100 Watt Radios

[Wayfarer]

I agree with most of the previous posters that you should go ahead and buy a ham rig. I've had most of the popular exports (2950, ts-5010, hr-2510/2600, Connex, Grant DX, Optima, Ranger, Superstar, etc) over the years as well as a lot of entry level ham rigs, trying them out and seeing what I like best. First of all, the quality of exports has really gone downhill in the last 10 years (with a few exceptions like the Yeticom). Second of all, for $300, a used, well-cared for ham radio is far FAR better built and provides a vastly superior operator experience. Unless somebody was purely wanting to throw money away on a disposable toy that maybe reminds them of their early radio days, there is no reason not to go ahead and get a real ham radio. A used ham radio, even 20 years old or older, will be more reliable and last longer than a new export radio. Plus, if something did go bad, there a number of highly reputable service techs out there that work on ham stuff for reasonable rates, oftentimes for less that what your CB shop hackers charge for similar work.

Radios I recommend are: Kenwood: TS-140, TS-430, TS-450, TS-50, Icom: 725, 728, 735, 706, Yaesu: FT-840, FT-890.

Out of these, the best ones are the Kenwood TS-450 and Yaesu FT-840, both of which I have owned without any problems since they first came out in the mid 90's. But these two radios are probalbly going to push $400, especially if they are well-cared for non-smoker radios that have their original boxes, manuals, etc. So if you can spring for $400, then you can get one of these in really nice condition form a fastidious ham.

These can all be found in the $300-$400 range on a variety of well-known websites where hams sell their gear. FleaBay is OK too, but as Duster pointed out, you're going to pay top dollar, likely 20-30% more than the other websites.

Sorry for the long-winded answer. It's just that I hate to see people drop $300+ on a cheapo export when for the same or a bit more they could have had a truly fantastic ham radio that will provide years of operating pleasure especially should that person ever decide to start spending time on the ham bands.

Good luck with your hunt for a nice radio!

 

[w9cll]

Sorry for the long-winded answer. It's just that I hate to see people drop $300+ on a cheapo export when for the same or a bit more they could have had a truly fantastic ham radio that will provide years of operating pleasure especially should that person ever decide to start spending time on the ham bands.

Amen!

 

[JCH]

I agree with most of the previous posters that you should go ahead and buy a ham rig. I've had most of the popular exports (2950, ts-5010, hr-2510/2600, Connex, Grant DX, Optima, Ranger, Superstar, etc) over the years as well as a lot of entry level ham rigs, trying them out and seeing what I like best. First of all, the quality of exports has really gone downhill in the last 10 years (with a few exceptions like the Yeticom). Second of all, for $300, a used, well-cared for ham radio is far FAR better built and provides a vastly superior operator experience. Unless somebody was purely wanting to throw money away on a disposable toy that maybe reminds them of their early radio days, there is no reason not to go ahead and get a real ham radio. A used ham radio, even 20 years old or older, will be more reliable and last longer than a new export radio. Plus, if something did go bad, there a number of highly reputable service techs out there that work on ham stuff for reasonable rates, oftentimes for less that what your CB shop hackers charge for similar work.



Radios I recommend are: Kenwood: TS-140, TS-430, TS-450, TS-50, Icom: 725, 728, 735, 706, Yaesu: FT-840, FT-890.

Out of these, the best ones are the Kenwood TS-450 and Yaesu FT-840, both of which I have owned without any problems since they first came out in the mid 90's. But these two radios are probalbly going to push $400, especially if they are well-cared for non-smoker radios that have their original boxes, manuals, etc. So if you can spring for $400, then you can get one of these in really nice condition form a fastidious ham.

These can all be found in the $300-$400 range on a variety of well-known websites where hams sell their gear. FleaBay is OK too, but as Duster pointed out, you're going to pay top dollar, likely 20-30% more than the other websites.

Sorry for the long-winded answer. It's just that I hate to see people drop $300+ on a cheapo export when for the same or a bit more they could have had a truly fantastic ham radio that will provide years of operating pleasure especially should that person ever decide to start spending time on the ham bands.

Good luck with your hunt for a nice radio!

I see one mobile in your list, that's what I want, a mobile I can talk on 11m and listen where I'm not licensed to talk that is of good quality. my 2950 has been that imo, granted I don't know shit from wild honey about this stuff, as my old man would say. Kind of limited to 10m exports for mobile it seems. I'm with you though, I like tinkering and learning how to fix things but I like peace of mind, knowing things will work when I want them to, too.

 

[The Jerk]

100W amateur radios have no problem going on for decades so the reason that the CB/Export stuff is fragile is purely down to crap build quality and design or the fact the person installing the antenna system doesn't know a damned thing.

I think the reason most CB/Export radios fail prematurely is that the golden screwdrivers are only worried about getting the most watts on a meter to impress the guy who brought the radio to them in the first place. Couple that to a bad install, and poof; magic smoke.

I bought a Connex 4600T new from a local guy...it would only run wide open, and got so hot after a minute that you couldn't touch it. I'm sure it would have burnt up had I kept using it. I finally found a guy that specialized in the 4600T at the time (he was in Ohio, on I-70) and he reworked the entire thing, enabled the limiter, turned the power down so it could be controlled by the variable, among other things. Ran that radio a long time after that for a good many miles and never had a problem. I wish I still had that 4600.

Point being, the radio is only as good as the guy turning the screwdriver.

 

[Mustang 131]

I agree with most of the previous posters that you should go ahead and buy a ham rig. I've had most of the popular exports (2950, ts-5010, hr-2510/2600, Connex, Grant DX, Optima, Ranger, Superstar, etc) over the years as well as a lot of entry level ham rigs, trying them out and seeing what I like best. First of all, the quality of exports has really gone downhill in the last 10 years (with a few exceptions like the Yeticom). Second of all, for $300, a used, well-cared for ham radio is far FAR better built and provides a vastly superior operator experience. Unless somebody was purely wanting to throw money away on a disposable toy that maybe reminds them of their early radio days, there is no reason not to go ahead and get a real ham radio. A used ham radio, even 20 years old or older, will be more reliable and last longer than a new export radio. Plus, if something did go bad, there a number of highly reputable service techs out there that work on ham stuff for reasonable rates, oftentimes for less that what your CB shop hackers charge for similar work.

Radios I recommend are: Kenwood: TS-140, TS-430, TS-450, TS-50, Icom: 725, 728, 735, 706, Yaesu: FT-840, FT-890.

Out of these, the best ones are the Kenwood TS-450 and Yaesu FT-840, both of which I have owned without any problems since they first came out in the mid 90's. But these two radios are probalbly going to push $400, especially if they are well-cared for non-smoker radios that have their original boxes, manuals, etc. So if you can spring for $400, then you can get one of these in really nice condition form a fastidious ham.

These can all be found in the $300-$400 range on a variety of well-known websites where hams sell their gear. FleaBay is OK too, but as Duster pointed out, you're going to pay top dollar, likely 20-30% more than the other websites.

Sorry for the long-winded answer. It's just that I hate to see people drop $300+ on a cheapo export when for the same or a bit more they could have had a truly fantastic ham radio that will provide years of operating pleasure especially should that person ever decide to start spending time on the ham bands.

Good luck with your hunt for a nice radio!

The reason is simple. The AM audio just pla in sucks on those radios. Yes I know they can sound good and even hifi with a lot of work. But out of the box any $200 cb sounds much better than a $2000 ham wonder gizmo.And don't get me started with cheap designed noise blanket on the Kenwoods.

 

[kryppy]

Not that I really want anyone else out there competing for the limited number of Alinco DX-70's that are still around, but for right around $350 you can sometimes snag a clean one. If you have the ability to remove a few surface mount resistors they cover 0-54mhz fully wide open and do 50lo/100hi all day long. Super clean transmit and as rock solid stable I also listen to the normal AM broadcast band on mine in between talking DX. Sounds much better than my truck stereo. I also listen to a variety of SW stations on it, all using my 102" whip. I love having channel memories that keep every setting and can be switched with the microphone. Mine has been performing its magic for 25 years now, just like when I bought it as a 'if the SHTF' radio.

I've been thinking of getting another one to run as a base but some of the other amateur rigs suggested in this thread have seriously peaked my interest. I suppose if you are going to run a base it should plug into the wall. Good luck with your search.

 

[w9cll]

The reason is simple. The AM audio just pla in sucks on those radios. Yes I know they can sound good and even hifi with a lot of work. But out of the box any $200 cb sounds much better than a $2000 ham wonder gizmo.And don't get me started with cheap designed noise blanket on the Kenwoods.

Agreed for those that cling to AM most modern Ham HF gear is not the best choice. Now a Yaesu Ft-101, Ft-102, Kenwood 520 will smoke any export on am but then again those are 30-40 year old rigs.

 

[C2C3PO]

Ok, I've been following along with the logic here and I understand the views expressed by those who would steer one towards a proper ham rig.
Can someone explain why generally people are referring to "old" radios - models that came out a decade or two ago? Are these same companies not providing newer/better models that cover these same frequency ranges?
I realize newer is not always better but I also don't want the risk that comes with a used radio.
Please comment.....thx!

 

[GnG8d]

Agreed for those that cling to AM most modern Ham HF gear is not the best choice.

Cling to AM? AM takes work, SSB is like shooting fish in a barrel :laugh:

 

[kryppy]

Ok, I've been following along with the logic here and I understand the views expressed by those who would steer one towards a proper ham rig.
Can someone explain why generally people are referring to "old" radios - models that came out a decade or two ago? Are these same companies not providing newer/better models that cover these same frequency ranges?
I realize newer is not always better but I also don't want the risk that comes with a used radio.
Please comment.....thx!

In my case, I've had a Galaxy II for more than 25 years and it is so beat up at this point and starting to fail that I decided to replaced it with a brand new Galaxy 959. Personally I found the difference in transmit, receive and stability between them so bad that I sold the 959 first chance I got. I suppose a new Galaxy 99v2 might be more to my liking, but at the price it would be insane not to go with a used ham rig that covers far more.

 

[w9cll]

Ok, I've been following along with the logic here and I understand the views expressed by those who would steer one towards a proper ham rig.
Can someone explain why generally people are referring to "old" radios - models that came out a decade or two ago? Are these same companies not providing newer/better models that cover these same frequency ranges?
I realize newer is not always better but I also don't want the risk that comes with a used radio.
Please comment.....thx!

Take what I am about to say with a grain of salt as I have not played in the CB playground in a very long time. It is my understanding that the current crop of CB's (exports included because you know their intended target) are hit or miss quality wise. Most are mfg'ed by one outfit that no one really knows who and re-branded for any outfit that is willing to pay the entry fee. There are some good ones in the mix but generally the older models from 15 years ago perform better. They were built better and the performance was better. Again there are some really good ones today but your chances of getting a dog are higher.


Ham radios are usually built to a higher standard then the typical CB, of course this is not always the case with every model but overall is correct. Where Ham rigs usually fall short is AM performance. AM is a nitch market in amateur radio so the MFGs don't focus on it. The older tubed ham gear had better AM performance because AM was used more in the day they were marketed.


I am sure others will step in here with more experience in CB. My last “CB” was an ICOM 720A ham rig.

 

[C2C3PO]

I definitely get what you guys are saying about quality. But I have noticed here and elsewhere as well that people generally steer others towards older ham rig models. In some cases the OP is set on a clear price range and so it is understandable why an older used ham radio would meet their needs perfectly - especially when comparing to the lower (generally speaking) price of an export rig.
I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something.
More often than not guys are referring to rigs that are 15 + years old. For me I'm at the stage in life where I recognize this, like any hobby, is gonna cost money and saving a few bucks now generally means spending it in some other unanticipated way down the road.
I'd rather fork out the money and get something good from the start than waste time and money......
Thx!

 

[C2C3PO]

Maybe I should better qualify my statement - I agree with buying a ham rig especially if you have your licence or intending to get one. I was just curious as to why more often than not the models that folks seem to recommend tend to be somewhat "vintage". I'm guessing price has a lot to do with it but rarely do I ever hear anyone say "go out and buy the new brand "X" it is awesome !
I suppose nostalgia and past experience play into it to some degree or maybe generally speaking people just appreciated the older rigs more....

 

[Wayfarer]

In reply to several good points that have been raised, here are my thoughts.

The reason I suggested the "old" ham radios is merely so the original poster can stay within his stated budget of $300. I stretched that to $400 since there a lot of additional really good used radios that become available at $400. Sure there are also several good new ham rigs out there, most notably the Icom 518, but now you are starting to push the $600 level. Quite honestly a used ham rig is almost certainly going to be much more reliable, durable, and problem free than almost any new export, the build quality is just that much better on the ham rigs. There are a lot of barely used 15 year old rigs that pop up on the market. "Backup" rigs, ones that were purchased and then the original owner passed away before getting to use it and the family is just getting around to selling it, rigs used for monitoring a certain band or frequency and have had little to no transmitting time and have sat motionless on a shelf, or whatever. There is a higher percentage of ham rigs that have seen little use or very gentle indoor use than CB/export rigs, most of which have been pretty badly beaten up, mobile, "golden screwdrivers," poor operating practice, etc. For instance I recently got a mid-2000's Yaesu FT-840 just that had never been out of the box since new. I paid $450 which is a $50-100 premium due to the condition. The radio even smelled new when I first took it out of the box. The FT-840 is one of my favorites; it reminds me of an HR-2510 but 5x better quality and slightly bigger but not too big. It even has that same warm orange glow.

No question that most exports are better on AM than most ham rigs. Ham rigs will work fine on AM they just won't have the "CB" punch that exports have. White Bear said he really didn't talk on AM anymore, almost all 11m sideband. These ham rigs are perfectly fine for monitoring AM, say Ch. 19, on a road trip, for instance, and are adequate for transmitting too.

Yes, I forgot about the Alinco DX-70! I had one for awhile and liked it. It's not quite up to the quality of a Kenwood TS-50 or Icom 706, but it is still a lot better than most exports. They bring almost as much these days as a TS-50 or IC-706, so you might as well go for the Kenwood or Icom. But at a good price, the DX-70 is a great radio. By the way, the Icom 706, Kenwood TS-50, and Alinco DX-70 are all mobiles, so that's three good mobiles to choose from that are in your price range.

I didn't mean to diss on exports too much. They have their place. For a trucker or someone who exclusively stays on CB and freeband and mostly AM, they can be all that you need. Plus they are just a lot of fun and take me right back to the old days. But for any kind of half-way serious SSB work, a used ham rig is the way to go.

 

[GnG8d]

A lot of it has to do with nostalgia mixed with myth/legend. There are a lot of examples where an older version is sought after across the Internet when the newer version is actually as good or better.

If you want AM on HF, then that's a pretty clear example of older probably being better. Whether the chicken or the egg came first I don't know .... did people stop using AM so manufacturers started skimping the AM sections, or did the manufacturers start skimping on AM so people stopped using it? In my mind, if the radio is advertised to do AM it ought to do it as well as the price tag suggests, or remove AM altogether.