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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_003 to it. These are the changes: Bug fix: Initial value for noise gate samples was 100 (should be max 99) - makes no real difference but it needed to be fixed Added TX indication underlining the A character when transmitting from USB sound card in SSB mode. Note that the two possible states for this indication are a single dot (indicating PTT has been applied and now the radio is in TX mode) and the solid bar (indicating audio is being received from the PC and transmitted). There is no double-dot like there is in Digi mode indicating insufficient volume, because in SSB mode the radio transmits whatever you give it, even if the volume is low. Bug fix: CAT command TQ1; did not cause transmit when in SSB mode. Now TQ1; and TQ0; work properly in SSB mode. Bug fix: Prevent button presses from accidentally activating VOX, which was happening due to sound picked up from the internal (cancellation reference channel) microphone when you pressed buttons right next to it, and that prevented band change because the second click of the double click was ignored because by then the radio was in transmit mode. All fixed! Now you can click buttons however you like and when button clicks are done, VOX is temporarily disabled until your button pushing frenzy is over. Power meter now reads Peak Envelope Power (PEP) when in SSB mode. Previously it was just reading a sampled value (NOT an average); so if the power meter was updated 10x a second, the updates would just randomly pick a value from the SSB amplitude envelope, which was most unlikely to be its peak value. Bug fixL Calibration hung at DAC 1300 when run on LCD. Now the calibration completes properly when run from the LCD. Many thanks for all the feedback so far, SSB in QMX is getting better and better! 73 Hans G0UPL http://qrp-labs.com https://www.buymeacoffee.com/g0upl
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I received a QMX and built it. I've built a number of QRP kits all successfully, but not so for this little guy. I attempted to powered up using a regulated power supply at 7v and 250 mA but without success. In my efforts to get things going, I resoldered every joint and inspected for bridging. In the end, I clearly identified a component (Q109) on the 3v power supply that had a hole melted through the package. I've just order the spare power supply boards from QRP Labs, but don't know where to look for the cause of the current failure before installing and destroying another 3v power supply. Any ideas for me. Regards, Wilson Little (NT5AT)
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Tariffs?
29
Will USA tariff laws affect the import pricing of Hans’ great radios/kits into the USA?
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Release of version 2.0 of ABS solution for QMX+ (Automatic internal antenna tuner, internal battery and internal speaker with audio amp)
29
#PSU
#QMXplus
#audio
#ABS
#ATU
Hi, I have released a version 2 of ABS solution. Please refer to the readme front page file at the git repository for full details and release notes: https://github.com/AC8L/QMX_Plus_Autotuner_Internal_Battery_Speaker/ The release includes new PCB fabrication files, BOM and detailed build instructions. This release took into consideration lessons learned and a feedback from first group buy participants fearlessly organized by Cal (AD8Q) and Stan (KC7XE). -- 73, Sardar (AC8L, 4K6SA, VA3DUA).
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QMX snags epic DX during greyline!
3
Well the QMX masterpiece has pulled off the greatest miles per watt of my life, using my homebrew EFHW. I am still is awe to put it mildly. I worked FR8UA at greyline from Montana for a distance of 10,583 miles on FT8. Thank you Hans for all your hard work on this radio, it's truly amazing! John
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QMX+ Power Amplifier
2
Hello all, Last week I finished the build of a rev1 QMX+. No problems were encountered and it worked fine on powering up. During the build, I have measured the frequency response of the low pass filters.These appeared to agree very well with a simulation carried out with help of RFsim99. One anomaly was encountered: the series resonance of L507, a RFC feeding DC to the centre of the 60M-80M low pass filter caused an additional loss of about 0.5 dB just in the 60M band. To get rid of it the Q of the RFC was lowered by mounting a 2K2 SMD resistor in parallel of L507. I have been reading that many builders experienced a drop in output power on the higher bands and my build was no exception. As I like tinkering a lot, this appeared to be a nice challenge to see if this 'issue' could be improved upon. My build is for a supply voltage of 9V. Reading up on this issue on this list, it appears that the output transformer L501 is critical. Muhsin, TA1MHS, wrote that he had replaced the BN43-202 binocular core with a BN-61-202 core, which improved performance on the higher bands. Apparently a lower inductance for L501 helps. I did not have stock of a BN-61-202 core, but I had a BN-43-302 at hand and wound a WTST on it for 9V operation. The change in output power was negligible, though. The next thing I tried was using 2 x 3 BS170 instead of 2 x 2. Powered with 10V, gave these results: Band PWR-W I-mA 160 6.55 1150 80 5.35 928 60 4.99 925 40 5.73 975 30 5.68 1363 20 4.86 931 17 3.57 1258 15 5.73 1613 12 3.89 1553 10 5.05 1282 6 3.87 1080 This more or less solves this issue for me, though I don't think this is recommended in actual operating. I wonder what the reason is for the much higher current consumption on e.g. 15M compared to 80M, whilst delivering about the same power? A matter of lower impedance? Anyway, this is great fun. To be continued. Test gear: Sensor Monitor Power Meter 100W dummy-load Rigol DSA-815-TG spectrum analyzer Lab power supply 0-32V 2A 73, Roelof, pa0rdt -- Roelof Bakker, pa0rdt
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Just finished assembling a QMX plus. Went to put in a case and it doesnt fit. The front panel PCB is wider that what is pictured in the manual. It appears that it didn't get trimmed properly by the manufacturer. This is the picture from the manual, the yellow boxes represent the extra parts my PCB have. what would be the best way to trim these pieces off without damaging anything?
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Record number of assembled transceivers shipped in March
2
Hi all I have updated the assembled kits page https://qrp-labs.com/qcxmini/assembled.html In March 2025 we shipped 280 assembled transceiver orders (some containing more than one transceiver). This is a record high number. The waiting time for assembled transceiver orders is currently around 1 month. 73 Hans G0UPL http://qrp-labs.com https://www.buymeacoffee.com/g0upl
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Hi, I've just finished my QMX+ rev.3 (firmware 1_00_027). Everything seems to be working correctly, except for the SWR and PWR does not show. They don't appear on the LCD, even though I have them enabled ON in the setup. The LCD display is working properly, showing the battery icon and clock, frequency, etc. Any advice would be welcome Thank you so much! 73 Miguel
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QMX repair
4
When I finished my QMX rev 4, 12v build, it would not mount as a USB drive. I received several thoughtful and helpful suggestions from the community here. Thank you. I followed the suggestions as best I could. In one of the suggestions, Jeffrey Moore, W1NC, was suggested as the go to guy when all else fails. I sent my unit to Jeff and in my experience he is, indeed, the go to guy when you have exhausted your own experience. He fixed my unit and tested it on all bands. He provided me a detailed list of all that he did to fix the unit. In short, he is thorough. He provided such a thorough list of my defects in construction that convinced me I should have ordered a factory constructed unit. LOL If you, like me, have screwed something up beyond your ability to fix it, look up W1NC on QRZ.com and ship your unit off to him. I thank the community for trying to help me and I thank Jeff, W1NC, for fixing my construction problems. Jim Brown, W0RLD
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QMX+ loose some characters while sending stored messages
#qmx
#QMXp
#QMXplus
#troubleshooting
hi, may i`m wrong with some qmx+ config, but sending cw from stored messages isn?t possible without loosing some characters, as like as "cq de df4bj" may ends in "ca de dfuba" or something else. Same behavior if sending from logging programm via cat. Did i don`t have correct configs or is that an known issue? I have installed the v1_01_003, updated from 1_00_027 on QMX+ Rev 3 , but going back to a non ssb fw doesn`t help. any suggestions ? vy 72/73 de Udo DF4BJ /qrp
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QRP Labs kit shipping update
Hi all During my absence on family vacation last week there was a major storm last Thursday, a lot of rain and thunder and lightning. After one close-by strike my colleagues reported crackling and sparking on cables in our office, and since then we have been without internet... the ISP say the modem is working fine (they test it from their end) but we tell them it isn't actually delivering us any internet. Anyway regardless of that, today I woke up and figured out how to USB tether my cellphone to the PC and share the internet to the PC. And got my shipping colleague doing the same thing via her iPhone. So 2 of our 6 QRP Labs office computers (which are the most critical two) are back online while we wait for someone from the ISP to visit. We are now working on catching up on the shipments from last Thursday to today. Meanwhile after all the crackling and sparking my colleagues thoughtfully unplugged my antenna. Full marks for effort... but the damage was evidently already done by that time: when I returned from vacation and switched on my QMX+ the thing popped and current went to several amps... I replaced the four BS170 PA transistors (one of which was visibly cracked); still not getting correct power output and performance I realized I need to replace the Q508 Tx/Rx transistor which had also apparently taken a hit. After all that, happy to say everything is back in order, the radio is working properly once again! Meanwhile: we ran out of dummy load kits, and the 1.000 new PCB's are on the way via FedEx. They are going through customs processing in Izmir today and after that the imports normally reach me about 2-3 days later by road via the domestic courier who are the local FedEx agent. So some of you who ordered a Dummy load kit might be wondering why your order didn't ship yet, this is the explanation, please wait a few days. 73 Hans G0UPL http://qrp-labs.com https://www.buymeacoffee.com/g0upl
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QMX+
2
Just finished my QMX+ and really enjoyed the build. Built a QDX a couple of years ago and it has been great. Powered up at 9 volts and no smoke! Draws about 100 ma and audio out can be controlled and tune appears to work and mode / band does something. Connecting an antenna increases the noise so it appears the receiver is working. But nothing appears on the display except for the backlight. Turned the pot from stop to stop with no results. I’m going to touch up all 16 of the display header pins. What a bad place for a soon to be 83 year old duffer to be soldering. Why couldn’t that bave been added to the display board before mounting? Any other thots? 72/73 Jim w0nkn
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QMX+ messages are loose some characters while sending
#anomaly
#cw
#messages
#missing
#QMXplus
hi, may i`m wrong with some config, but sending cw from stored messages isn?t possible without loosing some characters, as like as "cq de df4bj" may ends in "ca de dfuba" or something else. Same behavior if sending from logging programm via cat. Did i don`t have correct configs or is that an known issue? I have installed the v1_01_003 , but going back to a non ssb fw doesn`t help. any suggestions ? vy 72/73 de Udo DF4BJ /qrp
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GPS module GY-GPSV3-NEO wont change baud!
2
HELP! I need to change my QRP Labs GY-GPSV3-NEO module, which has the UBlox NEO-7M-000 chip on it to 4800 baud, the old NMEA 0183 standard for the TinyTraker3 APRS units. I can use the UBlox u-center25.03 and everything I receive and send from it appears to work, telling me that the RS232/TTL interfaces that I try are correct. However, going into Messages View - UBX - CFG - PRT - TragetUART1 (or any other) setting BAUDRATE to 4800 and hitting the Send button makes NO CHANGE (EVER). It stays at 9600 Baud! Is there another way to try this and make the change permanent? Perhaps there is an inhibit connection on the chip? Or some sort of authorization command? Connecting a terminal program gives me the continuous GPS strings so the module is correctly putting out my location etc., so that part is also working fine (at 9600). I appear to be stumped! Miniature GPS units running at 4800 Baud are pretty rare and I want to resurrect my Altoids Box Pocket Tracker with one to make it truly pocket size, again. Thanks for any advice or help. 73 - Mike VE3EQP .....>
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Hello all, Long time lurker, first time poster here. I recently built a 60m-15m QMX and I am having some trouble getting good reception on 15m and 17m (see attached RF sweeps). I should mention that I am using a Rev 1 board purchased in 2023, but with a mid-band component kit from 2024. Here’s where I’m at: I get good power (4-5w at 12V) out on all bands, and my LPF sweeps look like the firmware manual 60m-20m RF sweeps look more or less like what’s shown in the manual. I use a QRP Labs 50 ohm dummy load for the sweeps. When I connect to an antenna, I can hear FT8 signals on 40m and 20, but not on 17 or 15 Because the lower bands seem to receive OK, I suspect an issue with L401a, C401 or C403. However, 20m uses L401a and C401 and is OK, but 17 also uses those and is not good. I reflowed solder on all 3 taps for L401a and the capacitors, with no change. I’m pretty confident I’ve burned off all the enamel at the junctions at this point. I get continuity at all the points shown in the Rev 1 manual (plus at pin 6 of IC402, which I think makes sense because I’m using all 4 connections for L401 instead of just the 3 with the low band version) I did a factory reset, with no change I’ve counted the number of turns on 401a more times than I’d care to admit, and keep coming up with the same number I’m supposed to have (24 turns, tapped at 15) I confirmed that C401 and C403 are the correct values printed on the component, and don’t appear to have any physical damage Trying to figure out my next steps, but coming up a bit short. All I can think of is to replace capacitors, and possibly re-wind L401a. Or, even less ideally, replace IC402. I don’t have an oscilloscope (or any real expertise to use one), so my ability to diagnose is somewhat limited. Before I start swapping out components, is there anything else I should try looking at? It’s been fun building this kit and I have managed to iron out quite a few kinks along the way by reading posts on this forum. However, this one has me stumped. Thanks in advance Alex, N7ADH
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QMX+ no power output, low SMPS bias current
17
I finished assembling my QMX+ (including a battery mod) and finally got the chance to test it. In the diagnostics everything appears to check out, until I press P. At that point the SMPS bias current for every band is ~4.6mA (where the PIN forward bias is 30mA). If I press T (while connected to a dummy load), the RF output and the Transmitter Voltage turn RED, with the Voltage reporting ~9.5-10.0V. Power is consistently listed as 0.0W, and the SWR (into the 50 Ohm dummy load) is all over the map. Any ideas what I did wrong? I've looked at all of my soldering connections multiple times and don't see any bad joints or bridges. I've checked everywhere I can think of for continuity, and everything has checked out so far.
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Does anyone else hear this constant 750 Hz square wave through the speaker while the QMX transmits a CW, FSKCW or WSPR beacon message only when the QMX is in USB or LSB mode? While the QMX is in CW or DIGI modes the speaker remains silent during beacon transmissions . Watch my video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-me0UrO1dQ QMX+ transceiver with Firmware 1_01_003
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Hello all, My QMX suddenly shuts off at around 10.5V. Is it normal ? I can't recreate it but last summer I think had it giving me high voltage warnings when in fact, voltage was low even if I didn't understand at the time that the radio was suddenly shutting down when voltage is low (/g/QRPLabs/topic/110264408#msg135921)... It is problematic for me as I use a nominal 12V drill battery that goes down to 10.5V relatively quick before stabilising there.... I've already fried the SMPS once so I have a new set bought in April 2024. I am not too sure how to investigate this further. 73, Yannig - F4IUJ
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Do any of the commercially available hand microphones for existing QRP radios work with the new QMX SSB? Or perhaps pre-wired adapters for those mics already in the marketplace? Bill W3WJ
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