The good Chinese gear you can buy.

[Mongo82]

Some stuff is hit and miss, but it can't all be junk or can it? Are there any recommendations on stuff such as tx, analysers, aerials, audio, that is worth spending on. Equipment that's useful for the less seasoned and the pros on a budget. Maybe a best to worst from 1 to 10?

[shuffy]

Some stuff is hit and miss, but it can't all be junk or can it? Are there any recommendations on stuff such as tx, analysers, aerials, audio, that is worth spending on. Equipment that's useful for the less seasoned and the pros on a budget. Maybe a best to worst from 1 to 10?

The bottom line is, it's CHEAP. Doesn't always mean bad though. They achieve the savings by economy of scale, but also by cutting corners.

Lots of people here disagree entirely with me on this but this is the way I'd approach it, I hope it gets the ball rolling (again)

If I was looking for anything I was going to put on air, it would not contain an exciter designed around ANY of the all-in-one modulator chips, Q* or BH* or whatever. The Chinese persistently use these in transmitters they sell but the ICs are NOT intended to be used for broadcast applications - it's usually pretty clear from the data sheets. I've seen talk about good "harmonic" performance etc. Anyone can achieve that with a filter - it's the in-band and close-in nasties you can't get rid of and you don't want to amplify those.

Even if an exciter appears to be built on "discrete" components (i.e. a varicap modulated transistor VCO or similar) you need to be aware that corners might have been cut and aspects of the design may not be optimum. Probably a topic on its own.

I've seen, either separately or as part of a TX, power amplifiers which look to be well designed in terms of layout and topology and like they should work fine - but others where they keep "tweaking" in worrying areas e.g. matching stages and filters. Basically you've got to know what you're looking for (if the picture shows what they actually ship, that is). There are also lots of fake components used in PAs, so once again be prepared to take the risk.

Power supplies - pretty much all switch mode these days and almost all made in China. There are about a zillion SMPSs of all specs sold, and the spec of any given unit may change without notice at any time. Bit of a minefield. Lots of people including hams buy these so there's plenty of discussion about which are good/bad and why, but for more critical applications e.g. i.e. your exciter or PA PSU, it's probably worth getting your Chinese SMPS from a retailer who's tested and probably used them. Enigma or DRFS are the first ones I'd think of.

I've never looked at any of the audio processing gear available so can't comment.

There are Chinese vendors who have clearly knocked off designs like NRG and PIRA exciters, coders, limiters etc and are selling kits and boards. You'd think they'd manage OK with these simple circuits but quality does let them down sometimes. Verdict - if any doubt, and you've got the gear to set them up correctly, build it yourself!

What else. On the whole, I wouldn't trust any analyser traces in the listings. There's usually never any useful technical documentation shipped with anything either.

Don't like much really, do I? Ha ha ha.

ALL of the above has been covered again and again elsewhere on RN so you've got plenty to go at here. Bottom line, do what research you can, use your judgement, and always be prepared to lose your money. Also you may not get what you see or what you're expecting.

There are some nice surprises to be had (I'm a fan of the small boost and buck converters, and the small DSP radios) and I admit I enjoy looking through and sometimes buying stuff on Aliexpress. Also there's some useful cheap test equipment like VNAs, analysers and scopes. Usually FAR better than nothing for the price, particularly the VNAs. Lots of discussion/reviews of these on the web so it's quite easy to research and choose.

Hope that helps as a starter.

[Mongo82]

I bought the nano vna and its the good version of some that are out there, but i am not techy enough to truly give a review. It seems to do what it says on the tin. Also bought a tiny spectrum analyzer which once again I think it had a review on here somewhere and is possibly why I took a chance on it. How to really use it, well I've not got that far as yet, and need to watch a few you tube videos. I have bought some kits such as frequency counters and other projects and most have never worked, but that could be me.

[shuffy]

Lots of those types of gadget started life as HAM projects using SDR type tech with custom firmware and mass marketed by the Chinese vendors. Others may have a different view but I don't think you can go far wrong at the price with those. You certainly can't do any harm with a VNA!