Some years ago I bought a Pixie kit from AliExpress. It cost a few pounds, but worked perfectly when fired up on the air.
A few moments ago I looked at AliExpress for Pixie transceiver kits. The lowest price I found was £1.28 with free delivery from China!! The term "free delivery" seems to be a bit odd as most seem to charge for "shipping".
I just do not know how they do it and make profits.
There are many answers to this. It usually involves some element of compromise (usually with the receiver), but time and again people have shown that really simple gear works. I guess the "holy grail" is the rig that has the fewest compromises, yet gives you plenty of contacts. I am still looking!
One of the rigs I have tried is the Micro80 and the Pixie. A few years ago (possibly still) 40m Pixie kits could be bought with airmail from China for a few pounds. I have built versions for 80m and 40m and they have all worked. Albeit, the RX was far from perfect but they worked and resulted in QSOs.
The circuit is a typical Pixie.
See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/homebrew/8040m-pixie-and-micro80-transceivers .
I have built versions for 80m amd 40m and had QSOs with each. With something this simple there are compromises. The RX, in some cases, lacks selectivity and can be overloaded by strong broadcast stations. Nonetheless they do work and they are hard to beat for the price.
The cheapest I have seen is £1.35, which is less than the price of just 1 part if bought in the UK!
See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/homebrew/8040m-pixie-and-micro80-transceivers .
The Pixie transceiver was derived from the Micro80. Both have severe limitations, especially on RX. Nonetheless, they work and can be a very low cost introduction to the hobby. I have built both in the past.
You may be amazed that something this simple actually works.
The photos show a typical Pixie and my version of the Micro80.
See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/homebrew/8040m-pixie-and-micro80-transceivers .
It must have been tested it at the QTH of G6ALB, although I do not remember this. The photo shows these tests.
The challenge is often trying to make the simplest rig that actually works. Often it is receiver that is the weakest link. With modern rigs, mW signals can often be dug out of the noise.
One classic is the Pixie and its predecessor the Micro80. Pixie kits can often be bought from China at stupid prices. These work and allow real QSOs, but they are let down by the RX. The challenge is to get a rig where the RX is up to the job. Often I do not call CQ in case a weak signal I cannot hear is already there. With QRP, calling others is often a better approach.
See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/homebrew/8040m-pixie-and-micro80-transceivers .
One such is the Pixie or the Micro80. These are compromise rigs, often let down by the RX, which tends to be the weak link. They work and I have had QSOs on 80m and 40m with mine. At one time you could buy 40m Pixie kits from China for a few pounds. I bought one of these and it went together well and worked. I have not looked recently to see if these are still available. With the Pixie and Micro80 I am afraid of calling CQ over a weak station.
There are other rig alternatives although with something simple, you usually have to accept some weakness. The "holy grail" is a simple, low cost rig that really is not a compromise. If you know of any, let me know. My target is a complete transceiver that can be made for less than £5 that really works without compromise.
See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/homebrew/8040m-pixie-and-micro80-transceivers .
Both use the PA as the mixer on RX. The RX is the compromise although both work. Pixie kits were available as kits from China at very low cost. I bought one for 40m, with a crystal on 7.023MHz. If you get one you may want to consider crystals on 7.030MHz which is the QRP calling frequency in Europe. These crystals are available at low cost.
See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/homebrew/8040m-pixie-and-micro80-transceivers .
Examples are the Pixie and Micro-80 designs. Pixies can be bought as kits from China for a few pounds or euros. In the past, I have made versions for 80m and 40m, including homebrew and kits.
With these circuits, the main limitation is the RX. These are compromises using the PA device as the RX mixer. Often the sensitivity is a bit lacking and AM breakthrough can be a problem. The front end selectivity is barn-door and the audio filtering mainly one's ear! Nonetheless, many miles can be spanned. In terms of "bang per buck" they take some beating.
The challenge is to find the best overall circuit which has a decent TX and RX.
Every few weeks I take a peek at the narrowband activity on Oscar 100, the geosynchronous satellite. My own view is activity is patheticall...
