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Seeking advice on first radio.

Need2Know

Need2Know

KK4GMU - Ocala, FL
Jan 26, 2012
144
13
28
Ocala, FL
www.muccings.blogspot.com
I passed my Tech test last week and am waiting for my FCC go-ahead. In the meantime I'm researching my first radio. I am not certain of the best radio for me at this early point in this hobby.

Here are my decision options along with my uneducated leanings and reasons for them. Your advice and suggestions are solicited:

Type: Handheld, mobile, or base station. I realize that either of these three could be a base station. But it appears that most handhelds and mobiles are VHF/UHF and most base stations are HF, with several high end units being all-band.

I'm leaning toward a handheld because I want to be able to easily use it for emergencies, and potentially getting involved in a local ARES group. However, 99% of the time it will be used at home, not as a mobile and not tied to my waist.

Power: I could get something now with more than 5 watts, or get a 5 watter and later get a power amp.

I'm leaning toward 5 watts now, playing with it for a year or so and then deciding whether to up the power with either an external power amp or a higher powered radio.

Frequencies: HF, VHF, or UHF, braod frequency receiver, All Band transmit and receive, etc.

I'm leaning toward 2m and 70cm because those are the local repeater bands and the bands that are recommended by the local club. What other bands, if any, are appropriate for newbies, and why? I suspect "all band" is beyond my means and beyond my needs and capabilities.

Features: These range from bare bones to loaded. Handhelds range from $60 to over $700 loaded. D-Star, APRS, GIS, Ample Memories, Direct access control (vs. commands buried 3 layers deep), great performance (selectivity and sensitivity and volume and clarity; transmit and receive), built in TNC, USB connection, longer battery life, etc. etc.

I initially considered a bare bones unit. But in reviewing ""what's out there" I am thinking that having some additional features to play with and grow into, especially involving computer connectivity and operation, would be nice. I'm leaning toward not only computer connected programming, but other computer display and processing options during operation. APRS is interesting and would be helpful in civil emergencies. Handheld in particular, with their less accessible external controls would benefit by the greater transparancy provided by computer connectivity and control.

New or Used: New is more $$$$; used is less. I am leaning toward new for two reasons: More current technology and greater reliablity. I know that heat is a component killer, especially in compact handhelds. And even if an 8 or 10 year old unit just mostly sat around, the capacitors tend to deteriorate. I don't have any desire or knowledge to service a transceiver.

Ease of Use: The more intuitive, the better. Wouxun handhelds have gotten a pretty good reputation, but I understand that the manuals pretty much suck in their completeness and translation. That is bad news for a newbie. The Yaesu and Kenwood manuals look pretty nice from what I can determine. I have little idea of the user-friendliness of the actual units.

Price: I was initially considering the low end: $100 to $175. But as I continue my research, well-featured handhelds that hold some interest run in the $450 to $500 range street price.

Some additional considerations: The repeater I would use is located within 2 miles of my house. I live in a deed restricted community, so I really don't plan on doing a stealth outdoor antennae at this time. I do have adequate attic space to install a 5' J-pole within 15' of the shack. And I am computer literate. I'm not a big talker. I don't plan on doing DX or "rag chewing" by radio. I do like to experiment and would like to learn a variety of means of communicating under emergency conditions.

So, there you have it. I'm now waiting for more suggstions and opinions than I could possibly digest in a month of Sundays.
 

I have seen several Yaesu 8800 Dual bands for a bit over $300. That was my first radio, been mobile the entire time & been bullet proof. I get rave reviews on the signal. The 7800 is even cheaper, but the dual display is really nice on the 8800.

The best sounding 2M rig I have ever heard is the Yaseu 2900. 4 power settings up to 75 watts. $170 new. Why bother with a used one. I put one in my utlity SUV and really like the ease of use.
 
2m repeaters are great in order to get to know the local Ham ops. The Wouxun HT's are extremely inexpensive and the quality is formidable compared to the higher priced Yaesus, Kenwoods, or Icoms HT's.

However, some serious fun can be had with your tech license on the 10m band. You can reach out all over the US when conditions are like they have been recently. Or, when they improve as they have over the last few months, many countries can be obtained with 100 watts or less with even a dipole set up to the correct height (Google: 'angle of radiation').

As far as the question of which radio/HF rig to choose; those answers are always anecdotal. Everyone has their favorite flavor. Get an entry level radio, such as a Kenwood TS-50, Yaesu FT-450, Alinco DX-SR8, or an Icom IC-718. They are relatively newer radios that can be found used at a reasonable price. Once you use one of these for a while, you will begin to understand what features you can appreciate and then chose another brand/model from there.
 
"First I will say congrats on passing the test.....
Second good luck on finding a radio so many choices, I am still looking for a good dual band myself at a price I can afford"

Yes, thanks. That is good to be over with for now. Until I get the bug to get my "General." My reason for not going for it now (which I was encouraged to do) is to get a year of hands on experience first so I have some reference points from actual useage. If the hobby sticks, then I will have absorbed a lot more info and will be motivated to study up once again. If it doesn't, then I just sell a nice radio at 30% off.

In the past week I have spent probably 10 or 15 hours perusing the web, downloading brochures and instruction manuals and reading reviews. That has been fun in itself. As they say, "the journey is the destination."
 
You said you would be at home 99% of the time. If you don't live close to a repeater, I'd get a base unit for more power and range. If you think you might do HF, get a base. If you are thinking about connecting your radio to the Internet backbone, get a base unit. I much prefer to have a base unit sitting at home in its fixed location. But with a base unit, you'll also need to consider your antenna install. Antennas are fun....and the best part!

If you are close by a repeater, a HT will work and give you the ARES option.

Out of the features you listed, the only one I care about is APRS. Some of the other features mentioned become too computerized or too much modern infrastructure. If the feature relies on the Internet, might as well not use radio.

HF can be overwhelming to get started. I suggest finding a local club and ask if you can use the club radio (or a local HAM might offer). Or go to a HAM event (field day) and participate.

Jake
 
A point you need to know is an HT is not meant for repeated long time transmitts at it's high power setting.
You can get a Yeasu FT 2900 for about $130 +/- and have 75 watts at it's high setting then even that radio should not be used on continious long time transmitts at that power setting..
Need a power supply at at least 15 amps for base use and an antenna.
Then you can use it for mobile with a second antenna. On high power, a cigar lighter power point is still not good enough as they are only good for 10 amps at most. So high power can't be used unless a dedicated fused power line from the battery is installed.
If you still want an HT, wait to see what and when you need one either single or dual band.
I think you want to much versatity for the outlay intended.
This is the practical info you need to know first.
New, two radios and two antennas (base and mobile) and some incidentials will cost about $275 +/- min.
It just can't be done for much less, unless your lucky and find some used equipment.
I would go with moble equipment first that can be made portable and best of both worlds, as they say.
Good luck.
 
Well to Start.. Congrats on passing your tech !!

Well...Although a HT is an Excellent choice..It obviously can be taken with you and used anywhere..
I would Not worry much about getting more then 5 watts ( as you said you can get an amp down the road ) neither would i worry about a well designed HT running too hot..

Myself i have many HT's..
The one i like the Most is my first one, which is a basic and very easy one to use ( though most these days are fairly easy to use ).

Icom T90a is so good an HT it is still thought by many to be a base when i use it ( with external mike and a high gain dual band antenna ).
I do also like the IC91AD ( Dstar ) and Kenwood THF6a due to both long lasting battery and 220 band.

If though you want to use it at home the most..Perhaps you should look into a dual band mobile ( with power supply and easy/small attic antenna )
I have a couple of Icom's and an Alinco

You may want to upgrade to general or higher.
In which case a multiband mobile will do really good.
Although i use the 706MKIIG and IC7000 there are many great multiband radios out there ( and these might be more then you are hoping to spend ).

So an HT may be your best bet ( especially as a starter radio )
with external mike and high gain dual ban antenna with the T90a i easily hit repeaters 40-50 miles away ( from street level no less ) & i can only do that with my T90a..Its downside is battery,which lasts about 4 hours of transmitting (however i have a 6000 mah port battery for $40 that is a belt mounted battery and with that i never have issues with any of my HT's batteries )
 
Need2know,

First off congrats passing your test.

Next is find out what frequencies are active in your area....is there a lot of 2 meter activity? Or is there a lot of 70 cm activity?

Find this out 1st...if there's not much 2 meter activity going on, it would be silly to buy a 2 meter radio and vice versa.

Find a local ham club if need be and ask them. This will help you pick a radio. Then get the one that will do what you want.

A good radio for repeater work is a Yaesu FT7900. It does 2 m and 70 cm. I have one in my S-10 and it fits perfect.

An HT is ok, their range is limited, but they're as mobile as you can get, so that's their pro.

A mobile or even a mobile used as a base, will usually allow you to talk farter with more power.
 
I spent well over a year with just an HT. Talked on that thing all the time. Built a homebrew 2 meter ground plane and talked simplex all over too. I ended up buying an amplifier for it. I do have a mobile rig and another mobile as a base/echolink/packet rig now; but still use my HTs constantly.

I have a few Wouxuns. They do great. I use them more often than my Yaesu VX7R.

Glad you want to get used to the hobby before upgrading. New hams need to hang out on the local repeaters and learn proper procedure and operating practice before getting on HF. Of course, 10 neters is there to get your feet wet. Recenty the band was open to Europe, and I got several contacts on 10 watts. Now it is a bit dead; but with the sunspot cycle on the upswing, I'm sure worldwide propagation will return in short order.

Welcome to the hobby :)
 
Thanks guys for the info and encouragement.

Here are the repeaters nearest my house that our local ham club identified:

Repeaters

Most are within 10 miles or so of my house. I'm told that with my soon to be purchased 5 watt HT and an attic mounted J-pole I should be able to reach most of them.

Can any one tell me what is the best software to use that identifies and maps the location of repeaters and transmitting stations within your receiver's proximity?
 
Need2Know said:
Thanks guys for the info and encouragement.

Here are the repeaters nearest my house that our local ham club identified:

Repeaters

Most are within 10 miles or so of my house. I'm told that with my soon to be purchased 5 watt HT and an attic mounted J-pole I should be able to reach most of them.

Can any one tell me what is the best software to use that identifies and maps the location of repeaters and transmitting stations within your receiver's proximity?
Click to expand...

You will definitely make those repeaters and do pretty good on simplex too.

A lot of repeaters don't have their exact locations listed. Premium sites are sought and are highly kept secrets. Most tower space is donated to repeater owners and if you get everyone in town going after a specific tower, you could find the owners no longer offer space to anyone.
 

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