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Hi all SSB firmware was released into beta on 17-Mar-2025 after 9+ months of development. Many thanks to everyone who bravely helped test it and patiently provided their feedback and observations. There are now quite a few YouTube videos, forum reports and other social media mentions about on-air successes with QMX SSB. Now that it has been at least 6 weeks in beta and I believe most of the issues have been resolved, it's time to promote it to an official version. I have called this version 1_02_000 and published it on the QMX page http://qrp-labs.com/qmx where I have also published the updated operating manual, which grew from 111 pages to 134 pages. The main changes are: SSB (obviously!) including CESSB, TX Equalization, Mic AGC, VOX, Pre-distortion and and and... Addition of up to two more USB Virtual COM serial ports (up to three total). All of the hardware tests such as RF and SWR sweep, and Diagnostics, are now available on the LCD too. New CAT commands for LCD contents, S-meter, AGC-meter, Power meter, SWR meter, SSB source Complete list (relative to 1_00_027 the previous official version): SSB modes added (USB and LCB), with CESSB, TX Equalization, Mic AGC, VOX, Phase pre-distortion and more Rationalization of menus, grouped into CW, Digi and SSB submenus (now Keyer and Decoder are submenus of CW) Added up to two more USB Virtual COM serial ports (configurable) LCD versions of AF, RF, Image, LPF, Test ADC I/Q sweeps (miniature graph on LCD) New function PA mod. test to check operation of amplitude modulator Diagnostics screens are now available on the LCD interface too Now remembers previous menu location on ALL menus regardless of nesting level Add way of forcing factory reset, press Menu (left) button during power-up Change TX color in diagnostics screen from red to blue, to avoid confusion since red things are errors Added CAT LC command to retrieve LCD contents Added CAT commands SA (AGC meter), SM (S meter), PC (Power meter), SW (SWR meter) Added CAT command SS (get/set SSB input source) Bug fix: PTT P did not work properly Bug fix: Incorrect PA voltage display on the Diagnostics screen 73 Hans G0UPL http://qrp-labs.com https://www.buymeacoffee.com/g0upl
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Can the SSB calibration tool kill the output drivers? My newly built QMX+ was working perfectly until I ran the SSB calibration routine. After that, as soon as the main power regulator kicks in the transceiver pulls a lot of current before quickly locking up or shutting down. It didn't take much detective work to determine that the output drivers were the culprit and at least one of them had gone practically short circuit. Luckily I'd ordered some spare output transistors so I changed them all to be on the safe side which fixed the problem but now I'm slightly worried about trying the tuning again. (Hans - any chance you could work out a way of fitting those drivers on a satellite PCB? The ground pins are a real pain to clear properly and resolder) NB my QMX+ passed all the other tests and had a dummy load attached so should have been fine. I will admit to leaving it unattended though because it was taking ages! Has anyone else experienced anything similar? Mark 2E0OIW
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Earthquake near QRP-Labs
6
The QRP-Labs HQ is located only 38km from the epicenter of an M5.8 earthquake that struck about 9 hours ago. I hope they are all well. 73 SM6LKM
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QLG3 fuctionality
I read the QMX+ manual but still, I do not understand what functionality I would get if I add the QLG3 GPS module to my radio. Could somebody please explain what benefits, etc I would get. Thank you de K2RMA
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IFTx + QMX sound issues when transmitting
5
#Vox
#ipad
#qmx
Hello all I have an issue since updating both my QMX (80-20m) and iPad to iPadOS 18.5. I have used the iFTx app several times and it have been working like a charm. now it seems that the QMX does nor get the sound from the iPad USB-C port. I can see that it recognises the QMX, but can¡¯t do any sound level adjustment. Tried the QMX with my mac and WSJT-X as well to rule out any problems with the QMX. It worked well although conditions were really lousy. But it transmitted correctly. So any ideas what the problem is? It can ve either some change in the OS for iPad or it can be something in the QMX that is not working right. I have been able to copy the new FW to the QMX via the iPad before. But not with 1.02.00 for some reason the iPad did not like it. 72/73 Mikael SM7UDB
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Oscilloscope recommendation?
12
I am troubleshooting a QMX+ currently, and still have another two kits to build. I think I need to add an oscilloscope to my home lab. I am interested in a low cost scope adequate to do basic QMX troubleshooting. My budget is $200 or less. Any suggestions? Are the Hantek scopes good enough? I am not interested in $200+ recommendations. I know a Rigol or Siglent would be good choices but they are out of my budget. I think I should be looking at 100MHz bandwidth and 2-channels minimum. Thanks. Steve AK0M
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Rumlogng on iPad to QMX?
2
Hi Anybody managed to get Rumlogng on the iPad talking to the QMX? Rumlogng only supports LAN/BLE interfaces on the iPad so I guess it would require a way to convert the usb interface on the QMX to BLE. It all works fine on the MacBook but would be really nice to be able to use the iPad. Any thoughts? Ian G4LXX
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QMX+ Help Needed - All SWR plots are high
5
I am helping a friend turn on the QMX+ he built. It all came up initially fine other than one side of the audio output shorted to ground, which has been fixed. LPF, BPF, and SWR curves look great. Output power is 4-5W on all bands except 17m and 6m where it drops to about 3W. Receiver seemed to work well. Awesome! Then I put it into the enclosure and put the nut on securing the bnc connector to the back panel. I checked for any leads protruding from the bottom of the board, and confirmed no components too close to the mounting rails. All looked good. Now, I get no output on any band, and the SWR ¡°S¡± indicator comes on as soon as I try to transmit. When I run the SWR test again, every band shows a high (8.0-10.0] flat SWR curve that the falls off on about the last 1/3 of the sweep. Taking it all back out of the enclosure again, it now remains broke. My dummy load is good, attached right to the BNC connector. I also tried another dummy load as well as a resonant antenna. No joy. I have a DMM but no oscilloscope. Any suggestions where to start on debugging this? Where would you start if you did have a scope? It was so close¡.. 73, Steve AK0M
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I was in park 3843, Haw River NC testing out an end fed halfwave for 40. I knew conditions would be bad, but weather is not yet hot here. Easily made 18 CW QSOs from calling CQ using the beacon mode. Pics attached, including guard dog (ha), Moose. As I mentioned before, I really like the UI and find it intuitive. Mark Lunday wd4elg@...
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Hi All, After putting together another QMX+ I found the time and inspiration to look into my heating issue of T2, T3 transformers on my 50w QRP-Labs Amp. As my T2 ferrite ring was cracked upon initial reception and mended using super glue, first on my list was to rewind T2 onto a new core. That made no difference at all. Then I replaced the pair of IRF510's just in case, that made no difference. Looking at the gates of the IRF510's with O-scope there is a nice sinus wave, and on the drains there is a much higher not-so-pretty signal when in transmit: (probe at 10x) Any ideas on what to check next? For instance, what impedance is the expected on the input side of T3? I was thinking of removing T3 and connecting a power resistor instead to see how the signal looks there then. (to get a hint of if the issue is on secondary side of T3 or LFP's. Perhaps insert signal from signal generator on secondary side of T3 and check signal as it Regards Jonas - SM4VEY Den tis 22 okt. 2024 kl 22:15 skrev Jonas Sanamon via groups.io <sanamon@...>:
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I am on a Mac M1. I basically have everything working except that unlike Windows and Linux, the USB soundcard in the QMX has no way of adjusting output/input levels in system settings. Everything is greyed out. The result is that audio input sits around 22 and might get up to 30 with a strong signal in the decode. Anyone found a way to use third party software to bump up input levels to the recommended 60? Or is there a way to do this on the QMX itself in digital modes? I'm running the latest firmware.
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QMX Receiving FT8 but No Change When Antenna Disconnected
11
Hi all, I¡¯ve completed assembly of my 60¨C15m QMX. It powers on and passes the RF and SWR sweep tests. Test ADC I/Q shows sine waves, particularly on 60m. I can hear what sounds like FT8 on 7.074 MHz in DIGI mode, and the tones appear to cycle every 15 seconds as expected. However, I¡¯ve noticed that disconnecting the antenna makes little or no audible difference ¡ª there¡¯s no significant drop in the noise floor or change in the signal. Additional observations: The BNC center pin shows ~0 ¦¸ to ground (I understand this is expected due to the SWR bridge). BNC center has continuity to one side of C510 and C526. Test ADC I/Q and scope work as expected. Reflowed L506, L508, L510, L511, L512, and L513 for better LPF continuity. I¡¯ve confirmed IC402 pin 13 is not grounded, but I don¡¯t have continuity from the BNC center to pin 13. At this point, I¡¯m hearing what I believe is live FT8, but the lack of change when removing the antenna is making me question whether the antenna signal is actually routed through the intended receive path. Would appreciate any guidance or suggestions for what else to check. Thanks! -Tanner
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QMX+ User Interface App?
3
I am helping a friend get his newly built QMX+ kit into operation. What software user interface ¡°front ends¡± is anyone using to control the QMX+ from a PC over CAT? I presume FLrig is one option. Hopefully I am not overlooking something obvious. I haven¡¯t explored NaP3 or the other SDR packages yet, but having a panadapter/waterfall would be nice. Appears to be possible, I just don¡¯t know how complete the UI would be for controlling the rig. 73, Steve AK0M
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Another troubleshooting question QMX+
15
#QMXplus
#troubleshooting
Seems I found a new issue with the QMX+ I built a few weeks ago. After fixing the power supply (thanks Ken), I found that the 40-20 meter bands were dead and exhibiting random "pops" the sound like a ball bearing in a tin can. Here is what I found: - Transmit works correctly on all bands. - The transient is not related to the signal path through the CMOS switches. Other band groups receive as advertised. - There is a large voltage transient on the output IC403 that corresponds to rather random signal on CLK1 into IC403 from the clock generator IC 204 (MS5351). On all other band groups, the CLK1 looks normal. So my current suspicion is that the I2C command being sent by the micro is simply not doing the correct thing with the clock chip. The SDA and SCL signal levels look fine and are reliably setting the clock in other bands. I've tried a factory reset a couple of times with no change in the behavior. Ideas? 73, -- Brent DeWitt, AB1LF Milford, MA
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I Need a couple volume controls
5
Hello gang, I need a recommendation for source. I have an assembled QCX+ 20m, and an unassembled QCX+ in 40m. I damaged the one in the 20m, and when I went to rob the one from the 40 kit, low and behold, it was already broken. I disassembled the one from the 20m kit, and I don't see the obvious internal open on the middle pin. Is there a particular part I should replace the 5k linear pot with from digital? Anyone live near Lakeland and able to just sell me 2? To get qrv on 20m, I have installed a couple fixed value resistors, one from pin 1 to 2 at just over 3k, and one from pin 2 to pin 3 at around 1k. It's a work around so I can work a few POTA stations. thank you, G Brandon Hoyt Lakeland, FL
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BLUF: I think something is off with the audio chain of the device and I am looking for advice on things to check. Thinks were working great and now they are not without my ability to pinpoint anything significant. I built a high band QRP QDX (rev 5 board with 1.10 firmware)a few weeks back and other than some low power (~2w) on some of the bands, everything was working great. At some point this weekend I started to try to use the QRP QDX with a raspberry pi instead of my Ubuntu loaded intel NUC. I was able to transmit fine, but was getting less than 20 dB in in. I played around with the pi audio setting and only just barely got it up of 30. I figured it was just something new with the the pi and moved it back to my nuc, and experienced the same dB levels. Prior I had been getting close to 50-60 dB. Playing with audio gain in terminal application mode increased dB, but with not as much sensitivity prior. (Small changes used to bring about significant dB gain, so I pretty much left it default on most bands). Now audio gain of even 99 hardly gets over 50-60dB in WSJT-X, and despite the increased dB... im not decoding that much more. Any advice is welcomed.
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On June 01 I had a CW practice session on 20 metes. I worked only one station. Conditions were terrible with weak signals, QSB and QRN. The band was very noisy and there was a G4 solar storm. SSN=96, SFI=150, A=126, K=7 My next CW practice session will be June 06 at 08:00 EDT / 12:00 UTC on 20 meters. Anyone and everyone is welcome. These practice sessions are intended for operators who are new to CW or they need some practice. IT DOES NOT MATTER HOW POOR YOUR CW IS. Mistakes are OK. Poor fists are OK. Slow speed is OK. Really slow speed is OK. This practice is meant for you to improve your CW. I will do my best to adjust to your skill level. Operate at any power level. If several stations show up, I will operate as a round-table control station. I will do it as a round-table so everyone gets a chance to transmit. Please listen to my directions. Details: Date - June 06 Time - 08:00 EDT / 12:00 UTC Band - 20 Meters How to find me - I will find a clear frequency and call CQ. Go to the Reverse Beacon Network and search for my call sign AB8DF. That will tell you what frequency I am on. Tune your station to that frequency and if you hear me give me a call. If there is a QSO in progress, please wait for a break in the action. Then send your call sign. If I hear you, I will invite you to join the QSO and start a round-table QSO. Reply to this email if you have questions. IT DOES NOT MATTER HOW POOR CW IS Ed AB8DF_._,_._,_
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I've had some issues with my QMX+. When I received the board the L101 inductor was damaged but appeared functional. I had the unit fully assembled and working but then IC101, 3.3v regulator fried. While removing that IC I lifted the pin1 and pin 2 traces. I was able to replace IC101 and put in jumpers to bypass the pulled traces. The 3.3v supply is now working. I decided to replace L101 and managed to lift the pad adjacent to C107. It didn't fully detach but it did break the through board connection to R113. I have replaced L101 and installed a jumper to restore the connection from VCC to R113. I added some extra solder to C107 to bridge over to L101 to help lock it to the board. Here is the issue. On the Diagnostic screen 3V3 SMPS reads 3.31 V so the 3.3v supply is working. However the 5V SMPS is reading 5.75V, and the Supply voltage is reading 13.4V. I have measured with a multimeter and VCC reads about 5.05v and the Supply voltage is 12.1v. Something is appears to be causing the Supply Voltage and 5V SMPS to read high. Any thoughts on what might be causing this?
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QMX first launch: power failure
14
#12v
#building
#power
#qmx
Hello, I just completed a QMX build and had a power-up issue. I used a lab PSU at 7V initially; QMX draws ~150 mA right away - not proper. But at the same it did power-up and display lights up. So I tried USB connection and was able to flash the firmware successfully. - it self-turns on; - MCU probably thinks it is underpowered: as soon as it boots and displays normal view, it shows "Shut down!" and cycles; - display backlight blinks randomly - again, power stability issue? - draws too much power: I dared to try to turn it on with 9V and got almost 1A consumption. I double-checked all components, especially on power boards and found no fried parts or soldering issues. I also checked the 8-pin power board connector; it is the only board getting the incoming voltage, is this correct? I don't see constant grounding on PWR_ON pin (unless left knob is pressed). There's no measurable impedance between power and ground on the power connector if the power board is removed. I also checked for notorious Q103/Q104 short before building - not a known V4 problem, but just in case. What else I can check? I assume the problem is within 8-pin power board; could it be somewhere else? Thank you in advance.
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visual impairment accessibility?
2
hi....i heard somewhere recently that theres possibly future "audio cw feedback" on these trancievers for those with a visual impairment? does anyone have any infomation on this? John MW0BFY
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Image Name
Sat 8:39am
Sat 8:39am