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One week to go rookie questions

K

KW4HKY

Active Member
Feb 16, 2010
188
9
28
Forgive the long post, but I'm excited and have many questions

One more week till my first ham-fest, and my exam.

Like all rookies I'm lost on equipment. I will pursue HAM until I get my extra.
I KNOW I will end up buying mid to high range, but for now I'm thanking I'm going with a Yeasu of some type.

My gut feeling is:

1:Buy the highest end mobile they make so I'm covered, in the car and hopefully I can get a removable mount so I can take the radio indoors.

2:Buy a 950 and I'm good to go for all my needs.

I plan on getting the best antenna made.

Now the HT questions.

3: How far can I reach out to find a repeater, running barefoot, rubber duck?

4: How much increase in distance if I hook the HT up to a magnetic antenna in the car?

5: I have a tripod and old rotor antenna on my 2 story house, and it is not used. The motor works great. Is that a possible advantage when I buy an antenna, and once again how much increase in range?

I hope a HAM friend will go with me and help out, if he can get off work.
If not I'll hit the ham-fest lean & green. I guess I'll just introduce myself to as many people as I can before the exam, and hopefully they can guide me through my purchase.

6: I am 99% sure I'm going to buy new. I want the warranty. I only buy extended warranty's on computers and I have saved countless dollars. EVERY PC I have owned has been back at least twice, and I buy high end machines.
Is this a good idea on HAM radios? It seems like every ham I know says they have several boat anchors lying around.

7: does CASH help with the dealers at the ham-fest?

Thanks to all
 

Hard to say just where to spend your money without knowing where you will spend most of your time.I wouldnt jump in to an expencive set up til you know what bands you are going to operate on the most. I would keep it simple. An ht with an out side antenna will do very well if you have local repeaters. If your out in the sticks your gonna need a full power mobile. Moving the rig from the vehicle to the house and back get old quick. If its in the budget I would get a used rig for the house like an icom 706 or equal "all band all mode"and a dual band ht with outside antenna for the car. As always in buying used buyer b ware. Get as much information from the seller as you can, if he's local to you even better. Be shure to try the rig before you buy it. I dont think I helped much but good luck.(y)
 
what I would do is just get what you need for tech and upgrade as you go make sure you like or (use)AMATEUR BANDS I have seen many people try it and get out of all in the same year I go in spurts I guess Im on constantly then dont mess with it for awhile well thats the way its been going.

my wife runs a kenwood ts-50 with at-50 matching at-50 antenna tuner in her work car and in the family van we have the Yaesu ft-857d which is an outstanding little rig covers eveything.

In the house well thats another story we have a Yaesu FT-840 for the kids to use and I have several other radios another ft-840 a ft-990 an ft-450 and quite a few other rigs for 2 meters 70 centimeters ETC.

FOR THE HOUSE iDE RECOMENT THE FT-450 IT COVERS THE BAND PORTIONS (HF-6 METERS) and are great little rigs and half the cost of the 950.

Just take your time and get what you need to start out and work your way up the hobby ladder you can find some good deals on nice used rigs if you need any help or suggestion while looking just let me know :)
 
If it was me I would look at ease of operation for use in car and home,some radios have menues that are really confusing to work through....The ft 450 would be a nice easy to use rig for the house and might can be moved to car fairly easy..Yeasu makes nice equipment and tough to....

But for pure mobile HF Look at an Icom 706 or a Yeasu ft 857,both of these rigs cover hf through 440 mhz and are very nice radios,all in one package is a good idea for mobile

HF antennas for mobile use are all pretty high dollar ..have seen some at well over $300...I think Hustler makes a HF antenna that you can add up to 4 band coils and they are not to high

vhf/uhf mobile use I personally use Larson NMO-150 ..I have a 2 meter rig on that antenna and really like it

For HF base an off center fed windom works fairly well and dont cost to much..I run a Buxcom off center fed 80 to 6 meter windom and it does a pretty good job

For vhf/uhf I would go with a mobile rig of some kind,you will spend about the same cash for a HT or a full blown mobile rig and get alot more range out of a mobile radio ...

HTs are nice for occasional use but for full time they are rather limited in range

It is always a good idea to ask questions,most hams are willing to get you pointed in the right direction and could very well come up with an idea that you havent thought of yet
 
if i were you, i would SERIOUSLY look at the ICOM 7000.

the 7k will do anything you need;););)

good luck with your test

dit dit
 
The best generic advice that I can think of is to take a look at what's available, preferably get your hands on it to see how it 'fits' you. It doesn't matter what I like, or what's-his-name likes, it's what you like (your wallet too). Don't jump too quickly, I don't know of anyone who doesn't wish they'd done just a tiny bit more 'looking' before buying.
Stay Realistic (pun intended)! If you can't use it, what's the point. Also nothing wrong with planning 'ahead' a little, but keep it 'sane', lots of ways that can apply.
It's also a fairly good idea to sort of keep it simple until you get more experience. How do you know what you want/need until you see what's going on, and why?
Nothing wrong with -wanting- the absolute most bestest thing out there! But you have to balance that against practical, affordable, and, "What the #3$$ does that do?!", sort of.
There's really no hurry with any of this, it isn't going to 'go away' all of a sudden. Everything changes, what may be the bestest going today, probably won't be tomorrow so why waste a lot of anticipation for nothing? It's also a fairly good idea to not spend years deciding on what's next, you know? Part of that 'sane' thingy.
And lastly, mainly cuz I'm prejudiced, If you ain't got Kenwood, you got squat!
- 'Doc
 
Thanks for all the info. I was reading a great review by moleculo today on the Yaesu FTM350 today, since I'm trying to read all of the reviews before I buy. I have a few thoughts/questions after that read if you folks care to weigh in.

1: I am sold on Yaesu
2: I thought about last years HT to start for $270, but not sure I can reach the repeater (40 miles), since I'm antenna ignorant. If I can, I love the HT with all the scanner plus ham apps.
3: Buy a good mobile for auto & home if that's possible ( I have been informed that's a major aggrivation in the forum, but still an option ). I guess that would get me much more range.
4: I love the FTM350 looks and features, but have no use for the GPS or APRS. $600 is in my budget, but if another unit will do what I need without the GPS & APRS function, that would be extra money for a better antenna.
5: I am totally ignorant on antenna selection, and would like to buy quality, and welcome suggestions. The closest repeater to me is 40 miles on 142.350.
I have no clue on the combo antennas for a mobile unit, so I'm guessing 2 meters would be my primary usuage.

Again, thanks for putting up with rookie ignorance

Gene
 
A really good use for that rotor on your roof, would be to invest in a 2 meter beam. they are small, and really help you reach out there on 2 meters. the repeater being that far away isn't a really problem as long as you live in a fairly flat area, but I doubt you'll reach it with a ht. I would invest in a radio for the house, like the 857 that will do it all and a good power supply. Then as you go along you can pick up a base model and graduate the 857 to the vehicle full time. kc9owm (mike)
 
4: I love the FTM350 looks and features, but have no use for the GPS or APRS. $600 is in my budget, but if another unit will do what I need without the GPS & APRS function, that would be extra money for a better antenna.
Click to expand...

If you have no use for GPS or APRS, then I wouldn't spend $600 for a vhf/uhf FM only rig. You can get one that will fit your needs for a lot less.

I have my doubts that you'll be able to hit that repeater with a handheld, even with an external antenna unless your terrain is really flat, or you're the guy on the top of the hill. As some suggested, using the rotor and tv mount on the roof for a 2 meter beam is an excellent idea, and that won't cost you much.

If I was in your position (I was once :) ) and you're planning on upgrading to the general or extra as indicated, I would look for an inexpensive 2m/440 mobile radio and a power supply at the ham fest and bring cash. You could probably get a working unit for a couple hundred dollars. Then I would save the rest of my $600 so that when I upgrade I could buy an all mode vhf/uhf/hf rig to enjoy the general/extra band privileges with. The least expensive new vhf/uhf/hf standard power rig is currently the Yaesu FT-857D, although there may be some competition for it soon. It's about $700. For a little more, you can get a serious performance increase, especially in the receiver department.

You mentioned that you prefer to buy new. If you intend to do that, I would look for deals from the online retailers. There are several 2m/440 rigs that are a lot less than the FTM-350 (since you don't want APRS). Most offer free shipping on orders over $100.

Hope that helps some...
 
an other thought, do most of the mobile units have a SWR meter installed? Not planning on buying one, i'm sure I can borrow one when I join a club.
 
Not many amateur radios have SWR metering circuits built into them. I can't actually think of one offhand that does.

You can get a good inexpensive SWR meter from MFJ that will work just fine. If you get into building your own antennas then I would look into MFJ's line of Antenna Analyzers but that's a whole different ball game.

I've been licensed since 1992 or so.. Bought a lot of things that I ended up not using, and sold a lot of things I'd wished I'd kept. It happens, and will happen to you so don't worry about it.

I wouldn't advise a handheld for a starter radio. They're nice, and you may find that you want one later on, but get a good mobile radio and a power supply of at least 20-25 amps if you plan on using it inside the house.

I have a mixture of new radios and used radios. I've never purchased a new HF radio, only VHF.. Like my cars I let someone else take the big hit on depreciation on the more expensive rigs.
 
VHF/UHF radios as far as I know do not have a built in swr meter,unless it also has HF ...something like an Icom 706...for VHF or UHF I would just spend the 40 or so dollars and get a out board meter
 
SWR meters aren't too common in VHF/UHF radios. I think every HF radio I've ever owned has had one built in (Kenwood), most "lesser" brands do too ;). That's fine for when you use a radio alone. But, if/when you ever decide to get an amplifier, a stand-alone meter is very handy to have.
Unless it's a 'higher end' model, there are few SWR meters that are usable on both HF and VHF/UHF.
And while it's a personal preference thingy, the 'dual-needle' type meters are just easier to 'live' with, more information at a 'glance', sort of. Usually no calibration or button pushing necessary.
Lot's of different types, styles, price ranges, so suit your self. (Nothing wrong with borrowing meters, but it does get 'old' after a while, both 'ends' of it.)
There are several pieces of equipment that are very handy to have from the start. And there's also lots of stuff that you really don't need that often, or to start out with. A little bit of thinking about that is always good.
Have fun.
- 'Doc
 
I got to speak with the president of one of the ham clubs near me today. Man, am I excited. We went over everything, and every question I had. I'm going to set in on their meeting Tuesday night and they will have a booth at the Charlotte Ham Fest. He said getting me help on installation was no problem (I'm disabled), and since he knew my location, he suggested the Yaesu 8900R and trying to find a deal on a used HT if I just had to have one.
I have admired the 8900 from day one, so I'm 99% certain that's my choice.
He's going to set me up with a couple of members that own the unit and they are going to try to find me a quality antenna at the Ham Fest also. He suggested I wait till the Ham Fest to buy anything, he knew a couple of dealers that would probably match or beat mail order if I buy everything from them. He thought the club could use my existing rotor to set up a top notch base station for me. He knew a couple of people near me that have used their old rotor motors with awesome results.

I really did appreciate his and the forums help. Now I have a week to study for my general exam. If I get my tech, I'm going to try general too.

A nice end to a horrible week on my end!
 

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