<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div dir="ltr"></div><div dir="ltr">Tony, please send that to me also - it sounds interesting. </div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr">To the List, my thoughts for a new ham leaning toward HF that did not have a ready mentor were to save the frustration of an older rig where performance may be not up to spec due to aging and that new rigs are more self-protecting. </div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr">Things like built in tuners and waterfall displays can help someone change frequency and operate there quickly, which I think is more important now that band activity is more sparse than decades ago (except contest days). </div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr">But I agree that if someone can handle an older rig and work around limitations, and get on the air and enjoy the experience, all the better. Andy</div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr"><br>On Feb 28, 2019, at 9:39 AM, Tony Brock-Fisher via bars <<a href="mailto:bars@w1hh.org">bars@w1hh.org</a>> wrote:<br><br></div><div dir="ltr">
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
<p>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.</p>
<p>I sent a copy of the presentation to Bob off-line because I
didn't think it would get thru the reflector.</p>
<p>If anyone else is interested, reply off-list and I'll send you a
copy.</p>
<p>-Tony, K1KP<br>
</p>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 2/28/2019 9:25 AM, Andy Wallace
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite" cite="mid:EBA47332-E449-4AF5-A361-6482ED062351@gmail.com">
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">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.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><o:p style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I’d
suggest going to Ham Radio Outlet in Salem NH (<a href="http://www.hamradio.com/" moz-do-not-send="true">www.hamradio.com</a>)
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.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><o:p style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">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.)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">FT-991A
$1139 HF, 6, VHF, UHF, Yaesu Fusion digital, tuner,
waterfall<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">IC-7300
$1000 HF+6, SDR, waterfall, very popular, only touch screen
of the bunch<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span lang="DA">FTDX-1200 $925 HF+6, tuner, waterfall option</span><span lang="DA"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span lang="DA">TS-480SAT $830 HF+6, tuner</span><span lang="DA"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">IC-7100
$800 HF, 6, VHF, UHF, D-Star digital, no tuner, can be used
base or mobile<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">FT-450D
$680 HF+6, tuner, very easy to use, mine is being used by
KC1FTJ<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">IC-718
$600 HF only, no tuner, VERY long in the tooth, 20 years<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">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 <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://8" dir="ltr" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors-result="8" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgba(0, 0, 0,
0.258824);" moz-do-not-send="true">around 7:30</a> or <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://9" dir="ltr" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors-result="9" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgba(0, 0, 0,
0.258824);" moz-do-not-send="true">8:30</a> 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.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><o:p style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">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.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">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.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">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.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">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.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">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.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><o:p style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Unfortunately
there are no real cheap+good HF rigs. You are stuck at $600
and up not including the power supply.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><o:p style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">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.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><o:p style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">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.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><o:p style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I hope
this helps you (and others on the List) about considering a
new rig! Please ask more questions if you need to.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><o:p style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Andy<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">KA1GTT<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></p>
</div>
<div dir="ltr"><br>
On Feb 27, 2019, at 8:59 PM, Robert Sparkes <<a href="mailto:rsparkes@verizon.net" moz-do-not-send="true">rsparkes@verizon.net</a>>
wrote:<br>
<br>
</div>
<div dir="ltr"><font size="2" face="arial" color="black"><font size="2">Greetings:<br>
<br>
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!<br>
<br>
Thanks for any and all suggestions!<br>
<br>
Bob Sparkes<br>
KC1KVY<br>
<br>
</font></font></div>
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