Posted: 10/13/2012 8:01:40 AM EDT
| WOOOOHOOO! Passed my General exam this morning. I was sured I screwed up but I'm in the G club now boys. Now for an HF rig. What to buy? hmmm. I saw another thread here about the Icom 7200 w/some camo finishes. I like that. So many choices. |
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Big congrats. HF is where the fun is.
As for a new rig you can analyze yourself into paralysis. Analysis paralysis I've heard it called. Narrow it down to a 3 or 4 got-to-have features and buy the rig. Work it for a while and if something gnaws on you or you find a niche that you want to play then sell it off and get something else. Digging around on the online auction and for sale sites (I'm in the market for an amp upgrade) I've been seeing used gear go for near new retail. Not good for a buyers market but great for the guy who buys a new rig now and sells it off a year later only losing $100 or $200. Or buy a used rig and sell it a year later for pretty much what you've got in it. |
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Congratulations!
There are a lot of very nice radios out there. Do some research. How far are you from a nearest HRO store? They always have many working rigs on display. Visit the big 3 (Icom, Yaesu and Kenwood) on the internet. You can also read radio reviews @ http://www.eham.net/reviews/ |
| I'm conveniently,(almost too convenient)located .5 hr's from HRO. I've already been in to molest a few radios. I want to stay in the 1K range and have been considering an Icom 718 because it looks pretty basic. I'm sure a rig w/ many bells and whistles would be lost on an uber novice like myself. Thanks for the congrats, I studied hard and sweated the exam for a couple of weeks. Feels good to be in the club. |
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Quoted:
I'm conveniently,(almost too convenient)located .5 hr's from HRO. I've already been in to molest a few radios. I want to stay in the 1K range and have been considering an Icom 718 because it looks pretty basic. I'm sure a rig w/ many bells and whistles would be lost on an uber novice like myself. Thanks for the congrats, I studied hard and sweated the exam for a couple of weeks. Feels good to be in the club. Just looked at the specs on IC-718. It has most of the the features you'll ever need. The price is very attractive too. Can't go wrong with it. Spend the money you save on a decent antenna. Your other two choices on similar rigs in this price range would be - IC-7200 and FT-450. |
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Buy once....cry once. I would recommend the Kenwood TS-480 for a first HF rig. If you could afford it the Kenwood TS-590S it would be my ideal first choice.
I also really like the Yaesu FT-450D for a first rig. Lots of bang for you buck with that radio too. It has good roofing filters and a built in antenna tuner. It is easy to use and well worth the money. The IC-718 is really just a basic starter rig and usually can be found between $400 to $500 used. I would not pay for a new one, as once you get it you will quickly out grow it and want trade it for something else. (better) The IC-7200 does not have FM, so for me that would be a deal breaker. I also wouldn't pay $250 for mall ninja paint job either, but the 7200 seems to be very robust radio. They also sound good on the air and several here have them. Unless you are going to grid chase (weak signal) on 2m or 70cm the IC-7000 is overkill. On HF there are better much rigs, but many guys like the all in one "shack in the box". I do believe that it would make a great mobile station though. I have heard that they take some tweaking to sound right because of the crappy sounding factory microphone the come with. Many hams have sent their factory microphones to Bob Nagy AB5N for his modification to fix the mushy sound. Those modified microphones sound great after his magic fix. Reviews and opinions on eHam are often very subjective. Either the reviewer is a "fan boy" and love it or they are a hater and despise it. Take those reviews with a grain of salt. If you can sit behind a rig and try before you buy you will have a better chance of not getting buyers remorse and pick a great first HF rig. 
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If you belong to a local Ham club ask some of the members to show you what HF radios they have and let you come over and use the radio to see what you like. If you don't belong to a club, I would recommend you find one on arrl.org and join. These guys can make excellent recommendations on radios, power supplies, tuners, and most of all antenna's. Remember, on HF, it's 20% radio and 80% antenna for contacts.
Congratulations on passing your General |