Another New Guy needs help....

[ranger56528]

Let me start by saying HI and my name is Jim.....
My wife and i have thought about getting into the hobby of Ham Radio for a few years and now Iam on the search for a Transceiver,I still have to take my Technician class test and hopefully my General class test at the same time but here is my delema.I live in the country and the closest club is 26 miles away,then 42,51 and out from there,the closest Ham radio dealer is 165 miles away so Ive been reading and thinking on what to buy and here is were Iam stuck.......I have it narrowed down to these 3 units......Do I need the UHF/VHF or can I get by with the HF...Here they are....

1...Yaesu FT897D.
2...Yeasu FT857D.
3........... FT450D.

These are all in my price range and I want the best bag for the buck as a starting out unit,I plan on it being in my Den 90% of the time and then maybe at the camp site up in Northern Mn once in awhile....

All replys good and bad are welcome.
Thanks.

 

[Qwazyone]

I have a 857D, it is designed as a mobile rig as is the 897. There are a lot of menus and so on to use it. I have been using it as a base unit on HF with an Astron RS35 power supply. I would say to get either the 897 or 857 over the 450 as they are all mode all band radios. You could search the site and see if moleculo or someone has compared the two.

The one thing that concerns me, if you buy the 450 before taking the test and don't pass the general, then you can only use the 6 meter and a portion of the 10m band unless you learn CW. With the 897/857 you have the VHF/UHF option and you can work the local repeater, amateur sats, and simplex on the 6m/2m/70cm bands on any mode with a tech license.

I would suggest buying the RT Systems programming cable/software for whatever rig you buy and get a good power supply- the astron rs-35 gets good reviews. The RT systems cable will also allow you to use Ham Radio Deluxe software(free) to control your radio

 

[ranger56528]

Thanks Qwazyone.......


Just got off the phone with a guy who said the same thing.
Go with the FT897D and dont look back......

Now I just need to take the time for a 6+ hour round trip...Not sure if I want it UPS'd to me....Will have to confur with the other half heeheehee....

 

[ranger56528]

So whats the best way to go on PS.......rs-35 or the FP-30 ?....internal or external, I also will be useing my APC XS900 battery backup for power and outages and surges...

Is the tuner worth it(FC30)or is haveing my antanna outside better..?.

 

[office888]

So whats the best way to go on PS.......rs-35 or the FP-30 ?....internal or external, I also will be useing my APC XS900 battery backup for power and outages and surges...

Is the tuner worth it(FC30)or is haveing my antanna outside better..?.

You're better off with an external tuner.

MFJ manual tuners are okay. If you want a good autotuner though, go with an LDG.

You don't need anything fancy for battery backup. a 12VDC deep cycle battery is perfect, or a chain of batteries to form 12v. Look for them on craigslist. Forklift batteries work great.

 

[ranger56528]

You folks are getting me on track I think.......Been looking at this G5RV JR antanna,40 thru 10 meters to go with the FT897D...

Iam trying to get the basic set-up then get into it more as time goes on...Will look into the LDG tuner....

 

[ranger56528]

You're better off with an external tuner.

MFJ manual tuners are okay. If you want a good autotuner though, go with an LDG.

You don't need anything fancy for battery backup. a 12VDC deep cycle battery is perfect, or a chain of batteries to form 12v. Look for them on craigslist. Forklift batteries work great.

I have my computer pluged into the XS900 and have a open plug so it would just be further back-up and protection for my Transciver..It holds enough power to run my system another 8 hours.

 

[Quiksilver]

FT-897D & LDG AT-200Pro. Great combo... IMO

 

[W5LZ]

Jim and Better Half,
I honestly think you might consider waiting until you do pass the test(s) before buying any equipment. It can make things much easier. I don't think you will have that much trouble passing, but you won't know what your capabilities (bands) will be till you do.

I wouldn't rule out the used market either! If you take the 'normal' care when purchasing anything used, the range of used gear really expands the possibilities. I don't have any experience with the radios you listed so can't say much about them. I will say this though. VHF/UHF is a fairly short range type thingy, even when near enough to 'hit' repeaters. The HF bands are capable of reaching anywhere, literally.

I can also say that if you have a choice, an outside antenna is always preferable to an indoor one. After that, it's primarily a matter of 'where' you decide to operate, what bands. I've found that dedicated resonant antennas are always preferable to multi-band antennas unless you can't have but one. there are ways of combining several antennas into one, too. Lots of possibilities!
Good luck!
- 'Doc

 

[ranger56528]

LGD makes a tuner just for the FT897D and after talking to people and here on the net the 897 seems to be a real good pick for a Base/Moble unit being its HF/UHF/VHF so it will get me were I need or want to go.....

 

[doctor]

HAM HELP

Pass the test first and see what ticket you will be using..
Then consider a radio, ft897 or ft857d is my choice, they have everything in them vhf,uhf,hf.

If you want to keep the cost down a bit look up the ham station on the web, they usually have a nice selection of equipment..used..at good prices...

Good luck in the exam.

DOCTOR/795

 

[ranger56528]

Thanks Everyone.....This is what I have desided on as my 1st Ham set-up....

FT897D Transciver.
AT897 Plus Tuner.
RS35M Astron Power Supply.
G5RV Jr Antanna...
and the
RT Systems Programmer.

This is in my budget and believe it will get me started in the World of Ham.....

Please correct me if Iam missing something or if this set-up is wrong..

Thanks.

 

[Moleculo]

You might consider the optional Yaesu Power supply that snaps into the bottom of that radio instead of the Astron. It makes it a REALLY clean, portable package that takes up less desk space. I have that same setup (FT-897, AT-897, FP-30 internal power supply) and it really makes a wonderful, go-everywhere package.

 

[office888]

Thanks Everyone.....This is what I have desided on as my 1st Ham set-up....

FT897D Transciver.
AT897 Plus Tuner.
RS35M Astron Power Supply.
G5RV Jr Antanna...
and the
RT Systems Programmer.

This is in my budget and believe it will get me started in the World of Ham.....

Please correct me if Iam missing something or if this set-up is wrong..

Thanks.

If you have the room, a fan dipole will be a better performer than a G5RV, and is an easy project. Your first HF antennas should be made of lamp cord, and soldered by YOU.

 

[ranger56528]

If you have the room, a fan dipole will be a better performer than a G5RV, and is an easy project. Your first HF antennas should be made of lamp cord, and soldered by YOU.

Funny....Should it be Brown,White or Black lamp cord Bwaaaahahaha..