Help me to help my mom and dad

[JimBobTerp]

Hi
I need to know if someone can help me or help my parents. My question is my parents want to buy a a nice Ham Radio that is not to expensive. Nothing over a 1,0000 of $$$ but they don't want a scanner they want a radio that they can still pick up a lot of all high and low band and other bands that people that use for HAM Radio. I don't care if it comes with a mic and maybe then one day my parents will get a license or me. Also it needs to be a base model. I hope some will get back to me ASAP with some links to radios to buy for them thanks so much!

James

 

[rdale]

Is that one thousand dollars or ten thousand dollars? I can't tell based on what you typed. That would make a big difference.

 

[JimBobTerp]

is that one thousand dollars or ten thousand dollars? I can't tell based on what you typed. That would make a big difference.

$1,0000

 

[rdale]

One more try

1,000 = one thousand
10,000 = ten thousand

 

[fineshot1]

and maybe then one day my parents will get a license or me.James

OK - a reality check is in order here.

YOU must get a ham license. You take a test and if YOU pass then the FCC issues you your ham license.

Your parents can not get YOU a license.

 

[gewecke]

OK - a reality check is in order here.

YOU must get a ham license. You take a test and if YOU pass then the FCC issues you your ham license.

Your parents can not get YOU a license.

:lol::lol: Sweet!!

n9zas

 

[JimBobTerp]

I do understand that my parents can not take the test for me. I was just trying to find a radio that I can listen to and not talk on it. I dont want to buy another another scanner but my parents just want to buy a ham radio for there listen to and then maybe one day get a license so they can talk on it. Like here is a radio my parents could buy and would not have to buy the mic to chat with anyone. Ham Radio Outlet | ICOM IC-7410 | HF + 6 METER TRANSCEIVER 100 WATT +30DB IP3 << but does anyone know of any good radios like this for less? please try to help.

 

[wyomingmedic]

Hmmmm, I'm having trouble understanding what you are wanting. If you want a ham radio to listen, what do you want to receive? The radio you have provided a link to is an HF radio which will be great for listening to worldwide ham radio traffic, but not much else. It would require you to put up an antenna that is rather large. It is also WAY overkill for this.

I guess the best question is, what exactly are you wanting to hear?

WM

 

[Daniel_Boone]

My first radio was a old Knight Kit Star Roamer.

You do not need a radio that has any transmit capabilities - which will keep you from having the temptation of wanting to broadcast illegally and will make it a lot cheaper in the long run.

The easiest way to get into the hobby is to start small with a AM unit that can listen to the utility bands.
The antenna doesn't have to be much more then a really long piece of wire - that you can string out across the yard and up into the trees in the yard if you have some property.

Knight-Kit Star Roamer

My only advice is to stay away from tubes - unless you can afford to replace them when they go bad and as long as you have a place where you can get them checked when you have a problem.

 

[ranger821]

I was just trying to find a radio that I can listen to and not talk on it. I dont want to buy another another scanner but my parents just want to buy a ham radio for there listen to and then maybe one day get a license so they can talk on it

Jim Bob. In order to "LEGALLY" buy the radio you mentioned or any Ham radio, You have to have a LICENSE. If one of your parents are licensed, they can buy it. I would not sink that much cash into something like that with NO license. Look for a receiver that covers the bands you are interested in.

 

[kb0nly]

Get a general coverage shortwave receiver, there is plenty of choices out there, a lot cheaper, and not as complicated either, turn it on and tune around.

 

[N8IAA]

Jim Bob. In order to "LEGALLY" buy the radio you mentioned or any Ham radio, You have to have a LICENSE. If one of your parents are licensed, they can buy it. I would not sink that much cash into something like that with NO license. Look for a receiver that covers the bands you are interested in.

Absolutely not true. My wife can go to the local ham store and buy me a HF radio without proving whether or not she is licensed to operate it. Which she isn't.
But, JimBob, you can buy good used communications receivers that will monitor HF/VHF-LO & HI/UHF frequencies. This way there is no temptation to key the mic. Especially into an untuned antenna In fact, there is someone on radio reference that is selling an Icom R-70 in the For Sale Forum under Communications Receivers. One of the better oldies.
HTH,
Larry

 

[ranger821]

Larry. when did that change. Buying LEGALLY.

 

[KB0VWG]

Yes You can

Hi
I need to know if someone can help me or help my parents. My question is my parents want to buy a a nice Ham Radio that is not to expensive. Nothing over a 1,0000 of $$$ but they don't want a scanner they want a radio that they can still pick up a lot of all high and low band and other bands that people that use for HAM Radio. I don't care if it comes with a mic and maybe then one day my parents will get a license or me. Also it needs to be a base model. I hope some will get back to me ASAP with some links to radios to buy for them thanks so much!

James

Just about anyone can buy a ham radio but you better not talk on it until you have the license in your hand, You dont have to buy an exspensive antenna eaither a simple wire or a g5rv wire antenna will work for all of the hf bands that you might want to talk on someday and also it will be a good shortwave antenna too. To listen to the vhf/uhf ham bands you will need to purchase separate antenna for that too if you want or some of the multiband antennas will do vhf as well. Take a look at the kenwood ts2000 and some of the icoms. The kenwood ts2000 or think the kenwood I think hf100 will also do all the bands as well for about that price. the antennas that I am talking about will run you about 50 bucks or so.
73s
Michael

AES Home page
Ham Radio Outlet - World's Largest Supplier of Amateur Radio (Ham Radio) Equipment. Sales, Supplies, and Service.

 

[CalebATC]

I do understand that my parents can not take the test for me. I was just trying to find a radio that I can listen to and not talk on it. I dont want to buy another another scanner but my parents just want to buy a ham radio for there listen to and then maybe one day get a license so they can talk on it. Like here is a radio my parents could buy and would not have to buy the mic to chat with anyone. Ham Radio Outlet | ICOM IC-7410 | HF + 6 METER TRANSCEIVER 100 WATT +30DB IP3 << but does anyone know of any good radios like this for less? please try to help.

That's a good transceiver, the FT-450 and FT-897 are good ones also.

Just for clarification, you DO NOT HAVE TO HAVE YOUR FCC LICENCE TO BUY A TRANSCEIVER.

 

[N8IAA]

Larry. when did that change. Buying LEGALLY.

When I lived in Cleve, OH, I shopped at AES. No need to prove you have a license to buy ham gear. I live near HRO in Atlanta. Same deal. I've been a ham for almost 26 years. Never have had to show a license. They would prefer you are licensed, but why lose any sales.
Larry

 

[Daniel_Boone]

Well, on the other side of the coin.
There is a group of locals that hangs out on the 146 - 2 meters band who invited me to listen.
My Uniden BC 890 XLT can receive those frequencies very easily.
But my problem was that any indoor antenna I used was not large enough to receive their broadcasts - even 10 - 20 miles away with a beam antenna on their end and 100 watts of transmit power.
At the end of my rope, I went to Radio Shack and bought some terminal converters and hooked the scanner up to my television antenna and pre amp and after some fiddling around - got it to receive some audio by leaving the squelch wide open, connecting a stereo speaker to the radio and turning the antenna to the strongest part of the signal.

The problem is - it still isn't a reliable form of reception.
Even with a Winegard 8200 U antenna, lot's of height, a rotor and a Channel Master CM 7777 pre amp.
All signals reduces at the square of the distance.
A good regenerative receiver such as the Star Roamer is pretty decent on the bands it can receive.
It's pretty cheap to buy used and can be rebuilt for less then $100 - and a person that is in the right place at the right time could probably buy one, rebuilt it and even construct a good antenna and still only have $100 into the whole works.

I'm sure there is lot's of good receivers out there.
I had a Grundig when I was a kid that was a good receiver also.
Grundig Shortwave Radio
Amazon.com: Grundig S350 Deluxe AM/FM/Shortwave Radio, Black: Electronics

Amazon.com: Sony ICF-SW7600GR AM/FM Shortwave World Band Receiver with Single Side Band Reception: Electronics

 

[Viper43]

I was just trying to find a radio that I can listen to and not talk on it. I dont want to buy another another scanner but my parents just want to buy a ham radio for there listen to and then maybe one day get a license so they can talk on it

Jim Bob. In order to "LEGALLY" buy the radio you mentioned or any Ham radio, You have to have a LICENSE.

Since when? lol.... I have been buying them for 30 years and never once did anyone ask for my license or callsign before purchase and only a couple afterwards.... and that was as I was heading out the door basically. Who's to say someone isn't buying it for a ham? Anyone can buy the equipment, but only those licensed should transmit with them.

 

[KB0VWG]

A License to Buy??

Had to have a license to buy a ham radio??? News to me. I had ham radios 15 years before I was licensed.
kb0vwg

 

[ranger821]

I stand corrected I guess! Seems like I read that somewhere. My apologies!!!!!