running dogg wrote in :

I couldn't agree with you more.

The HAM rigs are also available used at HAM fests, just be one of the
first ones there. It's incredible the amount of items that are sold
before the HAM fest opens. Buy a table, as if you are going to sell, then
you get the early admission (setup time for the sellers, way before the
buyers are admitted). Usually it's only a couple of dollars more to sell
than to buy.

The Yaesu VR-5000 is a wideband receiver. Without trying to insult those
in the group that have them, with wideband performance comes wideband
woes. I have 2 wideband transceivers, the intermod interference is
horrific. The VX-2R is great when attenuated, the VX-5R has no
attenuator, beeper sounds galore.

My Picks, either through recommendation or just wishful thinking:

http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/hamhf/3689.html Recommended. $740
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/hamhf/2319.html A-One Radio $575
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/hamhf/1897.html HF Through UHF
$900 (I'd like to own one)

http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/hamhf/0703.html Looks Nice $570
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/hamhf/0718.html (You R-75 Owners,
take a look, $595).

http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/hamhf/0868.html Looks nice $700
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/hamhf/0868.html Looks nice $915

http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/hamhf/3595.html I'd buy one in a
heart beat, I have lusted for one of these for some time, and the odd
thing is that I don't know if it is any good, I need to look for reviews
first. $660.
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/hamhf/4319.html $780

Lastly, I have the Samlex Power Supply, model 1223 13.8 Volt 20 Amps
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/hamps/3747.html $90, you will need
something like this for the above radios. Though if you don't intend to
transmit, the 10 AMP supply would do (it's only $10 cheaper).

P.S. I usually buy from AES in Cleveland, http://www.aesham.com/ though
there seems to be quite an assortment of retailers (such as Universal).

Dr. Artaud

I believe that in the US only licensed hams can own transceivers. The
ham community is pretty tight fisted with their existing rigs, many
making you show them your license before they let you buy their rig.
This is apparently done to combat pirates, which the hams view as
threatening their spectrum (although since hobby broadcasting is
illegal, it's hard to see how).

It also follows that those people can't afford a $1500 radio, but CAN
afford a $50 Degen or Tecsun. Gee, I wonder why tabletops are being
pulled from the market while cheap China made portables are showing
strong sales? I DO wonder what the most common SW radio is in the
third world. I've seen footage of Iraqis listening to old European
tube SW radios. The movie The Killing Fields showed the camp escapees
listening to such a radio. I would figure that probably old Grundigs,
Telefunkens and Phillips's are the most common SW radios, except in
the old Soviet Bloc where the state made radios would be the most
common.

YOU try explaining this to our resident XM Satellite Radio owning
"leftist". I've tried, but I'd rather beat my head against a brick
wall. He doesn't seem to get that if the BBC ****ed off George W. Bush
that it would disappear from satellite radio.

And then the government will force through BPL not to give people
better internet connectivity (it doesn't) but to use as a blanket
shortwave jammer. And also to force the public to buy expen$ive
digital TVs and expen$ive satellite TV subscriptions to go with them.
Of course, the government will get its kickbacks from all this forced
purchasing of $3000 TVs and $600/yr satellite subscriptions. I don't
think it's an accident that the BBC canceled its NAm service around
the time that W cozied up to Tony Blair.

Well, the small European stations are going away, but the big ones
(BBC, RN) mostly aren't. The BBC still broadcasts to Mexico in
English, probably their way of getting around the UK Govt order that
they stop beaming to the US. Only DW has totally canceled all
broadcasts to the Americas.