An idea might be to order the basic kit without the case so you can customize the layout. My plan is to build the case with larger front panel to possibly add a front-firing speaker, meter(s), additional text or graphic lcd display, some handy hardware bells and whistles, and if needed, room for a cooling fan. Or, maybe just leave it alone and just use and enjoy the rig! :)
Hey Dave, I just got my uBitx V6 Saturday. I assembled it tonight. I cannot find any reference as to the polarity of the power plug. Is it center positive? Thank you in advance. 73 KE0OAP
For anyone else coming here, yes! An easy way to test for the future, you can check with a multimeter. If you touch the outer-most metal part with your multimeter, it should match up with ground!
I bought and built the v5. It lit up and was receiving the first time I applied power but when I keyed the Mike the first time it stuck in transmit. I haven't been able to get it to drop out of transmit.
I assembled mine an put speaker plug in wrong place near the bnc port theres 2 identical plugs the radio started smoking from there when turned on now all the bands are quiet help
I got one around the first of the year, but only got it working on Saturday. I had to set the frequency and BFO and once I did I made a contact with Florida from PA which I was happy with.
Hi Peter - I just put my uBitx V6 together and would like to know how you got into the menu settings to do the alignment and BFO adjustments. Pushing in the tuning knob does not allow me to access the menu. Lack if documentation is one reason I would not buy this rig again. Thanks, Bob W3ARA
thanks for the video dave. 👍🍻 definitely a large change from when i bought my V4 (now known typically as the "least good" iteration). currently going thru the dreaded "low/no RX, no tx power" issue.. smd is killing me ;)
My version 4 had low audio on transmit. Power was higher on cw. Going to rework the mic amp gain. Sounds great just very low output because the audio drive was low. Receive sounds great for such a simple rig. The Bitx 40 single band sounds really good for $45 that it cost.
I believe he more meant the fact it doesnt match with his equipment makes it a pain. I agree it's easier to use overall, but I too have to adapt it to so-239.
A suggestion Dave, buy yourself a magnetic tray for the metal hardware. Those screws stay put and you don't have to root around the carpeted floor looking for that one that jumped off the workbench. Hi HI ~ oh and a magnetized screwdriver is worth its weight in iron when working on these things! k6sdw
I got one a little over a year ago and love it. Mine has been a real joy to use the only issue I have is the encoder you can not retate it quickly and it gets squirly you just have to tune it slowly.
I got a parts list with check marks. I can't find the allegedly included power supply jack, but it does indicate quantities and usage of the different screws.
An offtopic question:I made a delta loop for 2m,and I wish to use it on 70cm as well,on the 3rd harmonic. Is there any disadvantages using it as a dual band antenna? My intention was simplicity,it is fed with a 1/4wavelength 75ohm match section
Hello.I have a question about the vhf handheld radio.I have a Kenewod TK-250 and TK-270 without batery packs and try to power them with lab linear power suply,the problem is when try to transmit the radio and the power suply enter protection I also tried with analog power suply .My question is ???.There is a solution to solve this problem,or i must use only batery.I think they were not designed to go with external power suply instead of baterys.What do you think.
@@dltrisch and note that the amps just means it must be able to supply that much. It's ok if its a 20w or 200w rated power supply. Just note it's a good idea to add a 3a fuse to your power line!
It means you can download the source code of the software that controls the radio and make changes, if you know how and want to experiment. There are lots of mods available out there.
The software source code is openly available and can be changed or adapted. The hardware is designed to be easily modified and complete documentation is available.
Others explained it well. Also note that open-source software is typically safer than closed-source (private). Seems counter-intuitive since hackers could see exploits in the code, but so can everyone else, so it's likely someone will fix it. This can be an issue for smaller projects where only hackers look at it, but usually not. In this case, it's a non issue since this rig isnt really a target for hacking, and is also big enough for bugs to be caught. The CEC software is a fork (modified version) of the original software with bug fixes and more features. Highly recommend installing it!
An idea might be to order the basic kit without the case so you can customize the layout.
My plan is to build the case with larger front panel to possibly add a front-firing speaker, meter(s), additional text or graphic lcd display, some handy hardware bells and whistles, and if needed, room for a cooling fan.
Or, maybe just leave it alone and just use and enjoy the rig! :)
Thank you, Dave! Apart of device, your diction make me feel an american speaker :-)
How do people design and build this for so cheap? It's amazing really. Kudos to the design team.
Thank you this had all the nuggets that were missing in the official online assembly documentation!
Hey Dave, I just got my uBitx V6 Saturday. I assembled it tonight. I cannot find any reference as to the polarity of the power plug. Is it center positive? Thank you in advance. 73 KE0OAP
For anyone else coming here, yes! An easy way to test for the future, you can check with a multimeter. If you touch the outer-most metal part with your multimeter, it should match up with ground!
I bought and built the v5. It lit up and was receiving the first time I applied power but when I keyed the Mike the first time it stuck in transmit. I haven't been able to get it to drop out of transmit.
Ouch! No fun. I hope you were able to trace the problem.
Next time use a magnetic screwdriver, works ....
Nope, doesn't work the screws in my kit were stainless non magnetic.
Dave, its nice to see your wife is happy to donate her kitchen goodies for the cause!!! Thanks to you for all your great content!! 73 KD9POH
I wonder if the rig will fit in a small Amo box?
I have a BNC to UHF adapter connector, problem solved.
Yes! I've seen people do this, it's a great hammo-can radio!
I assembled mine an put speaker plug in wrong place near the bnc port theres 2 identical plugs the radio started smoking from there when turned on now all the bands are quiet help
Hopefully, if you're lucky, you only toasted the speaker.
Thanks for showing the watts for the different freqs.
Hello Dave, is there a trimmer for the power adjustment?
Does 6.1 now have a functional AGC?
Not that I know of.
I got one around the first of the year, but only got it working on Saturday. I had to set the frequency and BFO and once I did I made a contact with Florida from PA which I was happy with.
Hi Peter - I just put my uBitx V6 together and would like to know how you got into the menu settings to do the alignment and BFO adjustments. Pushing in the tuning knob does not allow me to access the menu. Lack if documentation is one reason I would not buy this rig again. Thanks, Bob W3ARA
thanks for the video dave. 👍🍻
definitely a large change from when i bought my V4 (now known typically as the "least good" iteration). currently going thru the dreaded "low/no RX, no tx power" issue.. smd is killing me ;)
My version 4 had low audio on transmit. Power was higher on cw. Going to rework the mic amp gain. Sounds great just very low output because the audio drive was low. Receive sounds great for such a simple rig. The Bitx 40 single band sounds really good for $45 that it cost.
Why is BNC a royal pain? I find SO239 a pain. I only really use BNC on everything
I believe he more meant the fact it doesnt match with his equipment makes it a pain. I agree it's easier to use overall, but I too have to adapt it to so-239.
A suggestion Dave, buy yourself a magnetic tray for the metal hardware. Those screws stay put and you don't have to root around the carpeted floor looking for that one that jumped off the workbench. Hi HI ~ oh and a magnetized screwdriver is worth its weight in iron when working on these things! k6sdw
Hint, the screws are stainless, non magnetic
@@germanjohn5626 I use a muffin tray for parts from kits I've bulit or magnetic trays from Harbor Freight.
can you put a linear amplifier in line with that BTX ?
Yes, technically, but it's really designed as a QRP rig and doesn't have as tight a control on spurious emissions, etc.
I put a BNC adapter on the back of my TS-430s. That makes it quick and easy to disconnect the RG8 during thunderstorms.
A video so bloody good it rates mention in HFSignals' OWN assembly documentation! Big time, Mr. Casler, big time!
I have an early version of he radio that I don't use because of high harmonic spurs. Have they fixed that in later versions?
I got one a little over a year ago and love it. Mine has been a real joy to use the only issue I have is the encoder you can not retate it quickly and it gets squirly you just have to tune it slowly.
Version 6 looks prettier, but apparently still doesn't have agc and needs a high pass broadcast filter.
Opps =8)
Plug and run much better than ver 5 now u have time 2 du your taxes hi hi kg6mn
I got a parts list with check marks. I can't find the allegedly included power supply jack, but it does indicate quantities and usage of the different screws.
Found the power supply jack. I suggest putting the USB connector on the back panel before putting the back panel on after mounting the PCB.
Nice trick with the speaker screws. KD9OscarAlphaMike
An offtopic question:I made a delta loop for 2m,and I wish to use it on 70cm as well,on the 3rd harmonic.
Is there any disadvantages using it as a dual band antenna?
My intention was simplicity,it is fed with a 1/4wavelength 75ohm match section
You can give it a try. You will have to cut that matching section to pretty exacting requirements.
Hello.I have a question about the vhf handheld radio.I have a Kenewod TK-250 and TK-270 without batery packs and try to power them with lab linear power suply,the problem is when try to transmit the radio and the power suply enter protection
I also tried with analog power suply .My question is ???.There is a solution to solve this problem,or i must use only batery.I think they were not designed to go with external power suply instead of baterys.What do you think.
You'd have to check the owner's manual. There are folks out there who can rebuild those battery packs or supply new ones. Look around on the Internet.
Does it cover 12 meters? I didn't see it on the display. Ken W8ASA
Yes, I believe so.
Do the uBITX (older version) board fits on the new case?
I don't know but I don't think so.
Cool !😎👍👍👍👍👍/8)
What type of power supply can be used on this? On the site it only said 12 vdc with 3 amps. Is the tip positive or negative?
12 to 14 or so volts ( 13.8 is ideal). Center pole of power conductor is positive.
David Casler thank you Dave
@@dltrisch and note that the amps just means it must be able to supply that much. It's ok if its a 20w or 200w rated power supply. Just note it's a good idea to add a 3a fuse to your power line!
Yes ! Thank you Dave !
how much current does it consume on RX?
Not much. On the order of 100 mA.
@@davecasler Making it great for SOTA OR POTA.
What does "open source" mean ?
It means you can download the source code of the software that controls the radio and make changes, if you know how and want to experiment. There are lots of mods available out there.
The software source code is openly available and can be changed or adapted. The hardware is designed to be easily modified and complete documentation is available.
Others explained it well. Also note that open-source software is typically safer than closed-source (private). Seems counter-intuitive since hackers could see exploits in the code, but so can everyone else, so it's likely someone will fix it. This can be an issue for smaller projects where only hackers look at it, but usually not.
In this case, it's a non issue since this rig isnt really a target for hacking, and is also big enough for bugs to be caught.
The CEC software is a fork (modified version) of the original software with bug fixes and more features. Highly recommend installing it!
hello dave hope you are well of in gud old usa tnx jeff .. m0prf.. uk
Advice: Slow the video down to .25 and mute the sound otherwise Dave will sound like a drunk. At .25 speed it actually becomes instructive and useful.
Good idea for a second / raw release!