Radio Preppers

General Category => Technical Corner => Topic started by: KK0G on April 04, 2015, 09:25:38 PM

Title: mcHF QRP Tranciever
Post by: KK0G on April 04, 2015, 09:25:38 PM
I just discovered this: mcHF QRP Tranciever (http://www.m0nka.co.uk/). It looks like it could be a very interesting QRP kit although it's still in developmental stage. I'll be keeping my eye on this.



Title: Re: mcHF QRP Tranciever
Post by: madball13 on April 28, 2015, 08:26:09 AM
Dam it!

I missed this post when it first aired. Looks interesting to say the least.
Title: Re: mcHF QRP Tranciever
Post by: cockpitbob on October 04, 2015, 11:46:33 AM
I'm still watching this.  It's looking pretty far along.  He's got complete kits (no enclosure) for about 230 GBPounds shipped.  There is a 3D printable enclosure, and I just happen to have a 3D printer 8) , so I'm all set there.  The one thing that's stopping me is the current draw is over 400mA on Rx.  When I compare that to an FT-817's 300ma, and that the 817 will do...everything, I'm a lot less excited about the mcHF.  Still, it's half the price of a used FT-817, has the waterfall display and it's just cool, so I'm still on the fence. ???
Title: Re: mcHF QRP Tranciever
Post by: Rescue9 on October 04, 2015, 10:12:17 PM
I should do a writeup on my experience in building one now that I can actually transmit. The power is down to 360 mA with lcd brightness at full, but I'm not sure what the draw is on minimum, or when auto blanking is enabled. There are numerous modifications to the current 0.4 UI and RF boards that both improve and decrease power draw. I'm still troubleshooting a problem with my TX fets, but receive is purely beautiful. Look for a rewview from me in approximately a month or so. In addition, there is an aluminum case that someone in Sweeden (think that's the state) is selling. It's custom made for the mcHF.  I should have mine in a few days so that'll be in the review as well.
Title: Re: mcHF QRP Tranciever
Post by: cockpitbob on October 04, 2015, 10:51:51 PM
Rescue, yes please keep us updated.

Dumb question, but will it do PSK over USB, or with sound card audio plugs, or not at all?
Title: Re: mcHF QRP Tranciever
Post by: gil on October 04, 2015, 11:14:35 PM
I am watching it too, but 400mA is a lot of current draw. Nice screen though.

Gil.
Title: Re: mcHF QRP Tranciever
Post by: Rescue9 on October 05, 2015, 03:32:56 PM
It does psk with a single sound card really well since you can plug in the headphones or listen to the onboard speaker. USB is still being implemented.  CAT function is also being implemented currently. Touchscreen additions were pushed into one of the past few weeks dev build. Awaiting more features before pushing to master branch and production.
Title: Re: mcHF QRP Tranciever
Post by: caulktel on November 17, 2015, 07:52:59 PM
I want to build one also, but I wish Chris would sell it as a complete kit without having to source the finals and the case. I know it seems trivial, but I don't want to spend $400 only to find out I still need to find more parts. I only want the the metal case. I think the printed ones are ugly. My .02 worth.

Joel
KB6QVI
Title: Re: mcHF QRP Tranciever
Post by: cockpitbob on January 27, 2016, 02:41:17 AM
Anyone have an update on this radio?  I see he has full kits in stock for 270 GBPounds (about $390USD) shipped (less speaker and final MOSFETs). So tempting despite the 400mA Rx current draw.
Title: Re: mcHF QRP Tranciever
Post by: Rescue9 on January 27, 2016, 10:17:06 AM
I tabled my build until RF board hits version 5. Fried a couple traces and had problems with some of the mods. No worries though. I'd do the version 4 again, but I'd take my time this time.
Title: Re: mcHF QRP Tranciever
Post by: caulktel on January 27, 2016, 01:43:37 PM
I see the Chinese have copied Chris's mcHF transceiver. http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-8-Color-LCD-QRP-HF-DIY-Kits-for-mcHF-SDR-Radio-UI-0-4-Manual-/141874369625?hash=item21085f1459:g:TrwAAOSwZG9WkyaV
I don't think I would touch this with a ten foot pole. I read that this was done without his approval and violated the Open Source rules.

Joel
KB6QVI
Title: Re: mcHF QRP transceiver
Post by: Sparks on April 18, 2017, 02:16:19 PM
Update: "Complete kit v 0.6 is in stock" as of March 12, 2017: http://www.m0nka.co.uk/?p=5747 (http://www.m0nka.co.uk/?p=5747)

Check main page for "Complete Kit v 0.6 Assembly Error", etc.: http://www.m0nka.co.uk/ (http://www.m0nka.co.uk/)

A local ham friend of mine just announced on Facebook that he will be building one, that's how I became aware of this kit.
Title: Re: mcHF QRP Tranciever
Post by: gil on April 18, 2017, 02:22:55 PM
Nice, I have been watching it for some time... This kit is becoming more interesting every year. If I had the money right now i'd buy one.

Gil.
Title: Re: mcHF QRP Tranciever
Post by: cockpitbob on April 21, 2017, 09:21:00 AM
I've also kept my eye on it.  It seems battery technology has improved a lot in the year and a half since this thread started.  The 400mA current draw isn't good, but doesn't look like a deal killer anymore. With 3,000mAh 18650 batteries available you can fit 10hrs of operating in your hand.
Title: Re: mcHF QRP Tranciever
Post by: gil on April 21, 2017, 12:31:36 PM
I bet current draw would be much lower with the screen off...

Gil.
Title: Re: mcHF QRP Tranciever
Post by: Rescue9 on April 22, 2017, 09:31:52 AM
Okay, so I didn't get around to doing a write up prior to selling my mcHF, but I'll give my experiences on it anyway.

First, while I didn't purchase one of the pre-populated boards, I would definitely recommend that route as opposed to soldering all your own SMC components. If you're interested in tweaking the design a bit, then removing and resoldering the components shouldn't be that much of an issue. If you're just looking for a project, then building the board from scratch is fun, but tedious. One of the tips I can give is to label all your component bags with the board numbers from the BOM.

Most of the upgrades when I left were software upgrades. These are always easier to implement and push to devices. The good thing is that most all software tweaks worked well with the v.4 boards and up. This was one of the things m0nka pushed... that software be backwards compatible. However the new v.5 boards have some newer components that make some software upgrades much easier to implement.

I was able to get RX power down to 136ma if I remember correctly. This was indeed with the screen off and a few tweaks that I believe are in the v.5 version of boards. I was also able to get TX power up to 17w. However, it is worth noting that  pushing that much power will burn out some components. I'm not sure why I had issues, but before I sold the boards I needed to replace a few components, especially the finals. They would get very hot and power would drop significantly (down to 1-2w) if I pushed power too high. Using this for CW at 10-12w and SSB at 10w didnt' cause an issue. I'm not sure, but if I remember correctly, the v.5 version of the boards fix this drop issue.

All of that being said, I'm not up to speed on the v.6 version of the boards. It is a fun project, but can be frustrating at times.
Title: Re: mcHF QRP Tranciever
Post by: cockpitbob on April 27, 2017, 08:44:35 AM
Hey Rescue9, thanks for the write-up!  I keep lusting for one of these or something similar, but then I look at how little time I'm on the air these days and the backlog of kits/projects I have on my bench waiting for me.  I'll have to tinker vicariously through things like this post and Gil's exploits LOL

I'm with you on soldering the components.  Back in the day, it was more expensive to have an assembly house solder the components, but today, to me the little extra $ spent is worth the quality and reliability you get when things are soldered by the pros.  All joints are perfect and the components haven't been over heated or thermally shocked.  Winding inductors and other assembly steps are still worth doing myself.
Title: Re: mcHF QRP Tranciever
Post by: Rescue9 on April 27, 2017, 06:16:45 PM
I'll likely get another one of these sometime. I really miss the spectrum and waterfall on the KX2. 6m and 180m would be nice, but they were mods on the v.4 board I had anyway. Now, if the v.6 boards have 2m & 70cm, I may be purchasing g this sooner than later. That makes it very comparable to the KX3 imho.

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