[bars] Entry Level HF Rigs

Thu Feb 28 09:39:21 EST 2019

A few years ago I did a presentation for YCCC on getting on the air on 
HF for the first time. As well as rigs, the presentation included info 
on other needed accessories and how to get everything set up for that 
first QSO. My approach was more taking advantage of the lower 
prices/higher values of used rigs, with some guidelines for how to go 
about buying a used HF transceiver & accessories.

I sent a copy of the presentation to Bob off-line because I didn't think 
it would get thru the reflector.

If anyone else is interested, reply off-list and I'll send you a copy.

-Tony, K1KP

On 2/28/2019 9:25 AM, Andy Wallace wrote:
>
> Bob, thanks for asking for advice on the List. I hope more folks chime 
> in than just me! One of our members also asked for advice last year 
> and I sent some of what’s below – I’ve now expanded on it.
>
> I’d suggest going to Ham Radio Outlet in Salem NH (www.hamradio.com 
> <http://www.hamradio.com/>) and actually trying some rigs out in the 
> store. Have the salesperson set each rig up adjusted properly for what 
> you are going to try (in case a customer changed to weird settings). 
> Try the cheap ones, try the expensive ones. You may find going “above” 
> entry level fits your need better once you hear it.
>
> Here’s the current crop of lesser priced rigs at HRO including 
> rebates, ranked in  price, which I think looks like an interesting 
> list. I’m only listing the “big three” Icom, Yaesu, Kenwood. (That 
> leaves out Alinco.)
>
> FT-991A $1139  HF, 6, VHF, UHF, Yaesu Fusion digital, tuner, waterfall
>
> IC-7300 $1000  HF+6, SDR, waterfall, very popular, only touch screen 
> of the bunch
>
> FTDX-1200 $925  HF+6, tuner, waterfall option
>
> TS-480SAT $830 HF+6, tuner
>
> IC-7100 $800  HF, 6, VHF, UHF, D-Star digital, no tuner, can be used 
> base or mobile
>
> FT-450D $680 HF+6, tuner, very easy to use, mine is being used by KC1FTJ
>
> IC-718 $600  HF only, no tuner, VERY long in the tooth, 20 years
>
> First off, it’s good to have space for antennas because for HF you 
> generally need space. Do you have a straight line between trees that 
> is over 66’ long? That will get you on 40m (7 MHz) and up. If you have 
> double that, you can get on 80m as well. I can give tips on what to 
> put up, possibly better than buying a G5RV antenna in a bag. As a 
> General you have access to many bands but some of them are more active 
> than others. 40 and 20m are probably going to be your active spots. 
> 10m is active locally in the Lowell area (a bunch of us get on 28.430 
> USB around 7:30 <x-apple-data-detectors://8> or 8:30 
> <x-apple-data-detectors://9> several nights a week). Having 6M in the 
> rig is a plus too, because 6 is an unusual low VHF band and can 
> sometimes open up for long distance comms at odd times.
>
> I assume your primary mode will be HF SSB with the possibility of CW 
> later. ANY of the above rigs would be adequate. Also, all the above 
> are general coverage – they will cover from the broadcast AM band on 
> up, so you can enjoy listening to more than just hams. There are 
> broadcasters around the world on several bands between the ham ones.
>
> As for rigs, I really try to keep the station simple. I like it when 
> the rig has a built in antenna tuner. It will get you on more 
> frequencies, in general. Without a tuner you have to either buy an 
> external one (small boxes from LDG which are $150-200 or so) or use an 
> antenna cut for the exact band you want. Oh don’t forget all of these 
> rigs need a 12V power supply, generally $100-150.
>
> If you want the waterfall display, I am not sure about the Yaesus 
> above which have it. They may not be realtime – you may have to hit a 
> button to have it sweep the band. So a waterfall is a nice feature, 
> especially as implemented in the IC-7300 realtime, but adds expense 
> and of course size (display) to the rig.
>
> If you can live without waterfall, then I recommend the FT-450D. It 
> has a built in tuner and covers 6m, and is easy to use, and small. At 
> least two of my BARS friends love theirs, and it has a lot of features 
> for filtering and also has I/O on the back if you want to connect it 
> to the computer for digital modes.
>
> If you are set on the waterfall I would say bite the bullet and get 
> the IC-7300. It sure seems popular and it is current technology. It 
> has a built in tuner and you can update the firmware on it, etc. and 
> you will hear a lot being used on the air. And it has a USB port which 
> allows direct connection to the PC to run digital etc.
>
> Unfortunately there are no real cheap+good HF rigs. You are stuck at 
> $600 and up not including the power supply.
>
> If MY rig (which is older than ALL of the above) got hit by lightning 
> I’d replace it with either an FT-450D if I wanted inexpensive, or the 
> IC-7300 if I wanted something techy.
>
> The good news is ALL modern rigs have decent performance and features 
> and are self-protecting in case something goes wrong at the antenna. 
> For a beginner, I would not recommend a 1990s or older rig, especially 
> coupled with a hand-adjusted manual antenna tuner, unless you have an 
> experienced ham to help show you the ropes. And eBay can be a quagmire 
> as far as getting a working used rig. So go new! It will hold value.
>
> I hope this helps you (and others on the List) about considering a new 
> rig! Please ask more questions if you need to.
>
> Andy
>
> KA1GTT
>
>
> On Feb 27, 2019, at 8:59 PM, Robert Sparkes <rsparkes at verizon.net 
> <mailto:rsparkes at verizon.net>> wrote:
>
> Greetings:
>
> I didn't want to take up air time on the repeater.  I'm looking for 
> suggestions on entry level HF rigs.  I'd like to get started but I 
> have no idea what is appropriate for a new guy to the hobby with a 
> General License.  I want to get my feet wet without jumping into 
> quicksand!
>
> Thanks for any and all suggestions!
>
> Bob Sparkes
> KC1KVY
>
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