I recently acquired the radio shown here, the zBitX from HFSignals.com in India. It is a transceiver that covers 80 through 10 meters, CW, SSB, and digital modes. It’s a software defined radio (SDR) built around a Raspberry Pi computer, and it includes the software to operate FT8, with no additional hardware required. I’ll be writing a complete review in the coming weeks, but this radio is absolutely amazing. It is sold for under $200, including shipping from India.
Most of my QSOs so far have been FT8, and I have about 22 states confirmed after about a week of playing with it. But my very first CW QSO was with Kosta, KY6AA. I mentioned that I was running a new QRP rig, and he suggested that I check out his QRZ page to see another QRP rig.
And what a QRP rig it was: Kosta has kitted and is selling a reproduction of the the AMECO AC-1 novice transmitter. I just received his QSL card, and it’s prominently featured on the back of the card here. If you’re not familiar with that rig, it was mentioned here a few weeks ago in connection with a 1965 buyer’s guide for ham equipment. It was a very basic transmitter for the novice, with about 15 watts input power. While there might be some minor changes, the new kit is essentially the same as the original, with new parts, many of which (notably, the tubes and power transformer) are sourced from the former Soviet Union.
The replica kits (also available fully assembled) are for sale at TheNewAmeco.com for $230.32. At first glance, that seems expensive for such a bare-bones transmitter. But as we saw previously, the original sold for $19.95 in 1965. According to this online inflation calculator, that works out to $203.17 in 2025 dollars, so the current version is pretty comparably priced. So yes, it’s expensive today for such a basic transmitter. But it was just as expensive back in the day. The only difference is that back then, it was the least expensive option! And you would still need a receiver (which would probably cost more).
The New Ameco has another product in the planning stage, a basic receiver of the same era. If you look at that page, it might look familiar. That’s because we previously featured the same design, by V.A. Egorov, UA3AB!
It would be fun to assemble the AC-1, and maybe I’ll get one some day. But for the same money, I have the zBitX. Not only does it transmit, but it receives. It covers all HF bands, and all modes. If I had bought an AC-1 back in the day, I doubt if I would have worked 22 states in the first week. So don’t let anyone tell you that amateur radio is an expensive hobby!
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