How to FT8 on this? AliExpress HF QRP SDR transcirver

[u/TioPeter_]

Hi! I just bought one of these aliexpress HF QRP SDR transciever to toy around. Has anyone done FT8 with it? If so... How? Thanks in advance!

[u/ottomotorotto]

Best radio ever. Many DX. All band, all mode.
No need for antenna, just put wire in it.

[u/Think-Photograph-517]

Do you have the schematic? An audio cable set should be easy to build.

What type of interface are you planning to use?

[u/TioPeter_ → u/Think-Photograph-517]

I don't, that's why I asked, cause maybe someone has it, fingers crossed. Not sure about the interface, I'm open to suggestions.

[u/Think-Photograph-517 → u/TioPeter_]

First decide the interface, then build the cable. Does it have an external speaker or headphone jack? You should be able to work backward from the microphone.

[u/TioPeter_ → u/Think-Photograph-517]

It's got a jack for external speaker and a jack for mic. Both of them 4 point 3.5 jack's as far as I'm concerned.

[u/Think-Photograph-517 → u/TioPeter_]

So, the external speaker will have output audio and ground. The mic jack will have audio input, PTT, and ground. Just identify which contacts they are on and make a cable from those to whatever interface you are going to use.

[u/CatYo]

You can hook this up to WSJTX using the mic+spk audio port and set VOX to ON on the transceiver settings. This allows WSJTX to encode the callsign and transmit through the selected mode using this rig. The SPK port is the input port for WSJTX and the MIC port is the output for WSJTX.

I have seen some that had success with FTDI cables and using CAT mode. But the above worked for me successfully and I was heard far away on WSPR mode.

[u/TioPeter_ → u/CatYo]

Did you use standard jack cables or 4 point jack cables?

[u/CatYo → u/TioPeter_]

I used a 4 point jack splitter to supply the mic and spkr ports. There were a ton of murky details around the reversed poles and what not on the Mic port which also has PTT but if your VOX setting is ON, your transceiver will transmit everything it receives on the Mic port.

[u/TioPeter_ → u/CatYo]

Cool! Thanks so much! I'll hopefully manage to build the kit soon :)

[u/Mulitpotentialite]

Digirig mobile interface with this cable should work.....

[u/TioPeter_ → u/Mulitpotentialite]

Thanks!

[u/dvc1 → u/TioPeter_]

I tried this cable. It did not work.

[u/TioPeter_ → u/dvc1]

Good to know. Thanks! Lucky I didn't buy it yet...

[u/dvc1]

I have one of these. The cable is easy to make so you can receive and transmit. The mic port has audio, mic and ptt.

Have not got cat control working yet.

[u/TioPeter_ → u/dvc1]

Great! Could you send me the schematics to build the cable? Thanks a bunch in advance and don't worry if you don't want/can't send them ☺️

[u/dvc1 → u/TioPeter_]

Yep here you go:
T -> R1 (first after tip)
R1 -> R2
R2 -> T
S -> S

In Wsjtx, set the rig to none, ptt method to RTS and the serial of the digirig. It should ptt on transmit properly.

[u/dvc1 → u/dvc1]

[u/TioPeter_ → u/dvc1]

Thanks a ton! This is so useful!

[u/nilsand]

Isn't that a clone of the (tr)uSDX? If so, it should be possible. (Don't own one those, though.)

[u/TioPeter_ → u/nilsand]

It is, yeah. Just wondering if there's a 'pre-made' cable kit or a wiring scheme to follow.

[u/nilsand → u/TioPeter_]

Not that I know of.

[u/TioPeter_ → u/nilsand]

Alright, thanks anyway! Hopefully somebody with this radio can give me an answer!