Posted: 10/9/2012 11:40:18 AM EDT
| I'm taking the General exam SAT. Wish me luck. I am now in search of an HF rig. I realize I have to pass the exam first but I'm regularly passing the EHam practice tests with 80-95%. Recommendations for the new addition? |
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Budget? = 1K or so Antenna Ideas?= the sky's the limit Scope of Work on HF you anticipate? =not sure but I would love to reach out across the pond and make some contacts internationally not being short, but with those parameters your OP can be better answered :) Good Luck BTW! 85%...you got this! thanks for your reply |
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Are you interested in having VHF-UHF capability with this unit as well? Do you want a portable/mobile sort of rig or more of a true sit on top of the desk "Base Station"? I would like HF, VHF-UHF and would like to keep it desk top. Although the Elecraft KX3 looks pretty cool. |
| The Elecraft KX3 is a QRP rig which means it only transmits 10w. If you really want to go Elecraft, save your money and get a K3. Other rigs in this price range would be an Elecraft K2-100, Yaesu FT-950. As far as the sky's the limit for antennas, are you cool with a tower??? |
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It all depends on your budget. As mentioned above, good antenna is a must if you want to chase DX and break through pile-ups.
You know, in my 30 years of HAM related activities, I've built a few HF rigs from scratch and owned many high end radios from several well known manufacturers. So far my favorite is a Yaesu FT-1000 MP Mark V. They are no longer manufactured but can be found used. This is what I use now as a base rig ( 100W Field model). It has a superb receiver, excellent ergononics and all the important control buttons right in front of you. There are no menu levels to remember. You get into the settings menu once, set it and forget it. The only radio I would consider replacing it with would be a Yaesu FT-5000DX. But at this point it's hard to justify spending $5,000 on another radio. FT-950 is an excellent choice if you are looking into buying a new rig for under $2,000. Elecraft K3 is very nice but be prepared to drop $3,000+ for a base model. FT-857 is another great choice for a all band portable/mobile radio. I just bought a second one to replace my old IC-706 in the truck. |
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Expand on that a bit.
I would like HF, VHF-UHF and would like to keep it desk top. Do you mean working 2m and up SSB/CW and/or working the satellites with linear transponders? Or just pinging the local repeaters with maybe a bit of FM simplex for variety. Doing 2m and up SSB/CW narrows your choices a bunch. Just about every rig can do 6m so that isn't an issue. |
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Elecraft K3 is very nice but be prepared to drop $3,000+ for a base model. Pretty close.....UPS is supposed to deliver mine (kit) tomorrow. 
The base model is $1500 and the 100w version is $1999. The good thing about the K3 is that you can add parts to the rig as money allows. |
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Elecraft K3 is very nice but be prepared to drop $3,000+ for a base model. Pretty close.....UPS is supposed to deliver mine (kit) tomorrow.
The base model is $1500 and the 100w version is $1999. The good thing about the K3 is that you can add parts to the rig as money allows. Yep. I was wrong. |
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I'm starting to think maybe a mobile/base station might be more better. Icom 7000, Yaesu 897? Seems like these would be a less expensive way to get into HF. Of course there would be compromises but..... Not bashing on Yaesu as it is one of my favorite brands but I had a FT-817ND and the menu functions were not easy to use. I had the radio for a couple months and never did learn any of the menu function. I had a hard time operating HF on it without the manual. I am 99% sure the 857 and 897 have very similar menu functions. So just be forewarned they are complicated. I highly suggest playing with one first b4 dropping the cash on one. I now have the cheap Alinco HF as my base/ portable rig and I really like it. The receive is not as nice sounding as the Yaesu was but I really like operating the Alinco. Nice simple and it works. While its not a $1000 transceiver it will get you on the air. I like mine, and it works great for portable work with a random wire. I can dial it down to 10W if I want to save my power packs. I don't operate HF all that much so I did not want to sink a ton of money into something that sits on a desk most of the time. It also gives you a cheap way to get started on digital modes. You can get a basic donner digital interface for cheap, and mine works well. One thing to remember about the Alinco is there is nothing you can upgrade on it. No filters, No nothing. What you get with it is all you are ever going to get. The way I look at it though is If I ever want to upgrade then the Alinco can then be my portable rig for use out in the field. I sold both the ft-817ND and a TS-440SAT in favor of just keeping the new simple Alinco. |
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I'm taking the General exam SAT. Wish me luck. I am now in search of an HF rig. I realize I have to pass the exam first but I'm regularly passing the EHam practice tests with 80-95%. Recommendations for the new addition? welcome. here is an example "fixed station" (not necessarily a specific radio recommendation, but something to look at and consider the possibilities/variants thereof): http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_10_22/604477_Ham_Radio_101.html&page=2#i10391681 ar-jedi |
TS-140 about $350 used
IC-718 $450-$500 used 
TS-480 $750'ish used 
TS-590 new $1540 
I don't recommend the little 857 and 706 because they are a chore to operate with all the menu driven crap the rigs posted above are all really user friendly and easy to operate just depends on how much you want to spend. you'll also need a 13.8volt power supply and an antenna, possible a tuner. HF is were the fun is. 
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TS-140 about $350 used http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/hamhf/ts140sL.jpg IC-718 $450-$500 used http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/hamhf/0718lrg.jpg TS-480 $750'ish used http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/hamhf/0480lrg.jpg TS-590 new $1540 http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/hamhf/0590lrg.jpg I don't recommend the little 857 and 706 because they are a chore to operate with all the menu driven crap the rigs posted above are all really user friendly and easy to operate just depends on how much you want to spend. you'll also need a 13.8volt power supply and an antenna, possible a tuner. HF is were the fun is. Thanks for the pic's/price/info. Exactly what I was looking for. The Kenwood's look pretty nice. |
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I like having separate VHF / UHF
That way, you can hunt around on the HF bands, and still monitor the local 2 meter repeater and hear your friends calling you. with a FT-857, IC-706, IC-7000 etc, "all in one box" rig you can't do both at the same time. Give me a nice HF rig, like I posted above, and a simple 2 meter mobile, and life is good. |
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how would this be for my first HF rig? http://www.elecraft.com/k2_page.htm found one on EHAM for $600 w/ ssb and 160 and then I can add the 100watt amp for an additional $400 you will need to compare/contrast with similarly priced QRO (100W) rigs, e.g. the IC7200 and TS2000. ar-jedi |
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I like having separate VHF / UHF That way, you can hunt around on the HF bands, and still monitor the local 2 meter repeater and hear your friends calling you. with a FT-857, IC-706, IC-7000 etc, "all in one box" rig you can't do both at the same time. Give me a nice HF rig, like I posted above, and a simple 2 meter mobile, and life is good. +1 on that!!! been there done that, now I have separate rigs for HF/ VHF-UHF |
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What is your philosophy? Are you a techno-geek with a head for the latest stuff or are you like me, a simple kind of guy?
I entered this hobby as a guy that was looking for a couple of decorator pieces for my room and then I discovered a working backpack military rig and got licensed to run it on a whim. After a while I decided on a home rig and took the simplest route I could find, an IC-718 and have no regrets. While the 718 is a fine set, it took a luddite like me little while to figure it out, but it wasn't too bad. The PRC 320 (military rig) I took one look at and KNEW how to run as it is so simple. Likely it is SO simple a lot of guys here would have a hard time figuring out how to run it. If you are a techno weenie, don't ask me! 
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I'm starting to think maybe a mobile/base station might be more better. Icom 7000, Yaesu 897? Seems like these would be a less expensive way to get into HF. Of course there would be compromises but..... Not bashing on Yaesu as it is one of my favorite brands but I had a FT-817ND and the menu functions were not easy to use. I had the radio for a couple months and never did learn any of the menu function. I had a hard time operating HF on it without the manual. I am 99% sure the 857 and 897 have very similar menu functions. So just be forewarned they are complicated. I highly suggest playing with one first b4 dropping the cash on one. I now have the cheap Alinco HF as my base/ portable rig and I really like it. The receive is not as nice sounding as the Yaesu was but I really like operating the Alinco. Nice simple and it works. While its not a $1000 transceiver it will get you on the air. I like mine, and it works great for portable work with a random wire. I can dial it down to 10W if I want to save my power packs. I don't operate HF all that much so I did not want to sink a ton of money into something that sits on a desk most of the time. It also gives you a cheap way to get started on digital modes. You can get a basic donner digital interface for cheap, and mine works well. One thing to remember about the Alinco is there is nothing you can upgrade on it. No filters, No nothing. What you get with it is all you are ever going to get. The way I look at it though is If I ever want to upgrade then the Alinco can then be my portable rig for use out in the field. I sold both the ft-817ND and a TS-440SAT in favor of just keeping the new simple Alinco. I played with a FT-817nd once at a HRO store. Was not very impressed. FT-857 is very different. It took me 10 minutes to set all the needed parameters in the radio. The menu is very intuitive. All descriptions are displayed on the screen.Very easy to use, even while driving. I've owned a ic-7000 for 4 yeard and still don't have enough patience to figure out all the menus. It's not intuitive at all. This radio spends most of it's time in the gun safe as a back-up rig. FT-857 is used all the time. I just bought a second one for the car. |
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To OP. Get a radio with a DSP filter it you plan to spend much time on HF bands. It makes a huge difference, especially if you live in a city. two kinds of DSP: audio frequency (AF) DSP and intermediate frequency (IF) DSP. the latter is far, far more powerful –– but also more expensive to implement. examples: AF DSP: Icom 706MkIIG, Yaesu FT857/FT897, etc IF DSP: Icom IC7000, IC7200, Yaesu FT450, etc ar-jedi |
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Thanks for all the input fellas. I'm very interested in the Elecraft K2/100. Ilike I mentioned before I found a gently used one on qrz.com that is right in my price point1k and seems well equipped
http://forums.qrz.com/showthread.php?361432-Elecraft-K2-100-KAT100-ATU-and-Options The K2 gets great reviews. Is there anything w/ this radio I should be concerned with? The one listed comes with the 100w option |
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I'm not sure about antenna's. The gentleman that currently has the K2 I'm interested in says he ran this antenna set up
"I didn’t have room for dipoles for each band that I wanted to operate….so, I made one that was 135 feet long and fed it with 450 Ohm ladder line, and put a balun on the end where it came into the shack. Then, I ran coax from the balun to the ATU, then the ATU to the K2. I was then able to operate each band from 80 meters thru 10 meters with one antenna and it worked very well." what would be a good antenna option for that radio? P.S. I'm going to a yard sale tomorrow and there are 2 radio towers for sale. |
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what would be a good antenna option for that radio? OCF dipole for starters. at 135' this is probably what the guy you are talking to was using, although he had the balun at the radio rather than at the antenna feedpoint. https://www.google.com/search?q=OCF+dipole ETA: here is a commercial version, although you can DIY as well for considerably less: http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/5838 ar-jedi |
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Quoted: Thanks for all the input fellas. I'm very interested in the Elecraft K2/100. Ilike I mentioned before I found a gently used one on qrz.com that is right in my price point1k and seems well equipped http://forums.qrz.com/showthread.php?361432-Elecraft-K2-100-KAT100-ATU-and-Options The K2 gets great reviews.Is there anything w/ this radio I should be concerned with? The one listed comes with the 100w option Who built it? Was it a factory build or was it built by some ham as his first project? If it wasn't a factory build...I'd be damned leery. As to antennas, if I wasn't going to homebrew one, I'd buy a Cobra Senior. http://www.k1jek.com/ |
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I have played with a K2 and I liked it a lot. I think you will like it. Now we need to help you find an antenna. What do you think about having a tower? I've been reading that the K2 is primarily a CW rig. I don't do CW and want a rig for phone. Would the Elecraft K2 be a poor choice for my needs? |
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What makes the K2 a top shelf CW rig is the 2khz dynamic range of 80db which helps to block the nearby strong signal from wiping out the weak signal you're trying to hear. A couple of the old guard in my club are hardcore CW DXers and they both have a K2.
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I have played with a K2 and I liked it a lot. I think you will like it. Now we need to help you find an antenna. What do you think about having a tower? I've been reading that the K2 is primarily a CW rig. I don't do CW and want a rig for phone. Would the Elecraft K2 be a poor choice for my needs? That being said the K2 has very good specs for SSB operation. Not bleeding razors edge but well above the majority of the rigs out there. Wouldn't hesitate to put one in my station. FFI: http://www.sherweng.com/ http://www.sherweng.com/table.html FWIW: Don't go to the sites above if your ego can't handle it. Found out my TS-2000 has horrid specs on close in dynamic range. Explains why I've not been able to make some contacts. Still I've worked all 50 states and 33 DX on CW. Probably shouldn't count on it to help me get to the top of a contest like the CQ PFX CW though. |
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What makes the K2 a top shelf CW rig is the 2khz dynamic range of 80db which helps to block the nearby strong signal from wiping out the weak signal you're trying to hear. A couple of the old guard in my club are hardcore CW DXers and they both have a K2.
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I have played with a K2 and I liked it a lot. I think you will like it. Now we need to help you find an antenna. What do you think about having a tower? I've been reading that the K2 is primarily a CW rig. I don't do CW and want a rig for phone. Would the Elecraft K2 be a poor choice for my needs? That being said the K2 has very good specs for SSB operation. Not bleeding razors edge but well above the majority of the rigs out there. Wouldn't hesitate to put one in my station. FFI: http://www.sherweng.com/ http://www.sherweng.com/table.html FWIW: Don't go to the sites above if your ego can't handle it. Found out my TS-2000 has horrid specs on close in dynamic range. Explains why I've not been able to make some contacts. Still I've worked all 50 states and 33 DX on CW. Probably shouldn't count on it to help me get to the top of a contest like the CQ PFX CW though. That site is a tool. I was able to work DXCC on a rig towards the bottom of the pack (IC-7000) but there are some hindrances at the with a limited dynamic range at 2khz. My current rig FT-2000 with the AC0C 2khz roofing filter is much better, but to be honest, other than contests it is hard to notice a difference. Look for a rig that has good ergonomics and that fits your operating style and you will be very happy for a long time. |
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In a nutshell that is what the old guard with the K2s are saying. The perfect rig doesn't exist. If you have a particular niche (CW DX and contests in their case) find the rig that will do THAT job and get on the air.
My current rig FT-2000 with the AC0C 2khz roofing filter is much better, but to be honest, other than contests it is hard to notice a difference. Look for a rig that has good ergonomics and that fits your operating style and you will be very happy for a long time. For a general do-everything rig it's more important that user controls fits your style than worrying about a 3db difference between ones dynamic range or the other. I still recommend the TS-2000 as a first rig. It will literally do everything. Has a separate sub-receiver and transmitter so you can monitor your local repeater while you're getting that new one in the log on HF. It's capable of full duplex operation for linear transponder satellites and the doppler frequency shift is built in. A TNC if you putz with that. Built in iambic keyer. Built in antenna tuner. IF DSP on main receiver and AF DSP on the sub-receiver. (Yes, I can tell the difference in performance between the two.) And more stuff that I haven't even found yet. Something I keep saying. What rig you use is less important than what antenna system you are going to put up. A dipole will get you on the air but think about getting a tri-bander or something similiar if possible. |
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In a nutshell that is what the old guard with the K2s are saying. The perfect rig doesn't exist. If you have a particular niche (CW DX and contests in their case) find the rig that will do THAT job and get on the air.
My current rig FT-2000 with the AC0C 2khz roofing filter is much better, but to be honest, other than contests it is hard to notice a difference. Look for a rig that has good ergonomics and that fits your operating style and you will be very happy for a long time. For a general do-everything rig it's more important that user controls fits your style than worrying about a 3db difference between ones dynamic range or the other. I still recommend the TS-2000 as a first rig. It will literally do everything. Has a separate sub-receiver and transmitter so you can monitor your local repeater while you're getting that new one in the log on HF. It's capable of full duplex operation for linear transponder satellites and the doppler frequency shift is built in. A TNC if you putz with that. Built in iambic keyer. Built in antenna tuner. IF DSP on main receiver and AF DSP on the sub-receiver. (Yes, I can tell the difference in performance between the two.) And more stuff that I haven't even found yet. Something I keep saying. What rig you use is less important than what antenna system you are going to put up. A dipole will get you on the air but think about getting a tri-bander or something similiar if possible. I agree. |
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Something I keep saying. What rig you use is less important than what antenna system you are going to put up. A dipole will get you on the air but think about getting a tri-bander or something similiar if possible. agree. from the previously linked Ham Radio 101 post on KISS HF: http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_10_22/604477_Ham_Radio_101.html&page=2#i10391681 with a fixed station setup such as this, one can communicate locally using VHF/UHF, and nationally/globally using HF. i can't stress enough though that 7/8ths of the performance of this type of station is due to the antennas outside, and not the equipment on the desktop. the most expensive radio in the world is a paperweight without a good antenna system. ar-jedi |
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I was trying to stay out of this, but, lack of brain matter made me do this.
I have two FT-857D's, one in a Go-Box I designed, and one I just took out of my Jeep I sold, awaiting a transplant into my Ford F-250. I also have an FT-897D, with an LDG tuner attached, in the house as a backup to both my primary HF station and my VHF/UHF station. The menu's are simple, once learned, and they are easy to learn. You only use about 20% of the menu for normal setup. Then you don't touch them again. I like the Yaesu rigs, but for my next one, the IC-7200 will be it. Simple to the Nth degree, and it has IF DSP. Under a $1,000.00, but you will need an antenna tuner, unless you go resonant, and you will need a separate VHF/UHF radio. Antennas: I use a multiband dipole for different frequencies, and resonant on each band, hence, no tuner needed. For VHF/UHF I use a vertical gain antenna. |
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The nice thing about the shack-in-a-box rigs (I have the IC7K) is that you have the option of playing around w/ 2m/70cm SSB, CW, digital, etc, not just FM. Unfortunately there's not many current production rigs that do that for a reasonable price. If somebody made a $600-800 All-mode VHF/UHF rig then I'd probably have a larger base station like the 7200 (or the 7600 if I hit powerball)... Also agree w/ the others who state that the antenna is more important than the rig. |