Tone or birdie every 500 Hz in USB mode
Forgive me if this has been already asked, but I cannot seem to find the answer. My QMX+ is showing some signal every 500Hz in USB mode (and in DIGI mode) on RX. I hear it in the headphones as a light tone or series of tones a little louder than the static. My Yaesu FT-710 doesn't hear these tones when connected to the same antenna. This morning I made another MFSK144 contact with the QMX+ with a station I had just contacted on the FT-710. Same set up, same antenna, only difference is the radio used. The FT-710 was "hearing" the MSK144 signals, but they were light. The QMX could not "hear" the same signals, the "birdies" were louder than the signal. Almost as if AGC was adjusting to the birdies and not to the background noise. Here is a screenshot of the waterfall in WSJT-X showing the birdie signals. Notice the fairly solid lines every 500 Hz and the not quite as solid ones every 250 Hz.
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I see the "birdies" on every band, but they get more pronounced the higher the frequency is. At 40m they are barely there, at 6m very obvious. Does anyone know what they are or how to get rid of them?
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Re: #qmx #SSB Firmware beta 1_01_003 release
#qmx
#ssb
If the audio seems poor, check using the microphone test screen, whether or not you have enough sensiricity from your particular microphone. If you have to then up the gain too much then you will be amplifying noise as well as wanted audio.?
It's a bit confusing. Compression and CESSB are certainly not mutually exclusive. CESSB should not be considered a replacement for, or a form of compression. CESSB fixes the SSB modulation problem with overshoots. It operates on the RF envelope. Whereas compression acts on the audio.?
Compression will amplify noise as well as signal, in fact by definition it amplifies the weak parts of the audio more than the strong parts. So a lot of compression will increase the noise, as well as the average speech power. On a weak path where your SNR is low anyway, the use of compression will help a lot and be very useful. In strong signal conditions it will make your signal sound more noisy.
73 Hans G0UPL
Mel,
Yep, my audio is poor also. Since calibration never completes, I turned off the predistortion. The audio is really poor if you turn off mic agc, then it is just loud noise transmitted. With agc, when you talk the noise is suppressed. I have not done much experimenting with compression and EQ as reported. My recollection is that with CESSB, you don't want to use compression.
Gary
W9TD
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Re: I just ordered a QCX+ kit
Bonjour Pierre, after building several QRP Labs kits I started building the QMX+. I'm 84 with good eyesight and steady hands. It is more of a challenge than their other products that I have built. I have chosen to take it very slow, sometimes only a component or two a day. I read each instruction section several times before starting. I'm several days away from applying power.? Hopefully, no smoke. Gary W0CKI, since 1954 .
Good luck with your QCX+. You do need good eyesight and a magnifying glass to identify the parts.? I built my QMX and QMX+ at eighty. They are great kits. I have made several SSB contacts with good success. I worked at Heathkit for thirty years. What a great company they were.
On Mon, Mar 31, 2025 at 3:45?AM Pierre - FK8IH via <jb.gallauziaux= [email protected]> wrote: After months, even years of thinking I eventually ordered another QRP Labs kit today: a QCX+.
I had previously built a QDX Hi Band and am satisfied with it. I followed closely the development of the QMX and thought to buy a 60M to 15M model then followed the development of the QMX+.
I read a lot of comments about the problems experienced by some builders and as I'm 80 years old, with bad eyesight and rather shaky hands and considering my former experience to build my QDX then modify its T1 transformer and replace the BS170 I finally thought that such tiny technology was not anymore for me.
I will build my 20M QCX+ with dev-board, TCXO and AGC cards. With the dev-board I plan to experiment with internal LiFePo4 batteries, audio amp with speaker and why not do something with the IQ signal ahead of the CW filter to decode in Rx SSB and AM.
Another reason for my choice of the QCX+ is that it is very robust and there are no SMD components, only through-hole components, something I have been used to deal with since the year 1959 with my first regenerative receiver built with vacuum tubes then many Heathkit units.
73 - Pierre - FK8IH
--
Gary W0CKI
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Re: QMX+ Right button Diagnosing as "on"
If button status changes while it is just sitting there, it suggests a temperature-related bug.? Such a thing can happen with a 'cold' solder joint, or bad connection through a connector.? I would try gently moving the front panel (such that it changes the pressure on the connectors to the main board), and see if the button status changes.
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Bill, N4QA/QRP <wb4hio@...> added the photo album
QMX-PLUS-FT8-OKI
: QMX-PLUS-FT8-OKI
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Re: QMX+ Right button Diagnosing as "on"
Thanks for that recommendation! I just might do that. I reached out to my local club and there is someone here with a working qmx kit that is willing to let me take measurements and troubleshoot.?
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One thing that I cannot make heads or tails of... today I powered on the board, loaded up diagnostic info... things are fine. So I let it run for a bit and the a phantom press several minutes later. Then a different button a few minutes after that. Pictures included.?
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Re: ProgRock2 programming??
Thanks so much Alan! I’ll give that a try.
73 Tom N5AMA
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Mar 31, 2025, at 8:56?AM, Alan G4ZFQ via groups.io <alan4alan@...> wrote:
?On 31/03/2025 13:01, Tom Smith via groups.io wrote:
The online instructions appear to be using a Linux app that I can’t find on my Windows computer. Tom,
The Windows version
is identical except that you enter a COM port number seen in Device Manager when you plug in the Progrock..
The instructions in the manual should be enough, or ask for any obscure detail.
73 Alan G4ZFQ
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Re: #qmx #SSB Firmware beta 1_01_003 release
#qmx
#ssb
Mel,
Yep, my audio is poor also. Since calibration never completes, I turned off the predistortion. The audio is really poor if you turn off mic agc, then it is just loud noise transmitted. With agc, when you talk the noise is suppressed. I have not done much experimenting with compression and EQ as reported. My recollection is that with CESSB, you don't want to use compression.
Gary
W9TD
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Re: Max Voltage for QMX 9V
On 31/03/2025 12:40, John AE5X via groups.io wrote: Most of the noise produced by these converters is below 5 MHz John, Thanks, I'd often wondered about all the recommendations for these devices. I was tempted to try them but I will not be using them, LF is of interest here. 73 Alan G4ZFQ
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Re: Max Voltage for QMX 9V
Sepehr
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The answer is 9V.? There is a little latitude maybe 10%.
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The issue is higher voltages run higher power with the finals
and will increase current to the potential failure point.
So the BS170s would likely be more prone to fail.
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The rest of the radio due to the power conversion scheme is?
not impacted by voltage changes.? I just self adjusts.
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Best approach is to use a good (electrically quiet) buck converter
to drop any voltage supplied to 9V.
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--
Allison
------------------
Post online only,?
direct email will go to a bit bucket.
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Re: ProgRock2 programming??
On 31/03/2025 13:01, Tom Smith via groups.io wrote: The online instructions appear to be using a Linux app that I can’t find on my Windows computer. Tom, The Windows version is identical except that you enter a COM port number seen in Device Manager when you plug in the Progrock.. The instructions in the manual should be enough, or ask for any obscure detail. 73 Alan G4ZFQ
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Re: Max Voltage for QMX 9V
Wlado,
?
I agree with John’s analysis. ?This is supported with my personal experience with the two devices I listed. ?Granted that I live in a high arm environment around Chicago. Ther may be some birdies in a quiet location. I have not tested there.?
Also note that there are a number of high power shack supplies that are switchers. ?All three that I use are.?
For the relatively low cost, and the fact that you can return the device to Amazon, it would be worth trying.?
73
Evan
AC9TU
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I am a newbie and have purchased three of the ProgRock2 units and planned to use them as crystal substitutes for some HC6/U crystals I’m unable to obtain (without waiting a long time for these to be built). Frequencies between 8 and 20 mhz are needed for a WWV receiver I’m restoring.
I’ve gone to the QRPLabs site for instructions but unable to follow what I need to do. I’m using a Windows 10 desktop computer and have the USB cable with the proper connector to plug into the ProgRock2 connection. The online instructions appear to be using a Linux app that I can’t find on my Windows computer.
What I need is a “cookbook” process for programming the ProgRock2 to the frequencies I need. I realize the output is a square wave and this may be a problem but first I would like to get them set up for my needed frequency before dealing with any square issues.
Any help with this would be greatly appreciated.
Tom N5AMA
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Re: Max Voltage for QMX 9V
Most of the noise produced by these converters is below 5 MHz. Very little at all is produced above 7 MHz.
?
?
--
John AE5X
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Re: Max Voltage for QMX 9V
Evan:
?
Will this cause additional interference due to the use of such buck/boost converter?
I like this solution but I'm concerned about the additional noise and birdies when RX.
I would be grateful for your/any opinion.
73 Wlado?
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toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Sun, Mar 30, 2025 at 11:02?PM Rick Williams - VE7TK via <ve7tk= [email protected]> wrote: I just finished playing in the CQ World Wide SSB contest! My setup included the QMX+ (firmware 1_01_003) and a 3-el yagi at 15 metres above ground.
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The QMX+ performed beautifully. I made 118 contacts on 3 bands. Worked 32 different DXCC Entities in NA, SA, Eu, Asia and Africa. My final claimed score is 29,952. All this with 3 watts or less!
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I had lots of fun! Thanks Hans!
--
73, Rick
VE7TK
Website:
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Re: Qmx plus rev 2 not powering up
The last screen shot!
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73
Azgael
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Re: Qmx plus rev 2 not powering up
Finally success following the power pad did help. Surprisingly enough there seams to be a broken via or track connecting source of q102 to ic101 to input. ?Now I am a bit concerned with other issues with this PCB.?
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Now the fix simple wire connection?
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BOOM IT WORKS
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?
seams not to have any other issue with the 5 and 3v, but as I said no idea about any other via issue!!
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Thank You very much for the feedback Ludwig and Zhenxing was a good tip!
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73 Azgael
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Re: I just ordered a QCX+ kit
Good luck with your QCX+. You do need good eyesight and a magnifying glass to identify the parts.? I built my QMX and QMX+ at eighty. They are great kits. I have made several SSB contacts with good success. I worked at Heathkit for thirty years. What a great company they were.
On Mon, Mar 31, 2025 at 3:45?AM Pierre - FK8IH via <jb.gallauziaux= [email protected]> wrote: After months, even years of thinking I eventually ordered another QRP Labs kit today: a QCX+.
I had previously built a QDX Hi Band and am satisfied with it. I followed closely the development of the QMX and thought to buy a 60M to 15M model then followed the development of the QMX+.
I read a lot of comments about the problems experienced by some builders and as I'm 80 years old, with bad eyesight and rather shaky hands and considering my former experience to build my QDX then modify its T1 transformer and replace the BS170 I finally thought that such tiny technology was not anymore for me.
I will build my 20M QCX+ with dev-board, TCXO and AGC cards. With the dev-board I plan to experiment with internal LiFePo4 batteries, audio amp with speaker and why not do something with the IQ signal ahead of the CW filter to decode in Rx SSB and AM.
Another reason for my choice of the QCX+ is that it is very robust and there are no SMD components, only through-hole components, something I have been used to deal with since the year 1959 with my first regenerative receiver built with vacuum tubes then many Heathkit units.
73 - Pierre - FK8IH
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Re: Max Voltage for QMX 9V
Pierre,
?
I have found that using a buck/boost converter when connected to batteries is better.? That allows constant voltage to the QMX until the batteries can not supply power.
?
?
or
?
?
73
Evan
AC9TU
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Brandon Mercer
Gary W9TD