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Hermes Light 2 vs. QMX+

 

Hello. While I await my QMX+ to arrive so I can experiment, I joined this Group and searched for a few topics that come to mind, but did not find much information. The users here are very knowledgeable about the QMX+ and I am hoping others will provide some insight to these questions. Thank you all in advance:
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1. Can the QMX+ be controlled by Thetis??
2. If yes to question 1, do "Radio Model" profiles for the QMX+ exist in Thetis?? I only see Hermes and ANAN profiles.?
3. Will the developer kit allow the addition of an Ethernet connection?
4. If yes to question 3, will it also allow PoE?
5. Could the QMX+ be powered by USB-C?
6. Could WiFi be added to the QMX+??
7. Can the QMX+ be operated remotely over the Internet?
8. Can a USB microphone connected to the PC be used with the QMX+?
9. It appears that the QMX+ makes use of some form of pre-distortion. Can this be used with an external amplifier (e.g., Mercury Lux)? The Hermes Lite 2 has an additional SMA connector for Pure Signal. I don't see one on the QMX+.??
10. Any heat concerns with high-duty cycle modes (e.g., FT8)?? The Hermes Lite has a heat sink shim that dissipates heat via the enclosure. I did not see anything like that for the QMX+.?
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I really like my Hermes Lite/Hermes Lite 2+ but appreciate the wider band coverage and some of the intelligent engineering present in the QMX+. I look forward to experimenting, but hopefully others further along in this journey have already sorted out answers to the above questions. Thanks in advance for any replies.?
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73,
Frank - KG9M
 

Frank,

Welcome to the group!

I know I've seen some of these topics discussed extensively. A little more searching might be in order on the groups.io page: /g/QRPLabs/topics

Also the product page you hopefully encountered as you placed your order has tons of helpful info:

I'm not one of the more knowledgeable people here, but I can help with a few of these:

Questions 1 & 2 are off-topic here. You'll want to bring those to the Thetis discord. QMX+ can definitely be controlled by a computer (e.g., via hamlib). Helpfully, the operating manual (p. 102) specifies that "QMX implements a subset of the Kenwood TS-480/TS-440 CAT command set," which is a standard that has been around for quite a while. So from the QMX+ side, the answer is "yes." These two questions are about Thetis.

3. Will the developer kit allow the addition of an Ethernet connection?

The dev kit is basically just a blank prototyping board that fits in the case and offers some strategic connections to the QMX+. You can build anything you want on it. Ethernet + POE? Why not? But you're unlikely to find a pre-designed solution. The developer kit is for totally DIY efforts.

4. If yes to question 3, will it also allow PoE?

5. Could the QMX+ be powered by USB-C?

Yes, but not through the USB-C port. There are various threads on this group where people report successfully using adapters ("trigger boards") which will negotiate the desired voltage from a USB-C source. This can then be applied to the power connector on the QMX+. Be sure you have a clean power feed at the level your QMX was built for (12.00V or below) before you plug it in!

6. Could WiFi be added to the QMX+?

See above re: dev board: why not?

7. Can the QMX+ be operated remotely over the Internet?

Absolutely. I'm pretty sure this is already done. It's just a question of software on a host PC which controls the QMX+ and is connected to the 'net. Natively, the QMX+ knows nothing about networking.

8. Can a USB microphone connected to the PC be used with the QMX+?

I'm pretty sure it can. You just have to configure your computer correctly. I believe this would work through the same mechanism that allows digi modes to work through the QMX+. The QMX+ provides a USB audio input (as well as output) through the USB-C port.

9. It appears that the QMX+ makes use of some form of pre-distortion. Can this be used with an external amplifier (e.g., Mercury Lux)? The Hermes Lite 2 has an additional SMA connector for Pure Signal. I don't see one on the QMX+.

No real idea. Seems doubtful to me. I'm not sure how the QMX would get feedback on the distortion characteristics of an external amp.

10. Any heat concerns with high-duty cycle modes (e.g., FT8)? The Hermes Lite has a heat sink shim that dissipates heat via the enclosure. I did not see anything like that for the QMX+.

There are some concerns. The heat sinking in the QMX+ is not as robust as some would prefer. With a good antenna and a conservative power source, you are probably going to be fine. Some people have augmented the heat sinking in their QMX(+). There are threads on this topic: it might worth investigating if you're planning high duty cycle modes at full power.

72 de Todd W2TEF
 

Qmx is basically nothing like a hl2 and will not be a network device that you control entirely from the computer.
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The qmx will be more like typical radios in that you can send commands via cat control to change the vfo/transmit/ect and that you can use I/q to display a waterfall on screen (I do believe thetis could be used to view that waterfall)... But it will be nothing like a network connected radio intended to be controlled solely via PC sdr transiver software.
 

Thank you, Todd. I appreciate your info and pointers. 73 and have a great day.?
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Best,
Frank - KG9M
 

Thanks, Sean. I may need to investigate what added capabilities an RPi thrown into the mix might provide.?
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Best,.
Frank
 

I wouldn't think you would need to throw a raspberry pi in the mix... The mix better already have one :p HL2 cannot be used with out a computer already at hand.
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Both really great radios, but I'd watch move videos on both... Very different things with very different goals. Neither really does what the other one does outside of being a qrp transceiver, past that opening line everything about how you would use one vs the other is different.
 

On Thu, May 8, 2025 at 11:21 PM, Frank - KG9M wrote:
8. Can a USB microphone connected to the PC be used with the QMX+?
This is a definite yes, as I've already done it. I use a Neumann U87 with my main station rig. It's connected to a Symetrix channel strip (phantom power, mic pre, de-esser, EQ, compression, etc.) the output of which is fed into a Steinberg USB interface. Once in my PC, the audio is routed to my Yaesu rig over USB. Feeding to the QMX+ is as simple as selecting it's "sound card" as the output for my routing software.
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Obviously a Neumann is a bit of overkill for a QRP rig, but this is the sort of thing retired recording engineers do to pass the time.
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I¡¯ll bet the audio is brilliant!

Dave

On May 9, 2025, at 15:30, Lawrence KC6WOG via groups.io <lsgoodwin@...> wrote:

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On Thu, May 8, 2025 at 11:21 PM, Frank - KG9M wrote:
8. Can a USB microphone connected to the PC be used with the QMX+?
This is a definite yes, as I've already done it. I use a Neumann U87 with my main station rig. It's connected to a Symetrix channel strip (phantom power, mic pre, de-esser, EQ, compression, etc.) the output of which is fed into a Steinberg USB interface. Once in my PC, the audio is routed to my Yaesu rig over USB. Feeding to the QMX+ is as simple as selecting it's "sound card" as the output for my routing software.
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Obviously a Neumann is a bit of overkill for a QRP rig, but this is the sort of thing retired recording engineers do to pass the time.
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Well, I got the thumbs up from some friendly west coast ESSB guys who helped me dial in the EQ. These folks take their audio seriously, some of them sound startlingly close to broadcast quality, within bandwidth constraints.
 

As a retired broadcast engineer, I would concur that a U87 is indeed overkill and then some for a comms channel. Still an impressive piece of kit to dangle over the desk. Nick G0OQK
 

Actually Lawrence, having just noticed your valve/tube icon, would you not be better served with an AKG C12? :-)
 

Nick, if you're offering me a C-12, I'm happy to accept! I once had the they called "The Tube" but it's long gone. A Telefunken 251 would be my dream mic for the QMX+. ;-)
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