Comparison SW 3B vs QCXmini
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- čas přidán 22. 05. 2021
- This video shows a comparison of the Venus SW-3B and the QCX mini. Main focus will be on the SW-3B. I will also show the negative points of both transceivers. What is not shown at the video: The QCXmini does not like RF on the housing. If your antenne isn't perfectly matched the QCX do sometimes crazy things. (noisy sidetone up to switching to GPS mode and so on.) The SW-3B does not show this problem.
I like the SW-3B very much but I will sell it on ebay because I need space (and money) for an KX2.
Feel free to write your comments below. Ham radio should be a discussion.
Vy 73 de Björn, DL2NEP - Věda a technologie
As a plus for the QCX, it has a CW decoder, and is very good. Very useful for the learner.
No, sir! The learner needs to listen first. With the decoder, one starts reading the decoded letters and won't be able to receive without it.
The CW decoder is pretty poor, not worth having. The decoder between your ears would be a far better option. The Echo Papa QRP video is pretty pointless as both Radios are built for totally different purpose.
Explain “different purpose”
Thanks for the video, I just started looking at these radios.
I appreciate your review. I am considering the SW-3C. I haven't seen any reviews but the 3B review (and comments) have been positive. Thank you.
Great comparison ! You really got the point. SW-3B is really under appreciated design, QCX is also great design and building it is also big fun. You have new subscriber.
Thank you so much for this video, Björn. It helped me decide in favour of the SW-3B. It has the 3 best bands for working around Europe on QRP, i have subscribed to your channel its very interesting.
72 und AWDH
I have made many cw contacts with my SW-3B, I love it. Been tempted to buy a QCX mini just to have in my CW backpack but haven't yet.
Bjorn, I can also confirm that the QCK mini does not like RF on its case (EFHW users take note and add huge toroids on feed lines!) - I think I 'smoked' my mini because of this!
That's interesting. I have also built the QSX Mini and don't have any of the problems you indicate in your video and at the third of the price of the SW-3B I plan on building another for a different band.
With the size not much bigger than a packet of cigarettes transportation is not a problem.
The problems are now less than before. I recalibrated the QCX again and used my new GPS (from QRP-Labs) to align the frequency. Now it works very very well. Some small birdies but not annoying like last time. I realy love this TRX. I think about to buy another one for 20m and modify it to the uSDX (SSB). If this small box is able to do allmode. This is unbelivable. 73 de Bjoern, DL2NEP
@@echopapaqrp8166 That's great news Bjoern. I purchased the 40mtr version and installed the TCXO module option. I also purchased the QLG2 GPS receiver kit but yet to work out how its used. My next kit will be the 20Mtr version.
Keep up the good work and subscribed to your channel.
My QCX-mini, purchased assembled in Dec., 2021, has no birdies and no step noise. So, those problems in the video should not be taken as common ones.
it appears the Venus SW 3c which is the slightly larger version of the 3B is now available. it costs about $188 USD but comes fully built up and tested (there does not appear to be any kit option with this transceiver ) . Again it is a three band model. IN terms of features, the SW 3C and the MINI are about equal. With the 3C you get SSB decode (and three bands for not much more than the price of a mini fully built up and in a case , the latter being about $ 125 USD ) with the MIni you get CW decode.
One very important point. - it is relatively easy to destroy the PA of the Mini using an untuned antenna. that's because it uses three off BS 170s in parallel in a class E configuration and no VSWR protection.
The 3C uses a IRF 510A in class C as the output device but a low power loading and it is going to be far more robust when run into a bad load or a coax break or anything of that sort. A coax break will destroy the PA of the mini every time. Not only that it will also destroy one of the microcontroller (An Atmel328) outputs in general so it will cause a massive rebuild job or even total destruction.
TEF
sw3b now in stock. I don't like sw3c due form factor and size
@@rst5nn fair enough. As long as they use the same basic topology one should be about as reliable as the other.
NB Should. early versions of the Qcx mini had a disasterous record versus the Qcx + design. Blown voltage reggies, blown microprocessors.. the whole schmeer.
THe example they have on the video (unless revised ) worries me. It has a massive amount of relay noise. It sounds like crap - almost like a pre production version. The examples given on various Yt videos of users indicate keying is silent. that suggests to me that some early version was videoed and Venus iTech was too damn lazy to re video the as per shipped version.
TEF
I am considering the 3C. Can you offer any insights for me? Dale wrote to tell me that there is not a great deal of difference...mainly cosmetic. But on the website there was info in the 3B section that the newer chips have noise issues. Is that a major concern? More importantly, are the chips used in the 3C quiet? Thank you!
Hello! Totally agree regarding the SW-3B knob, it feels very cheap and you have to be very careful about it, not only when using it, but also when packing it to your bag. I am afraid that it will break some day. It is not designed for tuning around bands, rather to set a frequency and call CQ...
I am also missing a SWR meter, to be able to check if the antenna is OK. I will need to assemble one.
Last little thing is that it cannot call CQ in a loop, it appears that you need to press the button for each CQ... (Or hopefully, am I missing something?)
The rest about SW-3B is great, receiver is good enough, the RF gain knob is very useful. I like this RIG very much, looking forward to test it in the field, at some summit or so!
Fully agree! I made some expirience that the QCXmini has huge problems if your antenna is not perfect and has some RF on the cable. The SW-3B never showed a problem like that. Receiver is also very nice. It can be reduced to the cheap tuning knob. Maybe it is somehow possible to change it to a more valuable one. Vy 73 de Björn
The SW3B is out of production till at least October of 2021. I've had one on order for 2 months now, and Dale stated there are problems with one of the computer chips that can't be resolved at this time in the rigs current configuration. So if you want a SW3B you will have to wait a considerable amount of time to get one...
Yes, I can confirm. I'm in the same boat here. It's almost impossible to buy anything QRP new now. Almost everyone is out of stock / delayed, but I think QRP labs is ok. I cancelled the SW-3B order and got a refund.
Can you explain the birdies with the QCX-mini? I am still undecided which of these two radios to purchase. Do these make using the radio difficult? Also, do you use an auto antenna tuner, or a “band specific” antenna? Having multiple bands is a nice idea, but when I review my log I see that most of my CW is on 20m. Thank you (and others who’d like to help) for your guidance.
Hi, normally I use only band specific antennas. Only with the Elecraft KX2 I use random wire. The birdies I never checked. I think it is not so bad. You can use the TRX without any problem. I think both transceivers are very useful. I like the CW monitor on the QCX and I like the 3 bands and the SSB reception on the SW3B. Both are good. Vy 73 de Bjoern
Guter Vergleich. Hab lange überlegt mit den SW-3B zuzulegen. Hab mich dann aber doch für einen gebrauchten FT-817 entschieden.
Der 817 ist dann aber doch eine andere Liga. So richtig vergleichen kann man die beiden Geräte nicht mehr. Ich hatte den 817 vor längerer Zeit auch mal. Das ist schon ein schönes Gerät. Akku war immer schnell leer, aber sonst echt schön. Einziger Minuspunkt: Warum wurde bei einem Gerät mit 5W kein Speechcompressor verbaut?!?!? Das verstehe ich bis heute nicht. Zumal der 818 wieder keinen hat.
@@echopapaqrp8166 Ja stimmt alles. Speechcompressor kann man immerhin dazukaufen. Kostet nicht die Welt (im Gegensatz zum CW-Filter).
@@hcy0 Das CW-Filter ist aber gut. Ich fand das es für den heftigen Preis wenigstens gut geklungen hat...
@@echopapaqrp8166 Hab zum Glück eins günstig erwischt.
SW-3B's crystal lader filter work a better I think over phased method QCX use.
Thanks for the video. A uSDR Chinese QCX just showed up at this QTH. I am not impressed. Too noisy; your showing the QCX Mini has the same noise & receive signal quality. Having had a MTR3 and an MTR5 (which I foolishly sold), I guess the real step will be the SW-3B.
. . . I also have a Xiegu X5105, which is a pretty decent radio, except for the many birdies and spurs (on at ~28.4 MHz is an internal signal that you can hear on another receiver ;-) ). Finding the "perfect" SOTA/POTA rig is a chore. Your video helps me make decisions for the day when we can travel again. Stay safe & healthy! 73 de W8IJN
The QCX mini is not so much noisy. It has a nice and clean receiver. The Chinese uSDR has an horrible receiver. I will show a video about this soon. But mine only was receiving for abot 1h. After that the input mixer died. Now I have to wait for the replacement parts. The SW-3B is nice. But the build quality is cheap. Especially the VFO knob. Everything else is OK. Receiver is good. Vy 73 de Bjoern, DL2NEP
@@echopapaqrp8166 I got into the Chinese uSDX & reduced the drive to the AF amp, which made the receiver much easier to listen to. And I figured out to turn on the AGC, such as it is. Even so, it is still very much a toy radio and not a very good toy at at that. Too bad. It's a good idea put poorly implemented 73 de W8IJN
@@echopapaqrp8166 I had to replace the SW-3B failed encoder after just a few hours - relatively easy obtain (from Venus) and not too hard to replace (buy a couple of spares!!)
The encoders are mechanical and quite cheaply made! 73
uSDX and QCX are incomparable in receive quality. QCX is really high performance rig, while uSDX is just a proof of concept experimental device even if you are not talking about cheap Chinese clones.
QCX is a neat radio - I built one of the original larger ones when they first came out. But you only get 1 band with the QCX! The SW-3B looks like a really great rig for the price - by far the least expensive 3-band QRP rig out there. Thanks for the comparison video and 73. de WU7H
Thanks for the comment. If you want to have 3 bands I think the SW-3B is your choice. If you are happy with a monobander... I think the QCX mini is a valuable TRX. Vy 73 deb Bjoern, DL2NEP
On teh sw3b you can hear am radio within the hamradioband.
Question on the SW3B… Why does it seem to have two separate band switches?
Probably an original design leftover.. Moving ONE SWITCH - MOVES THEM ALL, so no individual switching setting possible!
@@QRPp_Radio so the 1…2..3 switched are physically linked?
Never heard birdies on either of my 4 qcx. 2 are minis. VFO knob doesn’t make any strange noises
Birdies are now dissapeared. (I don't understand why... but it is OK). But the tuning noise is there. You can hear it in some of the videos. It is not a big deal. If you selected a station you don't need to tune. So the noise does not affect the QSO.
Hi,
Does SW-3B have AGC?
Is it more confortable comparing with QCX to work on SW-3B?
Hi, I think the SW-3B does have AGC. But the QCX works very fine. So I think there is no need. If you reduce the volume you can handle nearby all situations. I like more to work with the QCX. My SW-3B is sold allready. But it was not sold because of bad TRX. I sold it to have enough money for an KX2. It seems like the SW-3B can handle bad SWR conditions, specially the RF outside the coax cable, better than the QCXmini. The QCXmini quickly begin to be crazy. Vy 73 de DL2NEP
@@echopapaqrp8166
Many thanks. I am very appreciate your answer =).
I also have QCX mini 40m and like it very much. Moreover, I want to get QCX+ 20m for my mods like Reflected Power Meter, Speaker, internal battery, etc but not sure that I need one more QCX rig but very want =)
@@echopapaqrp8166
> I like more to work with the QCX.
Could you please explain reason for this? I am very curious about this.
@@rst5nn First point is "I bulid the QCXmini as a kit" and second point are the features and sound. The QCXmini has a very low noise level. If you use it outdoors away from all the noisy stuff arround us it is very very quiet. You hear very small signals and so on. I like this very much. The SW-3B sounds much noisier. But it is a nice radio too.
@@echopapaqrp8166
Thank you!
The last question. You mentioned that the only downside of QCX mini is VFO encoder clicks. If this is mechanical by encoder or audio clicks during changing frequency?
Mechanical clicks can be easy solved by removing small ball within encoder or stop wires (I will probably create video about this).
Also, why did you select 20m band and do you feel that you need at least 2 bands?
Thank you so much for this video, Björn. It helped me decide to try the SW-3B. I like my QCX but wanted 40 and 20 meters in one radio. This radio fits the bill and so far I'm having fun with it. Here's my set up at home and working a CW Ops. My external speaker is a little noisy. But the bands are very quiet with this radio. Thanks again. 73 Ron czcams.com/video/4X2Dg9K-jFo/video.html
Yes, the SW-3B is a nice transceiver. It does a good job.
A huge pro for the SW 3B is that it's not a kit like the QCX......I've built a 40m QCX and it was a very frustrating experience for me. 73
You always can purchase an assemblied QCX mini.
How about a comparison between very cheap qrp's ?? Forty-9er vs Pixie
How about a twitter profile showing the qrp operations you do ??
Hi Igor, I ordered a Forty-9er and I own a Pixi. I is my plan to do a video to compare this. But it will take some time. Next video is may be the seach of locations. Vy 73
@@echopapaqrp8166 I look forward to the videos ... I think both the forty and the pixie radios are cool because of their overly portable size, a perfect setup for SOTA QRP
My congratulations on the videos and a beautiful 73's from Brazil🇧🇷 !!!!
@@Igor-pw7nd Hi Igor, for the Pixie I would say it is NOT the perfect SOTA transceiver. My antenna at home has not perfect SWR 1:1. It is likely 1: 1.5-1.8. I killed the PA (8050) two times. So I expect it is very sensitive to bad SWR. This is in my opinion not good for SOTA. I will change the transistor to an 2N2222 with metal chassis. Maybe this will help....
I own both rigs.The SW-3B clearly has a smoother QSK break in than does the QCX mini.I would chose the SW-3B over the QCX Mini any day of the week.And did I mention it is a tri-band transceiver? The SW-3B beats the QCX Mini hands down in virtually every way possible.I don’t really care what any rig costs me,as long as it is functional for my needs of operation.
Well put!
Then why you need SW-3B, if the price is not an issue? Elekraft is incomparably better and has everything! :-)
Really, most of reviewers note quieter receiver of QCX. And for the price of one SW-3B (which is a nice radio) you can build 2.5 QCX mini's, which will give redundancy in portable operation. Also it looks more power efficient in transmission mode, which natural due to more efficient PA. From the other point of view, people note more sturdy PA at SW-3B. So each of them have pros and cons.
@@kao354I own an Elecraft KX2,KX3,IC-703+,WA3RNC TR-25,TR-35,and an OHR 400,so WTF are you talking about? The QCX mini has a terrible break in,and is only a monobander,so it’s not the bargain people believe it is.
@@redman840 I own many TRX as well, but do not consider QRP as something I want to invest a lot of money into. And I like building kits. I cannot notice significant difference between full QSK on IC-7300 and QCX mini, except clicking relay noise on 7300 and completely silent QCX switch. For me QRP was always about building your radio and antenna. If I change my perspective, I'll buy Elecraft KX2 and use it as it has everything what one could need.
Receiver of SW-3B has more noise vs QCX, but you will not notice it unless you go outside, far from houses with noise they produce.
@@kao354 I understand.Don’t forget that you can actually build your KX2,KX3,or most any of the Elecraft products that come in kit form.I don’t have quite the experience,or test equipment for building…choosing to build my own antennas,instead.My QCX mini has a terrible break in to it,sometimes intermittent,or sending extra characters,either in iambic A or B settings,sometimes I find annoying.