Ham in training, would like some input on my first rig and some antenna ideas.

[mike_art03a]

Howdy folks,

I've been lurking around for some time reading different things here and there so I have an idea about the hobby that I'm about to dive into. However, let me introduce myself a bit.

I'm 25 and a Canadian, so I know our licensing system is different from the the U.S. as well as band plans. That aside, I'd like to ask what you guys think would be a decent radio to start off with? All this talk of D-STAR as of late has piqued my curiosity somewhat, but it's not a must-have feature I'm looking for in a set. I have to keep the price affordable so that the wife won't kill me either (so maybe $1000-1500 max.) as I'm just dipping my toes in the water. I would consider used equipment, but I won't be able to entirely tell if it's been modified or not.

As for antennas go, I have to get something that will operate somewhat decently indoors. My landlord has a strict 'no dish, no antenna clamping on balcony rails' policy, and even tripods are a no go (couple from overseas moved into the unit behind me and had to remove their dish that was on a tripod). Also, gotta keep it sensible too, can't just turn a corner of our unit into a mini-farm and drive the wife mad.

I'm on the 3rd floor in my building, it's a low-rise 4 storey building. I am in a corner unit facing the street, so large obstructions aren't too much of an issue and there is a larger apartment building about a kilometer away with a ton of dishes and antennae strapped to it (maybe I can bounce something off one of those dishes).

Any input would be appreciated, and who knows, some of you folks might be hearing from VE2MAR or VA2MAR sooner or later.

 

[K9WG]

I would start with an inexpensive VHF/UHF transceiver. A handheld would be good to start off with, or if you commute a mobile is good also. I strongly suggest you get involved in a local club. Most clubs have members that will help you and even let you borrow or use some equipment to see what you like.

73 and best wishes de K9WG

 

[W2NJS]

Mike: If you get involved with a radio club you will cut the time of your learning curve by about 90 percent, so by all means do so. You'll be amazed by the amount of useful information you will pick up in a very short time.

As far as those dishes on the other building go, forget it. That's not the way things work in radio.

Good luck and, by all means, have fun learning and doing.

Regards,

Tom, W2NJS
Washington DC

 

[kb2vxa]

First things first, start looking for accommodations outside a radio free zone. Bad enough living under thumb but that thumb can press even harder should RFI issues arise and with indoor transmitting antennas no tell WHAT problems can befall you considering today's crappy consumer devices. That "but I'm legal" won't hold water against the ignorant that blame hams for everything from soup to nuts, mostly nuts.

 

[gewecke]

Welcome to the hobby, mike!
IF you decide to start out with the usual 2meter/70cm crowd, there is a antenna that should work well for you indoors.
I still have the antenna I stuck in the corner of a "anti-antenna" apartment I had years ago, that gave great results and was easy to hide. Only 5and a half feet high. Hang your jacket on it and no one's the wiser! :wink:

~ X50A Dualband Base/Repeater Antenna Diamond® Antenna

73,
n9zas

 

[acyddrop]

Welcome to the hobby, I'm new to it myself but I've been around Ham radio since I was a kid. My dad was a licensed Amateur Extra Class from 1954 on ward, until his death a few years ago. So I've gotten to hear the tails first (and second) hand.

If you're looking for some really nice rigs, I can recommend a few that won't break your budget. I see a lot of talk on HT's (handhelds) and VHF/UHF and certainly VHF and UHF are good fun and nothing wrong with them at all. But the real fun is in HF, and if you can work your way up to whatever class of license allows you access to the HF bands.. You might want to consider the following radios...

Icom IC-730 or IC-735
These radios are old, very old actually. They're not quite tubes but they were before DSP and all the new fangled stuff you'll find in modern HF rigs. But these things were built to last! They sound as good transmitting as any modern rig and cover all the same bands (with mods of course). They're old enough that the soldier monkey's have crawled all over these rigs and know them backwards and forwards. If you get one and aren't certain about it's overall condition, you can have them tuned up and given the once over by a tech; usually for under $100 (plus shipping). You can obtain external DSP units to help you pull things out of the static like the modern rigs for a few (like $100-300) extra dollars. But you can generally find the IC-730 for as little as $150 to $400 and the IC-735 for as little as $250 to $500. The IC-730 is sought after for it's AM capabilities as much as anything else.

Icom IC-706 (etc)
The Icom IC-706 is a dandy rig and you can find them for sale used if you're lucky in the $450-800 range. The Icom IC-706 (mark 1) is a capable rig and would be the least expensive, but it does have a few issues that were addressed later with the Mark 2 that make the MK2 (or the MKIIG) more desirable. You can find the MKIIG at the upper end of that $450-800 range. It's a mobile rig but with a switching power supply you can have that up and running as a base in no time at all.

Kenwood TS-570D(G)
This is an older rig (about 10-12 yrs old) but is a very nice rig for a beginner, you'll find these used in the $550-850 range and they have built in DSP. I've never used one but they are reviewed very well on eHam and I know people that have used them and liked them as well.

Icom IC-7000
This is a great little rig, but used will run you over $1000 generally. But it's a great mobile/base rig and works on HF-10M +6M and 2M and 440M. It's a superb modern radio, with full DSP, very nice display and all the bells and whistles you could possibly want. This my go-to VHF/UHF rig. New they run about $1300-1400.

If you're looking to just stick in the VHF/UHF bands and use an HT (hand held) then I can suggest either the IC-92AD if you want to do D-Star or perhaps if you're interested in APRS there's also the Kenwood TH-D72a which is also a fine rig. They're both in the $450-600 range.

 

[mike_art03a]

I would start with an inexpensive VHF/UHF transceiver. A handheld would be good to start off with, or if you commute a mobile is good also.

I figured as much, but I'm looking for some suggestions, there's a ton out there with feature lists as long as my arm... kinda overwhelming. Mobile units aren't in the near future as I have no wheels. I do have an analog UHF (400-470mhz) handheld at the moment that I use as a scanner of sorts.

Mike: If you get involved with a radio club you will cut the time of your learning curve by about 90 percent, so by all means do so. You'll be amazed by the amount of useful information you will pick up in a very short time.

As far as those dishes on the other building go, forget it. That's not the way things work in radio.

Thanks for the tip. As for the local radio club... tried that bit. Seems like the old timers want nothing to do with 'youngins screwing around on the airwaves.' So yeah... Though I will try the one out in Ottawa and see there.

First things first, start looking for accommodations outside a radio free zone. Bad enough living under thumb but that thumb can press even harder should RFI issues arise and with indoor transmitting antennas no tell WHAT problems can befall you considering today's crappy consumer devices. That "but I'm legal" won't hold water against the ignorant that blame hams for everything from soup to nuts, mostly nuts.

Wish I could pull that off, but I'm stuck with local buses as my way around town. I do alright in terms of salary as a security guard, but home ownership is still a few years off for me. As for RFI, I'm not planning on blasting out hundreds of watts of power, the yokel in the opposite wing of me is blasting out 500+ watts of power with his modified CB setup and doesn't seem to be causing any interference with his sloppy setup (according to local 'experts'). Don't ask me how I know... :roll:

Welcome to the hobby, mike!
IF you decide to start out with the usual 2meter/70cm crowd, there is a antenna that should work well for you indoors.
I still have the antenna I stuck in the corner of a "anti-antenna" apartment I had years ago, that gave great results and was easy to hide. Only 5and a half feet high. Hang your jacket on it and no one's the wiser! :wink:

Thanks for the tip, I'll keep it in mind.

As for everyone else who I haven't responded to yet, I'm getting there! Thanks for tips and greetings just the same!

 

[W2NJS]

Mike wrote above:

"Thanks for the tip. As for the local radio club... tried that bit. Seems like the old timers want nothing to do with 'youngins screwing around on the airwaves.' So yeah... Though I will try the one out in Ottawa and see there."

An unfortunate but all too common problem in some areas. Ignore those guys and find a club with younger people. They're around, believe me, and their success is often based on the fact that many older hams are not like the ones you've encountered. New, younger hams are the future of hamming, and anyone who fails to realize that isn't worth much to the hobby, in my opinion.

 

[AC2OY]

Good luck Michael I'm just beginning my quest as well! Just passed my tech I hope you find yourself a good club my guys are so willing to help along the way hooked up with a few Of them myself there willing to help me program my HT and can't wait until the FCC gives me my call so they can aid me along in the operating end of it. As I learn if I can be of any help please feel free to ask. As far as rigs go I read in the ARRL's Operator's manual that icom-7000 is a great beginner radio.

 

[acyddrop]

I forgot to mention antennas...

If you're interested in HF radio there's the tried and true Magnetic loop antennas. You can make them if you're handy with some parts you can get off eBay and some wire/copper pipe. You can also buy them pre-made from MFJ for around $450 or so. These things can be used indoors, or setup temporarily on a table outside on your balcony, and taken down when you're done. There are plans on the net for making them as well, and this is actually a project I'll be attempting soon.

For VHF/UHF with limited space, I highly recommend the N9TAX antenna. It weighs all of 8oz or less, comes with the coax to plug into your rig and is nearly plug and play. You can get these off eBay for around $20, don't let that fool you though. Just go read the reviews on eham for this thing. It talks! You can set it up in your home by hanging it on a hook or nail or same for outside. You can hang it in a tree or there is also a bow type idea on the n9tax website. Good antenna, works amazingly well on 2m and 70cm.

 

[LtDoc]

Probably one of the most common 'mistakes' new hams make is jumping into things too quickly. Also one of the hardest things NOT to do, right? You really do have time to do some investigating about equipment, so use it wisely.
Another one of those 'hard to do things' is to get your hands on things before buying it, see if that "best radio in the world" suits you, it may not. That's much more common than you might think.
Another thing is don't quit with the licensing thing! At the very least, get that General license, it opens up a whole world of more possibilities. Nothing says you have to use those privileges immediately, but you -have- them, you know?
And probably the biggy is to enjoy the process, have fun.
- 'Doc

(I'm a Kenwood fan so guess what I'd recommend! )

 

[mike_art03a]

Thanks for the tips everyone, keep 'em coming!

@LtDoc - The Canadian Amateur Radio Basic Certification covers the U.S Technician and General Class licenses. It's a little tougher to get a ham ticket up here as more knowledge is required to get it. If you're curious about the standards we're required to operate by, here's a small thing by Industry Canada (the regulator for radio-communications) - RBR-4 - Standards for the Operation of Radio Stations in the Amateur Radio Service - Spectrum Management and Telecommunications

 

[LtDoc]

Oops, should have paid attention to where you were. I'm not familiar with the 'newer' Canadian licensing methods, 20 years ago I was, but not now. So the Tech/General thingy certainly wouldn't apply specifically, but the general idea still does.
- 'Doc

 

[K0JAD]

Just curious LtDoc

Are you a licensed ham? I looked at your profile but there's no indication of a call sign there. Like I said, just curious. I'm an old dog, licensed since '80 but maybe like you I played "SWL" since 1946 when I got a hallicrafter S-38 for Christmas. If you haven't jumped in and gotten your license, I encourage you to do so.

Probably one of the most common 'mistakes' new hams make is jumping into things too quickly. Also one of the hardest things NOT to do, right? You really do have time to do some investigating about equipment, so use it wisely.
Another one of those 'hard to do things' is to get your hands on things before buying it, see if that "best radio in the world" suits you, it may not. That's much more common than you might think.
Another thing is don't quit with the licensing thing! At the very least, get that General license, it opens up a whole world of more possibilities. Nothing says you have to use those privileges immediately, but you -have- them, you know?
And probably the biggy is to enjoy the process, have fun.
- 'Doc

(I'm a Kenwood fan so guess what I'd recommend! )

 

[VE3JSO]

what about a j-pole antenna for your rig

 

[K8TOB]

I started in VHF/UHF with a Icom IC-2820 and IC-92AD, I wanted to play with D-star... There was a D-star repeater about 20 miles away, and without a significant outdoor antenna, I wouldn't be able to 'hit' it.

I sold the D-star stuff off and went to the IC-7000, great rig - 2m and HF. Now I see that the D-star repeater near me has been decommissioned.

For D-star access, I would suggest you consider the DV Dongle, no radio required
Two places to get more information: DV Dongle and D-StarUsers.org Your Source for D-Star Digital Amateur Radio Information!

I currently have a Yaesu FT-8800(base) and Icom IC-2200(mobile), both are adequate radios.
For HF, my first rig was the Elecraft K2. Had great fun building it, in fact so much, I sold it and bought a second one. I'm amazed at the sensitivity of this radio.

 

[CapHat]

FT-8x7D or TS2k.
Random wire dropped from a balanced tuner out da window.
1/4 wave radials from the tuner ground.