Radio Shootout Disscussion?

[Shortwavewave]

What I am asking/wanting to do here is try and help me and "others" better understand radio preformance vs. portability (and I dont mean "so called portables" 'E5, E1, S750s')

I know for sure I have asked this before, but basically I need help deciding only because I am not real sure on actual RX preformance, is it going to be deminished by going to a more portable friendly setup? Ive read up and down on Eham, Qrz, and multipul websites for reviews and still cant deside

Well First off heres the radios I was considering, for a more portable setup, Example: Going camping/hiking for 2days at a time which small portable batterys would be the only option and all equipment able to be stuffed into a backpack.

Icom R1500 (with the CONTROL HEAD, now this isnt an actual HF radio but I have read numorus reports is does as good as the R75 IVE HEARD still waiting for some one to confirm this)
Current Drain .650a
5.75x1.7x8.2 WHD Inches
ICOM R1500 IC-R1500 Wideband Receiver R-1500
Only Bad thing about this radio is it has BNC connector

Yaesu FT-817ND This is a very small Ham radio with great reviews and INTERNAL RECHARGEABLE BATTERY
Current Drain .450a
5.31 x 1.5 x 6.50 inches
Yaesu FT-817ND, Yaesu FT817ND

I was considering the Palstar R30 or R30A, but even though it has internal battery its as BIG as the R75 at 9.13 x 3.94 x 8.88 inches
Plus I think the Palstar is WAY overpriced for what it is, when you can get the R75 for cheaper, better rcvr(cept on MW), more bells.

Point is, do I just say "who cares about portability" and buy another R75 or simulir radio.

I really really really love backpacking, and going outdoors with my radios, but when I owned the R75 I could only go as far as a lake and picnic table with a 12volt car battery, I plan on taking some trips to places like Colorado with Mountians and Hiking.

Basiclly Am I going to "MISS" any signals with this more portable, and smaller radios?

Im assumeing I wont considering there made by top companys, I really dont care about selectivity as much as I do sensitivity, if I can hear two hams on the same freq, not a huge biggie for me.

Well Any light anyone could shed would be great, plese dont tell me to go read reviews, because I have over, and OVER, guess Im just scared to buy somthing I dont know if it will fit my needs.

 

[SCPD]

Ernie,

Since I own the R75 and the FT-817nd I can tell you that both are nearly the same radio in terms of performance. Both need the 2.3khz SSB filter for optimal audio and both require a "good" antenna.

Any radio is dependent upon 3 factors - its antenna, the atmospheric conditions and any local EMI (noise) sources. You can probably eliminate most man-made EMI sources if you'll be away from the city.

IMHO, the best compromise would be a FT-817nd (for size) and it's battery. Now the battery doesn't last very long even on receive-only, but you can bring a small gel-cell battery to power the radio. This can extend your time by several hours.

So the real question is what kind of antenna to bring. This is where you'll need to experiment. Frankly, this is what is going to govern about 95% of the signals you'll hear.

I'm presuming cost is also a factor here, which is why I suggested the 817. And let me state that the 817 does a pretty good job w/o the 2.3khz SSB filter. That option is a bit costly and isn't required.

The R75 is probably a bit more sensitive but the cost is the same. Its size is bit large for backpacking however.

If you're a Ham (or thinking about becoming one) then the FT-817 is a greater starter rig. You get virtually all of the ham bands in a nice package.

PS. What stations are you looking to montior? Ham, Broadcast, utility?


-Nick, n7zya

 

[Shortwavewave]

Oh man that helps alot Nick, thanks.

If I go with the 817, for an antenna I could go with a Dipole with about 25-50ft of coax, or Ive seen videos of Buddiepoles even being used(dont know how well the Rx is on these)

Or who knows! as much wire as I could stuff in my backpack for a longwire.

For Power I was even thinking about using those battery packs that come with Cordless PowerDrills, those are 12-17volts and I assume they would last a while with a radio.

And as for my price range is in between $400-650ish depending on fetures and various things.

 

[prcguy]

I've used an R75 and currently own an FT-817. The 817 is a surprisingly good radio on HF and comes close to some larger mobile radios in performance like the FT-857. I would not use internal batteries and suggest a lightweight 12 external battery. A 7AH gel cell should run it on receive for a good 10-12hrs and maybe more.

If your considering a dipole, feed it with TV twinlead and solder that directly to a PL-259 into the radio for receive purposes. This will reduce some of the problems with running multiple bands on a dipole fed with coax. When camping I use a portable G5RV the same way.

I would not recommend a Buddipole for casual SW receive, its fairly hi-Q and reception will degrade when you get very far off the band its tuned for. Its a great portable antenna otherwise.
prcguy

 

[Shortwavewave]

prcguy, Thank you so much for the info.

For the TV Twin Lead, 75, or 300ohm? There is two kinds right?

 

[ka3jjz]

I have had the 817 for a short time, and was quite amazed at the receiver performance. That receive section is SMOKIN hot. There are several folks now, as I recall, that are selling higher-current packs for the 817. Personally speaking, I would likely swap out the filters and tighten them up a bit. I know that the 817 is used pretty extensively by the HF backpack crowd (judging from the mailing lists I used to belong to) for QRP (low power) work on CW, PSK31 and other amateur modes.

Bottom line, were I to make a choice for backpacking between the Palstar, Icom and the 817, the 817 wins by a country mile, with the provisos I've already mentioned 73 Mike

 

[SCPD]

Ernie, there are a ton of good quality antennas. You can fashion your own or buy a commerical product.

I don't normally recommend commerical dealers but the Par SWL antenna is a pretty good buy. It's cheap, flexible and very simple to hook up. A lot of people use them in hotel rooms and let the wire dangle off the balcony.

PAR Electronics - EF-SWL

Also, I'd also recommend a GelCel. I have a 12v, 12AH model which I bought with shipping for $42. I highly recommend these guys for online purchases: Motorcycle Batteries, ATV, Car, Marine, and Solar Battery Products | BatteryStuff.com

(Look under the section -> Batteries -> UPS/Telcom. You can get 5ah on up for very reasonable prices.)

I agree with the other posts that the 817 is a remarkable radio for its package.


-Nick, n7zya

 

[SCPD]

I would likely swap out the filters and tighten them up a bit.

FYI, the stock Yaesu filter isn't very good. I'd recommend getting any optional filters from here:

Collins Mechanical Filters for the FT-817(D)


-Nick