CTX-10 Prepper Radio Review

[JohnyMac]

Here is a review on the CTX-10 transceiver that brands itself a "Prepper Radio".

I had an opportunity to play with it and I am going to sell my Yaesu 817 radio and Z-817 tuner in order to buy one.

Currently it only does 10 to 80-meters however it is programmable and who knows what the future will hold. The benefits of the radio out shine the lack of 2, 6, & 160-meters.

Enjoy! 

[Jackalope]

    I suggest keeping the FT-817 as a back up radio, and it gives you some frequency flexibility. Where is the CTX-10 being sold?

[Jackalope]

    Never mind, I see Universal Radio sells them.  I wonder if the 18650 batteries are easily replaceable.

[zanedclark]

Thanks johnymac for bringing this up

z

[Jackalope]

    Not to put the CTX-10 down, but it's a lot of money ($995.00 at Universal Radio) for a radio that doesn't include 160 meters, nor a microphone.   I was looking at alternatives, and there's the Xiegu X108G HF transceiver, which covers 160-10 meters, transmits at 20 watts, is ruggedized, and it includes a microphone.  On Cyber Monday, it's available for under $400 using a discount:  https://www.radioddity.com/products/xiegu-x108g-outdoor-version-1-8-25mhz-28-28-8mhz-20w-hf-transceiver-qrp-ssb-cw-with-antenna-analyzer  The trade-off is that the Xiegu is made in China, no internal battery and no internal antenna tuner.  But, it costs less than half the price of a CTX-10.  There are always trade-offs.  I understand the cost of American produced products is high, and amateur radio sales volume is low, but I think they would increase sales if they at least included a microphone with the radio.

[pkveazey]

I looked at the CTX 10 and it didn't blow my skirt up. I'd go with the cheaper Chinese radio with more features and just add the cheapest LDG tuner mounted to the top just like I did on my bugout ICOM 718 radio.

[JohnyMac]

All great comments folks!

I wasn't at first enamored with the CTX-10 until I used it.

It's small size/weight is great.
It's lack of exposed ports is a benefit.
The speaker, which is located on the bottom, sounds a lot better than the 817.
The internal batteries at 22+ hours stand-by power is a +++.
Of course internal tuner is a plus less parts and opening's to the weather.
Less menu's then the 817 is a plus.
I like it being made in the USA Vs. China.
Does not come with a mic which is kind of stupid.
Is it pricey...Yupper. But so is the Elecraft KX3. I have a business background and I think the CTX-10 manufacture is marketing their radio all wrong. They should sell a basic unit at $XXX price. Then charge $YY for additional features. KX3 is marketed that way. So a $999- basic QRP radio becomes $1,300- or more in no time.

Great discussion gents from radio nerds like myself. 

[Jackalope]

    Johny, I'll probably end up purchasing one based upon your recommendation.  I suggest that if you sell your FT-817, keep the microphone so you can use it with the CTX-10    WTF are they thinking when they're selling a voice radio without a microphone.  You're right, they need some lessons in marketing 101. 

     Without derailing the topic too much, did you get a whitetail?  And did you use comms to coordinate the hunt?

[JohnyMac]

LOL. No and no.

I saw seven deer so far but non were legal. My Baofeng (Both as a matter of fact) died for no apparent reason. I want to buy a good quality HT (Actually more than one) that I will not spend an arm and leg on. Suggestions?

I am pretty tough on my HT's and I like that the BaoFengs  could go outside the amateur band. 

[Jackalope]

   Most modern portable transceivers will go out of band.  I have several of the Icom ID-51A's, and they go out of band with a simple modification, and they're waterproof.  I can vouch for the Kenwood TH-D74A too, it's a fantastic radio, with advanced capabilities, waterproof too.  Also the Icoms have the ability to directly interface with an android device, using a proprietary cable to send images and text messages in simplex digital mode.  Yaesu makes some low cost portable radios, FT-4VR a VHF model, and the FT-4XR a dual band model.  I haven't actually seen either Yaesu.  Weird about the Baofengs, but you get what you pay for, just like quality firearms.
   
      Lots of snow here, so the hunting is good.  We've gotten over 10 inches since Monday.

[NC Scout]

Good comments in this thread. Some stuff I'd like to add as a lighthearted rebuttal:

1. The 18650 batteries are very easy to change. Remove the floor plate and they're right there.

2. This vs. Chinese QRP rigs:
     - The closest rig from China is the Xiegu X-108G. It's slightly larger and pushes out 20w vs the CTX-10's 10. But, that's where the advantages end. There's no internal tuner, no batteries, no solid method of data interface (yes, a miniproSC for the standard Yaesu connector will work along with running FLDigi in Icom 7100's mode will work...sometimes, maybe), but most seriously, it's Chinese. $25 for a Chinese HT that might be great or poop the bed in six months, cool. $400 for a Chinese HF rig that might do the same- no way. Especially not when the company will not stand behind their product.

3. This vs. Other radios with external tuners:
  - My largest gripe with the 817 in the field is the points of failure from multiple connections. Having everything streamlined in one box is far better. There's less stuff to get dirty, wet, break, etc.
  - By the time you buy a new 817 (or 818...with a whopping 6w of power!) and LDG's excellent QRP tuner, you've spent over $800. I don't think it's worth it.
   - Power consumption. No need to lug extra batteries.

4. The microphone.
    - Totally agree. I pointed it out to the product manager and the President of the company. But, they're engineers. If you've ever dealt with engineers you know exactly what I mean.

5. This vs. the 817 directly:
   - At 5w using an external power source, the 817's only real advantage is SSB on 2m and 70cm, which is really cool. Well, that and 6m. And 160...which you'll never use from a QRP radio. But there's not enough radios that have SSB line of sight capability especially today, and that's the only thing keeping the 817 selling. Its popular with SOTA in 2m and I've done a couple activations with it back when I had one. I'm working with CommRadio for a 2m/70cm version in the same body as a CW & data terminal. We'll see how it works out. But honestly, the CTX-10 blows away the 817 in receiver performance and in capability on HF. There's no comparison. And it's simplicity versus the sadistic Yaesu menu system is worth it. For my own loadout I carry it, my endfed antenna for HF, and a handheld.

The first radio I'd buy, as a prepper and if I were starting out, is an Icom 706mkIIG. Very similar to the well known Yaesu 857, it's 100w and a shack in a box, but much simpler to operate, and usually not too terribly expensive on the used market. The Red Cross has a large stockpile of them for their backup national HF disaster relief nets. I wouldn't even consider a QRP rig first. But later on, if I were looking at HF as an option for the small unit, I'd definitely pick up the CTX-10. I've used them all, including Elecraft's KX-2 and 3. The CTX-10 is the best in its class.

[Jackalope]

   The CTX-10 is a nice radio, and it does perform well.  But it is over-priced for what you get.  And what's with the mic connector on the rear of the radio?  I also don't like the power switch either, as it's too easy to inadvertently activate the radio when it's stored in a pelican case.  I've made some protective rack handles out of HDPE that will hopefully eliminate the issue with the power switch.  I'm just waiting on some screws to attach the handles, they should be here next week.  I've already acquired some extra 18650 batteries, so batteries shouldn't be an issue.  And for CW operators, there's no RIT in the transceiver.  The CTX-10 does make for a compact station, and with the simple addition of a BNC to binding post connector you can have a station almost anywhere almost instantaneously.  I'll post some photos next week once the handles are attached.  I'm keeping a FT-817, for redundancy, plus coverage of VHF/UHF.  It would be nice to have a CommRadio in VHF/UHF, but hopefully at a lower price than the CTX-10.  Plus Icom will be selling their IC-9700 soon, so there will be more VHF/UHF options available.  I've acquired a smallish 12 volt solar panel for recharging the batteries in the CTX-10 so it'll truly be a decent portable station.

    Regarding the IC-706, it's a decent radio too, but it's getting long in the tooth, as it's been out of production for many years.  I have one that I use for overseas trips, and it has never failed me.  The IC-7200 is another great rugged radio, as well as the IC-7300.  Radio folks are very fortunate to have so many outstanding choices from so many manufacturers available today.

   

[NC Scout]

I definitely concur on connections being out of the front. When I pitched improvements to CommRadio after seeing the prototype, I strongly suggested a form factor that would allow the rig to set upright in a backpack with all connections out of the front. Obviously that's not what they were going for. Essentially the radio is a transceiver based on their earlier CR-1A receiver which kept the manufacturing costs lower.

On the Pelican case note- I keep it in the smallest knockoff case that Harbor Freight sells. They're actually pretty decent for the price and it fits the radio like a glove. Since I've been doing that I've had no issue with it accidentally switching on. But I agree, I'd like a separate power switch.

[Jackalope]

    The screws came for the home-made rack handles, so the handles were installed today.  They came out okay, and they do the job, which is to prevent accidental activation of the power switch and to protect the Oled display






    I started out using a Pelican 1200 box, then a 1250, and finally a Pelican 1300 box.  The box size increased mostly because I've added additional antennas, coax, a microphone, a handset, and a straight CW key.  It's a complete station in a box.  I've done something similar for the FT-817. 

   

[JohnyMac]

Thx for the pics Jackalope.

[Jackalope]

    No problem Johny.  I took the photos in our home-made sheep wagon, which is sometimes used as an alternative radio shack, or an extra bedroom.  One of these days I'll post photos of that project in the DIY section..

[Jackalope]

   Here's another review of the radio, that's a little more critical: https://swling.com/blog/2019/02/initial-review-of-the-commradio-ctx-10-qrp-general-coverage-transceiver/   

     The author points out the need for an additional VFO.  I'd go with another VFO or an RIT, either one  It sounds like the manufacturer will address this through a firmware upgrade, which would be awesome!  I don't operate CW that much, so I can't really make any critical comments.  I didn't find the need for full QSK to be an issue, but then again my code speed is relatively slow.  I did pick up a well made compact straight key, which fits nicely in the Pelican case.  The problem with low powered radios is that it's difficult to make reliable contacts when the propagation is terrible, such as it is now during the bottom of the solar cycle.

     As the author of the article pointed out, the radio is very simple to operate.  It reminds me of a Kenwood TS-120 or one of the Atlas radios.  You can simply attach an antenna, a microphone or a CW key and you're ready to operate.  I like to use it as SWL receiver, and it works well in that capacity.  It'll be interesting to see what upgrades the manufacturer actually produces.

[Jackalope]

   I thought I'd include an update on the CTX-10, after using it for the past 3-4 years. 

   CommRadio has been providing firmware/software updates for the radio over the years.  Improvements include adding a RIT function AND providing for a second VFO.  The updates work well.  I've become more enamored with the radio after these two critical improvements.  The compact form factor is a big plus, as is having 10 watts transmit capability.  One of the features I like best is the lack of features!  It's a basic radio that most operators could begin using immediately.  That's important for those that don't do radio every day.  The CW decoder works, it's not perfect, but it's adequate for most QSO's.

    Another important selling feature is that the radio is manufactured in the USA, so supply chain issues are minimized.  My CTX-10 has traveled many thousands of miles and still performs well.

    I wasn't initially enthused with the CTX-10, but I can say that after several years of usage, this is one of the best radios purchases that I've made in the over 55 years that I've been playing with radios.

[JohnyMac]

Some of your points are right on Jackalope. The only drawback for me is the cost at $1,000-.

I love the fact it is American made. With the supply chain issues today, that is worth more than just lip service these days.