Affordable 6m/10m rig? ...

[cmeisenzahl]

What kinds (brands, models) of affordable radios would you recommend for a Tech to get his feet wet in 6m and 10m? I'm thinking base or mobile hooked-up to DC power in the house?

Local HamFest coming up, and wondering what to keep my eyes open for. ;-)

Thanks again,
Chris
The Pretense of Knowledge | A Shout-Out To F.A. Hayek …

 

[K9WG]

If you can find a good Radio Shack HTX-10 (10-meters) cheap I would get one. I got one when RS decided to get out of the Ham business for $90 and have had very good results. Here are some of the QSOs from 2002 when 10-Meters was really open:

HF Log Book

These were all done on an HTX-10 and a dipole antenna.

eta: I also worked KH6BB withthe HTX-10

 

[hockeyshrink]

My first amateur rig was a Yaesu ft 857d. Yes, it is 70cm, 2m, 6m, and Hf (incl. 10m), but I felt that if I was going to make this kind of investment in amateur radio I would get something that I could "grow" into. No regrets with that decision.

 

[SCPD]

Well, he said "affordable" and that's all relative to his pocket book.

The FT-857D is a solid rig, but I wouldn't exactly call it affordable.

You didn't mention if you want to work DX on 10/6m. If you're in the SE part of the country, you may get a lot more skip. Up this way, we don't get that much skip -- so SSB is a requirement for working DX. Of course, a good (i.e. directional) antenna is a must for any serious DX. A simple dipole works fine but will be limited by height and TX power.

You can get 10m/6m coverage on some mobile VHF/UHF rigs but they're not SSB.

I would check EBAY or QRZ.COM (For Sale Forum) and look for a quality used rig. You can find the Icom 706 series for 400+ range these days -- and that covers HF-70cm as well.

Models to keep an eye out for:

Yaesu FT-100D
Icom 706 (ideally the 706Mk2G version - which had the improvements over the original 706 and 706Mk2)
Icom 7000

(All of the above have 100w output, which I think is mandatory these days.)

These two bands are heavily dependent on propagation. If you're looking to work routine DX (year round) then I'd get your General upgrade ASAP.

Just don't forget the cost of the antenna, coax and a quality power supply. It all adds up very quickly.

 

[Daniel_Boone]

Affordable and Ham Radio - the two phrases usually don't mix.

My advice would be for you to get a job or a second job - such as Burger King or McDonalds and save your money for a couple of months and apply that money towards one really good all around radio and forget about trying to scab together something on a budget.

By the time you buy a radio or two, the coax for each antenna, a antenna tuner / tuners, a couple of really good antenna's. A tower or mast, all the grounding, a power supply - you will have just as much or even more into it then if you just went out and bought a used Icom 746 Pro II....

Too many new hams gets into a hurry to get on the air and in their haste - wastes good money after bad on radios that doesn't work or works marginally.
They usually loose interest around about the time it costs more to buy the antenna then it does to buy the radio.

Every day I hear a half a dozen people come on the repeater system that says - I bought this old radio 20 years ago and I charged the battery and wanted to see if it still worked.
The truth is - they bought it when there was people on the repeaters and when the people all went to cell phones and the internet - the 2 meters was forgotten.

I would suggest that you buy the same radio that I bought.

Yaesu Ft 8900R
Quad Bander - 440, 2 meters, 6 meters, 10 meters - all in one radio.
Buy some 9913 Belden cable and a discone antenna for the 2 meters and 440 and get a dedicated 6 meter and 10 meter dipole antenna and a antenna tuner such as a MFJ 949.

That will give you enough equipment that you won't have to buy a SWR meter or a dummy load and will really help you with your radio hobby....
Buy a 25 amp power supply - that way you can use that power supply down the road when you buy a full size HF rig...

 

[N8IAA]

What kinds (brands, models) of affordable radios would you recommend for a Tech to get his feet wet in 6m and 10m? I'm thinking base or mobile hooked-up to DC power in the house?

Local HamFest coming up, and wondering what to keep my eyes open for. ;-)

Thanks again,
Chris
The Pretense of Knowledge | A Shout-Out To F.A. Hayek …

Since you hold a Tech license, You're limited to SSB on 28.2-28.4MHz. FM on 10m requires a General class license or higher. You can operate on all modes on 6m. Alinco sells a 6m mobile radio that will get you going. The suggestion of the Yaesu quadbander will only apply to 5, 2, and 440. If you are going to a hamfest, the Uniden HR-2510 is a good, old radio for 10m SSB. Make sure that it hasn't been tinkered with to operate on 11m:wink: If they have a testing station at the hamfest, have someone there check it out to make sure it works. Probably the most affordable new radio is the FT-817ND. It has 10m and 6m built in. Plus 2m and 440MHz. It is a QRP rig, 5 watts and lower.
HTH,
Larry

 

[GSPD]

Chris,
Seems like you do a lot of thinking out loud on the forum. If I remember, you posted about VHF/UHF mobiles that are "cheap". I suggested a dual bander and you thought you couldn't afford those and you settled for a VHF, which is fine.

Now you're looking for "cheap" 6 and 10 meter rigs. Six meters is a fun band to work and I enjoy it, but chances are you'll be hearing nothing most of the time....there's a reason why it's called the magic band! Ten meters is on the rise again, but spotty. The Ranger radios come to mind in 6 meters, but those don't have the tone boards installed if you intend to use the 6 meter repeaters, which we have a good one located on Bristol with little activity.

I guess my point is, save your money for a good used radio that does 160-6 meters. Quality radios are available at decent prices (your budget) depending on what you're willing to spend. Hamfests can offer some decent stuff, but buyer beware! Try to see it in operation, get the ham's call and personal information in case you have problems. If you don't get the above or have a bad feeling, walk away.

Another option is to check into the Monroe county FM net on the 146.88 repeater, Sunday nights at 9pm and say that you're looking for a radio. Also, previous to that net is the newbie net that could be used in the same way. You could also go to a RARA meeting and meet some hams....some have been known to offer radios to new hams to borrow.

You mentioned an upcoming hamfest....are you talking Rochester? If so, look me up while you're there.

Good luck....

 

[davedaver1]

Used - President/Uniden HR2600 also - it's a great little radio when in good condition. On some sunspot cycle in the 80's, I got one at the store with a Hy-Gain mag mount, plugged it all together in the parking lot and my first contact was from California to Indiana. I was hooked. It was a great performer on a 10m vertical base antenna also.

 

[zz0468]

Another nonsense post to have to deal with...

Affordable and Ham Radio - the two phrases usually don't mix.

One of the neatest things about ham radio is, it can be whatever you want it to be, and cost whatever you want it to cost.

My advice would be for you to get a job or a second job - such as Burger King or McDonalds and save your money for a couple of months and apply that money towards one really good all around radio and forget about trying to scab together something on a budget.

While the idea of a second job isn't necessarily out of the question, why discourage someone from finding one of the many, many bargains there are to be had?

By the time you buy a radio or two, the coax for each antenna, a antenna tuner / tuners, a couple of really good antenna's. A tower or mast, all the grounding, a power supply - you will have just as much or even more into it then if you just went out and bought a used Icom 746 Pro II....

You grossly over complicate the relative simplicity it takes to actually get a station on the air. Yes, all those accessories can cost a lot of money, but they're not all necessary to get a modest station going. My first ham rig was a used transceiver, my first antenna was a dipole strung between the peaks of the roof, and my first contact was to Indonesia.

Too many new hams gets into a hurry to get on the air and in their haste - wastes good money after bad on radios that doesn't work or works marginally. They usually loose interest around about the time it costs more to buy the antenna then it does to buy the radio.

There is an element of truth to this, but wouldn't it be more productive to help the new comer in learning how to select a good used rig, and how to assemble modest, but effective, antennas, as opposed to suggesting he get another job and wait it out until he can buy the ultimate DX station?

Every day I hear a half a dozen people come on the repeater system that says - I bought this old radio 20 years ago and I charged the battery and wanted to see if it still worked.
The truth is - they bought it when there was people on the repeaters and when the people all went to cell phones and the internet - the 2 meters was forgotten.

Maybe the truth is, they have a 20 year old radio that they just wanted to see if it works? I have a garage full of old radios, and every once in a while, I'm inspired to fire one up and see if it still works.

I would suggest that you buy the same radio that I bought. Yaesu Ft 8900R
Quad Bander - 440, 2 meters, 6 meters, 10 meters - all in one radio.

While that's a worthy radio, you fail to take into account something rather critical here. The OP specifically asked about 6 and 10 meters, and mentioned he was a tech class licensee. The technician class license has limited 10 meter privileges:

28.000-28.300 MHz: CW, RTTY/Data--Maximum power 200 watts PEP
28.300-28.500 MHz: CW, Phone--Maximum power 200 watts PEP

Note that the FT8900 is not SSB or CW capable, and technicians do not have privileges in the 10 meter FM portion of the band, making the FT8900 a dubious choice, given the interests expressed by the OP.

 

[SCPD]

I would look around for one of the RS/Uniden or Ranger 10m rigs they can often be had for around $100 or less. Once in a while you can find an old SSB CB rig that has been converted to 10 meters. Ranger had a 6 meter rig too but it was not as popular as the 10 meter(just shows that most of them were being bought by chicken banders) it was the 5054DX looks like they're going for about $200 on eBay. MFJ also had some single band rigs. But you'll really enjoy 10, I can say from experience that it doesn't take much to work the world on 10. I've done DXCC with only an HR2510 running 25 watts. For 6 meter FM I'd look for a Motorola Maxtrac, Syntor X9000, or Midland Low-Band radio (Bandsplit C) they work great on 6 and the X9000 will work on 6 and 10 if you upgrade. Often you can get one of these in the $50 range.

 

[speedmaster]

Thanks, I appreciate it. Do hope to make that HamFest.

Chris,
Seems like you do a lot of thinking out loud on the forum. If I remember, you posted about VHF/UHF mobiles that are "cheap". I suggested a dual bander and you thought you couldn't afford those and you settled for a VHF, which is fine.
Now you're looking for "cheap" 6 and 10 meter rigs. Six meters is a fun band to work and I enjoy it, but chances are you'll be hearing nothing most of the time....there's a reason why it's called the magic band! Ten meters is on the rise again, but spotty. The Ranger radios come to mind in 6 meters, but those don't have the tone boards installed if you intend to use the 6 meter repeaters, which we have a good one located on Bristol with little activity.
I guess my point is, save your money for a good used radio that does 160-6 meters. Quality radios are available at decent prices (your budget) depending on what you're willing to spend. Hamfests can offer some decent stuff, but buyer beware! Try to see it in operation, get the ham's call and personal information in case you have problems. If you don't get the above or have a bad feeling, walk away.
Another option is to check into the Monroe county FM net on the 146.88 repeater, Sunday nights at 9pm and say that you're looking for a radio. Also, previous to that net is the newbie net that could be used in the same way. You could also go to a RARA meeting and meet some hams....some have been known to offer radios to new hams to borrow.
You mentioned an upcoming hamfest....are you talking Rochester? If so, look me up while you're there.
Good luck....

 

[Daniel_Boone]

Another nonsense post to have to deal with...



One of the neatest things about ham radio is, it can be whatever you want it to be, and cost whatever you want it to cost.



While the idea of a second job isn't necessarily out of the question, why discourage someone from finding one of the many, many bargains there are to be had?



You grossly over complicate the relative simplicity it takes to actually get a station on the air. Yes, all those accessories can cost a lot of money, but they're not all necessary to get a modest station going. My first ham rig was a used transceiver, my first antenna was a dipole strung between the peaks of the roof, and my first contact was to Indonesia.



There is an element of truth to this, but wouldn't it be more productive to help the new comer in learning how to select a good used rig, and how to assemble modest, but effective, antennas, as opposed to suggesting he get another job and wait it out until he can buy the ultimate DX station?



Maybe the truth is, they have a 20 year old radio that they just wanted to see if it works? I have a garage full of old radios, and every once in a while, I'm inspired to fire one up and see if it still works.



While that's a worthy radio, you fail to take into account something rather critical here. The OP specifically asked about 6 and 10 meters, and mentioned he was a tech class licensee. The technician class license has limited 10 meter privileges:

28.000-28.300 MHz: CW, RTTY/Data--Maximum power 200 watts PEP
28.300-28.500 MHz: CW, Phone--Maximum power 200 watts PEP

Note that the FT8900 is not SSB or CW capable, and technicians do not have privileges in the 10 meter FM portion of the band, making the FT8900 a dubious choice, given the interests expressed by the OP.

Maybe the reason why this person asked this question is because he / she didn't want to come right out and say that they wanted someone to GIVE THEM A RADIO.

I would bet that was their intentions.

Since you have a whole garage full of good working radios that you don't use anymore - why don't you give this guy a couple and while you are at it - give me a couple also.

Yes the YAESU has it's drawbacks on 10 meters - but the goal here is to get the op on the air as quickly as possible for the least amount of money.

Even with a cheap radio - you are still going to need the correct antenna for each band / maybe a antenna tuner and also coax for each antenna - should you go that route. A antenna switch alone would probably run $100 or more bucks unless you can find a good used one that someone was just giving away.

The antenna switch I bought (B&W) - for two radios and two antenna's, I got off a fellow ham for $10.00

What was wrong with it? - the person that owned it must have made it out of two old antenna switches and when they put the board in - they soldered it in backwards.
It's easy to do when you don't know what you are doing.

To complicate the matter - I put it back together upside down.
Now the numbers on the bottom doesn't match the ports on the switch.

Do I care ? Not really - as long as it does what I want it to do and as long as I know what does what, I'm not going to take it back apart - just so it is ascetically pleasing.

 

[APTN]

My first amateur rig was a Yaesu ft 857d. Yes, it is 70cm, 2m, 6m, and Hf (incl. 10m), but I felt that if I was going to make this kind of investment in amateur radio I would get something that I could "grow" into. No regrets with that decision.

I second hockeyshrink.

 

[zz0468]

I second hockeyshrink.

I'll third the suggestion. I have two FT857's - one in each car.

 

[n5ims]

One other option would be to get both a 10 meters radio and a 6 meters radio. There are many used HF radios that would make great starter radios where you can use 10m SSB now and once you upgrade allow you to use the other bands.

There are also many used radios that will work on 6 meters, including low-band VHF commercial gear (verify the split will cover the desired frequencies though!). You may even find a transverter that would allow your used HF radio to work on 6 meters to give you a single radio (although the transverter wouldn't generally directly install into the radio but instead attach to it).

 

[zz0468]

Maybe the reason why this person asked this question is because he / she didn't want to come right out and say that they wanted someone to GIVE THEM A RADIO.

I would bet that was their intentions.

You're kidding, right? :roll:

Since you have a whole garage full of good working radios that you don't use anymore - why don't you give this guy a couple and while you are at it - give me a couple also.

The OP isn't asking for a handout, and after seeing too many of your posts, I'd go to great lengths to make sure I DON'T give you any radios.

Yes the YAESU has it's drawbacks on 10 meters - but the goal here is to get the op on the air as quickly as possible for the least amount of money.

But he specifically asked about 10 meters, and your solution would specifically exclude him from using 10 meters. Do you see the problem here???

Even with a cheap radio - you are still going to need the correct antenna for each band / maybe a antenna tuner and also coax for each antenna - should you go that route. A antenna switch alone would probably run $100 or more bucks unless you can find a good used one that someone was just giving away.

Quite over complicating things for beginners with your insanely ludicrous advice. A two band fan dipole, for example, could be built for a few dollars, would work great, and wouldn't require a tuner or a switch.

To complicate the matter - I put it back together upside down...

Why am I not surprised? :roll: