Should I get one

[Craig and Terri's Excellent Adventures]

I have been researching my next HF radio, learning about the different options available.  I am very interested in the SDR radio option, but I see a lot of post about issues with the HL2.  I do not want to spend all my time trying to fix issues instead of being on the air.  My question is, is the HL2 the correct radio for me?  Are all the issues on this forum unusual?  Will this radio die after six months?

Please help me out so I do not waste my money.

Craig

KQ4SID 

[Ed Grafton]

I have 3 HL-2s at this point. Not a problem with any of them. Assemble CAREFULLY & there should not be a problem. 

As a guess, 95% of the issues come from improper assembly.

Ed

[Aaron]

I got one, ran into an issue with my 1.2V step down converter or something else, and the HL2 decided to shut off and stop booting after running for about 2 minutes.  I have no clue as to what or why it happened, but thus far Steve (the original developer of this board) has been behind it, after trying a bunch of things, a new board is on its way to me now.  I haven't given up on it yet, primarily due to the top notch support I've received.

One thing to note is this is not a radio to get out of the box and jump on the air.  The assembly can be a bit tedious, specifically with the heatsink bracket installation.  One wrong move and you could break off vital components on the board, or short them out.  The assembly requires patience and careful attention to not damage any components during assembly.  Post-assembly, you should be able to get on the air but then you will be faced with interfacing the radio over the network to a PC, using Thetis or another piece of software, which is another hurdle to get past.  However, once it is all up and running, the way I envision it is being an amazing device and setup.

It was frustrating to say the least getting a bad board, and then I attempted to fix it unsuccessfully, but overall I am really excited to get on the air with it.  For the price, I just can't find anything better, but I also appreciate radios that work out of the box equally.  For a radio of this type (except the QRP wattage), you are easily looking at thousands of dollars.  The NR2 features are absolutely breath taking from the videos I've watched.  I am a huge nerd and also got into ham radio, and it seems like marrying the ham radio with my computer is a match made in heaven for me.  I don't need to relocate into the depths of my basement to make good contacts, and my radio and equipment can be setup essentially anywhere on my network where I would not need to be physically in front of the radio altering settings, etc.

Finally, to have the community behind this project at this level is absolutely amazing.  This is not just some run of the mill product that no one knows about.  There are people that develop boards, add-ons, etc. to bring you additional features, better quality transmissions, and the IO board to hook up an amp.  The tutorials and support are amazing for this open source project.

All in all, it seems great but it does have its drawbacks.  For me, it is 100% worth fighting through the problems, as long as I can get a working, functional radio that lasts more than a few years (or minutes!)

[Felix Martin]

Greetings, I've had a Hermes Lite Plus for three years, left on 24/7. I never turn off my computers and radios. It's an excellent radio compared to high-end models. The only downside is its low power, but that's easily solved with a good amplifier. The magic of the Hermes is the Thetis software. I'm a computer engineer, so I find it easy to understand, but if you have limited computer knowledge, it requires a learning curve. I recommend the Hermes; for the price, it's the best SDR equipment you can get. 73 from Félix EA4HOS

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[Heath Petty]

The HL2 is not an appliance radio, there is some configuration and setup required to operate with it. This greatly enhances its flexibility. You will need to pay attention to the network you use with the HL2 and you will need to install and configure software to use the HL2. This adds a layer or two of complexity, but once you get things dialed in, its usually solid. With my setup at home now, I can just jump on the radio and operate w/o much fuss. I also have a portable HL2 setup that I have taken many times out into the field (in less that perfect weather conditions) and it continues to operate just fine. From my very un-scientific observation, I feel like the HL2 has about the same number of problems that radios from big manufacturers have. The good thing is all the schematic and debugging info is freely available, and as mentioned there is support from the community. I have been running an HL2 at my home now for 3 years, and haven't had any issues, it will definitely last longer than 6 months, if you take care of it like you would any other HF radio. 

One other big positive for the HL2 is that, because most of the radio function is in software, its almost infinitely up-gradable. One recent example is the development of new AI based noise reduction DSP software. These new features were incorporated into various HL2 applications quickly. My IC-705 is still stuck with the NR that is in the current firmware, but I have to wait for Icom to decide if they want to add it as a new feature (along with any other fixes and features). At some point Icom will stop updating stuff and the radio will be stuck forever, and the expectation would be to buy a new radio. The HL2 was first released around 2016, and its still going strong and exhibiting excellent performance. I keep my IC-705 as a backup, and also because it does all mode 2m and 440. 

I hope my observation help in your decision. 

-Heath

[Ron Lewkowicz]

Well, I bought an HL2 as my first HF radio shortly after getting licensed.   I've been running mine now for about 3 years and I think it's a great little radio.  I run it in Linux with either Quisk, piHPSDR or deskHPSDR.   It's bullet proof.  I think actual issues with the radio itself are rare.  My friend bought a name brand Japanese radio and in this same time span he has already sent it in for repair twice.   I keep thinking I should be looking to upgrade but when it comes down to it I just can't find a reason to.

[ron.ni...@gmail.com]

The problems and issues reported in the forums are likely to be unusual and uncommon.  I know of several HL2's users that have had no issues over years of use. Components can fail, but that is true even with more expensive transceivers from the Big 5 vendors.

The HL2 not an appliance radio, since it does require some assembly, but on the order of 100X less assembly time than, say, a QMX+ kit.  As with any kit, the assembly does need to be done properly.  You don't want to put any of parts in backwards by not carefully reading the assembly documentation.  In return, you get a far more flexible and completely documented product than almost any other QRP transceiver.

73, Ron, N6YWU

[Phil]

Hi Craig,

I have two HL2+ units and they both work great. While careful attention to assembly is required, the results are excellent. There is a learning curve with the Thetis software, but it is well worth the effort.

I am actually currently upgrading to a G2. Please feel free to look up my email on QRZ if you have any specific questions I can help with. While I am just a user rather than an expert, I have found ON7OFF to be another excellent source of information.

73,
Phil KB3UUL

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[Pascal PBY]

Bonjour,

Si vous êtes un ''simple'' utilisateur de radio, achetez un FT-710 qui est un bon appareil surtout en réception, vous ne serez pas déçu.

Si vous êtes un passionné ou perfectionniste achetez un Square SDR 2 qui est déjà tout prêt à utiliser pour 100 euros de plus qu'un Hermes Lite qu'il faut assembler.

Pour ces 2 derniers transceiver SDR ayant le projet commun, veuillez investir dans un ordinateur ayant de bonnes performances, CPU, vitesse, mémoire et j'en passe... Si vous utilisez d'autres logiciels en même temps que Thetis, votre ''vieux'' ordinateur ne sera pas à la hauteur de ce que vous attendrez.

Je commence à découvrir le merveilleux projet Hermes-Lite et Thetis le logiciel le plus adapté pour moi. Côté financier, j'en suis à :

Square SDR2 500€ + amplificateur H.F 250€, casque micro 50€. En continuant j'arriverai vite au prix d'un IC-7300 (Pas le MKII) qui est en promotion.

Pour ma part je prends conscience que mon ordinateur n' est pas assez performant, ça sera un prochain achat mais dans quelques mois ou années... ;) 

73,

F6HCM, Pascal

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