20m BITX40 conversion IMPORTANT- READ THIS FIRST [UPDATE 11/14/2017]: After even more experimentation, I have concluded that this method works great for the Band Pass Filter, but that the BITX40v3’s PA is not optimized for operation above 40m. It will work on 20m, but at reduced output of only 1 watt. The following information is left …
Category: BITX40
Jul 10
The Quest for the Genuine IRF510
The Problem Recently, I had a need to replace the IRF510 PA MOSFET in my BITX40 radio. A malfunction with my VOX PTT circuit caused it to stay keyed down for a very long time while unattended. Oops! With that fixed, it was time to replace the IRF510. The Search I scoured the usual places …
Jun 08
Converting the BITX40: Dual Band HF Radio
One of the beautiful things about the BITX40 is that it is very hackable. If you want to add a feature to it, it’s almost certainly possible. In a previous post, I showed a quick and dirty way to add 80m to the BITX40 by bypassing the Band Pass Filter. That method works, although it’s anything …
May 08
BITX40 Case Build: W7RLF
I recently took delivery of a BangGood Instrument Case, which sells for about $10. Many BITX40 owners have used this case to good effect. It’s big enough for the BITX40 with some room to spare, and the price is right. Being plastic, some consider it inferior as a radio case, but for me it’s a …
May 05
BITX40 Is it a good Beginners HF Radio?
People often look at the price of the BITX40 and assume that at such a low price point it must be a good entry into HF Radio. But is that really the case? Let’s take a look at a few facets of the BITX40, and you can see if it’s the right radio for you. …
Apr 19
BITX40: Vox for digital modes
Last week I talked about Going Digital with JT65 on the BITX40. In that article I mentioned that to key the radio automatically either a computer interface or a Vox circuit would be needed. It was my intention to use a vox circuit. I posted to my usual haunt, the BITX40v3 group on Facebook and asked …
Apr 10
BITX40: Going Digital with JT65
Last week I posted about adding Upper Sideband to the BITX40, which is not an Upper Sideband radio. Once I got that modification done, I could clearly hear the JT65 signals on 7.076mhz, but… what were they saying? It was time to dive into the world of Digital HF! What is JT65? Simply put, digital …
Apr 07
Modifying the BITX40 for Upper Sideband
Because some digital modes require Upper SideBand (USB) to work properly, many people have been wondering how to get the BITX40 on Upper Sideband. Well, I’m here to show you- it’s pretty easy! First, we need to understand that to get the BITX40 on Upper Sideband, we just want to change from a negative offset …
Mar 20
BITX40: A simple microphone made from scraps
A common question with new BITX40 owner is “Which microphone should I use?” People have used modified CB microphones, Baofeng microphones designed for HT’s, and various homemade microphones. The BITX40 comes with an electret mic element and a small switch to make a microphone with, but the switch is not very good. I purchased 10 small …
Mar 06
Adding 80m to the BITX40
Update: Because of the lack of filtration, this is a really dirty way of doing it. Instead, a new Band Pass Filter and Low Pass filter should be used. It’s inexpensive and a fairly simple modification. read about it here: Converting the BITX40 to 20M A common question for people have about the BITX40 is “Can I …