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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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QMX Not Appearing As USB on Mac OS
14
Unbelievable - I've been doing firmware upgrades on all my QMX, QMX+, etc. rigs on this Mac Mini since the dawn of time - no problems. Well, tonight I downloaded the new v2.00 firmware and was going to update one of my QMX+ rigs and give it a whirl. No problem downloading the file. he problem is that now my Mac Finder refuses to see the QMX device. PuTTY has no problem connecting to it; MacLoggedDX has no problem connecting to it. But unless Mr. Finder see it, there will be no way to move the new f/w over to the radio. I've even re-booted the computer - no joy. I have not changed anything on this computer nor have I done any system updates. Any suggestions? -- Jim / K7TXA Eagle, ID SKCC 10447T BUG 301
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Onboard mic timeline?
Hey all! I¡¯m not saying it would be an ideal situation or anything, but does anyone know if/when we will be able to use the onboard mic for ssb operations? I really love the portable nature of my kit and don¡¯t mind using the onboard mic. Thanks! 73 Jeff KB3TVP
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First VARA (Winlink) tests with the new SSB-firmware. CESSB is turned of for that. Looks like that it works flawlessly.
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Wanted to give a heads up - I haven't seen this battery in stock for a bit and I think it is a perfect match for the QMX. I thought they were discontinued... It's the Turnigy 9xR 3S LiPo cell, very small (approximately a stick of gum sized, a little larger), and it has a protection PCB built in to prevent over discharge or over current. 2.2AH of capacity, 3.3A max continuous current, 12.6v fully charged Can't argue with the price either at under $10 https://hobbyking.com/en_us/turnigy-9xr-safety-protected-2200mah-3s-1-5c-transmitter-pack.html
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Feature Request List?
13
Hi Hans, Is there a maintained Feature Request list available somewhere where we can check if what we¡¯d like to see has already been asked for, and perhaps add a vote? I know posts can get lost in the volume, and I expect that is why there was no answer on my question on having variable TX power available as a setting (/g/QRPLabs/message/143397), but I don¡¯t want to bug anyone, so if there was a tracker we could look at, it might save you getting duplicate requests or being bugged by people like me :-) Love the pre-built QMX, am going to get a QMX+ kit to have a go at¡ 73, Stefan MI0PYN
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QDX + Digital Radio Mondiale
7
Hello there , New Ham , New QDX user where the radio has been donated to me by TRAC friends in Istanbul. I reached Australia , Antarctica and Greenland with a 5 volt pc supply and an untuned cable antenna dropped from a window on a concrete wall. Now , I want to transmit a few hours daily in - digital radio mondiale - mode and I will make a pirate radio. Can QDX help me ? Umut TA2JCO
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I thought I posted this this morning but can't find it, I hope I haven't made a duplicate post and apologize if I have. I just finished my first build, a QCX Mini in 40m. I'm having an issue during the alignment phase. I have confirmed that I have continuity on common legs of T1 and have reheated the solder points to ensure the enamel has been removed and there is a good connection. I've found a strange thing though, at least I think it is strange. If I apply a little pressure to the middle top or middle bottom of the display my BPF reading goes from 3 to around 9 or 10 and is adjustable. If I let go of the pressure the reading drops back down to 3 or so and won't go higher. I tried a hack, just to see if it would work, of putting some paper between the case and the top of the display board but it doesn't change things. I removed the top right standoff to see if maybe I wasn't making a good connection at the 2x5(maybe it is a 2x4) connector but that didn't change anything either. I've gone through and checked solder joints throughout the board but see nothing standing too proud or that didn't appear ok. I've counted the windings on T1 and it appears to be right for 40m. Can anyone lead me to where to look next? It is just strange to me that a little pressure makes a difference when the only thing I did on the display board was solder the screen itself on and the screen appears to be functioning properly. The photo with the circles is where it seems that a little pressure has the desired change to the BPF. I have a DVM and just found my cheap, Amazon special, oscilloscope but I have no clue how to use it to diagnose a problem.
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Fw: [QRPLabs] 6m Phase error vs DAC
Ooops, My QMX should read my QMX+. 73 Ian G4GIR ----- Original Message ----- From: Ian G4GIR via groups.io <jean.frith@...> Reply-To: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: 03/05/2025 10:46:17 Subject: Re: [QRPLabs] 6m Phase error vs DAC Just checked out that Wiki article. /g/QRPLabs/wiki/39506 Hans quotes:- "Note that on QMX+ I have never seen this occur;" Hans this is happening on my QMX! The last kit I purchased from you, the previous two kits don't have this problem Can I claim a first!! Lol. 73 Ian G4GIR ----- Original Message ----- From: <DH8WN@...> Reply-To: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: 02/05/2025 16:33:58 Subject: Re: [QRPLabs] 6m Phase error vs DAC Ian, there was a discussion about this some days ago. Please read QMX QMX_plus SSB Calibration and Predistortion from the QRP Labs wiki to find the relevant text, about 'calibration not possible' especially more at the end. 73 Ludwig.
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Hi-Band QDX transmit trouble
2
I had been puzzled for a while because I couldn¡¯t get the device to transmit on the 20m band only. Again today, I played around with various settings, hoping to fix the issue. While modifying different parameters in Terminal mode under the Config menu, I discovered something unexpected. It turns out that if I set 'Japanese band limits: ENABLED' in the Configuration, it restricts transmission to the 20m band only. When I switch it back to the default setting 'DISABLED,' transmission becomes possible on all bands! What a surprise! I really think this should be clearly mentioned in the manual. With this, I now have a lineup of two units ¡ª the 5-band version (80¨C20m) and the Hi-Band version (20¨C10m). I couldn¡¯t be happier! JA1TLH/Taka
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QMX: C107 burned
18
Hi all, Yesterday, I finally found the time to finish building my second QMX (Rev.2, 10m - 20m). Initial setup was easy, and after loading the latest firmware, all tests ran smoothly. Today was its first use, which was also successful with a few FT8 QSOs. But after about 3 hours, the QMX said goodbye with a loud pop. C107 looked like the picture below: https://www.bitquell.de/nextcloud/index.php/s/cf9tbs844aW2mgq I can't identify a cause for this defect. The QMX is built for 9V and was powered by the stabilized 9V output of a TelentCell LF4100. The antenna was a precisely tuned vertical. Will replacing C107 be enough? I'm worried about Q107. Could the burn that can be seen in the picture have been caused by C107, or is Q107 also defective? 73, Joerg DG0JDE
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Can someone explain this error please? "Phase Calibration not possible" 73 Ian G4GIR v .009 QMX 3 v .009 QMX 3 Final screen
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QCX Mini - C39 broken off
2
#qcxmini
I took the PC Board for the QCXmini out of the plastic envelope and after inspection found that C39 had broken off, probably in transit. There was a CAP in the box, so I soldered it back in place. I am afraid, however, that C39 was damaged, since it appears to be missing the silver metal end on the right side. It may be that it is only the solder packed up agains the broken end and it is not making an electrical connection. I do not have any .1uF caps of similar size to replace. Should I continue with the build, and find out if it is broken when I finish the build? Or should I try to find another one before moving on? There are several imprints of other SMD components on the bag that the board came in, so I suspect the problem is that the board was backed too tightly in the box, rather than an assembly problem. Box arrived seemingly undamaged from MO. Thanks for your thoughts. Phil, K3UT
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#qmx SSB Firmware beta 1_01_007 release
44
#qmx
Hi all I updated the SSB beta testing webpage of the brave, here: https://qrp-labs.com/qmxp/ssbbeta.html and released firmware version 1_01_007 to it. This fixes one more typo I found in the USB compound device configuration. I carefully checked all 440 bytes one by one in all three configurations (1, 2 and 3 serial port). I believe in the 1-port configuration the configuration is byte for byte, identical to 1_00_027. Waiting for Ludwig to confirm any issues or not with WIn 7. I booted my PC into Windows 10 on the old HD and all three serial ports worked properly, and audio too. 73 Hans G0UPL http://qrp-labs.com https://www.buymeacoffee.com/g0upl
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de minimis shipping to US from China is ending
5
President Trump has signed an Executive Order that ends the tariff/duty exemption on small value shipments (i.e. < 800 USD) sent from China to the US. It is not made clear if this change will apply to shipments from other countries as well. This will certainly impact those of us who purchase PC boards, electronic components and modules, and equipment in pursuit of our hobby. 73, Ben K0IKR Here is text from the US government: ¡°Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order eliminating duty-free de minimis treatment for low-value imports from China¡¡± ¡± Following the Secretary of Commerce¡¯s notification that adequate systems are in place to collect tariff revenue, President Trump is ending duty-free de minimis treatment for covered goods from the People¡¯s Republic of China (PRC) and Hong Kong starting May 2, 2025 at 12:01 a.m. EDT. Imported goods sent through means other than the international postal network that are valued at or under $800 and that would otherwise qualify for the de minimisexemption will be subject to all applicable duties, which shall be paid in accordance with applicable entry and payment procedures. All relevant postal items containing goods that are sent through the international postal network that are valued at or under $800 and that would otherwise qualify for the de minimis exemption are subject to a duty rate of either 30% of their value or $25 per item (increasing to $50 per item after June 1, 2025). This is in lieu of any other duties, including those imposed by prior Orders. Carriers transporting these postal items must report shipment details to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), maintain an international carrier bond to ensure duty payment, and remit duties to CBP on a set schedule. CBP may require formal entry for any postal package instead of the specified duties. The Secretary of Commerce will submit a report within 90 days assessing the Order¡¯s impact and considering whether to extend these rules to packages from Macau.¡±
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It is really necessary to have a very clean, power supply with low ripple. This is especially noticeable on WSPR where you will see spurious signals either side of a strong signal on both RX and TX if there is residual 50 or 60Hz from your power supply. I built up this unit using a modified "Studer 900" PCB in a blank QMX+ enclosure. Fully analog with discrete components!
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I purchased both a QDX and a QMX at an estate sale and I'm not sure which voltage they are built for. I see in the manual that the T1 transformer can be wound 3:3 or 3:2 depending on what voltage choice was made when being built. How can I know for certain which voltage I should use? I really don't want to disassemble the transformer. Is there another way? Attached are photos of the QDX T1. Chris - KE8VOD
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Is it ok to post for sale ads on here?
Is it ok to post for sale ads here as long as it is related to the QRP labs equipment?
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QMX PTT timing
9
Is there a way to modify the PTT timing to run slightly ahead of transmit in semi QSK mode? I'm trying to configure the QMX to operate with an SDR switch, but it's pretty consistently tripping the SWR protection (even when transmitting into a dummy load downstream of the switch). I'm thinking that this is happening because the relays have not settled before transmit starts. Greg, N1TR
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Audio Setting on QMX +
4
Hello all, in order to have a good audio volume on WSJT-x (the green slider on the left of the WSJTX screen) I adjusted the audio level per band and some had to be set up to 70 istead of the default 54. So far so good but now I can not turn down the audion for the headphones down to 0. No I don't have the headphones on in DIGI modes :-) , but that applies also to CW and there now the audio is too loud for me on some bands. Could the audion setting be different for Digi and CW or SSB ? I believe the default setting would be fine for any mode except DIGI. -- Martin DK3UW
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Image Name
Sat 8:39am
Sat 8:39am