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I am more than satisfied with the performance of my Bitx40.? It exceeded my expectations and the support from the group emails has driven me further to explore.? If I wanted a 40M qrp rig I would have bought a commercial rig$$$$.? I wanted to play with transceiver circuits and learn more how radio and Audrino worked.? My radio worked 2nd try, because I used a 4 pin mic and socket and wired it wrong.? I have quiet clicks, doesn't bother me lets me know I am tuning.? This is a great product for Hams.? Those who will get the screwdriver and solder iron out and fix things.? I have no experience in electronics and was able to make this radio work great, so great in fact I have a Kenwood TS-520 that works top notch and haven't used it since getting my Bitx on the air.? I even bought a 2nd Bitx, I liked it so much.? Keep up the good work and let them ladies know the coils look great.? 73
On Wed, Apr 5, 2017 at 2:35 AM, Ashhar Farhan <farhanbox@...> wrote:
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I agree there is a ration of investment/rewards.. and for many people that varies. I have a guy in my town my age, who only drives a 1928-1930 Ford Model A.. I can't tell which tear because he does have turn signals and uses the cowl lights (1930-31 model) as blinkers. I understand he has had it since high school. I miss mine, I had to give it up and sell it when I was drafted. Everyone wanted to "keep it" for me, but also wanted the key.. ?
So this will be the last post from me.. The BITX40 went to Claremore and actually 4 guys as a group decided to buy it.. I heard, "If you don't buy it, I will" and out came 4 $20 bills. It included the? new instrument case an new ICOM hand mike, extra large heat sink, matching knobs, and a nice round speaker.. So Long and Farewell, I will visit the site in 3-6 months to see what progress has been made. Larry W8LM
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I've been reading this long thread with interest.? It reminded me of somthing familiar in the past and it just dawned on me what it was.? I've written vertical market software for a little over 30 years and remember when Microsoft released a particular version of Windows in the late '90s.? They no longer included a manual with the distribution and that sparked an extremely similar flurry of activity on nearly every software support forum I frequented! What had everyone so upset?? Instead of providing a detailed, verbose description of the new/depreciated OS features and commands, Microsoft now referred to general operating procedures as "Explorable", moving familiar settings and controls and adding new ones. I admit that my own thoughts immediately jumped to something like "Figures! Large corp wants to save money and not document or produce an expensive book for us" or "they'll loose half their customer base by not giving us an operation manual."? But my thinking was quickly adjusted by a good friend who has been a Microsoft MVP for about 20 years now.? He helped me understand that in learning about that version of Windows by exploring through it?myself and experimenting with it, I could be much more efficient at using it than I would have been following someone else's idea of the way to do things.? It has served me well for all these years now and I look forward to figuring out where MS hides familiar controls and settings now, rather than dreading each update.? Personally, I think it helped me understand OS operations much better rather than just following set procedures to accomplish something. Similar in many ways to how I feel about my BitX40! Ah, nastalgia! Marty
AD0PO
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I am glad someone agrees with me about something. But Arv talked about many things that I didn't. All good points though. But here is where I want to split a hair. I was quoting someone about the cultural difference, and kit. Because I agree with it. In the U.S. we have consumer protection laws that say "your product better work as advertised without fail in a reasonable amount of time. Or you will fairly compensate the customer in full. Or else. It seems India has not only a different attitude about customer satisfaction, but has different laws about it too. Back in January when I first complained about a dead Raduino board, Farhan asked me "What did you expect"? I responded with "I expected a standard level of customer service". And that's where it ended. And the BITX40 is not really a kit, but it's not a finished product either. Let's call it a quasi-kit that you finish with your own enclosure and accessories. Heck, we can call it blue mud, but all of us who bought one knows exactly what it really is. A quasi-kit that you finish your way, yourself. Now has everyone finished talking about Ham Fest in Claremore?
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I don't know
anywhere you will be able to order a uBITX so I doubt the lack
of a dedicated blog will be an issue.
Bill, VK7MX
On 6/04/2017 1:18 PM, Lawrence
Macionski via Groups.Io wrote:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
John Smith.. I will agree with you...and finally a
fixed copy of software!!! YEA!!!! My unit on the breadboard, and
all the extra's in a box under it (including a case, matching
knobs, even an oversized hear sink that fits perfectly, is ready
for the hamfest. I pack the truck tomorrow after work, and leave
1st thing Friday morning. I said I'll put it on my table and I'm
going to. Who knows I may bring it home or sell it. I may take the
money and order a uBITX -- only I sure hope it has it's own blog,
so I don't have to sort, this pertains to my build, this
doesn't..?? Not every project, is met by every one the same..
Besides not mentioned previously, I do have a Yaesu FT817 with a
Collins CW filter installed. It was given to me as a gift when
they first came out. So all along I was not without. QRP lives at
my QTH..? Only it would of been nice to do a comparison..maybe
someday.. I had no intent to anger anyone nor anyone should think
I was angry. I was just not warm and fuzzy.?
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John Smith.. I will agree with you...and finally a fixed copy of software!!! YEA!!!! My unit on the breadboard, and all the extra's in a box under it (including a case, matching knobs, even an oversized hear sink that fits perfectly, is ready for the hamfest. I pack the truck tomorrow after work, and leave 1st thing Friday morning. I said I'll put it on my table and I'm going to. Who knows I may bring it home or sell it. I may take the money and order a uBITX -- only I sure hope it has it's own blog, so I don't have to sort, this pertains to my build, this doesn't..?? Not every project, is met by every one the same.. Besides not mentioned previously, I do have a Yaesu FT817 with a Collins CW filter installed. It was given to me as a gift when they first came out. So all along I was not without. QRP lives at my QTH..? Only it would of been nice to do a comparison..maybe someday.. I had no intent to anger anyone nor anyone should think I was angry. I was just not warm and fuzzy.?
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John
I sort of disagree with your assumption that there is a cultural difference between
Indian and American hams.? What there does seem to be are differences in technical
knowledge, which manifests itself as a difference in expectations.?
The BITX40 is not a kit in the Heathkit style.? It is a pre-built board that requires you
to provide your own chassis and then use the provided wiring components to connect
chassis mounted things to the BITX40 board.? This may be a trap for some because
if things do not initially work right there must be some troubleshooting done to isolate
the problem and then fix it.? The BITX design(s) are unique in that most troubleshooting
can be done with just a high impedance DC voltmeter and a detector probe.? An
oscilloscope is required for solving very few of the normal problems.? If an RF source
is needed it is easy to wire up a simple crystal or tunable oscillator for that purpose.
For AF signal source almost anything will work, even the AF output of a small transistor
radio or your code practice oscillator.
For a pre-built circuit board it would seem unnecessary to provide a "how-to-populate-
the-board" type instruction...because it is already done for you.? A schematic is provided
that shows how the components are connected, which is more than is sometimes
provided for commercial gear.?
If one wants to know how each section of any BITX works it is relatively easy to use
LT-Spice to draw the schematic and to simulate sub-sections of the design.? This
not only shows how each section works, but also provides information that is valuable
if you are going to modify that part of the circuit.? You can even play what-if games
in the simulator to see what the effect might be of changing component values, signal
levels, and supply voltages.? Using a circuit simulator also provides you with voltages
and signal levels that should be expected in a normally operating circuit sub-section.
Armed with this information you should be able to verify that each section of your
BITX is operating with expected voltages and signal levels.
??????
Now, having said all that, there is a group of hams who want to build their own version
of various BITX designs from scratch.? This is where a detailed how-to writeup might
be of value, but even then those hardy souls who want to build their own will probably
be modifying circuit layout and schematics to include differences (improvements...?)
that they desire, so even there a detailed how-to writeup might be of limited value.
If one does embark on writing a detailed how-it-works document regarding any ham
radio equipment, he or she must be ready to deal with the usual group of hams who
want to disagree with what you wrote, mostly because they do not understand how
the circuit actually works.? This is frustrating and a significant negative factor in any
documentation project.? Been-there, experienced-that.?
Arv K7HKL
_._
On Wed, Apr 5, 2017 at 4:29 PM, John Smith via Groups.Io <johnlinux77@...> wrote: I thought the same thing about a wiki instruction page. Can you imagine the benefits to a newcomer? But it invites a lot of arguing about what should be said, and how to say it. To fix my pet peeve would take less time than it took me to write this. Polishing the official instruction page would seem to be important.? A wise old ham Named David Casler KE0OG explained that there is a cultural difference between American, and Indian hams. When American hams build a kit, they expect it to work. Put it on the air, and that's it. But it is to be understood that the kit is minimalist, and experimentation, and expansion are expected.? And I personally believe all businesses should do everything to eliminate confusion about the product and how to assemble it, and use it. If your instructions lead me to breaking it, or not operate it properly. That's your fault. And you should make it right. Or refund the money if they can't use it after you did everything to help them. It's cheaper to win back an old customer, than to get a new one. Perhaps I should invite Mr. Farhan to explain why step #5 of the alignment was apparently removed. Was the end user adjustment of R136 causing liability issues? If it's better for us not to touch it, why still make it adjustable? Why not a fixed resistor in it's place? Or is this another playful way of leaving it to us as an exercise to figure out for ourselves?? Contrary of how it might seem, I would like to resolve this and move on. Imagine, no one talking about low power or low audio because of good instructions, and knowing what you should really expect. Imagine the ingenuity of customization if there are no hiccups getting started.? The documentation for the uBITX will really have to be top shelf when that product is sold. Since it does more, there is more to be misunderstood.?
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I thought the same thing about a wiki instruction page. Can you imagine the benefits to a newcomer? But it invites a lot of arguing about what should be said, and how to say it. To fix my pet peeve would take less time than it took me to write this. Polishing the official instruction page would seem to be important.? A wise old ham Named David Casler KE0OG explained that there is a cultural difference between American, and Indian hams. When American hams build a kit, they expect it to work. Put it on the air, and that's it. But it is to be understood that the kit is minimalist, and experimentation, and expansion are expected.? And I personally believe all businesses should do everything to eliminate confusion about the product and how to assemble it, and use it. If your instructions lead me to breaking it, or not operate it properly. That's your fault. And you should make it right. Or refund the money if they can't use it after you did everything to help them. It's cheaper to win back an old customer, than to get a new one. Perhaps I should invite Mr. Farhan to explain why step #5 of the alignment was apparently removed. Was the end user adjustment of R136 causing liability issues? If it's better for us not to touch it, why still make it adjustable? Why not a fixed resistor in it's place? Or is this another playful way of leaving it to us as an exercise to figure out for ourselves?? Contrary of how it might seem, I would like to resolve this and move on. Imagine, no one talking about low power or low audio because of good instructions, and knowing what you should really expect. Imagine the ingenuity of customization if there are no hiccups getting started.? The documentation for the uBITX will really have to be top shelf when that product is sold. Since it does more, there is more to be misunderstood.?
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Bitx40, as I see it is more rooted in the open-source/maker culture, support and documentation are mostly a community thing. I think that's great, as the limits on what's possible is only set by the communities imagination ?(well, and science..)
If one wants a more traditional "kit" bitx, I believe qrpkits makes one, it costs about 2 or 3 times as much. ?I suspect that realistically is what that level of service costs..
Isn't it wonderful to have choices?!
Jasper ag7bx
Sent?from?my?BlackBerry?10?smartphone. From: Jerry Gaffke via Groups.Io Sent: Wednesday, April 5, 2017 2:12 PM Subject: Re: [BITX20] CLAREMORE, OK Hamfest this weekend and my BITX40 | At $59, I'm plenty happy. ?Even if the $1000 Elecraft has a better manual. ?Would be good if somebody at hfsigs had time to update the wireup instructions, though if they can just keep kicking out boards as well as they have they are doing more than good enough. ?Perhaps we copy the entire wireup webpage over to the wiki and have at it, point new users to to our edited version. Kind of reminds me of my wasted youth, working in the bay area back in the late 70's. ? KFAT radio's signature piece was ?"Mooseturd Pie" by Utah Philips. ?Worth a listen, you can look it up..
On Wed, Apr 5, 2017 at 11:48 am, John Smith wrote:
I think Farhan should finish writing?the instructions himself. Since it it his own product.? On Wed, Apr 5, 2017 at 08:12 am, Jack Purdum wrote: I understand John Smith's frustration with the directions. I've also seen he follows what goes on here, so perhaps he could write a set of new instructions and post them here and give distribution rights to HF Signals. I think all of us would appreciate that and I think we'd see the volume of posts from new members fall dramatically if he does.
?
?
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At $59, I'm plenty happy. ?Even if the $1000 Elecraft has a better manual. ?Would be good if somebody at hfsigs had time to update the wireup instructions, though if they can just keep kicking out boards as well as they have they are doing more than good enough. ?Perhaps we copy the entire wireup webpage over to the wiki and have at it, point new users to to our edited version. Kind of reminds me of my wasted youth, working in the bay area back in the late 70's. ? KFAT radio's signature piece was ?"Mooseturd Pie" by Utah Philips. ?Worth a listen, you can look it up..
On Wed, Apr 5, 2017 at 11:48 am, John Smith wrote:
I think Farhan should finish writing?the instructions himself. Since it it his own product.? On Wed, Apr 5, 2017 at 08:12 am, Jack Purdum wrote: I understand John Smith's frustration with the directions. I've also seen he follows what goes on here, so perhaps he could write a set of new instructions and post them here and give distribution rights to HF Signals. I think all of us would appreciate that and I think we'd see the volume of posts from new members fall dramatically if he does.
?
?
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You really need 2A power to stop the motor boating.... The tuning and power knobs wiring is orintated with you looking at the knob shaft and connections on top. From what I see in your pics the antenna lead looks too long...should be no more than 3 inches...that is all I have for you sorry. N5PAN (Mike)
JARC Member
100WattsID: 850
NAQCC: 8300
SKCC: 15296
On Apr 4, 2017 11:54 PM, "Lawrence Macionski via Groups.Io" <am_fm_radio= [email protected]> wrote: Well, it has come to this... I have been reading daily this blog.
even read it prior to my BITX40 arriving over month ago. I mounted it on
a board, ordered a popular instrument case? for it, plus knobs, a speaker,
even a heavier heat sink, fuse holder and then it sat.. I tried to do
the calibration with V1.01 and it just didn't seem right...I have never
transmitted with it. never got that far..
Reading? the blog
daily...not only is everybody putting in their 2 cents, but everyone is
heading in 10 different directions. 80 meters, 20 meters, Raduino,
QRPlabs.com vfo's, USB, CW, changing the BFO...AGC, speech
processing.......it's a wonder no one has put it on 2 meters .... But
the Tuning clicks are a problem unresolved... and the only mod I did
(22uf caps both sides of the raduino voltage regulator)? and still have clicks. I am hearing the new SI5351 libraries have issues.. Bottom line is....
no one can tell me-- what a plane jane BITX40 without issues should have. I am saying? the way it was delivered was not perfect. We all know
the calibration was never stored. the second harmonic is too high.?
Tuning clicks and a birdie..no diodes on the relays...So.. to me it's not battle ready.
I'm confused and
disillusioned....All I wanted was a 40 meter SSB QRP rig. One that doesn't have all these issues that continue to crop up.? I think it's time to move
on. I am going to take it there and put it out on my table.. I am not giving it away.. It's mounted on a board and I have a case and a new? ICOM mic for it.?? ?????????   ? 
Even a 12V wall wart that works well- 1.25A. Matching knobs and so on. I have more than $90 in it... If you want to buy it, I will be at Claremore when it opens Tables A9-10-11-12. This Friday and Saturday.. de Larry W8LM
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Larry By it's very nature there is s no official anything with the bitx40. It is makerware. But to work to a point then left up to you and others to experiment with. Some choose to add cw or make it work on other bands. Others choose to tweeking the? software. There are steps to troubleshoot. Hfsigs makes it then allows us to experiment with it through open source design. Sorry that it seems you wanted a complete service manual and didn't get it. "Lawrence Macionski via Groups.Io" <am_fm_radio@...> wrote: Thanks to all that commented. First- I DO NOT expect it to work like any commercial rig. I am shocked that someone would think I'm expecting more than it is. I've been a ham for 50 years, Home brewed from my 1st rig till today.? However, When I bought it,? I anticipated that I could have it "checked out"? then transferred to my case in a few hours. My point is clear- I was admonished in a reply "if you followed the guidelines about keeping the leads short, there would be no clicks. see the videos posted."? Guidelines? video's?Just where are they? At hfsigs.com? their "wireup.html" is ambigious- #1.The tuning pot and volume is depicted in such a way that it could be facing you or you're looking at the back. #2. The pictorial does not show the cap on the tuning control. Only lists in in a instruction step.
#3. The calibration of the raduino is faulty because V1.01 does not store the new value. I see V1.02, V1.03, V1.04 mentioned at groups.io.. YET nowhere at hfsigs.com does it say-- hey! we approve using this sketch.. nowhere does it say, a unit manufactured today is identical to mine (same calibration problem) or has it been rectified, and IF SO- I'd like to update mine identically.? #4. Doesn't recommend a single "upgrade" such as fuses, reverse polarity protection, diodes on the relay coils, which sketch is approved standard. What about 2nd harmonic suppression?
Frankly, because the the only source of daily information happens to be groups.io/BITX20.. it is a haven for 20 meter versions, 80 meter versions, various boards from various sources,? rotary dials , analog VFO's... I have a BITX40V3 with Raduino!!!? I am interested in "fine tuning" ONLY that, debugging ONLY that!... No where is there a single source for that..SPECIFIC "OFFICIAL" DOCUMENTATION IS LACKING. Just today I read Serial N3-771V was delivered.. Will he experience the same issues I have? I think so, but I don't know... So if I sell it off this weekend, I move on. We all know hams that had the same rig for 30 years and others that change rigs like you change you socks. I'm offering it to anyone that wants it Friday who is a the hamfest and eager to work through all issues I PERCEIVE as problems. Kind of like the high school kid that buys a car for $100 than needs weeks of work and parts... Just how much time and money do I want to put into it? Clearly it is minimalist, yet advance is some aspects. Kudo's? BUT- I have hours and hours reading, maybe 2 hours just putting it on a board and firing it up to receive and calibrate, and when I took it to the ham club meeting -- it was not calibrated.. I didn't know why. but reading the blog I found out, calibration is not stored and I powered it down to take to the meeting. So, I set it aside while additional parts ordered arrived. Yet I continued to read and plan. Till I reached this tipping point. Now I have second thoughts rightfully so. Maybe if it comes home with me, I 'll finish it If I sell maybe I may decide to buy one again in the future, maybe not. Don't have a crystal ball.?
Larry W8LM
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To:??Lawrence Macionski I have uploaded a fixed copy of the raduino software. Look for it in the files section. It has a description of what was fixed. It's not your fault. The directions are a bit lacking, but adequate. Except for alignment?step?#5 should instruct you to adjust R136 to obtain that 1 Amp current draw. Which will give you full power without overheating, or distorting anything. Ownership of this radio requires you to be a tinkerer, and an experimenter who believes they are capable of figuring out how to hook it up, set it up, and tweak it to suit you. It's not for experts either, but some solid documentation for the new comer would eliminate a lot of problems we are constantly talking about. I think Farhan should finish writing?the instructions himself. Since it it his own product.?
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Jack: You beat me to it.... there's nothing keeping someone from writing a more detailed assembly manual and posting it to the wiki. James KE4MIQ
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After running a small business for some time there is one thing I have learned, no matter how good you are there are going to be people that just simply hate your product. Even the most expensive radios on the market have folks that are just not happy with the product. Its just not a good fit for them. Personally I love my bitx. If it came out of the box working exactly as I wanted I probably would not have as much fun with it. If all the mods I wanted were laid out in a step by step document, same thing, probably not as much fun. I love figuring things out its just my personality and this radio is just what I needed to get me off my butt and have some fun.
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A lot of this discussion about this rig depends upon your point of view. Andrew has taken a wise approach, in that he knows up front what's involved with the rig. Agreed, many don't, but whose fault is that?
My club is an FCC testing site and we give the exams before our meeting every month. Last month was typical, with 13 Tech exams and 2 General. Many are from the university's EE department and their objective is just "to get on the air". Most end up with a 2M HT because they are cheap. When I ran into one who let his license expire, I asked why. His response: "It's no different than my cell phone." Clearly, he never left 2M. The BITX40 provides an avenue to HF for anyone who is on a lawn-mower budget.
The BITX40 is a vehicle that allows such people to experience HF at a reasonable cost. When I'm done modifying mine, I plan on suggesting it for a club build. Because we have new members who don't even own a soldering iron yet, many are afraid to tackle building anything. This is why I take the time to write assembly manuals for such projects (e.g., the Forty-9er rig, the antenna analyzer). I understand John Smith's frustration with the directions. I've also seen he follows what goes on here, so perhaps he could write a set of new instructions and post them here and give distribution rights to HF Signals. I think all of us would appreciate that and I think we'd see the volume of posts from new members fall dramatically if he does.
Still, it's pretty hard to throw stones at the BITX40. It really does fulfill a hole in the market. It's a perfect solution to my club's Tech disappearance problem. I've been licensed since 1954 and I consider my BITX40 experience to be one of the best I've ever had. I've learned more electronics "stuff" in the past year than everything that came before. Yes, I've shot myself in the foot a few times, but the members of this group, either directly or indirectly, have helped my bind my wounds. It's one of the most useful groups I've ever belonged to.
How many of us have our gun loaded, new metal shoes on, and can't wait for the microBITX to hit the market??
Jack, W8TEE
From: Andrew Whaley <azwhaley@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Wednesday, April 5, 2017 10:36 AM
Subject: Re: [BITX20] CLAREMORE, OK Hamfest this weekend and my BITX40
Just to balance. I'm a new ham, not even licensed yet but gathering my equipment slowly in readiness. I spent ages researching what to get after realising that 2m is pretty dead around here and HF is the way to go. There are actually very few options for a low-cost rig capable of CW (and SSB) which is tuneable i.e. not a single crystal like the various eBay QRP rigs.? So I came to BitX40 and ordered the board and the various other bits and pieces that I needed. Through my own impatience, I've had a rough time with it and had to replace one Arduino and wrestled with a diecast box that was really too small which caused its own problems.? I have to say, though, the basic design is brilliantly simple (and well documented and with open source software), Ashhar's service all the way from India has been exemplary and the encouragement and direct support I've had from other members of this community has been amazing. ? I still have a few issues to sort out on the CW side, but the basic SSB rig worked right out of the box. I had no issues with wiring up that weren't due to my own inexperience or hast.? It's a brilliant bit of kit - like a kind of Raspberry Pi for QRP. Can't wait to get on-air and speak to more of you there.
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Just to balance. I'm a new ham, not even licensed yet but gathering my equipment slowly in readiness. I spent ages researching what to get after realising that 2m is pretty dead around here and HF is the way to go. There are actually very few options for a low-cost rig capable of CW (and SSB) which is tuneable i.e. not a single crystal like the various eBay QRP rigs.? So I came to BitX40 and ordered the board and the various other bits and pieces that I needed. Through my own impatience, I've had a rough time with it and had to replace one Arduino and wrestled with a diecast box that was really too small which caused its own problems.? I have to say, though, the basic design is brilliantly simple (and well documented and with open source software), Ashhar's service all the way from India has been exemplary and the encouragement and direct support I've had from other members of this community has been amazing. ? I still have a few issues to sort out on the CW side, but the basic SSB rig worked right out of the box. I had no issues with wiring up that weren't due to my own inexperience or hast.? It's a brilliant bit of kit - like a kind of Raspberry Pi for QRP. Can't wait to get on-air and speak to more of you there.
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It's facing you, the pic that I have has a central circle that tells me it is the shaft facing me.
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
At 05/04/2017, you wrote: #1.The tuning pot and volume is depicted in such a way that it could be facing you or you're looking at the back.
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Larry, it sounds like it's time for you to move on to your next project.
Roy WA0YMH
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Thanks to all that commented. First- I DO NOT expect it to work like any commercial rig. I am shocked that someone would think I'm expecting more than it is. I've been a ham for 50 years, Home brewed from my 1st rig till today.? However, When I bought it,? I anticipated that I could have it "checked out"? then transferred to my case in a few hours. My point is clear- I was admonished in a reply "if you followed the guidelines about keeping the leads short, there would be no clicks. see the videos posted."? Guidelines? video's?Just where are they? At hfsigs.com? their "wireup.html" is ambigious- #1.The tuning pot and volume is depicted in such a way that it could be facing you or you're looking at the back. #2. The pictorial does not show the cap on the tuning control. Only lists in in a instruction step.
#3. The calibration of the raduino is faulty because V1.01 does not store the new value. I see V1.02, V1.03, V1.04 mentioned at groups.io.. YET nowhere at hfsigs.com does it say-- hey! we approve using this sketch.. nowhere does it say, a unit manufactured today is identical to mine (same calibration problem) or has it been rectified, and IF SO- I'd like to update mine identically.? #4. Doesn't recommend a single "upgrade" such as fuses, reverse polarity protection, diodes on the relay coils, which sketch is approved standard. What about 2nd harmonic suppression?
Frankly, because the the only source of daily information happens to be groups.io/BITX20.. it is a haven for 20 meter versions, 80 meter versions, various boards from various sources,? rotary dials , analog VFO's... I have a BITX40V3 with Raduino!!!? I am interested in "fine tuning" ONLY that, debugging ONLY that!... No where is there a single source for that..SPECIFIC "OFFICIAL" DOCUMENTATION IS LACKING. Just today I read Serial N3-771V was delivered.. Will he experience the same issues I have? I think so, but I don't know... So if I sell it off this weekend, I move on. We all know hams that had the same rig for 30 years and others that change rigs like you change you socks. I'm offering it to anyone that wants it Friday who is a the hamfest and eager to work through all issues I PERCEIVE as problems. Kind of like the high school kid that buys a car for $100 than needs weeks of work and parts... Just how much time and money do I want to put into it? Clearly it is minimalist, yet advance is some aspects. Kudo's? BUT- I have hours and hours reading, maybe 2 hours just putting it on a board and firing it up to receive and calibrate, and when I took it to the ham club meeting -- it was not calibrated.. I didn't know why. but reading the blog I found out, calibration is not stored and I powered it down to take to the meeting. So, I set it aside while additional parts ordered arrived. Yet I continued to read and plan. Till I reached this tipping point. Now I have second thoughts rightfully so. Maybe if it comes home with me, I 'll finish it If I sell maybe I may decide to buy one again in the future, maybe not. Don't have a crystal ball.?
Larry W8LM
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Raj vu2zap