POTA with the (tr)uSDX
Although I bought my little (tr)uSDX transceiver two years ago, it has only seen sporadic use. Other than an occasional contact or two, it has been mostly relegated to the shelf. I figured it was about time to put it to serious use in a POTA/WWFF activation.Β
I made a return visit to Norristown Farm Park (US-4363, KFF-4363) for another activation. It was raining on and off this morning here in southeastern Pennsylvania, so I pretty much had the place to myself.Β
I set up the (tr)uSDX with my Elecraft T1 tuner in the cab of my truck. I used three 18650 Li-ion batteries power the radio. As usual, I went with my 12-foot whip and homebrew loading coil on the back of the truck.
Iβm getting a little better at navigating the (tr)uSDXβs menus and using the controls. There are a lot of functions covered by three controls. To refresh my memory, I used the rig last night with my rain gutter βantennaβ to make a couple of contacts. I also brought along a cheat sheet today, which I didnβt need.
Just for the fun of it, I started off using my little N6ARA TinyPaddles. They match the orange radio, so why not. Unfortunately, I had some issues with them, so I switched over to my Palm Mini paddles. I have to tweak the contact spacing on the N6ARA paddles.Β
Starting out on 40M, the signals were strong and plentiful. It only took me about 11 minutes to log my first 10 contacts. When things slowed down on 40M, I made a few contacts each on 30M and 20M. After 45 minutes, I had 21 contacts in the log with one park-to-park QSO.
The (tr)uSDX is an incredible little rig. They packed an awful lot of features into a tiny package, but itβs not really a high-performance radio. I have to admit it wasnβt the most pleasant rig to listen to; there were some pops and clicks in the sidetone when keying. It could have been the earbuds I was using. I also need to go back through the menu settings to make sure I havenβt missed something. Looking at my RBN spots, I could see I need to tweak the frequency calibration a bit. Itβs transmitting a little lower than the displayed frequency. Having said all that, I canβt be too critical of radio at this price point.
In the end, though, the little rig got the job done today. Not bad for a five-band, multi-mode radio that costs less than $140 assembled.Β
72, Craig WB3GCK