User Panel
User Panel
User Panel
|
Posted: 1/16/2021 12:29:08 AM EDT
I jumped in the pool and bought a radio.
I know nothing about ham yet. I haven't read this forum yet, but I will. I will not be transmitting unless I earn a license. The reason for this thread is to say hello and ask opinions on my purchase. I wanted something portable that would also pass as a base station. I already have a very good power supply so I chose this for my set up. How did I do? 
|
|
|
|
Posted: 1/16/2021 12:53:31 AM EDT
[#1]
Not to rain on your parade, but that's not a great radio for a beginner. It's a great radio from what I've read (I'm thinking of buying one myself, eventually) but not for a beginner.
That's a low powered portable HF radio. It's something that experienced operators use for things like SOTA - Summits On The Air, where you climb to the top of a mountain and make contacts. It outputs 20 watts, whereas a normal base station style HF transceiver puts out 100. You'll likely have trouble making contacts with it. I've never looked at that antenna before, but it doesn't look like it's very useable. HF antennas tend to be really big. My antenna (Hustler 6BTV) is a 20 something foot vertical, and it's a compromise antenna that's definitely not optimal. The antenna is even more important than the radio. I would seriously consider returning it and saving up a little more to get something better suited for a new Ham. And please don't take this as me being a jerk - I was in the exact same boat a little over a year ago when I bought my first radio, although I didn't spend as much  . There is a ton to learn about amateur radio. I feel like I'm at about 2% of the knowledge I need, but to me that's what makes this hobby fun.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 1/16/2021 12:56:21 AM EDT
[#2]
That little antenna might be mostly ok on higher bands but isn't going to do much on 40 and can't go any lower. I'd have rather seen you spend money on a Hustler 6BTV or something similar. The X90 is ok supposedly, but it's almost as expensive as the full power Icom 718.
But, you've got what you need to get on the air. Can always homebrew a dipole easily enough for 80/40/whatever. You'll be best served to pick up a Nano VNA to help with tuning the antenna. Best start studying, you'll need a General class to get much use out of HF. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/16/2021 12:58:00 AM EDT
[#3]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Not to rain on your parade, but that's not a great radio for a beginner. It's a great radio from what I've read (I'm thinking of buying one myself, eventually) but not for a beginner. That's a low powered portable HF radio. It's something that experienced operators use for things like SOTA - Summits On The Air, where you climb to the top of a mountain and make contacts. It outputs 20 watts, whereas a normal base station style HF transceiver puts out 100. You'll likely have trouble making contacts with it. I've never looked at that antenna before, but it doesn't look like it's very useable. HF antennas tend to be really big. My antenna (Hustler 6BTV) is a 20 something foot vertical, and it's a compromise antenna that's definitely not optimal. The antenna is even more important than the radio. I would seriously consider returning it and saving up a little more to get something better suited for a new Ham. And please don't take this as me being a jerk - I was in the exact same boat a little over a year ago when I bought my first radio, although I didn't spend as much . There is a ton to learn about amateur radio. I feel like I'm at about 2% of the knowledge I need, but to me that's what makes this hobby fun.I echo this sentiment. For a touch more money you get a Yaesu 991A or Icom 7300. But, you are not even a tech yet so I would start with a UHF/VHF radio to get your feet wet. If it is something you want to pursue, then buy a HF rig. Just my .02 |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/16/2021 12:58:37 AM EDT
[#4]
I think the first question you need to ask yourself is what do you want to do with your radio? A lot of people buy a VHF / UHF radio and get their Technician license, and then the radio bug bites them (like me) and they get into HF. The general rule is that VHF & UHF are for local communications while HF is for hundreds or thousands of miles away. What you bought is an HF radio, but a very specialized one.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 1/16/2021 1:24:21 AM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I think the first question you need to ask yourself is what do you want to do with your radio? A lot of people buy a VHF / UHF radio and get their Technician license, and then the radio bug bites them (like me) and they get into HF. The general rule is that VHF & UHF are for local communications while HF is for hundreds or thousands of miles away. What you bought is an HF radio, but a very specialized one. I wanted something to basically pick up any chatter after what I see coming may be a total conservative / right news blackout. I checked a couple online stories about the antenna I picked and understand it extends to 7 feet and can be tuned with a slider. I can get it up on an existing mast easily which will put it 25 feet in the air, or use it on the ground. I was into cb radio a long time ago and understand linear amplifiers. I think from what I read I would be able to hook up a 100 watt amp to this radio without causing any problems. I think I may even have a couple stored around here. I will probably go for the license, but this isn't really something I want to talk on. I want something as a just in case rig if Radio Free America starts broadcasting about chairs and mustaches. Are my plans way off base? I design and manufacture industrial robots for a living so playing around with electronics is not something I am uncomfortable with. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/16/2021 1:33:15 AM EDT
[#6]
My first 8 years as a ham was with a 20 watt HF radio, but I had room to put up some 80 meter dipoles. which is a lot better than the short vertical you show. If all you want for now is listening 20ft or more of wire will make a good antenna, the longer the better.
Get the ARRL handbook and study antennas if nothing else. You can do a lot with 20 watts and a wire. I generally found that I could talk to almost anyone I could hear but it was a challenge at times. FYI an 80 meter dipole is around 132 feet long. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/16/2021 1:40:58 AM EDT
[#7]
HS-2 is another option.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 1/16/2021 2:03:30 AM EDT
[#8]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I wanted something to basically pick up any chatter after what I see coming may be a total conservative / right news blackout. You would have spent a lot less money and been a lot more effective at listening to have bought an SDR dongle and just homebrewed an antenna for it. I don't think you're going to find much on shortwave/HF to fill the void if there's a "conservative news blackout". |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/16/2021 8:56:24 AM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I wanted something to basically pick up any chatter after what I see coming may be a total conservative / right news blackout. I checked a couple online stories about the antenna I picked and understand it extends to 7 feet and can be tuned with a slider. I can get it up on an existing mast easily which will put it 25 feet in the air, or use it on the ground. I was into cb radio a long time ago and understand linear amplifiers. I think from what I read I would be able to hook up a 100 watt amp to this radio without causing any problems. I think I may even have a couple stored around here. I will probably go for the license, but this isn't really something I want to talk on. I want something as a just in case rig if Radio Free America starts broadcasting about chairs and mustaches. Are my plans way off base? I design and manufacture industrial robots for a living so playing around with electronics is not something I am uncomfortable with. sounds like you got caught up in the ARFCOM GD doom & gloom bullshit. There is little to no conservative voice on HF/shortwave radio today. your bootleg CB amp is not going to work well on the HF bands, except for 10 meters, but it's still probably not designed to filter out harmonic garbage all over the spectrum. unlike CB, without an FCC issued callsign, nobody will talk to you. A tabletop shortwave radio, and a wire antenna strung across the ceiling would be a lot cheaper, and easier to setup. https://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/portable.html 
|
|
|
|
Posted: 1/16/2021 10:51:00 AM EDT
[#10]
Echoing the above sentiments, the G-90 is okay for backpacking, but not fixed use. You should have a 100 Watt radio, preferably one with an internal antenna tuner.
Grossly shortened antennas can't compare with full sized ones as far as gain and bandwidth are concerned. Full sized antennas are, however, easy to make. Ditto the recommendation for the ARRL Antenna Book. It's loaded with information. And it's B-I-G, over one thousand pages. It changes very little from year- to-year, so you'll likely keep it for the duration of your ham career. In the meantime, here's a link describing propagation, feedlines, and antennas: http://www.hamuniverse.com/n4jaantennabook.html. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/16/2021 11:06:35 AM EDT
[#11]
Thank all. Got a lot of reading to do.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 1/16/2021 11:06:54 AM EDT
[#12]
OP says he has used linears before (and may have a few around still). As those were for CB, likely they will not be useful in the ham radio bands, except maybe 10 meters. However OP, your idea of "this radio does 20 watts and I can bumpt it with a linear" was not off base, but will cost $ to get the right linear.
Not sure on antenna - short antennas like that to transmit on HF are a compromise (may receive ok for now). Also, if you mount it 25 feet up, tuning it with the slider will work poorly unless you have long arms (ham humor is worse than dad humor). I would conisder returnig it, ordering a nano vna and some wire to build some dipoles. Radio is okay, not great due to limited transmitting power, but is the next radio I am likely buying (as a backup and for portable use to my main rig). OP - guys on hear are not trying to be negative, we have just seen that if people new to the HAM RADIO (not ham) struggle, they do not stick it through, which is what we want. Good news - you ask questions, and have experience in a parallel field, so you can likely make anything work! |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/16/2021 11:15:45 AM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryQuoted: OP says he has used linears before (and may have a few around still). As those were for CB, likely they will not be useful in the ham radio bands, except maybe 10 meters. However OP, your idea of "this radio does 20 watts and I can bumpt it with a linear" was not off base, but will cost $ to get the right linear. Not sure on antenna - short antennas like that to transmit on HF are a compromise (may receive ok for now). Also, if you mount it 25 feet up, tuning it with the slider will work poorly unless you have long arms (ham humor is worse than dad humor). I would conisder returnig it, ordering a nano vna and some wire to build some dipoles. Radio is okay, not great due to limited transmitting power, but is the next radio I am likely buying (as a backup and for portable use to my main rig). OP - guys on hear are not trying to be negative, we have just seen that if people new to the HAM RADIO (not ham) struggle, they do not stick it through, which is what we want. Good news - you ask questions, and have experience in a parallel field, so you can likely make anything work! Thanks much. I'm getting pretty old and about to severely limit my business activities until after I see just how bad our new democrat overlords are going to screw us. I figure this thing will give me something to learn with. God knows we won't be doing a lot of shooting at the range. Sitting here now with one of my engineers discussing all the things we can do, antennas we can build, where to mount stuff. He doesn't have any ham experience either but is willing to learn with me. I'll keep the little ground mount antenna for when I'm backpacking up in the hills and put together a dipole for the house. See, I'm learning something already! 
|
|
|
|
Posted: 1/16/2021 11:45:46 AM EDT
[#14]
While there are few broadcast conservative shortwave stations ( Alex Jones 9350 ) and some more religious shortwave stations and certainly no ham broadcast stations, I suspect if things do get bad there will be pirate stations that spring up. How accurate that news might be is debatable. I also suspect there will be nets where people pass traffic of local news as it relates to tyranny and freedom. There already are nets doing very similar now and I suspect they will increase in number if conservative news and communication is silenced which is already happening. And for those that can not get setup in SW / ham radio I also suspect that info / news / discussion will be passed on VHF / UHF repeaters and simplex if the repeaters are taken down. That is also happening already in a small way in that people are talking about it. And if this does come to pass, nobody will be using call signs ( that is no happening yet ).
So I think Ben is spot on. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/16/2021 11:49:46 AM EDT
[#15]
|
|
|
|
Posted: 1/16/2021 12:13:28 PM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Amplifier Question: If the radio clains to have a tuner built in do I need an amplifier with a built in tuner? |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/16/2021 12:30:26 PM EDT
[#17]
Yes. The tuner matches the antenna impedance to the final amplifier stage impedance. The amplifier should have a 50 Ohm input, so the transceiver wouldn't need an internal tuner.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 1/16/2021 12:46:09 PM EDT
[#18]
That radio will be fine, don't let these QRP naysayers rain on your parade
  My first HF radio was a 5 watt FT-817 and I made a ton of contacts with that thing, even with less than ideal conditions. Since I was new and had no frame of reference for what a full power HF radio was capable of, any and every contact I made was sweet success! The only recommendation I would make is to spend a little more money and get an end fed antenna for field use. Something like this: http://vibroplex.com/contents/en-us/p3459.html. I think your success rate will go way up. I run 20-25 watts in my car with a short little mini hamstick and I make a ton of contacts just running around town or whatever, so that G90 with a good sized wire antenna thrown over a tree branch will work great! Have fun! Edited to add: all of you that crap on any radio less than 100 watts need to try turning down your power and see what little difference it actually makes. I had an IC-7300 and usually ran it between 20-30 watts and had no problem making contacts all over the United States. I had a regular sched with a buddy about 300 miles away and we both used 25 watts on 80m. No problems at all. Just because you shoot groundhogs with a 300WM doesn't mean that's the only way to do things. Not everyone cares to have a metric shit ton of power supplies and cables and oversized coax and Heil microphones and a 48" LCD screen to run a panadapter, and rewire their home office with a 30 amp supply to run their legal limit amp. I have had way more fun making a handful of contacts with 2.5 watts SSB with an old outdated FT-817 running off of AA batteries while sitting underneath a pine tree at 10,000ft with a 20m dipole made from $5 of speaker wire strung between two bushes, than I ever have sitting at home with an IC-7300 running 50+ watts making contacts left and right like shooting fish in a barrel. That's my rant for the day.... |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/16/2021 12:55:30 PM EDT
[#19]
Seek out LMR-400 (flex) for your coax for UHF/VHF
Jefatech.com makes good custom coax for you. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/16/2021 1:16:14 PM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Amplifier so $500 for a chi-com radio, and $500 for a chi-com amp which gets you what ?.....a cobbled together 100watt rig hint....just buy a normal 100watt hf rig ....better yet, study, pass the tech and general then reward yourself with a decent HF rig, PS, ect |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/16/2021 2:27:19 PM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryQuoted: so $500 for a chi-com radio, and $500 for a chi-com amp which gets you what ?.....a cobbled together 100watt rig hint....just buy a normal 100watt hf rig ....better yet, study, pass the tech and general then reward yourself with a decent HF rig, PS, ect Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Amplifier so $500 for a chi-com radio, and $500 for a chi-com amp which gets you what ?.....a cobbled together 100watt rig hint....just buy a normal 100watt hf rig ....better yet, study, pass the tech and general then reward yourself with a decent HF rig, PS, ect Ditto. Cancel the order or return it when you receive it. Read up and study a bit more, THEN order something. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/16/2021 2:55:14 PM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryQuoted: so $500 for a chi-com radio, and $500 for a chi-com amp which gets you what ?.....a cobbled together 100watt rig hint....just buy a normal 100watt hf rig ....better yet, study, pass the tech and general then reward yourself with a decent HF rig, PS, ect From all the reviews I have seen, the G90 is a very good SDR radio. It just has a low 20w output. It has great features, and works well. I don't plan on adding HF, I don't hear well enough to spend the money for equipment and making an antenna. Having a 20w portable HF radio you can take out for sota or pota and can take home and hook up to 100w seems pretty handy to me. Both the power supply and radio have auto tuners built in. Take out all the chicom parts on modern radios, and you will end up with no radios at all. YMMV |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/16/2021 3:16:03 PM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryQuoted: so $500 for a chi-com radio, and $500 for a chi-com amp which gets you what ?.....a cobbled together 100watt rig hint....just buy a normal 100watt hf rig ....better yet, study, pass the tech and general then reward yourself with a decent HF rig, PS, ect Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Amplifier so $500 for a chi-com radio, and $500 for a chi-com amp which gets you what ?.....a cobbled together 100watt rig hint....just buy a normal 100watt hf rig ....better yet, study, pass the tech and general then reward yourself with a decent HF rig, PS, ect It's not as though 100w HF radios are all that big and heavy. Yaesu FT450 was small and weighed nothing. The IC7300 is pretty small and doesn't weigh much. The FT891 is no bigger than the Xiegu. Can always just turn the power down if you're on battery or something. If you don't have a license, don't know what you want and want to listen, I'll repeat my suggestion that you'd be better off with an Airspy or SDRPlay SDR receiver dongle on your computer. SDR software with the full graphical display will be so much easier and more flexible. ETA: here's a screenshot of an SDR program (GQRX) listening to the 20m amateur band today. I think you can see how much easier it is to find activity versus just having numbers on a display and tuning around randomly  Attached File |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/16/2021 3:42:34 PM EDT
[#24]
Buying your first radio is a lot like buying your first gun.
You will get something that works, but probably won't be the best fit for you. As with buying a gun, get what works for you, not what someone tells you you should have. I try to persuade people wanting a gun to actually try every gun they can lay their hands on before choosing. However, almost always, they already have one ... recommended by someone ... Anyway. For your purposes as a beginner, with no license, that will do fine. I tend to agree on the antenna, you will probably be better off initially just stringing 30' or so of wire up as high and in the clear as you can get it. That will pull in most of the things you want to listen to. Is 20W enough? Honestly, it should be. It is about 1 S point down on a 100W signal. Practically, maybe not. Especially with a poor antenna. A good antenna can make up for a lot. One of the problems with low power is that a lot of hams just don't respond to weaker signals. I have no idea why, they just don't. I have a KX3, which is basically 5W out. I tried calling and never got a reply. One night, after a net on 80m I asked someone to listen for me, and quickly swapped over to the KX3. He responded, and gave me a good signal report - he was about 60 miles away and said it was about an S4 signal (as opposed to my S9+20). So I was getting out just fine. Overall - maybe not the best choice, but quite workable, certainly what I have seen on that rig is that the receiver is fine. The antenna could be useful for short-range mobile work, but use a long wire for general listening, and even n=full se when you get your General license. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/16/2021 4:01:00 PM EDT
[#25]
Get yourself a wire dipole and open wire feed. Like
80-10 Meter W7FG True Ladder Line Open Wire Fed Dipole From http://www.trueladderline.com/w7fg-design-dipoles/ You will need a 1:1 or 4:1 balun, but they are cheap. Keep coax from balun to radio short, like 20 feet or less. You will be able to tune this to any band, and have very good signals both receive and transmit. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/16/2021 4:42:46 PM EDT
[#26]
I would really like to have tall mast like I had years ago but I have a jump school very close. So close that when they use their north / south runway they come very low over the treetops. Low enough that on one occasion they knocked a bunch of leaves off the maple. I'm not sure flying that low is legal but I'm not going to bitch. The owner of the airport lets me play with his machine guns.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 1/16/2021 4:47:50 PM EDT
[#27]
To sum it up....
If you just want to listen, you can do it for a lot less money than what you are spending. If you do want to talk, you can get a lot more radio for $1000, than your radio/amp combination. And if I were a betting man, I would gamble that your radio will spend the vast majority of its' life sitting on a desk in your house, and not much time out in the woods. FWIW, YMMV, etc. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/16/2021 5:10:06 PM EDT
[#28]
Quote HistoryQuoted: From all the reviews I have seen, the G90 is a very good SDR radio. It just has a low 20w output. It has great features, and works well. I don't plan on adding HF, I don't hear well enough to spend the money for equipment and making an antenna. Having a 20w portable HF radio you can take out for sota or pota and can take home and hook up to 100w seems pretty handy to me. Both the power supply and radio have auto tuners built in. Take out all the chicom parts on modern radios, and you will end up with no radios at all. YMMV that internal tuner does no good when there’s an amplifier between it and the antenna .... not to be a dick, but one of us has a lot of experience with HF radio, and according to your post, ...it’s not you  Attached File |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/16/2021 5:18:12 PM EDT
[#29]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Question: If the radio clains to have a tuner built in do I need an amplifier with a built in tuner? Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Amplifier Question: If the radio clains to have a tuner built in do I need an amplifier with a built in tuner? or a stand alone tuner. If you need a tuner it needs to be between the antenna and everything else including a power meter. the tuner matches the antenna to what ever is connected to the input of the tuner. It doesn't change the antenna, it just matches the impedance to what ever wants to be connected to the antenna. radio>tuner>antenna radio>amp>tuner>antenna radio>amp>power meter>tuner>antenna |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/16/2021 5:25:04 PM EDT
[#30]
Quote HistoryQuoted: that internal tuner does no good when there’s an amplifier between it and the antenna .... not to be a dick, but one of us has a lot of experience with HF radio, and according to your post, ...it’s not you https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/2275/8A81B690-57D3-4EF7-BEF0-EDD50A10BC6C_jpe-1782205.JPG Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: From all the reviews I have seen, the G90 is a very good SDR radio. It just has a low 20w output. It has great features, and works well. I don't plan on adding HF, I don't hear well enough to spend the money for equipment and making an antenna. Having a 20w portable HF radio you can take out for sota or pota and can take home and hook up to 100w seems pretty handy to me. Both the power supply and radio have auto tuners built in. Take out all the chicom parts on modern radios, and you will end up with no radios at all. YMMV that internal tuner does no good when there’s an amplifier between it and the antenna .... not to be a dick, but one of us has a lot of experience with HF radio, and according to your post, ...it’s not you https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/2275/8A81B690-57D3-4EF7-BEF0-EDD50A10BC6C_jpe-1782205.JPG well it can have some usefulness when connected to an amp. I use mine. The inputs on the AL-80B are tuneable. However those tuned input share bands. ie. 20/30 meters. So I have the input tuned to 20 perfectly. That means when using 30 meters I have an SWR from the radio to the amp. So I use the tuner on the radio to tune the connection on the 3 foot cable to 50 ohms to the amp input since the 30m band is power limited anyway. I do the same thing for the other shared inputs. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/16/2021 6:16:05 PM EDT
[#31]
Quote HistoryQuoted: that internal tuner does no good when there’s an amplifier between it and the antenna .... not to be a dick, but one of us has a lot of experience with HF radio, and according to your post, ...it’s not you https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/2275/8A81B690-57D3-4EF7-BEF0-EDD50A10BC6C_jpe-1782205.JPG Not to be a dick, but if you actually read the link, the amp has a built in tuner. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/16/2021 8:21:02 PM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I wanted something to basically pick up any chatter after what I see coming may be a total conservative / right news blackout. I checked a couple online stories about the antenna I picked and understand it extends to 7 feet and can be tuned with a slider. I can get it up on an existing mast easily which will put it 25 feet in the air, or use it on the ground. I was into cb radio a long time ago and understand linear amplifiers. I think from what I read I would be able to hook up a 100 watt amp to this radio without causing any problems. I think I may even have a couple stored around here. I will probably go for the license, but this isn't really something I want to talk on. I want something as a just in case rig if Radio Free America starts broadcasting about chairs and mustaches. Are my plans way off base? I design and manufacture industrial robots for a living so playing around with electronics is not something I am uncomfortable with. You are on the right path but don't fool yourself into thinking that ham HF is a commie free information source. Tons of commies out there transmitting. That said it still is a lot of fun to learn. Second point is ham HF is involved. There's no "buy this product and you have acquired a capability". This is where so many people go wrong. They approach it from a what equipment should I buy instead of "how does this work". Antennas in particular are very involved and full of various compromises. Start browsing the forum. Get some books, watch some YouTube on antenna theory and I think the clouds will slowly fade away and it will start to make sense. If you get some questions as you go this forum is a great place to ask them. I'd suggest starting at the beginning and study for the licenses now. By the time you pass you'll have a great foundation to work from. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/16/2021 8:23:21 PM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Not to be a dick, but if you actually read the link, the amp has a built in tuner.  opps
|
|
|
|
Posted: 1/16/2021 10:38:01 PM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Not to be a dick, but if you actually read the link, the amp has a built in tuner. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: that internal tuner does no good when there’s an amplifier between it and the antenna .... not to be a dick, but one of us has a lot of experience with HF radio, and according to your post, ...it’s not you https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/2275/8A81B690-57D3-4EF7-BEF0-EDD50A10BC6C_jpe-1782205.JPG Not to be a dick, but if you actually read the link, the amp has a built in tuner. ...but I'm guessing the power supply doesn't.  Attached File |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/16/2021 11:36:10 PM EDT
[#35]
Quote HistoryQuoted: ...but I'm guessing the power supply doesn't. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/24416/Capture_JPG-1782842.JPG You didn't go to the link either. Edit: The Xiegu XPA125B (new version) is a 100-125 watt solid-state linear power amplifier for frequencies from 0.5 to 30Mhz and 50 to 54Mhz, with an integrated antenna tuner (1.8 to 30Mhz) and a big and bright display for monitoring the amplifier status. It is equipped with protections: temperature, overcurrent, detection of input and output. It's perfect for your QRP radio or low power SDR transceiver. The XPA125B HF amplifier can be used with any QRP HF transceiver and is compatible with the Xiegu G90, X108G and X5105 and it's with the automatic bandwidth and output power control function (ALC). |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/16/2021 11:42:57 PM EDT
[#36]
Quote HistoryQuoted: You didn't go to the link either. Edit: The Xiegu XPA125B (new version) is a 100-125 watt solid-state linear power amplifier for frequencies from 0.5 to 30Mhz and 50 to 54Mhz, with an integrated antenna tuner (1.8 to 30Mhz) and a big and bright display for monitoring the amplifier status. It is equipped with protections: temperature, overcurrent, detection of input and output. It's perfect for your QRP radio or low power SDR transceiver. The XPA125B HF amplifier can be used with any QRP HF transceiver and is compatible with the Xiegu G90, X108G and X5105 and it's with the automatic bandwidth and output power control function (ALC). I did go to the link actually. Nowhere is a power supply listed. The link is for an amplifier. And I'll repeat, I bet the POWER SUPPLY doesn't have a tuner built in.....as you stated. I read the link, and see that the AMPLIFIER does indeed have an antenna tuner. But you didn't state AMPLIFIER, you stated POWER SUPPLY. (Not trying to be a dick....I'm guessing you mistyped or something) |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/16/2021 11:50:00 PM EDT
[#37]
My link clearly says amplifier. My reply says amplifier, and I am not sure what you are talking about.
Edit: Ok I read that, guess I mistyped one part in the answer. It's only the 27th mistake I have made today, they kind of run together after a while. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 12:55:44 AM EDT
[#38]
. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/17/2021 1:10:26 AM EDT
[#39]
Now that we have all that out of the way
 The X90 is not a bad radio, and the AMPLIFIER is not a bad deal considering the features. If I were going to do HF, it would be high on my list of radios. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/18/2021 2:13:11 PM EDT
[#40]
Another thing to consider is resale value. An Icom-7300 you pick up today for $950 is going to hold it’s value FAR MORE than a chi-com radio+amp when you go to sell it in a few years. Trust me, I have bought and sold a lot of ham gear. That Chinese radio wont hold its value at all!
|
|
|
|
Posted: 1/18/2021 2:41:03 PM EDT
[#41]
There is a lot more on HF than you would hear on VHF/UHF. Many good nets for keeping yourself informed. Try 3860 every night at 8:30 east (Patriot Net), 3995 Sat/Wed at 10pm for the Liberty Net. Many others out there.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 1/18/2021 3:03:44 PM EDT
[#42]
Quote HistoryQuoted: There is a lot more on HF than you would hear on VHF/UHF. Many good nets for keeping yourself informed. Try 3860 every night at 8:30 east (Patriot Net), 3995 Sat/Wed at 10pm for the Liberty Net. Many others out there. Can you hear this on a SW/SSB radio like the tecsun pl880? |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/18/2021 4:31:37 PM EDT
[#43]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Can you hear this on a SW/SSB radio like the tecsun pl880? |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/18/2021 6:00:56 PM EDT
[#44]
I think the OP got scared off.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 1/18/2021 6:12:12 PM EDT
[#45]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I think the OP got scared off. Nope. Trying to finish up my last two robotics projects so working day and night. I have downloaded some study aids and licensing info. I'll be done working the first of March and can devote full time to getting licensed. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/18/2021 11:45:34 PM EDT
[#46]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Nope. Trying to finish up my last two robotics projects so working day and night. I have downloaded some study aids and licensing info. I'll be done working the first of March and can devote full time to getting licensed. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: I think the OP got scared off. Nope. Trying to finish up my last two robotics projects so working day and night. I have downloaded some study aids and licensing info. I'll be done working the first of March and can devote full time to getting licensed.  You won't regret the investment you make. It's a great hobby! Let us know if you get stuck
|
|
|
|
Posted: 1/19/2021 1:39:44 AM EDT
[#47]
Quote HistoryQuoted: You won't regret the investment you make. It's a great hobby! Let us know if you get stuck Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Quoted: I think the OP got scared off. Nope. Trying to finish up my last two robotics projects so working day and night. I have downloaded some study aids and licensing info. I'll be done working the first of March and can devote full time to getting licensed. You won't regret the investment you make. It's a great hobby! Let us know if you get stuck Thanks much. I will. |
|
|
Win a FREE Membership!
Sign up for the ARFCOM weekly newsletter and be entered to win a free ARFCOM membership. One new winner* is announced every week!
You will receive an email every Friday morning featuring the latest chatter from the hottest topics, breaking news surrounding legislation, as well as exclusive deals only available to ARFCOM email subscribers.
AR15.COM is the world's largest firearm community and is a gathering place for firearm enthusiasts of all types.
From hunters and military members, to competition shooters and general firearm enthusiasts, we welcome anyone who values and respects the way of the firearm.
Subscribe to our monthly Newsletter to receive firearm news, product discounts from your favorite Industry Partners, and more.
Copyright © 1996-2024 AR15.COM LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Any use of this content without express written consent is prohibited.
AR15.Com reserves the right to overwrite or replace any affiliate, commercial, or monetizable links, posted by users, with our own.
