Initial Ham Setup

[Riverman]

I do like both but the 7300 is in a class and price range all by itself right now. Since he already decided on the 7300 I won't go over the differences I find using one vs the other.

Let's just say the 7300 would have been a good choice But, you're going to like the 1200. Make sure the radio they ship you has the latest firmware update. Yaesu didn't make it easy for users to update the firmware. Also remember that add-ons for the 1200 like the FFT-1 board and SCU-17 interface are expensive and make the 1200 more expensive than the 7300.

What exactly does the FFT-1 add besides a decoder?

 

[RatsoW8]

Also works as a scope to monitor your rx and tx audio, I honestly don't pay much attention to it. The active band and audio scope function on the 7300 is much more useful to me and its not an add-on.

 

[fourstringburn]

Yaesu didn't make it easy for users to update the firmware. Also remember that add-ons for the 1200 like the FFT-1 board and SCU-17 interface are expensive

Good point!

That's a shame, Or should I say sham!

Kenwood does it right with the 590. It may not have the eye candy like the others but it is one of the best radio's out there.

Kenwood gives you free complete rig control software and all you need is a USB cable and that carries audio too. You also get free remote server/client software which I do use for remote operating.

Yaesu has none and Icom charges $100.for theirs.

According to published spec's from Sherwood, the 590's audio is tight and clean and the spectrum analysis is nearly identical to the Elecraft K3. Amazingly the Yaesu FTdx5000 shows a transient spikes within and out of the 3KHz SSB bandwidth as do many other radio's.

Kenwood receivers are known to be as good as the any of the other good ones.

I recently added the SDR Play and SDRUno software so now I have a far nicer panadapter then what comes on the newer rigs and I have it interfaced to my 590 with full rig control for mouse clicking the waterfall frequency changing.

SDR Play is an amazing device especially when used with SDRUno software!

See my gallery updated with screenshots!

 

[543_Dallas]

The sdrplay is a nice. I tapped an IF in some cb sets and my ts440 with it. I tried all the free software I could find. Sdr v2 and sdr v3 were my favorites for no particular reason.

 

[fourstringburn]

Sdr v2 and sdr v3 were my favorites for no particular reason.

Are those the same as SDR Console?

I tried most of free ones too. There is something I like about all of them but I find myself coming back to SDRUno. It's nice to have choices and not being limited to propriety software.

I like SDRUno because unlike the others being a single screen window, I can open all or as many windows as I want and arrange them on the screen anywhere and save it as a workstation and name it for recall so I don't have to arrange them all over again. Multiple workstations can be named and saved.

Plus SDR uno can let you open up multiple virtual receivers to use as sub-receivers and each one can have audio selected in the left, right, or center in your headphones for easy separation.

Most of the time, I just have the waterfall window open underneath my rig control or logging programs but it's nice to play around with the SDR Receiver in headphones.

 

[543_Dallas]

Are those the same as SDR Console?

I tried most of free ones too. There is something I like about all of them but I find myself coming back to SDRUno. It's nice to have choices and not being limited to propriety software.

I like SDRUno because unlike the others being a single screen window, I can open all or as many windows as I want and arrange them on the screen anywhere and save it as a workstation and name it for recall so I don't have to arrange them all over again. Multiple workstations can be named and saved.

Plus SDR uno can let you open up multiple virtual receivers to use as sub-receivers and each one can have audio selected in the left, right, or center in your headphones for easy separation.

Most of the time, I just have the waterfall window open underneath my rig control or logging programs but it's nice to play around with tge SDR Receiver in headphones.

Yes, sdr console v2 and 3. I think I preferred them because it was all in one window. I used the sdr for the receive bandwidth capability. It was was the best super hifi receive mod I could come up with.....don't tell mustang I said hifi.

 

[RatsoW8]

I added the G4HUP IF tap board to my ftdx-1200. I can't recall which SDR stick I bought but I couldn't get it to work well enough to be usable. It was also picking up a way to much electrical noise from my PC and radios from lack of shielding. Kind of lost interest in it.

 

[543_Dallas]

I added the G4HUP IF tap board to my ftdx-1200. I can't recall which SDR stick I bought but I couldn't get it to work well enough to be usable. It was also picking up a way to much electrical noise from my PC and radios from lack of shielding. Kind of lost interest in it.

I never used a board. Just tapped the IF with a low value cap. 5pf or less. Too much capacitance brought more noise into the sdr.

I routed that to the back with rg316 to a bnc connector. Grounded the coax shield as close as possible to each connection and keep all cap leads as short as possible.

With some radios I've used a relay to ground the coax to the sdr on transmit. That way the noise floor falls below the squelch level and mutes the RX when I key.

 

[W4KVW]

I'm partial to my ICOM 7600 for HF/6 meter use & my ICOM 275A for 2 meter stuff.I goof off with my Yaesu FT-101B or FT-101EX when I'm not serious about making contacts.Love the real time band scope in the 7600 & I'm not connecting it to any computer because I don't have extra room for another one on my desk & this laptop is always busy.The scope on the 7600 is AWESOME so no computer screen needed.

SIX-SHOOTER
aka:W4KVW

 

[HomerBB]

A semi-wisewan once told me to learn the math, and memorize the rest. It seems to be working so far...

That's what I did.
1+1=2, 2+2=4, 3+3= ... wait a minute... darn it.

 

[Riverman]

Well, lo and behold, I have a radio! (Or soon will have. It shipped today.) And it's one that wasn't even on my list: The Icom 7100.

When the smoke cleared, the 7100 had everything I wanted at the price I wanted to pay.
Plus, I love the remote console and the way everything is laid out on it. And in addition to HF and 6 meters, it covers 144 and 430/440 MHz.

Also ordered a Mega Watt S-350-12 power supply and a Diamond SX-200 SWR/Power meter.

Can't believe I actually got off the pot and did it. Now I HAVE to get back to studying!

Have a nice day, everybody!

 

[w9cll]

Now I HAVE to get back to studying!

Study as much as you can. take the online tests I linked to before and you will get there.

 

[543_Dallas]

In the meantime you can unlock the evil cb frequencies and get a feel for it.

http://radioaficion.com/cms/ic-7100-marscap-modification/

 

[Riverman]

In the meantime you can unlock the evil cb frequencies and get a feel for it.

http://radioaficion.com/cms/ic-7100-marscap-modification/

LOL. Kinda like going to church and stopping off at the It'll Do Bar on the way home.

 

[543_Dallas]

LOL. Kinda like going to church and stopping off at the It'll Do Bar on the way home.

That's the idea. You can also set up an interface to your pc for the digital modes. It works great for playing music on ch19 and recording watergates. Two birds one stone.