New HAM. Radio advice

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tsmerk

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Which rig to buy

I currently own a Kenwood 570SG, and it is working so well, I am in no hurry to upgrade, but I do have the upgrade bug, so I've been spending a lot of time at HRO trying out all the rigs in a price range I can afford. I tried the Icom, but after a lot of back-and-forth comparison on the air, I like the Kenwood 580SG. There is nothing wrong with the Icon, if fact, the store clerk preferred it, but for unexplained reasons, I like the Kenwood - maybe because I am used to Kenwood operation. I also think the Elecraft K3S might be a good choice, but I was unable to test that at the store.
 

prcguy

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I suspect the HRO sales guy likes the 7300 better than a Kenwood 590SG because the 7300 is a higher performing radio with more features and its easier to use than the 590 and they are about the same price.

Just looking at the pecking order of modern radios based on critical contest performance type specs, the 7300 is a couple of notches above the 590SG: Receiver Test Data

An Elecraft K3S is nearly as good as you can get in receiver performance but its a lot more expensive than the 590 and 7300. You do get what you pay for.
prcguy

I currently own a Kenwood 570SG, and it is working so well, I am in no hurry to upgrade, but I do have the upgrade bug, so I've been spending a lot of time at HRO trying out all the rigs in a price range I can afford. I tried the Icom, but after a lot of back-and-forth comparison on the air, I like the Kenwood 580SG. There is nothing wrong with the Icon, if fact, the store clerk preferred it, but for unexplained reasons, I like the Kenwood - maybe because I am used to Kenwood operation. I also think the Elecraft K3S might be a good choice, but I was unable to test that at the store.
 

AK9R

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An Elecraft K3S is nearly as good as you can get in receiver performance but its a lot more expensive than the 590 and 7300.
Be very careful when pricing an Elecraft K3S as their pricing structure can cause for some incorrect conclusions.

A K3S 10 watt kit is $2050 which is still considerably higher than an IC-7300. A K3S 100 watt assembled is $2850. That's more than double what an IC-7300 goes for. Oh, you want the internal antenna tuner? That's another $380. Oh, you want the panadapter and waterfall display that the IC-7300 has? Then you need to buy the P3 which is another $780 assembled.

Granted, the K3S has pretty impressive performance and seems to be the "gotta have it" rig for a lot of contesters and DXers. But, a fully-equipped one is awfully expensive. Way more expensive than an IC-7300.
 
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