User talk:W0DBW
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RG8, RG8X, RG58U
RG58U
- more flexible
- lower cost
- good for short runs with mobile installations
RG8
- less loss on long runs 50ft - 100ft
- thicker and less flexible
RG8X (mini foam)
- smaller than RG8 with less loss than RG58U
- still not as good as RG8
USED MARKET PRICE WATCH
$150 2014 Drake TR-7 Used fair condition $366 2015 Drake TR-7 Used fair condition $400 2014 Drake TR-7 Used good condition $430 2015 Drake TR-7 Used excellent condition
$425 2015 ICOM IC-718 HF Used excellent condition $435 2015 ICOM IC-718 HF Used excellent condition $485 2015 ICOM IC-718 HF Used excellent condition $371 2015 ICOM IC-735 Used good condition $380 2015 ICOM IC-735 Used good condition $385 2015 ICOM IC-738 Used good condition $395 2015 ICOM IC-751A Used good condition
$658 2015 Kenwood TS-850SAT Used excellent condition $685 2015 Kenwood TS-850SAT Used excellent condition $615 2015 Kenwood TS-940S Used excellent condition
$340 2014 Yaesu FT 840 Used excellent condition $321 2015 Yaesu FT 8900 Quad Band Used excellent condition $610 2015 Yaesu FT-990 Used excellent condition
NISSEI RS-502
SWR/POWER METER with 5/20/200W scale 1,8-525MHz with monitoring forward power, reverse power and SWR reading.
Main features: Large meter display for ease of reading, Forward RF power readings, switchable to indicate either AVG average, power or Peak Envelope Power(PEP) for SSB and AM transmitters, Reflected RF Power readings, VSWR ratios and calibration meter, Dual connectors SO-239: 1,8-200MHz and 125-525MHz. I/O Impedance: 50 ohm, Illuminated meter.
Weight: 0,950Kgr. Dimensions: 190x85x135 mm.
MFJ-874
This looks a lot like the Nissei, however, is MFJ brand. This has one extra button to select VHF/UHF or HF.
Diamond SX-400
Diamond power meter SX-400 5w 20w 200w 400w Power and SWR Meter - The SX400 measures forward and reflected power and VSWR. Compact size makes meter useful for testing both base and mobile installations.
Special Features: Illuminated meter, Switchable r.m.s. or peak power, Measures forward, reflected & VSWR power. Dimensions 6"W x 2"H x 4"D, 2 lbs.
Specifications: 140-525 MHz at 5, 20, or 200 watts. Connector SO-239, Minimum power required to SWR test is 4 watts.
Merchants
Online merchants
- http://www.gigaparts.com/ - Gigaparts receives mostly favorable reviews.
- DX Engineering - mostly favorable. won't price match.
Many merchant reviews can be found at the eHam Company Reviews forum from other HAM operators sharing their experiences.
club equipment
Some of the equipment I was able to operate by the kind provision of our local radio club.
- Kenwood TS-450S
Drake TR-7
later model with a serial number 89xx
Software Defined Radio (SDR)
- SoftRock RXTX 30-20-17 meter SDR transceiver QRP
- SoftRock RXTX 15-12-10 meter SDR transceiver QRP
GMSK(digital)
Gaussian Minimum Shift Keying or Gaussian filtered Minimum Shift Keying, GMSK, the form of modulation with no phase discontinuities used to provide data transmission with efficient spectrum usage.
- Icom ID-800H Digital Dual Band Mobile Transceiver with D-Star
Purchase Consideration
Equipment I do not own but have been researching and in consideration for purchasing. If I make a purchase I will use and follow up with a review of the product. We like to do product reviews here.
Test Equipment
I like the roller inductor style operation of antenna tuners for HF, however, I don't need a model that handles 1.21 gigawatts! Been looking around to see if there is a less expensive version of these.
Also noticed MFJ gets a lot of negative reviews. Our club uses MFJ tuners, they seem to work.
- MFJ 969 Antenna Tuner - has roller inductor. $200 new. 6 thru 160 Meter HF Bands (1.7Mhz To 55Mhz). 300 Watts.
- MFJ-986 Antenna Tuner - roller inductor, high wattage. $330 new. 1.8 - 30 MHz, 3000 Watts
Transceivers
Kenwood TS-940S - A Solid State Classic HF Transceiver that Remains Useful
Solid state HF transceiver, radio bands from 160 to 10 meters, general coverage receiver from 150 kHz to 30 MHz, CW, SSB, AM, FSK, and narrow-band FM. 100 Watt out. value used: $550- $650
The nice thing about this radio is "no menus." Everything is controlled by manual controls on the face. It is a powerful rig with extended coverage. There is a simple "TS-940S Complete TX Coverage Modification." There's room to work inside these old rigs, easier to do mods.
ICOM IC-736 - 160 to 6 meter
Expand your horizons to 6 meters with the Icom IC-736. It also covers 30, 17 and 12 meters. This all band transceiver features a 500 kHz to 30 MHz general coverage receiver. The 736 has a built-in HF and 6 meter antenna tuner. Enjoy 5 to 100 watts full duty RF power input in SSB/CW/FM (40W AM) modes, even on 6 meters. For CW operators full and semi break-in is supported.
160-6 Meter Transceiver w/built-in tuner . Maybe in production? Absence of receive coverage from 30MHz to 45MHz. 6-meter is technically (50-54 MHz) so the gap exists in non Ham freqs. The lack of receive between 30MHz and 45MHz and the CW tuning arrangement are the most notable disadvantages.
Information on Universal-Radio Discontinued HF Transceivers including band coverage.
Icom IC-718 HF - A Modern Full Mode HF Transceiver
This one is still in production. It's straightforward easy to operate modern HF rig.
0.03-29.999999 MHz* general coverage receive capability. *Guaranteed range: 0.5-29.999999 MHz
Yaesu FT 980
The Yaesu FT-980 is a deluxe HF transceiver covering 160 to 10 meters amateur bands in SSB, CW, FM and AM Modes. This radio features two independent receiver front ends. One is for general coverage receive from 150 kHz to 29.99999 MHz and the other for the amateur bands only. Seven JFETs are employed to provide extraordinary dynamic range. Ten VCOs are used over the local signal range to secure a low carrier-to-noise ratio. A three-step attenuator is provided to deal with the very strong signals. The triple conversion design incorporates four cascaded stages of IF filtering for all modes. Twelve memory channels are available. Using push-pull MRF422 final transistors, rated at 280 watts each, the transmitter coasts along at 100 watts output. Full break-in QSK is provided for CW operation.
I'm not a fan of push button and menus. I like independent pots.
TYT TH-9800 Quad Band
TRANSCEIVER, 29/50/2M/70CM, CROSS BAND, 50 WATT - Yeah one of them there CHINA knockoffs. However, for the price this little guy does a lot. I've read quality many vary widely as is the case with this Chinese stuff. I am looking at one now that has been fully tested at a shop in the United States. They are also being sold on Amazon.com
Scanners
Antennas
2m/440 dual band needed for VHF UHF operation.
mobile:
- Larsen NMO2/70
base station:
- J-Pole for 2-meters and 70-cm - can be built "homebrew" which I like to do.
