I hope not to modify my rig after I purchase it. I have read where people have added a few things to theirs and It made the value of the radio go up. I was asked to join several clubs this weekend over a few local repeaters. That was pretty cool. I told them I wanted to join a club whom had the smartest members I could learn from. LOL. One of them told me they would have like a dinner for me or something. I'm keeping my options open for now.
You need to separate modifications from additions. They are two different things. A modification tries to make a radio do something is was never intended to do, like transmit on some commercial bands. That kind of modification never makes the value go up. Conversely, a add-on can increase the value. An example might be a CW filter. You may have bought the radio with only the SSB filters. Then you bought a CW filter and installed it in the radio. That's something the radio was always ready to accept. That would increase the value, especially for a CW operator.
I started this thread for someone to give me some ideas on radios and such. Or any pointer or what to look for that is basically just as good as the better ones.
Yes, I am cheap, but I don't mind spending some money to get what I want. I would hate to purchase something and a experienced operator tell me he has the same thing and it cost him less or even say why did you buy that when you could have bought this. Would not be good for me to buy something and a section of the radio is known to go bad in a year or two. I try to stay away from advertising hype and value peoples first hand experience much better whether it makes sense or not.
It would be nice if everyone knew what might go wrong with a rig, before they bought it. If you want to pour through reviews, try going to
eHam.net Reviews. They have reviews on just about everything you can think of. But remember, alot of those reviews are from users that are just frustrated, and are trying to vent. Often, the solution is right in front of them, but lack of experience prevents them from seeing it.
I like peoples opinions about things and I do research on it to figure out even further.
Some says it depends on what I want to do with the radio. Well, I want to cover all bands and get me a multi-band antenna. Then I want to start putting wires all over the yard in the direction I want to talk. Also build several beams for the frequencies I plan to resonate. All I know for now Is vhf/uhf and I'm a 2 weeks into it . It's all cool but on FM that is basically like when I was on 11 meters riding on top of a mountain in my mobile with many more watts and being loud talking far off. I'll pep up my 2m/ 440 rig with some watts and beam but want to go into the other frequencies to were I can really do what I would enjoy. Talking all over the world.
There is more to 2 Meters than FM and repeaters. Granted, it is not a band where you can easily make transcontinental QSOs, but it's still a good band. If the rig you have is capable, try going down to the low end where there is CW and SSB.
And if your looking for a rig recommendation, you might look for a Yeasy FT-857 as a good starter rig. I do not have one, but a close friend does. He has a FT-817 (1/5W QRP) and a FT-857 (100W). I built a PSK-31 for his FT-817 and worked stations all over the United States on only 1 watt. The FT-857 is like the big brother to the FT-817. It runs all bands (160 meters to 70 centimeters) and all modes (AM, CW, USB/LSB, FM). Control is menu driven and can easily be run directly from a computer. If you want a closer look at what it can do, the user manual is available on-line. Now my friend is not an engineer, but he has no trouble working with the rig. I have seen both the FT-817 and the FT-857 selling on QRZ.com, used but new condition and with extras (add-ons not modifications), for about $600.
I don't really want a mobile HF rig, but If it will do the same as a base radio, is cheaper, and be durable that's great. I was thinking of a base radio and keep it covered with a cover of some sort to keep it free from dirt and dust. It don't have to be big physically or as busy as some although the bigger in appearance with a gazillion buttons do look nice!
You will find that almost all rigs today are made to run off of 12 Volts. Even the big fancy ones with all the buttons. Whether you use them mobile or stationary is your choice. There is no price difference except for the addition of a 12 volt power supply to run as a base station. For a 100 watt rig you will need a power supply that provides 12 volts at about 25-30 amps.
And don't forget about the antenna. You can start out with a simple, easy to construct dipole. Get it as high in the air as possible and you should be able to work all the DX you can stand. I have a old Hustler 5BTV and a home brew trap dipole. The 5BTV is mounted on a 18 foot mast with elevated radials and operates on 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10 meters (well it use to work on 80 meters before the lightening strike.). A vertical is a good DX antenna. The trap dipole runs on the same bands as the 5BTV, but is at 35 feet. I can easily hit Europe, on say 15 meters, when the band is open.
For many years I had a 50 foot crank up tower with a tri-band yagi. It is a great setup, but requires a lot of work. But, most people don't have the space, knowledge, or money to go into something like that from the beginning. I sold the tower, yagi, and rotator to another ham for $500. And that was a killer price. I sold everything because I changed residences and just didn't want the work involved to put it up again.
Good luck in your endeavor.
Martin - K7MEM
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