Misc Dot Welder Part 1

HF Antenna 80-10m, no tuner needed.

QRP Labs QSX is Almost Here!

In 2017, QRP Labs changed the QRP kit landscape when they released the QCX, a high performance single band QRP CW transceiver. For $49 a person can have a self aligning transceiver packed with features.

Many wondered: will they follow up with a SSB kit? The answer of course is yes. But it’s going to be so much more than that!

Enter the QSX

The QRP Labs QSX is an All Mode All Band transceiver kit. But that’s just the beginning! Out of the box it sports CAT control, it’s digital ready, and has a 24 bit SDR front end. It puts 10w out and has a big heat sink so the PA doesn’t overheat during those late night FT8 sessions. It also has a built-in iambic keyer and can work psk31 and CW with just a keyboard, no computer needed.

Pricing isn’t firm but a 40m single band base rig is expected to be about $75 and the all band version about $150. This may change as the release gets closer towards the end of 2018.

But don’t take my word for it! Go to the QRP Labs website and see all the specs, and an interview with Hans Summers regarding the development, goals, and features of the QSX:

http://qrp-labs.com/qsx.html

Is the QSX a uBITx killer?

No, not really. Yes it has more features and yes it will be similarly priced. But the uBITX is a very different radio. It is not SDR based, is a super het. Additionally, the uBITX is a completely open-source design that is extremely hackable. The QSX on the other hand will surely be hackable in some ways as most of the QRP Labs kits are, but the software is all closed source and is not hackable, unless you want to build your own from scratch which would likely be a daunting task.

All in all the QSX is going to be another entry into the growing world of affordable QRP transceivers, and I am eager to see this radio in person!

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  1. Looks interesting. However, based on my own QCX experience, I am wondering about a few things.

    1.) How many bugs will they catch before the initial release?

    2.) While it may only be 10W, I’m very curious about their RF PA solution. MOSFET, Bipolar, FET…?
    Especially when talking about Multi-band/mode ops.

    3.) (2b?) What about 10, 12, and 15M operations?
    The QCX only went up to 17 Meters, likely due to power roll-off of the MOSFET PA at higher frequencies.

    It admittedly looks promising. Time will provide the answers.

    ?

    1. Nice to hear from you! I think the pa will be fine at higher frequencies 🙂

    • David Koob on April 27, 2019 at 9:13 AM
    • Reply

    Almost a year later, and all we have is anticipation. Does anyone know how development is coming along?

    • Adrian on May 27, 2020 at 6:25 PM
    • Reply

    Another year … ?

    1. Yup, but I’m convinced it will be worth the wait.

  1. […] shown in A Previous Post, the QRP Labs QSX is on its way. It’s a SDR based all mode HF rig, 80m through 10m. […]

  2. […] those of us anticipating the release of the QRP Labs QSX (which we talked about in A Previous Post), any news from Hans Summers, the owner of QRP Labs, is exciting. He posted an update over the […]

  3. […] August 2018 Hans Summers announced the QSX. While it’s not out yet, he’s said quite a bit about its design. It’s a Direct […]

  4. […] and if you’re not sure what the QSX is, see This Post as well as This […]

  5. […] that’s PLUG IN DIGITAL READY. If you’d like to learn more basic information, check out our previous post Here and also the official QSX page […]

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