The Radio Clinic of New York Review of Radioddity QT60 Pro HF Transceiver

--By TRC

The reviews that will follow in a series totalling three parts, are an overview, a portable operation and technical lab review. This is part one, with the subsequent parts to be published at a later date .

The Radioddity QT60 Pro, is an amateur radio HF tranceiver, that covers the frequency range of 24-30 MHz, capable of AM, FM, SSB, CW and while not published, digital modes are also possible.

The specifications are published and posted below for convenience.

This transceiver, manufactured in China by Qixiang Electron Science and Technology, is a result of countless hours of expertise and real world field testing, from beta testers, engineers and users across the globe. The end result, is the most advanced, highest performing radio of its kind, available today in its class. It gets its advanced feature set and performance, from the massive effort, developing its compact sister radio, the QT80, which has also been recently released.

If the QT series radios look familiar to you, there is a reason why. You may not know who Qixiang is, but they manufacture radios under many different names, one of which is Radioddity. The QT series is not a familiar looking knock off, it is the real deal. It is in my opinion that the Qixiang built radios, are the best 10/12 meter radios out there right now.

Using DSP technology and high stability RF circuit designs, the HF radio products offered by Radioddity, exhibit features and performance, never seen before in a transceiver of this type. The RF output power levels achieved, are reliable and clean. The sensitive receiver, which has been meticulously designed, incorporates DSP noise reduction and AGC action, never seen before in this type of radio. The frequency stabilty out of the box, is impeccable. Users of some other well known branded radios, are often told they are off frequency or drifting. Not with the Radioddity QT series radios. The receiver has a warm sound, that is not irritating or hissy, causing listener fatigue. Transmit audio reports received, are also positive. I am told, my audio is clear and punchy, when using the supplied hand microphone. I get plenty of unsolicited compliments, of my signal and audio quality, from the stations I work.

It is a true communication device, that can be used in all environments sucessfully. I personally, have used it sucessfully at home, in a vehicle and running as battery operated portable. The size, features and performance, make this an ideal POTA/SOTA rig (more on this later). Making contacts, could not be easier than when using the QT60 Pro. It really hears and talks well. While my primary mode of operation with the QT60 Pro is SSB, it also shines when using the other available modes, including FT8. I personally use this radio when mobile or portable, but have used it from my home QTH with amazing success.

The features that are incorporated in the QT60 Pro, allow narrow/wide bandwidth FM, VOX ( that may also be used to transmit and receive digital signals, such as FT8/FT4 ( by constructing a simple cable only radio to computer interface), wide/narrow SSB transmission, repeater operation, weather radio/VHF receiver with alert function, along with many other features that are covered in the manual. PC programmabilty (programming cable required) is also excellent, with the free CPS software. This feature makes adding or removing functions/features, a very quick and easy job. Another thing worth mentioning, is that there is a "magic wire and jumper" that can be moved from pins 1/2 to 2/3 and snipped, for frequency expansion, that enables 12 meter coverage.

While there are many features that stand out, from competitors products, there are some things I feel that could benefit from improvement. The VFO control, is not a true VFO, but a rather hard click detent, like what is found as a channel selector. I think tuning the VFO, with a smoother, softer, detent control (reminiscent of the HR-2510 and HTX-100 for example) would be more suitable in an amateur transceiver of this type. I found the CW mode to be lacking for me. There is no CW key jack, so I rigged a jack at the mic connector. This turned out to be pointless, as I tend to send around 30 WPM, +/- 2 WPM which posed a problem. The turnaround time from receive to transmit, is too slow to capture the first "dit" when sending at these speeds. This is a problem for me, as the first letter of my call sign, happens to have a leading "dit". Hence, I do not use the rig on CW. While, this may not be a problem for all CW ops, it is for me and I am writing this review! The sister radio, QT80 has the ability to operate on the 15 meter band at diminished specs. This is indeed a huge bonus, particularly when the band conditions are not favorable for 10 and 12 meters.

Perhaps I am simply spoiled, by the QT80's outstanding capabilities. These things don't detract from the fantastic performance and value, that the QT60 Pro offers. One of the first thing I noticed, when I unboxed the radio, was the large heatsink on the rear panel. I was thinking that the size was there, for a more robust power amplifier. It is still one of the best in class 10/12 meter transceivers ever to make it to market and I have many, startng with the HR-2510 from 1989. If I can dream, I would want the QT80 inside the QT60 Pro. That would be the best of both worlds. I use the compact size radio in my vehicle and the larger one for home or portable. The QT60 Pro display is simply awesome. If the front panel keypad buttons were backlit, that would also be a nice addition for the future.

What sets the Radioddity HF radios apart from everything else, are the basic expectations from the point of sale, to the end user experience. Not only does one get the most advanced, highest performing transceiver of its type available today, Radioddity offers support and a real warranty. This is what sets Radioddity apart from the rest. I truly cannot understand, why anyone would purchase a radio from any other vendor. They stand behind what they sell and are really wonderful people to deal with.

I personally own every model HF radio that Radioddity offers. Each one has its own unique application, such as size, features, look etc. The two flagship offerings from Radioddity, the QT60 Pro (full size TRX) and the QT80 (compact TRX), which have similarities, are the best in class available today.

73 es GUD DX!
CU on 10!