The QRPer Board

I just acquired this RGO One yesterday from K1EY who acquired it from N0SA when it was highlighted on QRPer last spring. I have only had time to configure and test in the shack, but it has the most current firmware and is in great shape. I have not cracked the lid to see what is inside, but it has the tuner and standard variable filter at the very least. After playing around and making a few contacts, I am thinking I will be happy to have tracked one of these down. CW performance seems excellent, and this will likely replace an FT-891 that I just cant get that excited about. This runs at about half the power at idle, and I very much prefer the user interface on the RGO One. No dig on the 891 as it has its pluses, but this is a better fit for me in this form factor.

The RGO One is a nice, but releatively unknown rig. It is definitely a radio that shines in CW operations. However, I am not much of a CW operator and I have my eye on another more expensive radio.

Here's my RGO One:



It has the ATU, Noise Blanker, optional 2.8 kHz crystal filter, and 160/60m module.

Very nice. The radio certainly does shine for CW, which is my primary mode. That said, just to test it out I made some SSB contacts with excellent audio and signal repots. It is not going to replace my K3 at home, but I think it is going to be a great table top portable for parks or on the sail boat.

I absolutely love my RGO One and actually plan to make a "Getting To Know You" video about it in the coming weeks.
It has a "legacy" radio design appeal that really speaks to me. That and its receiver is brilliant, keying amazing, and ergonomics excellent.
You got a great radio there!
Cheers,
Thomas
K4SWL

I took my RGO One to our Field Day operation again this year. I mostly worked CW with it. Another OP was working FT-8, and just couldn't help himself in cranking his rig up to 100 watts of power out. It was the 7300 OPs that had to give up on making contacts on both the same and differing bands while the FT-8 OP was working. It was them whom noticed that I was able to keep on making contacts despite the close proximity of the digital station, whereas their radios were too "over-loaded". I think that speaks volumes for the RGO One.

73,

Don, K9DRP

For years I used an old Ten-Tec Century 21, even taking it with me to the Falkland Islands (as VP8CZI). I can't help but feel that the RGO is domewhat reminiscent of the Ten-Tec rigs, albeit with a "top notch" design, none of the drift and a narrow, selective and sensitive front end of some of the lower spec Ten-Tecs@

So tempting, but just how many QRP rigs does one person need......?

M0RGM wrote: ↑Wed Sep 13, 2023 10:31 am (snip, snip)

So tempting, but just how many QRP rigs does one person need......?

Is that a trick question?
73 Skip K4EAK

My understanding is that Boris worked for, I think, TenTec at one time. I have not spent enough time with my RGO One, but enjoy it. I actually had two, but traded one for a spectrum analyzer/tracking generator. One may never have enough QRP rigs, but maybe more than one or two of the same rig? I do have two KX-1s, KX-3s, K-2s, multiple MTR rigs - all different models, TruSDX for FT8, HW-7,8,9, TenTec Argonaut series, Scout, HB1B, IC-705, and a few that I have probably forgotten. Oh yeah, the Penntek 45L. They all get used,or have uses for them. Portable, fixed station at home and at vacation home (pay for one house, still work and buy a second one until paid for - and the kids are out of the house). Thanks to Thomas and getting my out of the house, working portable.
72,
John