass filter
I/Q output for interfacing with a PC or adapter
NOTE
FM mode is available.
It's normal that G90 overheats if used for a long time.
If you want to keep the power of G90 on 20W, the voltage must be in 13.8 V-15V.
If the voltage is 13.8V below, the power would not be guaranteed and the driving kinetic energy would not enough.
Weak receiver filter so needs a BCI filter. BCI filters reduce or notch out AM broadcast band signals so that they don't overload your receiver. BCI Filters are placed between the radio and the antenna. They can have a dramatically positive effect if you live near a broadcast station and/or if you have a radio that's prone to overloading.
Has a speaker Mic, 8 bands 10-80M, CW filters, Preset SSB settings AM shortwave and FM receive. ($264 as of 10/02/2023)
[Update: N6ARA has a tiny SWR meter kit in Beta at time of posting that I would recommend for the G106.]
The front end of the G106 is very wide and weak. The remedy is to build (or buy) a simple in-line BCI filter. I purchased a BCI filter kit (see photo above/below) for $20, shipped, from Dan (K9DP); I highly recommend this filter for any G106 or X6100 owner.
FT-8 operations with optional PC adaptor
Use a balanced EFHW to get 10,20,40,80M or a tuner to get other bands.
Use a 3Amp 9~15V DC Source. 12V to put out 5W. $264.00
[Update: N6ARA has a tiny SWR meter kit in Beta at time of posting that I would recommend for the G106.]
The front end of the G106 is very wide and weak. The remedy is to build (or buy) a simple in-line BCI filter. I purchased a BCI filter kit (see photo above/below) for $20, shipped, from Dan (K9DP); I highly recommend this filter for any G106 or X6100 owner.
As mentioned earlier, if you purchase a G106, plan to buy or build a simple BCI filter as well. Even if you can’t hear audio bleed-through from a nearby AM broadcaster, it could still have a negative impact on the G106’s receiver performance. As I mentioned in a post this weekend, I purchased and built a K9DP BCI Filter Kit.
Having seen how few parameters can be adjusted in SSB mode (basically only Mic gain), I was surprised to find that the G106 has some of the most important adjustments for CW: filter selection, sidetone frequency, ratio, QSK, keyer speed, keyer mode, straight key, and paddle left/right toggle. The only thing missing is sidetone volume, but (again) for $320, there’s no room for complaint here.
I have pretty much adopted 3Ah LiFePo4 battery packs as my portable power source of choice. I find that long POTA sessions with the G106 can deplete a fully charged battery. I believe a better battery pack size for this rig would be 4.5Ah or even 6Ah.
XIEGU G106 SDR HF TRANSCEIVER 5W QRP RADIO SSB CW AM WFM SUPPORT FT8 | DATA MODE $279.00 No CW message memory's
Three transmission modes SSB/CW/AM as well as FM (88-108MHz) receive only,
5 Watts, Operating voltage: 9~15V DC, current load capacity of the power supply shall be at least 3A.
The G106 is a 5W portable QRP transceiver with an SDR infrastructure using 16bit CODEC sampling to deliver a superior performance.. - RX frequency range: 0.55~30MHz; 88~108MHz (WFM)
XIEGU G106 - SSB/CW/AM - 8 bands - TX frequency range: 3.5~3.9MHz; 80 M 7.0~7.2MHz; 40 M 10.1~10.15MHz; 30 M 14.0~14.35MHz; 20 M 18.068~18.168MHz; 17 M 21.0~21.45MHz; 15 M 24.89~24.99MHz; 12 M 28.0~29.7MHz 10 M
[Update: N6ARA has a tiny SWR meter kit in Beta at time of posting that I would recommend for the G106.]
The radio supports three transmission modes SSB/CW/AM as well as FM (88-108MHz) receive only, which allows you to listen to local FM broadcasts while operating. Having a digital CW filter with three bandwidths helps when making DX contacts. With the external DE-19 digital adapter unit (optional) the G106 can be easily connected to a computer to support digital data modes such as FT-8.
As an entry-level portable SDR transceiver, the G106 is well suited to QRP CW and FT-8 operations while also supporting SSB and AM.. Note: that you may need a Xiegu DE-19 to operate FT8.
NOTES:
Built-in speaker and Speaker Microphone, Only earphone plug is on the microphone. Metal Case, G106 requires an antenna that is resonant on the frequency in use or a tuner. For “wide-band” antennas an external ATU is required.
➣ High-performance SDR infrastructure
➣ Compact and robust physical structure
➣ Coverage of all HF amateur radio bands between 3.5 and 29.7MHz
➣ WFM broadcast receive coverage
➣ Continuous receive coverage across all HF frequencies
➣ Amateur data communication modes are possible by connection to a computer with the appropriate software installed
➣ Computer based remote control is available via a CAT port
➣ Microphone with Speaker
Xiegu G106 Ham Radio Review - "It's Just OK" Ham Radio Crash Course Review
Thomas (K4SWL) - Video Let's check out the Xiegu G106 by taking it on a POTA activation!
Realistically probably the only affordable one at $188.00
Handy size, No menus. Skips the wire stretching 80M band.
Venus Information Technology Co., Ltd. CW Transmitter SSB Receive only
SW-3B 7/10/14 MHz CW QRP Transceiver 40m, 30m, 20m bands
Only one (1) CW message memory.
8-15V Output: 5 watts @12V external power. 5 watts @12V ~ 1.8 – 2 watts @9V Up to 2 amperes of current with no AC ripple. A simple battery pack made up of eight "AA" (or 10 NiMH) batteries provides ample power.
3 Band 40m, 30m, 20m bands. With 8 chan memory's for each band. 7.0-7.2MHz, 10.1-10.15MHz, 14.0 -14.35MHz. Transmitting: about 0.8A (at 12V voltage)
A Guide to Operating, Troubleshooting and Repair of the SW-3B QRP Radio A nice supplement to the manual.
SW-3B QRP CW transceiver $188.00
High density polyethylene and polycarbonate plastic
Venus SW-3B QRP Radio Enclosure and Cover by KN6EZE - Thingiverse
No Speaker - Use headphone or mini amp.
No Tuner. Use a 40, 30, 20m balanced ant. such a Portable Multi-Band End Fed Antenna or an Xtenna
Prebuilt, Nice bands for mobile, Nice price for what you get. 4.13 x 10.59 x 1.93 inches 6.35oz. No menus. S-meter, RIT, 400Hz filter, good, RF gain, Go out of band to practice so will not transmit. Only 1 msg CW memory,
Draws about 43 mA with the backlight on and 37 mA with the backlight off
Dimensions: 4.13 x 10.59 x 1.93 inches 6.35oz. 104*71*25mm (excluding the protruding part such as knob)
Weight: 180g. Operating voltage: 8-15VDC.
Operating current:
Receiving: about 60mA(backlight on), and less than 55mA(backlight off). Now using OLED.
Transmitting: about 0.8A (at 12V voltage).
Frequency range: 5-8MHz, 8-11MHz, 11-16MHz (the receiving sensitivity peak is only 40m, 30m, 20m amateur band).
Transmitting: 7.0-7.2MHz, 10.1-10.15MHz, 14.0 -14.35MHz. RF
Output: 5 watts @12V --- 1.8 – 2 watts @9V
Comments
SW3B has a nice 3 band choices of 40m, 30m, 20m bands. 17 M might be nice to have, but 80 M is pretty long for a temporary portable antenna.
AE5X: A few notes on the new SW-3B QRP transceiver
SW-3B Has side rails available - Blog comment. How about making end rails out of thin ply once a person has them to make a pattern of?
Venus SW-3B QRP Radio Enclosure and Cover by KN6EZE - Thingiverse
CW, SSB Receive only, 5W with 12.0 Volt supply
4 bands: 80, 40, 30, 20 meters 🤔 80 meters is not very mobile 🫳🏼
Three(3) Morse message memories with beacon mode
Machined Aluminum No Speaker, Use headphone or mini amp. No Tuner
Comments
Has SWR. 4 bands but one is 80M for "mobile" use. I do like band choices on the TR-35 better as it has 17 meter instead of 80M.
Getting spendy. $369.99
Penntek TR-35 Compare Mtr4b V2.3 TR-35 Compare
The Mtr4b V2.3 mountain topper is $49.01 less than the assembled Penntek TR-35 10/2/2023
Headphones, no speaker: Ok when around noise and not create noise for others.
No tuner: Use End Fed Balanced antenna and all is well.
Mtr4b V2.3 Mountain Topper 5.15″ L x 3.0″ W x 1.075″ Thick: Weight: 7.95 oz
4 bands: 80, 40, 30, 20 meters
Penntek TR-35 Size 5.5" L x 3.25" W x1.5" Thick less protrusions: Weight 10.6 Oz
4 bands: 40, 30, 20, and 17 meters with extended RCVR tuning above and below. Listen to SSB.
CW, SSB Xmit 9.5 to 14 volts. 5W on all bands
4 bands: 40, 30, 20, and 17 Meters 👍🏼Love the band choices
with extended RCVR tuning above and below. Listen to SSB.
Testing new Penntek TR-35 upgrades Two message keyer memory programmable with paddles.
Comments
Spendy. I like the looks, band choices and operation over the Mountain Topper though. No tuner. Plastic No Speaker, Use headphone or mini amp. No Tuner
NICE looking unit and functions until you show wallet.
$419.00 assembled
Compare Pentecs TR-35 & TR45L
$166.00 Difference between the TR-35 & TR45L
TR45L comes with an internal speaker. Also has a $60 Z-Match tuner and $80 internal battery options available.
CW, SSB Xmit 9.5 to 14 volts. 5W on all bands
4 bands: 40, 30, 20, and 17 Meters 👍🏼Love the band choices
with extended RCVR tuning above and below. Listen to SSB.
NICE looking unit and functions until you show wallet.
Has speaker. Optional tuner and battery. $417.00
Testing new Penntek TR-35 upgrades Two message keyer memory programmable with paddles.
TR-35 CW Transceiver Plastic No Speaker, Use headphone or mini amp. No Tuner
Spendy. I like the looks, band choices and operation over the Mountain Topper. No tuner.
TR-45L QRP Transceiver $430- $580.00 with options
CW, SSB ½ watt to 5 watts
5 bands 80-75, 40, 30, 20, and 17 meter bands.
Optional built in 5200ma Lithium battery pack and charger with a price of $80.00. Optimized for the CW band portions with both narrow and wide band IF filters, and CW and SSB detectors. Optical tuning encoder for long-life smooth tuning. illuminated front panel meter shows “S” units on receive, and power output (forward or reverse) while transmitting. The meter also will display the battery state of charge.
Metal case A great built-in speaker delivers more than adequate volume.
Optional Manual Z-Match antenna tuner for matching to simple wire antennas. priced at $60.00
Non-beginner $430 kit
Assembled $580 base price
TR-45L QRP Optional 5200ma Battery $80.00
Optional built in 5200ma Lithium battery pack and charger with a price of $80.00
$80.00 Extra cost
TR-45L QRP Antenna tuner $60.00 80-75, 40, 30, 20, and 17 meter
Optional manual Z-Match antenna tuner for matching to simple wire antennas. priced at $60.00
The QCX-Mini CW Transceiver Kit
No matter which band you choose, the QCX-Mini CW Transceiver Kit is a popular choice among hobbyists for several reasons:
Small Size and Easy Assembly: This kit is known for its compact design and straightforward assembly process, making it ideal for beginners.
Dedicated CW Performance: This specific version is a 5-watt CW transceiver designed specifically for the 20-meter band, offering focused functionality for Morse code communication.
Beginner-Friendly Soldering: The kit features all through-hole components, which are easier to solder compared to surface-mount components, making it suitable for those new to soldering.
Detailed Instructions and Availability: The kit includes a comprehensive assembly manual and can be found on the QRP Labs online store for around $58 (be sure to check current pricing). It comes with a PCB board, all electronic components, and the manual. An enclosure and other operational accessories are sold separately.
Multi-band Option: The QCX-Mini Versatility - It's important to note that the QCX-Mini comes in various single bands, including 160m, 80m, 60m, 40m, 30m, 17m, and of course, 20m. This provides more flexibility in choosing the band that aligns with your propagation needs and interests. During purchase on the QRP Labs online store, you can specify which band you prefer from the available options.
Key Features of the QCX-Mini - Regardless of the chosen band, the QCX-Mini boasts several features that make it a great CW kit:
Easy to build two-board design
All through-hole components for easy soldering
5W CW output (depending on supply voltage)
Rotary encoder synthesized tuning
Built-in alignment and test equipment
Whether you set your sights on daytime long-distance communication on 20 meters, explore the reliable groundwave communication of 40 meters, or choose another band entirely, the QCX-Mini CW Transceiver Kit offers a versatile and user-friendly platform for your Morse code adventures in ham radio.
