New to HF and need Equipment advice

[K0FYR]

Hey everybody,

Just received my General ticket and was interested in a good HF transceiver. Does anyone have a suggestion on brand or model for entry level?

Thanks,

Mike K0FYR

 

[KB4MSZ]

Congrats on the shiny new ticket.

Help us out a bit and possibly state a reasonable dollar limit and if you are thinking about a base station or mobile installation.

 

[popnokick]

HF mobile is a bear and not for newly licensed hams..,. Unless they’re up fo extreme challenges. So can we assume a base radio installation?

 

[iMONITOR]

ICOM IC-718

Icom IC-718 100W HF Base Station Transceiver

Icom IC-718 Base radio, HF, 100W

www.gigaparts.com

 

[deanq]

Whatever you get, make sure it has a built in sound card for digital modes.

 

[alcahuete]

Icom IC-7300. Can't go wrong.

 

[TiredCat]

If it were me.........IC-7300. Can't beat the Icom 7300 for the money. Great radio!!

 

[KC5AKB]

Think about your antenna system.
The antenna will make or break a nice radio.
Pm sent.
Congratulations on the ticket !!!
73 Ric

 

[jazzboypro]

Don't know what your budget is, but a 7300 or 7610 would be a good choice. I'm a fan of Icom radios.

 

[iMONITOR]

Icom IC-7300. Can't go wrong.

True. I thought by "entry level" he meant simple and inexpensive.

 

[jazzboypro]

True. I thought by "entry level" he meant simple and inexpensive.

Like any piece of technology i say buy as much as your budget allows unless of course you are not certain that you will like the hobby.

 

[prcguy]

Another vote for the 7300, its called an entry level transceiver but for about $1,100 new it performs like a $2,500 radio.

 

[K0FYR]

Yeah I’m not really restricted to a budget per se. Will do between $500 and $1500 or so for the radio. I know I like the hobby already which is why I went for the General. I was leaning towards a IC-7300 but also like the ability of the FT-991 to do multi-mode and has the waterfall display. IC-7100 is a good multi-mode option as well but doesn’t have the waterfall to aid in single acquisition. IC-7300 is limited to HF only which isn’t bad as I already have a Kenwood V71A for my VHF/UHF.

 

[K0FYR]

ICOM IC-718

Icom IC-718 100W HF Base Station Transceiver

Icom IC-718 Base radio, HF, 100W

www.gigaparts.com

View attachment 103583

I do like this one and is less expensive. Probably end up with multiple radios down the road anyway.

 

[alcahuete]

True. I thought by "entry level" he meant simple and inexpensive.

It is simple and inexpensive. I paid more for my entry level radio (Yaesu FT-900) 25 years ago. For ~$800 on the barely used market, the 7300 is a lot of radio, and you can pick them up on the used market almost every day of the week.

 

[iMONITOR]

Yeah I’m not really restricted to a budget per se. Will do between $500 and $1500 or so for the radio.

In that case consider Kenwood's TS-590SG.

 

[prcguy]

With the Icom 7300 receiver being at least equal to or a little better than the 590 and the 7300 will achieve a better more punchy sound on transmit and the 7300 has a spectral display for about $300 less, I think the choice is obvious.

In that case consider Kenwood's TS-590SG.

View attachment 103603

 

[prcguy]

Another recommendation I will offer is the Icom IC-7100. Its HF/2m/70cm and the performance is really good for the price. These things go on sale now and then and the last two I bought were around $675 after rebates. I bought three over the years mainly for use as remote control base stations but I was pleasantly surprised with how well these radios work. Icom IC-7100

 

[WB9YBM]

Hey everybody,

Just received my General ticket and was interested in a good HF transceiver. Does anyone have a suggestion on brand or model for entry level?

Thanks,

Mike K0FYR

Pretty much every brand I've seen has a basic radio--one with fewer bells and whistles--at a more reasonable price. I've compared the specification / data sheets of a few companies and found that things like receive sensitivity, bandwidth, etc. are all either very close or identical among radios of a given manufacturer leading me to believe they're all using identical receivers & transmitters between various model numbers with the only thing that changes are the quantity and types of bells and whistles so by and large you won't have to worry about degradation in performance between "model A" and "model B" of a given brand.

As for brand, I've had good luck with used Drake equipment (I wish they still made ham equipment) and Icom, but there are also some good Yeasu and Kenmwood equipment I've heard (but not owned).

Either a company's web site or a store like Ham Radio Outlet will have information on different models and in several cases comparison charts between different models.

 

[iMONITOR]

With the Icom 7300 receiver being at least equal to or a little better than the 590 and the 7300 will achieve a better more punchy sound on transmit and the 7300 has a spectral display for about $300 less, I think the choice is obvious.

But it's not for everybody.