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DX-FT8 7 band hF FT8 QRPp transceiver

 

Well I was looking into POTA this summer, and wanted a rather minimal setup. I know I like doing FT8 and was looking at my options, the IC-7300 with a tablet, laptop, or cellphone. Then I looked at yhe QRPLabs QDX and QMX transceivers, but I still would need the laptop, tablet or cellphone. Then I ran across WB2CBA and W5BAA's DXFT8 QRP transceiver. This is a you have to build it from components and program it with firmware. So you order the RF board kit from Kees Talen K5BCQ via a paypal payment of $45.00, the STM32f746 Discovery Board from Digikey, a Micro SD card 8GB or larger, a CR2032 button cell for the real time clock, and a Mini USB cable for programming. Once everything arrived, I spent 2 hours using a very slow laptop installing the firmware in the STM32 and setting up the MicroSd card info file. I then spent another 4 hours soldering and assembling the radio. And once hooked up I had transmit but no receive. So I did a couple quick tests listed in the Groups Io DXFT8 board and discovered U1 a SMD IC was only half installed, like it shifted in the solding process, so I slid it back so all 4 tabs made contact with the board and that solved the problem. So I hooked it up to the antenna and powered it up, and it was now receiving. Unfortunately it is a QRPp transceiver which max power out on 40m is only 840 mW, on 10m its around 520 mW. Not bad for running off a 5V 1a USB Cellphone charger. You can power it with a 9 yo 15v external power source but it's only going to give less than 1 watt of RF. Plus side is it will run off one of those cellphone USB battery packs and the radio is about 1-1/8" thick and the same size as my cellphone with 3 times the weight. Now just need to add a SMA antenna and I'll be all set for POTA this year. 73 Matt NA1Q
 

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This would have been a great article for the newsletter.


On Mar 12, 2025, at 9:44?PM, Matthew Penttila NA1Q via groups.io <mcpenttila@...> wrote:

?
Well I was looking into POTA this summer, and wanted a rather minimal setup. I know I like doing FT8 and was looking at my options, the IC-7300 with a tablet, laptop, or cellphone. Then I looked at yhe QRPLabs QDX and QMX transceivers, but I still would need the laptop, tablet or cellphone. Then I ran across WB2CBA and W5BAA's DXFT8 QRP transceiver. This is a you have to build it from components and program it with firmware. So you order the RF board kit from Kees Talen K5BCQ via a paypal payment of $45.00, the STM32f746 Discovery Board from Digikey, a Micro SD card 8GB or larger, a CR2032 button cell for the real time clock, and a Mini USB cable for programming. Once everything arrived, I spent 2 hours using a very slow laptop installing the firmware in the STM32 and setting up the MicroSd card info file. I then spent another 4 hours soldering and assembling the radio. And once hooked up I had transmit but no receive. So I did a couple quick tests listed in the Groups Io DXFT8 board and discovered U1 a SMD IC was only half installed, like it shifted in the solding process, so I slid it back so all 4 tabs made contact with the board and that solved the problem. So I hooked it up to the antenna and powered it up, and it was now receiving. Unfortunately it is a QRPp transceiver which max power out on 40m is only 840 mW, on 10m its around 520 mW. Not bad for running off a 5V 1a USB Cellphone charger. You can power it with a 9 yo 15v external power source but it's only going to give less than 1 watt of RF. Plus side is it will run off one of those cellphone USB battery packs and the radio is about 1-1/8" thick and the same size as my cellphone with 3 times the weight. Now just need to add a SMA antenna and I'll be all set for POTA this year. 73 Matt NA1Q
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<1000007046.1741830230872.jpeg>
<1000007047.1741830239738.jpeg>
 

Trust me it's coming for the next one. It's a bit in depth and will take me a few days to write it. 73 Matt NA1Q


On Thu, Mar 13, 2025, 08:16 Ray Vilnit via <kc1hqb=comcast.net@groups.io> wrote:
This would have been a great article for the newsletter.


On Mar 12, 2025, at 9:44?PM, Matthew Penttila NA1Q via <mcpenttila=gmail.com@groups.io> wrote:

?
Well I was looking into POTA this summer, and wanted a rather minimal setup. I know I like doing FT8 and was looking at my options, the IC-7300 with a tablet, laptop, or cellphone. Then I looked at yhe QRPLabs QDX and QMX transceivers, but I still would need the laptop, tablet or cellphone. Then I ran across WB2CBA and W5BAA's DXFT8 QRP transceiver. This is a you have to build it from components and program it with firmware. So you order the RF board kit from Kees Talen K5BCQ via a paypal payment of $45.00, the STM32f746 Discovery Board from Digikey, a Micro SD card 8GB or larger, a CR2032 button cell for the real time clock, and a Mini USB cable for programming. Once everything arrived, I spent 2 hours using a very slow laptop installing the firmware in the STM32 and setting up the MicroSd card info file. I then spent another 4 hours soldering and assembling the radio. And once hooked up I had transmit but no receive. So I did a couple quick tests listed in the Groups Io DXFT8 board and discovered U1 a SMD IC was only half installed, like it shifted in the solding process, so I slid it back so all 4 tabs made contact with the board and that solved the problem. So I hooked it up to the antenna and powered it up, and it was now receiving. Unfortunately it is a QRPp transceiver which max power out on 40m is only 840 mW, on 10m its around 520 mW. Not bad for running off a 5V 1a USB Cellphone charger. You can power it with a 9 yo 15v external power source but it's only going to give less than 1 watt of RF. Plus side is it will run off one of those cellphone USB battery packs and the radio is about 1-1/8" thick and the same size as my cellphone with 3 times the weight. Now just need to add a SMA antenna and I'll be all set for POTA this year. 73 Matt NA1Q
<1000007024.1741830188981.jpeg>
<1000007045.1741830215095.jpeg>
<1000007046.1741830230872.jpeg>
<1000007047.1741830239738.jpeg>

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