My first HF, Did I pick a decent unit ?

[garikfox]

I'm not into HAM yet, I'm makiing a slow transition from CB to HF.

I was wondering I'f I made a decent pick for my first unit. ?

I grabbed a new RCI-2950DX

 

[Grog]

No offense, but when you have to spend money to have a radio peaked & tuned, you're just getting a fancy CB :roll:

 

[garikfox]

Thought noted.

 

[mkh]

If you intend to use it for ham then the answer is no it isn't a good pick.

We are at the bottom of the sun spot cycle and 10 meters is pretty much dead most of the time. HF is not the way to go for someone just getting their license (you are getting it aren't you?). You would have been better off with a 2 meter mobile.

 

[blinddog50]

"Slow transition from CB to HF?"
I knew that doggone FCC was spoofin' me.
All with that license thing and such.

 

[tmfok7]

We are at the bottom of the sun spot cycle and 10 meters is pretty much dead most of the time. .

Ironic you should say that.... On the "Yahoo News" under the Pictures of the Week... they have a pic of the Sun showing a new "Sunspot"! The caption with it states: "The new sunspot has both the magnetic orientation and the high latitude of a sunspot belonging to the [new solar cycle]!

 

[mkh]

Ironic you should say that.... On the "Yahoo News" under the Pictures of the Week... they have a pic of the Sun showing a new "Sunspot"! The caption with it states: "The new sunspot has both the magnetic orientation and the high latitude of a sunspot belonging to the [new solar cycle]!

I know of those but we had some false alarms few months ago that we had started a new cycle then there were no sun spots in August.

I'm hoping cycle 24(?) is starting up but it is still too early to say though I think they have found 2 sunspots now. Let's hope for the best.

 

[blinddog50]

Read an article in the paper last week that the Sun's magnetic field at the present time is the lowest ever recorded.

 

[ka3jjz]

Actually I believe you mean the solar wind, which is quite a different story...

Anyway, some places seem to now think we won't really start to see improvements in propagation until the spring. 2 things I have to say about that...

BOOO HISSS

Maybe by then I'll have an 897 and a 996 remote-mounted in the car......one can dream...

Back on track here...

garik it's time for you to do some homework. If you are really interested in HF as a ham, study up for your General license. Then start doing some research on HF transceivers. Start by looking at the various reviews, such as those found on EHam. Learn about antennas, review your surroundings, see what you can and cannot do for putting one (or more) up. As stated before, apart from some very sporadic openings, 10 meters isn't going to be open - and stay open - for very long until propagation improves. Learn why this is true.

You have much work ahead of you, my young paduwon.

I can remember during the last cycle, 10m FM was open well into the evening. I didn't have any gear for it at the time, but it fascinated me when various stations would fade in - or out - due to changing conditions. Those were the days <sigh>

73 Mike

 

[garikfox]

Ok, interesting.......

 

[Grog]

Thx guys. I have it at 11m now on CH.19 But I turned down the POWER 1/2 way, to make it legal 5w, If I turn the nob all the way its about 12watts. AM that is. 30 in SSB.

CB is 4 watts AM and nothing you do will make that radio legal on CB.

Yeah I did do alot of homework over 3wks. I do intend to get my HAM ticket too, But I think its weird to be labeled a #/number. (Im not a Number !, Im a free man, lol)

Funny, mine came with one number and five letters. BTW, what is on your social security card?

This radio is amazing !!

So are you dude, so are you.

 

[smason]

So are you dude, so are you.

And now, I need to clean the Coke off of my monitor.

 

[garikfox]

Green is the way to go......

 

[garikfox]

Sorry to many posts by me, I'm worthless !

 

[MOTORHEAD3902]

TYPE ACCEPTANCE? Whats that, Bruh?

 

[nexus]

I'm not into HAM yet, I'm makiing a slow transition from CB to HF.

I was wondering I'f I made a decent pick for my first unit. ?

I grabbed a new RCI-2950DX and added the peak-tune 30 dollar thing to it.

1. In my 25+ years of experience in amateur radio and CB radio, NO you did not make a decent pick for your first unit. If you spent more than 100 dollars for it, YOU GOT RIPPED OFF. You sold yourself short. The RCI-2950DX is nothing more than a glorified CB radio with a VFO. You don't have a true "HF" radio there. All you have is a monobander 10 meter rig. 10 meters is DEAD right now, and probably will be for a couple more years. You're not going to be able to listen to anything but noise and the occasional opening.

2. A decent HF that covers all of the HF Bands could of been bought used on qrz.com or qsl.net for as little as 250 dollars if you shop around. That's probably what you paid for that Ranger. So thats how you got ripped off into thinking you were getting a decent HF. You're not going to be able to SWL or listen to military/utility stations, or hams in germany or iraq talk to hams in portland oregon.

3. FYI that radio is NOT TYPE ACCEPTED for the 27mhz citizens band. Do us a favor, DON'T GET YOUR AMATEUR RADIO LICENSE. You're already going down the wrong path. Just by admitting that you're breaking the FCC Rules and Regulations for a band that no one cares about tells me that you won't have much issue in doing it on a band that a lot of people use. You're not allowed to use amateur radio equipment in the citizen's band. The radio has to be rated for PARTS 90 of the FCC rules, not PARTS 97. Until you learn these basic things, amateur radio is not ready for you.

 

[garikfox]

Hmmm, Interesting. Thank you.

 

[loumaag]

OT Point

Hmmm, Interesting. Thank you.

I wonder how soon you will edit this post to nothing. :roll:

If you don't want to stand behind what you say, don't say it to begin with. The edit function is not here for you post something, then remove it (indeed this is why users do not have the ability to delete their own posts). Of course this type of action just supports the argument that no editing should be allowed anywhere on the site...but that is another topic altogether.

 

[nexus]

I wonder how soon you will edit this post to nothing. :roll:

If you don't want to stand behind what you say, don't say it to begin with. The edit function is not here for you post something, then remove it (indeed this is why users do not have the ability to delete their own posts). Of course this type of action just supports the argument that no editing should be allowed anywhere on the site...but that is another topic altogether.

What I don't get is HE ASKED for oppinions. He openly asked for others on here to give their thoughts on his purchase. He should take those responses with a grain of salt and not be flustered. Why bother even asking if you're going to get upset at the response?

I gave an honest constructive comment. If I was looking for a decent starter HF, that radio would NOT be IT. And I'm sorry if I struck a nerve with the "don't be a ham" part but it needed to be said. DON'T. Don't become a ham until you can learn the difference between wrong and right in the world of radio. Just because the radio is capable of transmitting there doesn't make it LEGAL. Especially when it's so blatenly spelled out in the rules.

Lou, I kind of don't agree with that. I use the edit button all the time, but most of the time I use it to correct a spelling error after the fact, or to ADD more stuff to a post without having to generate another post in the thread. I am glad that Lindsey kept the edit option.

 

[garikfox]

Sorry, I didnt mean it, But "google" is making me do it.

Look's like im gonna get my HAM ticket THEN my BETTER radio !

I'm gonna sell this thing since the guys above says It sucks and I'm not qualified to have it, I't seems.

That's ok that's why were here on Earth, To learn !