RX888 received at price that was expected
ghby...@k9trv.org
I received an RX888MkII unit two days ago that I ordered recently. Total price, delivered, $206.45, including AFAIK all import fees. It waited to leave China until the 30% tariff was in place, so some delay there, to save me money.
I ordered from HamRadioTech Store on AliExpress. They currently show only one more to sell. I see others, similarly priced, that include all import ‘fees’ (tariffs). Others offering the RX888 DO NOT include the import fees! Be careful and read carefully before ordering! Avoid surprises!
I have had good results ordering RX888 units (and other things) from AliExpress, EXCEPT for the scammer in January-ish 2024 who didn’t deliver, or delivered auto parts to a faraway location (Colorado) and claimed that that constituted ‘delivery’ to me. It was fraud, where they somehow access valid tracking numbers (this one was FedEx, for a 100+ pound weight item, so NOT an RX888!), and use those to string you along for a while. Best advice: file with AliExpress, NOT PayPal or your credit card issuer FIRST! It will get handled. If it doesn’t, then you go to PayPal if involved, and then your credit card issuer. You need to document that your issue was not handled at the lowest level first.
The picture shows the smallish black heatsink that was on the ADC, and the small thermal pad. A complete TAPR RX888 clock kit and thermal were then installed. You can see in the picture that I affixed small, all-copper heatsinks to the major chips on the board. They come from an RPi copper heatsink kit, such as https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CJDSGBL8 or https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CJDF5PRD from GeeekPi. Use the short ones, and the clock board will fit nicely, upside-down, over the Cypress USB chip with its heatsink.
Original case external heatsinks removed by putting some xylol on the seams of the heatsinks. It softens the glue and makes removal easy. Using metal-filled thermal epoxy, I reattached the heatsinks and gave them a day to cure.
It is currently running!
TAPR is currently reordering RX888 Clock Kit parts, and will have them back in stock shortly. Also GUS will be back in stock late in May (likely shipping by this coming Friday.)
73,
George Byrkit, K9TRV
4755 Dexter-Pinckney Road
Dexter, MI 48130-8536 USA
734-426-3695 (h)
734-358-5368 (c)
