The winter takes it all - aka A Brief Break Activity We haven't had this much winter snow for several years. Every day seems to bring a fresh snowfall to add to the accumulation on the ground. My poor John Deere snowblower is getting a real workout keeping the driveway clear. I live on the … Continue reading Fighting the winter blues with a little radio therapy
Tag: QMX
How to Really Make the QMX Ready for the Big Blue Sky Shack
The QRP Labs QMX is a wonder of modern technology. By employing an SDR hardware platform a whole plethora of features can be made available by simply installing new firmware. I absolutely love my QMX. It has become my most used radio for field operations. I grumbled into my beer glass about the long wait … Continue reading How to Really Make the QMX Ready for the Big Blue Sky Shack
The QMX is Full of Holes, Here’s the Essential Fix!
When the design team at QRP Labs (alright, we know that means just Hans) set out to produce a multiband portable transceiver that would be packed with advanced features and could be sold for as little as a meager purse of groats, what was their primary design objective? You can bet your life it was … Continue reading The QMX is Full of Holes, Here’s the Essential Fix!
Rebuilding the Winter Rybakov Antenna
Almost a year ago I wrote a post entitled "A Simpler Field Expedient Rybakov Antenna for Winter". It is worthwhile to read that post to understand why I felt it necessary to make a winter version of a proven, tried and trusted antenna. My home turf is southern Ontario, Canada about 200km northwest of Toronto. … Continue reading Rebuilding the Winter Rybakov Antenna
Can a Drinking Straw Help Tune an Antenna?
A stainless steel drinking straw DIY QRP L-match. We'll get back to the drinking straw question in a moment, but first let me describe another new project that took shape on the Ham Radio Outside the Box workbench recently - a QRP L-match. You may recall that we recently described a Z-match builder project that … Continue reading Can a Drinking Straw Help Tune an Antenna?
“Old Barebones” – A QRP Z-match Builder Project
I actually don't like Z-matches very much, so why did I build one? I'll get to that in a moment, but first I should explain why I am not a fan of the Z-match. These devices comprise two variable capacitors and one fixed inductor. The fixed inductor limits the tuning range compared to other types … Continue reading “Old Barebones” – A QRP Z-match Builder Project
The “Titanic” 40m Field Expedient Backpack Portable Antenna
The 40 meter band can be a tricky one for backpack portable operators. The problem is that antennas for that band tend to be large and require a tall pole. In the last post we discussed using a backpack as a support for quarter wave whips or short poles. In that role it is gravitationally … Continue reading The “Titanic” 40m Field Expedient Backpack Portable Antenna
Major QMX Operator Flaw Exposed
QMX non culpa, mea culpa! I thought I was smart. I have a physics degree; college taught us 1970s long-haired layabouts 3 ways to build an atomic bomb. But half a century later I make simple errors with my ham radio equipment. The fault is mine and not QRP Labs brilliant little QMX transceiver. In … Continue reading Major QMX Operator Flaw Exposed
Turkish Delight – QRP Style!
It was a long, long wait. I ordered my QRP Labs QMX factory assembled radio on the 9th of October 2023 and received it on the 4th of April 2024 - a wait of a little under 6 months. I guess I shouldn't complain, a fellow club member waited 18 months for his Elecraft KX2 … Continue reading Turkish Delight – QRP Style!
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