• You can now help support WorldwideDX when you shop on Amazon at no additional cost to you! Simply follow this Shop on Amazon link first and a portion of any purchase is sent to WorldwideDX to help with site costs.

First radio for ham

bettyeboop

Member
Sep 12, 2007
48
0
16
deep south
I have been ask to join the local ham club. They use six meters for the better part. I have taken the practice test. And soon will have my tech papers.

Question:

what radio would you look for on ebay used. I think I want high freq plus six meters

what do you think of the sb 200 amp...it is the little brother to the 220.

Do I need a ant, tuner?

Will a wire ant. and balun be ok....I have a huge back yard and one tower and enough for another tower if needed. or is there a multiband ant. you would suggest.


I have sold all my 10 meter radios but my pres lincoln. I am keeping one amp and one modulator. I enjoyed the hamfest in hammond la. and plan on going to the hamfest in Jackson ms. this weekend. so I might see something there.

last is there a place to download the study guides for the test? I do fine on the electronic stuff but need help with fcc rules and frequencies and such.

bless you guys

davis
 

I'll give you a few things to think about and then I'm sure others will jump in as well.

To first answer the question about the study guides. http://www.arrl.org has the band plan documents that you can study to help remember that. Honestly, I didn't even care about those questions when I took the test because I know I would likely only be asked one or two which wouldn't cause me to fail if I got 'em wrong. Besides, after actually using the bands for a while after referencing the chart, you start to remember it pretty easy. I don't know of any other online study guides, however. I can recommend the Gordon West study books which are easy to follow and are cheap.

As far as rig choices go, you have a whole bunch to choose from! If you have a local ham shop, I suggest going down and playing with a few to see what you like or don't like. The user interface on different radios can make or break it for you. (BTW, if you want a nice mobile HF/6/VHF/UHF rig, I'm selling one in the swapshop ;) )

Whether you will need a tuner or not depends greatly on the type of antenna you run. It is possible to make a wire antenna that will work on every band. Usually on the lower bands however (40/80 meters) it's not going to be able to cover the whole band however. Some rigs come with tuners built in, which are great for solving this problem. Most of the built in tuners will not tune something that is way off resonance. For example, it might not be able to load up 6 meters if the closest resonant band your antenna can support is 10 meters. Also remember that the built in tuner is only good for the transceiver, not for any other equipment between it and the antenna. So if you end up running an amp at some point (I wouldn't start with thinnking you need one, though) you will likely need a tuner that is capable of handling the power you're going to deliver.

A wire antenna will work good, and there are a lot of different kinds you can make that do different things. The type of balun you will need will depend mostly on the type of antenna and feedline you use. Perhaps it would be a good idea to start some wire antenna threads / questions in the antenna section to get some ideas flowing?
 
If you're going to be operating on 6M primarily, at least to start out, I'd concentrate on getting a good antenna up for that band. "Good" being defined as one that will let you join in the club's activities. If you're sorta in the middle of where the various other members' stations are, a good 6 meter vertical might well be all you need. Since you have a tower, though, you might try a 6M yagi.

For HF, if the tower's being used for the 6M antenna, you might run a center fed doublet from the tower to one of those trees you mentioned. Please DON'T get a "G5RV". That's just money out the window. Make a doublet and feed it with open wire line through a decent manual antenna "tuner". With a 100 foot (or more) flattop fed with arouhd 60 feet or so of good open line you'll be able to work all bands, maybe even 160.
 
Davis,
I think before you start seriously looking for a radio, you ought to at least listen to several bands (or all of them), see if any are more interesting than others. That will at least give you a better idea of what capabilities a radio should have. Don't make up your mind before you at least have some idea of what you may be missing.


Antennas. It's nice to have the absolute most bestest thingy around, but it certainly isn't mandatory! Wire antennas are probably about as inexpensive as you can get. Usually work well 'enough' except for hard-core DX'ers etc. They certainly can be changed, modified, added-to, whatever, easier than 'bought' antennas. Not hard to make at all. They get you on the air which is the main thing, without a lot of hassle. Don't like the performance, or just wanna try something else? Sure, why not! What have you lost?

Which radio? Beats me. Which ones do you like, that will do what you want, and not need a trip to the bank for a loan? As already said, getting your hands on a few to try them out is very nice! Not the easiest thing to do, but certainly not impossible either. New radios have their 'points'! But so do the not so new ones. Mainly cost. Don't rule out a used radio. Treat it like buying a used car, sort of. Listening to see what others are using is a good thing too. You need to use a little judgment, just like that used car thingy, though.

Tuners. Handy thingys to have around. Not absolutely necessary, just handy for those times when things just aren't just 'right', sort of. It's also one of those thingys where bigger is better, to some ridiculous point. If you need one at all.

And lastly, but most importantly, if you ain't got Kenwood you got squat! ;)
- 'Doc
 
Once again thanks for the advice......I am taking the practice test every day.

I will go the the ant. section for questions there

I am looking for a used base that has six meters plus hf

I am excited.......

davis (bettyeboop)
 
Greetings and welcome to the world of ham radio.If you are looking at a hf+ 6 meters there are several out there that are great to get.I have also been looking at a hf+6 and I have found a few that are right along the lines of what I am looking for.

Kenwood 680 and 690 are good ones,they are all mode and are user friendly.Usually are fairly easy to locate at a decent price

Icom 706 ...any of these are nice as well from the earliest to the latest modles,they have all the bells and whistles and for the VHF bands they do have the option of putting a tone board in them for FM use.The tone board is a good idea since alot of vhf repeaters are toned these days

Alinco DX 70 th .... This radio is what I am seriously looking at.It is hf + 6 meter all mode,easy to operate and priced at around 7 to $800 new.I have spied several used at various sites around 4 to $500 used and demo modles around $600 from the various retailers

Running HF it is a good idea to get a tuner to have on hand,if for nothing else than having the swr meter in it,one that will cover the bands that you plan on using and the power.There are several good hf + 6 tuners that start from about 150$ and go way up from there

Antenna systems....there are alot of really nice systems out there from dipoles to beams,just depends on how much you are willing to spend
 
beetle....' a good 6 meter vertical might well be all you need. Since you have a tower, though, you might try a 6M yagi'-well, maybe, maybe not. 1st question to ask was, is the club using SSB(or AM), or is it on FM? if FM, a vertical should be used. if SSB, then horizontal should be used. since the element length at 6 meters is around 10', a yagi of 3 or more elements is not out of the realm for many, but, better yet for a newbie, or somebody with limited space, or if you're 'in the middle' of everybody, a 'loop' or 'halo' antenna works GREAT. a loop, such as by www.ku4ab.com works real good! stacking a pair of them, 30" square and 12' apart on a single mast will give you 3 db over a single loop, and a bit of gain over a dipole. the change in takeoff angle may require experimentation when used for local communications. of course if the 1st one you ever put up is a stack, you'll never know the differnece. just get 1 or a spair up as high as possible.
that said, rci5054dx's can be found in 25 or 100 watt models, ic551 & 551 d (10 watt/80 watt), as well as a couple other old but common 6 meter only radios are around on auction or from the 'ham stores'. if availability of cash allows, the better bet would be an all-mode icom, alinco, yaesu as previously suggested. i WISH there was club on 6m in my area, when the band ain't open or there's no contest, it is DEAD!
 
Rig Pix

Start here. Look for '70s or newer rigs, if you don't want to putz with tubes. Nothing wrong with tubes, until you have to replace a rare one.
 
beetle....' a good 6 meter vertical might well be all you need. Since you have a tower, though, you might try a 6M yagi'-well, maybe, maybe not. 1st question to ask was, is the club using SSB(or AM), or is it on FM? if FM, a vertical should be used. if SSB, then horizontal should be used. since the element length at 6 meters is around 10', a yagi of 3 or more elements is not out of the realm for many, but, better yet for a newbie, or somebody with limited space, or if you're 'in the middle' of everybody, a 'loop' or 'halo'
quote]

Dave - it all depends on what the intent is. If all you're looking for is local coverage, it really doesn't matter whether you use vertical or horizontal polarization. The mode absolutely doesn't matter to an antenna. That bit about being 'in the middle' of everybody is exactly what I said in my first post.

Yes, there's about a 20dB cross-polarization difference, but for local work on any mode, that's very rarely a problem. I'd start simply and cheaply, like with a vertical or a dipole, and see how well that worked. Then, as I got some experience, I might branch out to other antennas/other bands and see how things worked out.
 
Yes, there's about a 20dB cross-polarization difference, but for local work on any mode, that's very rarely a problem

I do see it as a problem.

When a local switches polarization, the 20db is a significant loss. Signal drops like a drastic decrease in TX power.

As far as mode goes, I agree, signal is signal, no matter how the RX decodes it.

On DX, there is alot of flip flop in polarization, horizontal will RX better due to less man made QRM.

Feel free to correct me, I love teh learnin'.(y)
 
I do see it as a problem.

When a local switches polarization, the 20db is a significant loss. Signal drops like a drastic decrease in TX power.

As far as mode goes, I agree, signal is signal, no matter how the RX decodes it.

On DX, there is alot of flip flop in polarization, horizontal will RX better due to less man made QRM.

Feel free to correct me, I love teh learnin'.(y)

So the local guy drops from 20 over S9 all the way down to S9? This is bad? You can't copy him when he's "only" S9?

On DX, horizontal polarization MIGHT work better than vertical at times; at other times, vertical MIGHT be better. Generally, you won't be able to tell as long as you have the same directivity and gain. A lot of man-made and natural electrical noise is vertical in polarization, but it shouldn't be a problem all the time.
 
So the local guy drops from 20 over S9 all the way down to S9? This is bad? You can't copy him when he's "only" S9?

That wouldn't be bad, but when he's S7 or less, it can be.
 
since 74IN already broached the subject, i won't quote....but, i'm not sure about 'western washington', but in this great metropolis on the east coast, the 'locals' that are capable of 20 over 9 signals on 6 meters are few and far between-at least compared to my location. if i can hear somebody on 6m, and talk to them more then once, i consider them a 'local'. those there are plenty of, and they can be more then 50 miles away. 20 db will just about eliminate an S-5 signal, so using different polarizations will NOT help at all for my local contacts. on dx is where you will find polarization means less. still, i would bet members of your 'club' that may use 6m SSB are horizontally polarized. and a 'loop' would perform better then a dipole in that you have a much more even pattern then a dipole, unless rotatable, in which case, just go with a small yagi.....

while i LOVE 6 meters (it is of course 'the magic band'), it unforunately is not 'the' band to use in most areas where i 'know' people. it only comes to life during contests & propagation-fueled band openings. 2 meters is 'the' place to be, however, i detest FM, repeaters & the like, so do not find myself there often at all...except on SSB during contests & propagation-fueled band openings. i just wonder why a local 'club' would choose 6 meters, unless it is a 6 meter club. don't get me wrong, i would LOVE a club like that to operate in my area.....
 
WELCOME!

Once again thanks for the advice......I am taking the practice test every day.

I will go the the ant. section for questions there

I am looking for a used base that has six meters plus hf

I am excited.......

davis (bettyeboop)

No point to buying inferior equipment as a beginner if you can afford decent gear, and it's really hard to beat the Yaesu FT-857D / FT-897D - They are basically the same board but there are a few differences in design and size. The FT-897D offers a TCXO which is an option on the FT-857D, and is a must when working 2m SSB which you'll find is a blast!
Another great rig is the ICOM IC-746 non-Pro (there have been numerous failures with the Pro version) and that would actually be my 1st choice, but a used IC-746 will cost as much as a new FT-857D and it still needs a TCXO option installed, but it does include a built-in tuner for 160m-6m.

For a 6m antenna the best performer for the size & $$ as davegrantsr mentioned would be a set of HALOs mounted one 5/8 wave or 12 feet above the other. This will offer fantastic performance in a horizontal omni pattern and decent performance in the vertical polarization, usually about 10dB down from Vertical, but without the vertical noise associated with vertical antennas.

Though a bit more money than the brand davegrantsr mentioned, I would look at either the PAR omni-angle, or M-squared, I prefer the construction of the M^2 but I believe the performance of the PAR to be superior in the omni pattern. The M^2 tends to get a little directional, which can be a good thing depending on personal requirements.

Keep in mind, the HEIL GM-5 is probably your best bet for a mic providing great sounding audio on just about any rig out there, and it offers a dual element design which has both a selectable punchy sound or a rich booming bass sound depending which way the <WIDE/NARROW> switch is set. Even the NARROW sounds excellent, but not the GM-4, it sounds tinny in narrow.

For an HF antenna, the 102' G5RV will allow you to use the built-in tuner on the IC-746 to tune almost every band, and as long as you install it in the FLAT-TOP orientation at 35' above ground or higher, it will perform quite surprisingly well on all bands from 6m-160m.

One little tidbit of info, I have a Diamond aluminum 6m vertical, the DPGH-62 http://www.rfparts.com/diamond/dpgh62.html and it not only tunes, but actually radiates surprising well, on every band from 160m to 6m for a 21' vertical, and is a little better performer than was an Antron A99 on 10m! I actually put in a 20 over S-9 into Az from NorCal on 75m with 100w with that 6m antenna! If you have limited space (which it sounds like you don't!) then there's an option which will get you on the air with decent performance. One caveat, I added several 1/4 wavelength guy wires with insulators for 10m. The more & varied length guy wires you add to the ground radial area the better it will perform on lower bands, but it is rated at 200w pep max, and should probably be closer to 100w on lower bands. I can't tell you why it works so well, but it sure did for me!

I decided not to sell it for this very reason.


- Welcome to an exciting and ever changing hobby!

73
 
Another great rig is the ICOM IC-746 non-Pro (there have been numerous failures with the Pro version)

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Pro version. I've had both radios, and liked both radios. The DSP in the Pro version puts it head and shoulders above the older one, IMO. I don't know about "numerous" failures, but I know there was one initial design flaw / failure which hasn't been in production in a long time. Even if you have one of the original units (which I do), Icom will update that for free for you. I never even bothered with the update, and I've never had a problem with the radio.
 

dxChat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
  • dxBot:
    Tucker442 has left the room.
  • @ BJ radionut:
    LIVE 10:00 AM EST :cool:
  • @ Charles Edwards:
    I'm looking for factory settings 1 through 59 for a AT 5555 n2 or AT500 M2 I only wrote down half the values feel like a idiot I need help will be appreciated