Which are the best ham radios?

[Hulkster]

New or the old ones?
I like the old school radios, and one of my favorites is the "transeiver of champions!" > FT-102 Yaesu.

 

[Thestonerguy]

New or the old ones?
I like the old school radios, and one of my favorites is the "transeiver of champions!" > FT-102 Yaesu.

It depends. I like older rigs, but I don't like not being able to find parts to fix them, so I have my older rig's but also have what I think is one of the best deals on the market - the Yaesu FT-897D, so I like both. It's really up to what ya like to use!

 

[KingCobra_CDX882]

it depends on how you look at it..
the older radios likly were easier to work and work on..

the newer radios however have features the older ones never had and never could have..

so...

the old radios are cool for means of remembering the art in earlier times (like maybe the older muscle cars and older luxury cars)..

but to use..
i chose the newer styled radios..

personally..

i like my IC-7000 and 706 MKIIG
(both radios are hard to beat)

Later

 

[CDX1220]

yeah i like that icom 706mkllg :beer :wav

 

[Thestonerguy]

yeah i like that icom 706mkllg :beer :wav

The MKIIG is a nice rig indeed (have one of those as well) but the noise blanker doesn't even come close to the 897D, or even the old ICOM 751A. Otherwise - Nice rig.

 

[KingCobra_CDX882]

have you tried the IC-7000 yet


Later

 

[Thestonerguy]

Hmmm, tough question.

Old - Yaesu FT-101 series

New- Yaesu FT-897D

QRP - ICOM IC703

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Well I have a Yaesu FT-857 and love it.It covers DC-daylight and sounds good on the air.It's nice and small and fits well in the vehicle.HOWEVER the receiver,although quite good,is not as bullet proof as my recently aquired "new" Kenwood TS-820S.I picked it up at a hamfest last week and it is in like new condition.I still can't believe I found the rig I have wanted for 25 + years in the condition it is in for the price I paid.The audio quality is far better on RX than the Yaesu even when the Yaesu is using an external speaker.The filters have excellant skirts and a station 3 KHz away is gone even if he is S-9 + on frequency.The Yaesu has a lot of buckshot that far away.You can't beat analog filters when done right even with all the audio DSP in the world.Some of the best quality rigs EVER made were hybrids with all solid state circuitry except for the driver and final tubes,typically a 12BY7 driver and a pair of 6146B's in the finals.To each his own I guess but I will NEVER part with my TS-820S.I am not as foolish as the guy I bought it from.

 

[Thestonerguy]

Well I have a Yaesu FT-857 and love it.It covers DC-daylight and sounds good on the air.It's nice and small and fits well in the vehicle.HOWEVER the receiver,although quite good,is not as bullet proof as my recently aquired "new" Kenwood TS-820S.I picked it up at a hamfest last week and it is in like new condition.I still can't believe I found the rig I have wanted for 25 + years in the condition it is in for the price I paid.The audio quality is far better on RX than the Yaesu even when the Yaesu is using an external speaker.The filters have excellant skirts and a station 3 KHz away is gone even if he is S-9 + on frequency.The Yaesu has a lot of buckshot that far away.You can't beat analog filters when done right even with all the audio DSP in the world.Some of the best quality rigs EVER made were hybrids with all solid state circuitry except for the driver and final tubes,typically a 12BY7 driver and a pair of 6146B's in the finals.To each his own I guess but I will NEVER part with my TS-820S.I am not as foolish as the guy I bought it from.

Not sure what external speakers you've tried on the 897 but the yaesu SP-8 seemed to sound the best to me. Congrats on getting that 25yearold rig wish too!
Woody