New to HAM and looking for a HT and what to look for

[perrybucsdad]

I have looked at a number of threads on here over the past few days, but decided to post today to see what is recommended.

I hope to have my Technicians license within the month and would like to get a radio that I could use anywhere I go. I am leaning towards a HT type unit, and I fully understand that it has it's limitations with power. I live in the greater Cleveland area, and we have a number of repeaters that I hope to utilize, so I don't think the power will be much of an issue if I am only looking to communicate within the region.

With that in mind, and with the fact that I don't want to spend a small fortune on a radio, what are some that you would recommend? It seems that many recommend they Yaesu radio's, but are there others that are just as good, but possibly at a better price?

Also, do I have to wait to pass my test to purchase a radio? I know I can't transmit until I have passed my test and have my call sign, but if I have the cash now, do I have to wait to purchase? I don't want to break any laws.

Thanks,

John

[ermin]

I have used Icom HT's (actually I bought a 24AT in 1993) and mobiles for a long time. Love them, Fellow hams here have Kenwood and Yeasu also. I'd advise find the one with the features you want AND the best price and get it. I used an HT exclusively for 12 years with a home made omni & a beam in the attic. I live in a metro area also and had no problems. That and a good mobile antenna and your set till your ready for a bigger radio.

73

Ermin

[k3td]

Congratulations on earning your ticket! Recommend you stop by Amateur Electronic Supply so you can look and touch several. Plus you will get some good discussion around the cost/benefits of the features available. There are many excellent portables on the market today.

[perrybucsdad]

An Omni and beam in the attic? Can you fit those in there? That is one of the next questions I guess I have is we can't have antennas in our development due to HOA bylaws. With the beam ant, how would that work, as don't those normally go with a rotor so you can direct it?

[perrybucsdad]

Originally Posted by k3td

Congratulations on earning your ticket!

I haven't earned it just yet. Still working on that part, but soon... within a month I would think.

[ermin]

Originally Posted by perrybucsdad

An Omni and beam in the attic? Can you fit those in there? That is one of the next questions I guess I have is we can't have antennas in our development due to HOA bylaws. With the beam ant, how would that work, as don't those normally go with a rotor so you can direct it?

Yes. I had a 2 meter ground plane made out of bell wire and a BNC connector. I made a 3 element beam out of an old TV antenna but did not rotate it as there was only 1 far repeater I was interested in. It was all in the attic due to HOA restrictions. The ground plane worked good on 70cm too.

73

Ermin

[perrybucsdad]

So really dumb question... I assume you just join the two ant's together into one feed line? Any issues with the run length of the ant wire to your radio coming from the attic? I would have to run mine down a PVC tube that goes into the basement which is where I would have my radio. What type of wire should I be looking at to prevent signal loss for that type of run or should I even be concerned?

[kb2vxa]

Uh oh, NEVER connect two antennas to the same feed line without special consideration beyond the scope of this discussion and your abilities at this point.

Stick with the HT alone for now, don't get ahead of yourself especially since you don't even have a license yet, one step at a time. No problem buying a ham rig without a license, you can listen all you want and salesmen aren't the FCC. It's good to purchase early so you can listen and get a feel for things which you should before transmitting license or no license. Although the world above 30MHz is informal compared to HF there are still protocols so it's best you start out partially ripened rather than totally green.

[ermin]

Originally Posted by perrybucsdad

So really dumb question... I assume you just join the two ant's together into one feed line? Any issues with the run length of the ant wire to your radio coming from the attic? I would have to run mine down a PVC tube that goes into the basement which is where I would have my radio. What type of wire should I be looking at to prevent signal loss for that type of run or should I even be concerned?

I used 2 different feed lines. It is a short run from my attic to my "radio room". If you have a longer run you might need 9913 or LMR400 or something like that.

73

Ermin

[perrybucsdad]

Okay, maybe I should have stated that better. I assume you use a diplexer or something to get those together? I agree I don't need to be running ant's to the attic, but just curious... I have a mind that wanders 20 steps ahead of where I need to be... I guess you can call that adult onset ADD or whatever... I just call it curious as to what's down the pike.

[jwlehman]

I'm still a newbie and just now starting to study for the Technician Ticket. I believe the hardware you're thinking of is called a multicoupler. Google "amateur radio transceiver multicouplers" and you'll be able to read up on the subject. From what I've read so far they are expensive...

[Jhkayakr]

I like my Yaesu vx-6. However a HT is somewhat limiting and can be frustrating if no one is on repeater

[perrybucsdad]

Jhkayakr... yes, limiting would be an understatement. I did purchase the vx6r, and it is a great little unit, but I need to get an antennae mounted to get better reception. I have a feeling that once I get my ticket to transmit, I will be disappointed in the 1watt power and the limitations that will give. I am already starting to look for a mobile unit and that is making my head spin.

jwlehman... thanks for the info on the multicoupler... I will look into it to get more info.

John

[robertmac]

I believe the VX6R has max power output of 5 watts. I hear hams talking about puting an antenna on top of their fridge using a magnet mount antenna. Others have put the antenna on a metal plate and have it sitting on a desk. Or out on a balconey. There are numerous other threads here that discuss this. Or caution I would give is if you get a mobile unit and have it connected to an antenna on a metal plate in a room is to keep people away from the antenna when transmitting, especially at high power. Or RTFM, that is Read The Factory Manual precuations at the beginning of the radio manual.

[izzyj4]

Rob is correct on the VX-6R has a max 5 watts output for 2m & 70cm. 1.25m I believe is only a 1 or 2 watt max output, I don't remember off hand ( don't use 224 that much).

I run a Tri-band antenna on a magmount place on a large sheet of metal in my attic. I can reach all the local repeaters in my area w/o a problem.

[W2NJS]

1. One "secret" to learning about amateur radio is to read everything about it that you can get your hands on. That will eliminate much of the misinformaiton you're going to get by soliciting people's personal opinions which, while not always wrong, are individual views of different subjects. If you don't have a recent copy of the Radio Amateur's Handbook I suggest you get one, which sells new for under $50. You'll have and use it for years and you'll find it's a gold mine of information.

2. The other thing you can do is to seek out other hams in your area, and this is usually done by joining a radio club. You will learn more in one evening of serious discussion with a couple of experienced hams that you will in three weeks of trading information on a website. The other thing is that much of what you'll learn are things you will remember because at this point your motivation is extremely high -- in other words you WANT to know as much as possible which is the key to productive learning.