| First Radio Setup on a $200 Budget I am new to ham radio (got my ticket last march) and I have a low budget to a) determine if this is a hobby I will continue and b) to keep the wife happy. There a few radios I have considered.
1) WOUXUN KG-UVD1P
2) YAESU FT-2900R
3) YAESU FT-250R
I am not set on a certain radio but mobile seems to make more sense vs HT. What compares to the FT-2900R close to the $150 price point? The antenna would be next, what is a good mobile antenna for around 50 bucks?
Thanks! |
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| What's your goal with the hobby?
Is it to chat with a few friends around town or work the world?
If you want to work the world don't waste your time with a VHF/UHF set. Get yourself a HF rig. Even with a tech license you can use 10 meters SSB voice and CW on 40, 80, 15 and 10.
Even on a low budget you can get a decent used rig for not much money and get on HF. |
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 neonhomerKK4BFNPremium
join:2004-01-27
Edgewater, FL
 ·RoadRunner Cable
| reply to Aidens Daddy
If you are wanting to go mobile, and only plan on working 2m, I would highly recommend the FT-2900.. I love mine! The only thing is that the 75w capability requires some juice... around 20-25A or so. I have mine wired to a bus that feeds my off-road lights and my CB. Works pretty good with no whine or noise.
I also use a Larsen mag-mount 1/4 wave 2m antenna. It's a older one, but works great! Mine is a NMO base.
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"F is for Fire that burns down the whole town...
U is for Uranium...... Bombs...
N is for NO SURVIVORS!!!!!" Sheldon Plankton
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 drjimPremium,MVM
join:2000-06-13
Long Beach, CA
kudos:3 | Can't hardly go wrong with a Larsen whip on an NMO!
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One man's Magic is another man's Engineering. |
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neonhomerKK4BFNPremium
join:2004-01-27
Edgewater, FL Reviews:
·RoadRunner Cable
| reply to fifty nine
said by fifty nine:Even on a low budget you can get a decent used rig for not much money and get on HF.
I think I paid $100 for my Yaesu FT-101ZD. It's a tube type HF radio from the late 70's/early 80's. I had to put some work into mine, but I have seen good working condition 101's go for around $200. One hell of a radio.
You might also try getting in with a local amateur radio club. They might have equipment you can borrow, or there might be a couple of local hams who would be more than willing to let you come over and work their station to see if you want to try to get on HF, or 2m, or what have you...
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"F is for Fire that burns down the whole town...
U is for Uranium...... Bombs...
N is for NO SURVIVORS!!!!!" Sheldon Plankton
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| reply to Aidens Daddy
I am trying to start small and keep the WAF high, there is a local repeater N9EE that I can pick up with my RS PRO-164 with the stock antenna. Which lead me to the those three radios. The 2900 seems like a good choice and I can move it from mobile to home and back without trouble. The other two on my list would probably be on life support 90% of the time. Down side is that the 2900 is 2m only, but is really nice for the price. If ham radio is anything like my computer inventory, you can never have enough! |
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