Wait! Don't Buy This Pocket HF Ham Radio - uSDR Clone!!

[@batica81]

If unnamed cloners of a "free" hobby project (uSDX) were able to make this, imagine what an actual electronics company could if they cared. I'm pretty sure a decent qrp handheld can be made and be sold for under $200 but if we ever see it, I guess it would be $1200. However the convergence between maker and ham communities is happening, and I'm sure will bring us more interesting stuff. Also, it seems ham radio is becoming very popular in China and that is a good thing too.

[@alanwheelock1460]

Thanks for buying all the cheap stuff and playing with it. Cant wait for your annual Christmas junk stocking stuffer party

[@nevellgreenough404]

Interesting development! By the way, the audio quality of the truSDX can be improved somewhat by replacing the plastic ring that mounts the speaker with 2 small screws and nuts (#2-56 or 2mm) through the front panel. The spacing is just about right to pinch the speaker rim in place. This gives the speaker a little bigger baffle to work with. Tnx and 73s, N2GX

[@Jody_VE5SAR]

I'll take my $100 and buy the 2023 collector's edition of the ARRL handbook instead... thanks for the heads up! 🙂

[@khalstead3]

Any word on when the 2023 handbook is going to be published? I called them a few weeks ago and they said maybe sometime in late October or November, I thought.

[@Jody_VE5SAR]

@@khalstead3 I was able to put my order in last night (there's a link from the ARRL's home page)... and there was no indication it was not in stock... so I'm hoping they're shipping now. I received the downloadable content already.

[@primedir]

@@khalstead3 Got mine last week. Looks great.

[@khalstead3]

@@Jody_VE5SAR Awesome! I’ll check out the website.

[@khalstead3]

@@primedir Great! Glad to hear it.

[@UnderTheBigOak]

I have been waiting a long time for a real hand held HF rig. It's totally possible today. (that radio isn't it, but..) others have commented the same, if a big player in ham gear just saw the opportunity - a hand held HF with all the cool features would be a huge hit.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

The issue is you still need an hf antenna. So you’re not really going to be hand held and effective.

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

Awesome, now I feel even better about the horrible review I gave this thing on my channel. Thanks for this video. 73, Walt K4OGO

[@Blue-Collar-Radio]

A radio like that with good quality control would be awesome!

[@Tocsin-Bang]

I have a clone which was kind of OK for a month or so then the encoder started playing up, and I had to get a new one. Now I have bought an authorised kit from one of the approved suppliers. The quality is brilliant, I started assembly this morning, but I'm taking it very slowly, I reckon about a wee|!

[@aj2isotadxing]

The question I have is, did you ever make a ssb contact with it successfully?

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

After I aligned it I did. But only one.

[@haramanggapuja]

Josh, I bought one of those & discovered that the speaker magnet locked the band switch relays. Take te speaker out, it worked fine. Speaker in, band switching locked/latched wrong. Then there was that tuning knob/switch thingie. Messing with it, I eventually bricked the little dude. Might have been fun but for the poor design choices. So yeah: WoM (waste of money). 73 de W8IJN

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

That is wild. Thanks for the tip!

[@dangermandave67]

What grief are you having with the (tr)uSDX? I've used mine on a couple of SOTA activations and it seems to work OK. Not the most polished piece of kit, but obviously some corners have to be cut to achieve the price and size.

[@timmiesloan9850]

Small size is great. Little to buggy. Maybe someday they'll improve the quality. Thanks for the review

[@angelscomputers]

I like the usdx but my grieve is the no knob to scroll through frequencies and that “clone” has it. Ahhhh. Usdx makes a setting where I can use the volume knob as a vfo knob and I’m sold

[@buzzkillg230rc]

you should play with the TX drive setting and PA Bias min/max too much drive makes your ssb audio sound over deviated.

[@DonzLockz]

Haha, thats hilarious!😆 It looks like a toy but actually works... sometimes! Hope they get their QC sorted because it would be good if it was reliable?🤷‍♂️

[@IndependentNewsMedia]

Nice overview video, God bless

[@danlazer8762]

As quirky as it is I went ahead and ordered one. I dig small CW rigs and with some tweaking I think this little thing might be fun to play with. We'll see when it arrives in a month.

[@conchd]

How did it work for you?

[@GigaBrand]

Ok how TF did they get cw decode but my x5105 is still busted smh xiegue

[@K0DMT]

Neat little radio. I’m curious about the 2 colors on the screen of the trusdx. Anyone have any info? I bought mine prebuilt and it’s just that blue green color.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Yeah. I bought a two tone screen and swapped it myself. 🤙

[@tjbjr02]

Thanks for the video. I’m more interested in that mini straight key. Where did you find that?

[@thibeault]

Looks like a CW Morse Nano QRP key.

[@tjbjr02]

@@thibeault Thanks. I'm going to check that out

[@eacuatrogndecoalfagnd5295]

configure menu is very important select in menu AGC slow att 2 the power pa bias mini 0 pa bias max 110 for no destroy the PA

[@eacuatrogndecoalfagnd5295]

mic for audio ssb is ver bad but you external mic solutions for this for no distorsion in CW use AGC SLOW

[@gvii]

I'll give them credit for the speaker if not much else. I wish the speaker on my PortaPack was that loud, and I put a decent speaker in there, lol. But I guess if they got the crap worked out, it wouldn't be so bad. But that QC is something else. Ooof...

[@2ftg]

Is it a clone if the design is open source and it's an original design?

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Yea.

[@the_mad_swimbaiter455]

This was my 1st qrp radio.... nobody could ever hear me. It's sitting on the floor under my desk in my shack with random cables...

[@DARTHDANSAN]

Aww what a shame

[@norm_sueb122]

Thanks for the video!

[@KB0OTY]

I kind of want one.

[@K4AX]

I'm so over the usdr/usdx

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

lol, ok?

[@K4AX]

@@HamRadioCrashCourse sorry just bad experiences haha, I do enjoy the content though 😁

[@AlexYounger]

What is it?

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

It’s a radio.

[@AlexYounger]

@@HamRadioCrashCourse Oh.

[@gallonsofhairspray5451]

That’s rad anyway! Thanks for the vid

[@eacuatrogndecoalfagnd5295]

AGC SLOW for audio problems menu AGC

[@davidsradioroom9678]

You get what you pay for. thanks.

[@pasjeihobby]

Looks neat but propably it's a huge mess inside.