el chapo rado kit,any good? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / rf-microwave

author: m3vuv
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2022, 01:03:02 am
content: hi all,ive just seen this,are they any good?https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001979403488.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.4c7735c65josFy&algo_pvid=36feaaf6-e667-4a2b-8738-8ccfb7086958&algo_exp_id=36feaaf6-e667-4a2b-8738-8ccfb7086958-27&pdp_ext_f=%7B%22sku_id%22%3A%2212000018298432727%22%7D&pdp_pi=-1%3B27.84%3B-1%3B-1%40salePrice%3BUSD%3Bsearch-mainSearchtia.

author: bob91343
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2022, 02:00:54 am
content: I recently bought something similar but fully assembled for about half that price.Having said that, this appears to have some better features than mine. If I wanted a nice receiver, I would buy a used ham transceiver at a swap meet. Maybe spend more but get a much better radio.What do you want to use it for?

author: m3vuv
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2022, 04:27:31 am
content: just to listen to a local net on 80m lsb in the mornngs

author: bob91343
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2022, 05:08:28 am
content: Mine won't do that, as it has no BFO and the tuning increments are 5 kHz.You would do well to pick up an old tube receiver at a swap meet.

author: m3vuv
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2022, 08:20:33 am
content: the one i mentiones has a bfo,ive just ordered it,at the present my main radio is a ex mil prc 320 with lsb,trouble is,its fard on the fingers to tune,(ie scan the ham bands) my plan is to find a signal on the cheapo toy then net on the 320,just too save my fingers getting destroyed,anyone with a prc 320 will understand.

author: mikerj
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2022, 09:37:13 pm
content: Have you seen this:https://pu2clr.github.io/SI4735/You could waste many hours playing

author: cdev
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2022, 10:09:42 pm
content: If the tuning increments are only 5 khz that would make receiving SSB impossible. The best way I know of to receive SSB very cheaply would be the direct sampling input on an RTLSDR blog version 3 RTL dongle, which should be able to receive HF using the unused Q input on the RTL chip. (its also good for locating RFI sources aroud the house, that actually is a big plus, my RTL dongle that I use for direct sampling is very good for locating RFI. Less so for HF, but still better than I expected.What would be the best very cheap option would likely be an RTL dongle and an external up converter like the "Ham it up" or Adam's (9A4QV of LNA4all) design HF upconverter (very good) But be aware the limitations of an 8 bit SDR will be significant. You would still probably have a superior receive setup than youcould get otherwise for the price. If you have decent sound card you could likely build a better setup using a VFO, miser, etc. With a softrock type receiver the sound card will determine the sampling depth. Both upcoverters cost around $45 and maye 20 for the rtlsdr blog dongle and around $7-15 for other RTL dongles such as the newsky branded ones are quite consistant. They also source branded dongles to OEMS who want to put their brand on a USB dongle. so, for around $50 or $55 you can be listening to HF SSB and have a nice panalyzer/bandscope for ham radio that also can receive the VHF/UHF bands (but not as well as a ham rig, on any of them. Still for $20 surprisingly well. Atthe end of the day, you would never have expected to get what would have required a whole rack of equipment a couple of years ago to be in that little tiny package..

author: cdev
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2022, 10:16:01 pm
content: Quote from: m3vuv on January 25, 2022, 08:20:33 amI bet you can figure out a way to set up a "big knob" to tune it is it lets you tune in smaller increments. Frankly I would look more closely at the documentation. It seems to me that at some pint inthe not too distant past, I think I saw I a version of the Si473x radio kits that had a knob. Or, say if you have a DJ CD style DJ mixer, (Hercules, or Pioneer) there are libraries to use them with SDRs.. I think.Its simplyunthinkablethat the same manufacturer who brought us so many kickass synthesizer chips would leave a decent synthesizer for SSB receive out of their snazzy "one chip radio" IMHO!

author: mark03
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 26, 2022, 04:02:01 am
content: Haha... I was intrigued by the thread title, then disappointed to learn that it is not, in fact, about covert radio technology used by famous drug lords to communicate with their minions from prison.

author: alexanderdavid
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: January 27, 2022, 04:12:09 pm
content: I accept this and at my point its correct.

author: cdev
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 30, 2022, 12:59:02 am
content: I saw a video this morning about a very small ssb+cw rig for sale on ebay for around $120 Its called the uSDX. Its power output is around five watts.Quote from: m3vuv on January 25, 2022, 08:20:33 am

author: m3vuv
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 31, 2022, 12:09:09 am
content: and what was your point?,i see nothing you have posted,or is it some kind of riddle??,pray tell!!