After helping sell the mobile units for a friend of mine that is a SK, I am
thinking of getting back into the hobby again.
What are some suggestions for a base rig, used under $800.. I have had
Kenwood and Yaesu in the past, but have not kept up with everything. I have
seen Kenwood 930/40 on ebay but seem to remember problems with those units..
So I am open to listen.
TIA
73's
N5XIE

"JET" lifehelth at comcast dot net wrote in message
...
After helping sell the mobile units for a friend of mine that is a SK, I
am thinking of getting back into the hobby again.
What are some suggestions for a base rig, used under $800.. I have had
Kenwood and Yaesu in the past, but have not kept up with everything. I
have seen Kenwood 930/40 on ebay but seem to remember problems with those
units.. So I am open to listen.
TIA
73's
N5XIE


There are now some absolutely wonderful mobile rigs for around and under
$800 brand new. They can also be used for base rigs. Check out the Yaesu
857D and the Kenwood TS-480.

Dee D. Flint, N8UZE

Before you commit to that budget level be sure to look at some of the
high end choices. I bought a Yaesu FT301D in 1978 and felt it was
unbeatable for my purposes for over 20 years. I had some problem that
I was looking for help with on the Internet and someone told me I owed
it to myself to look at a modern rig. After I did my homework I
settled on a TenTec Pegasus (no longer available). It was ideal for
me. It takes up zero desk space because it uses a PC for all
input/output. With the optional built in tuner and a multitude of
filters, I find the operation everything I could wish for. The newer
Tentecs seem to have the same features but also a front panel control.
Early on I needed to call them (Tentec) and found them very
accessible.

Considering that I paid about $800 for the Yaesu in 1978 (a new Ford
Mustang was $4500 that year) I figure the $1200 or so that I put into
this rig to be a great deal.

The other vendors have some really neat stuff as well. If I were still
spending a lot of time on the road, I would want the Yaesu FT-857D
mobile. 160 - 70cm in such a tiny package is mind boggling to me. You
can buy it from http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/hamhf/1857.html
for $699 at this time.

Your satisfaction with any rig will be greatly influenced by the
antenna you use. Back in the 70's Cushcraft had a reputation for being
"cheap". I liked their products then and I like them now. I have an
A3S beam with the 40m add on and seldom bother to extend the crank up
(electric winch) above the 25 foot level. Being that low does have an
adverse effect on the SWR but the automatic tuner does a good job of
hiding that from me.

Things have never been better in the world of Amateur Radio!

On Wed, 17 Aug 2005 18:05:05 -0400, "Dee Flint"
wrote:


"JET" lifehelth at comcast dot net wrote in message
...
After helping sell the mobile units for a friend of mine that is a SK, I
am thinking of getting back into the hobby again.
What are some suggestions for a base rig, used under $800.. I have had
Kenwood and Yaesu in the past, but have not kept up with everything. I
have seen Kenwood 930/40 on ebay but seem to remember problems with those
units.. So I am open to listen.
TIA
73's
N5XIE


There are now some absolutely wonderful mobile rigs for around and under
$800 brand new. They can also be used for base rigs. Check out the Yaesu
857D and the Kenwood TS-480.

Dee D. Flint, N8UZE

Thanks for the great advice OM, but since I am now in my late 50's.. small
does not seem to be that much of an option, the pc interface sounds
interesting tho..
And yes a great sky hook can overcome some limits on the radio end, but with
all the QRM I read about, it sounds like I will be looking for one with
great filters and DSP capability,

"John Ferrell" wrote in message
...
Before you commit to that budget level be sure to look at some of the
high end choices. I bought a Yaesu FT301D in 1978 and felt it was
unbeatable for my purposes for over 20 years. I had some problem that
I was looking for help with on the Internet and someone told me I owed
it to myself to look at a modern rig. After I did my homework I
settled on a TenTec Pegasus (no longer available). It was ideal for
me. It takes up zero desk space because it uses a PC for all
input/output. With the optional built in tuner and a multitude of
filters, I find the operation everything I could wish for. The newer
Tentecs seem to have the same features but also a front panel control.
Early on I needed to call them (Tentec) and found them very
accessible.

Considering that I paid about $800 for the Yaesu in 1978 (a new Ford
Mustang was $4500 that year) I figure the $1200 or so that I put into
this rig to be a great deal.

The other vendors have some really neat stuff as well. If I were still
spending a lot of time on the road, I would want the Yaesu FT-857D
mobile. 160 - 70cm in such a tiny package is mind boggling to me. You
can buy it from http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/hamhf/1857.html
for $699 at this time.

Your satisfaction with any rig will be greatly influenced by the
antenna you use. Back in the 70's Cushcraft had a reputation for being
"cheap". I liked their products then and I like them now. I have an
A3S beam with the 40m add on and seldom bother to extend the crank up
(electric winch) above the 25 foot level. Being that low does have an
adverse effect on the SWR but the automatic tuner does a good job of
hiding that from me.

Things have never been better in the world of Amateur Radio!

On Wed, 17 Aug 2005 18:05:05 -0400, "Dee Flint"
wrote:


"JET" lifehelth at comcast dot net wrote in message
...
After helping sell the mobile units for a friend of mine that is a SK, I
am thinking of getting back into the hobby again.
What are some suggestions for a base rig, used under $800.. I have had
Kenwood and Yaesu in the past, but have not kept up with everything. I
have seen Kenwood 930/40 on ebay but seem to remember problems with
those
units.. So I am open to listen.
TIA
73's
N5XIE


There are now some absolutely wonderful mobile rigs for around and under
$800 brand new. They can also be used for base rigs. Check out the Yaesu
857D and the Kenwood TS-480.

Dee D. Flint, N8UZE

Make sure you check out the Ten-Tec Orion. Perhaps a bit complex, but I was
out of ham radio for 15 years and just got going again about one month ago.
I took delivery of my Orion on last Friday, and so far it's working fine. I
have it connected to a ground mounted Butternut HF6V.

John, N9JG

"JET" lifehelth at comcast dot net wrote in message
...
Thanks for the great advice OM, but since I am now in my late 50's.. small
does not seem to be that much of an option, the pc interface sounds
interesting tho..
And yes a great sky hook can overcome some limits on the radio end, but
with all the QRM I read about, it sounds like I will be looking for one
with great filters and DSP capability,

In article , "JET" lifehelth at
comcast dot net wrote:

After helping sell the mobile units for a friend of mine that is a SK, I am
thinking of getting back into the hobby again.
What are some suggestions for a base rig, used under $800.. I have had
Kenwood and Yaesu in the past, but have not kept up with everything. I have
seen Kenwood 930/40 on ebay but seem to remember problems with those units..

Jet-

I have an old Kenwood TS-690SAT which is the same as the TS-450SAT except
it has Six Meters. One of either in good condition would make a nice
rig. The only thing I don't like is that on FM, the optional tone encoder
uses dip-switches to set frequency. Optional filters should still be
available for narrow sideband and CW.

A slightly newer rig that I haven't used, is the TS-570. It is available
in two versions, one with Six Meters. I think the TS-570S is the one with
Six, but I'm not sure. I think it uses the same filters as the TS-450.

I now use the TS-480 mobile with the built-in antenna tuner. It is also
available with twice the power but no tuner. Mine works OK, but it is a
bit big for a mobile rig, and you have to purchase the "mobile shelf"
separately if you don't want to remotely mount it. It might be a good rig
for you if you can find one in your price range. It is one of the newer
models and uses digital signal processing (DSP).

Personally, I'd look for a bargain on a new-old-stock TS-570 if I needed
an inexpensive rig.

73, Fred, K4DII

JET wrote:

After helping sell the mobile units for a friend of mine that is a SK, I am
thinking of getting back into the hobby again.
What are some suggestions for a base rig, used under $800.. I have had
Kenwood and Yaesu in the past, but have not kept up with everything. I have
seen Kenwood 930/40 on ebay but seem to remember problems with those units..
So I am open to listen.
TIA
73's
N5XIE




Hi, Welcome back!!
you can pick up and Icom IC-706. There are different versions of this
rig, the newer ones
do 2 meters and 440. It's a small radio but it is menu driven. This can
drive you nuts until your
use to it. Also, check out a Yaesu FT-847. This radio gives you the
most bang for your buck!
This is a HF, 6 meters, 2 meters and 440 radio. This is more of a
conventional radio.
I have seen these as little a $700 through $1100 dollars. Also, the 847
is a satellite radio, really hot receiver
on 2 and 440!.
Check out these links if you like..

http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/1...29698be2c2d81d

http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/1...11c544695380bd

http://www.uksmg.org/ft847.htm


Good luck, 73

Thanks All!

I am off shopping and reading!

"JET" lifehelth at comcast dot net wrote in message
...
After helping sell the mobile units for a friend of mine that is a SK, I
am thinking of getting back into the hobby again.
What are some suggestions for a base rig, used under $800.. I have had
Kenwood and Yaesu in the past, but have not kept up with everything. I
have seen Kenwood 930/40 on ebay but seem to remember problems with those
units.. So I am open to listen.
TIA
73's
N5XIE

On Wed, 17 Aug 2005 15:39:12 -0500, "JET" lifehelth at comcast dot
net wrote:

After helping sell the mobile units for a friend of mine that is a SK, I am
thinking of getting back into the hobby again.
What are some suggestions for a base rig, used under $800.. I have had
Kenwood and Yaesu in the past, but have not kept up with everything. I have
seen Kenwood 930/40 on ebay but seem to remember problems with those units..
So I am open to listen.
TIA
73's
N5XIE



I've had a 940SAT for 18 years - bought second hand from another ham -
and it hasn't given me any trouble ever! It has perhaps the best
receiver for it's time, and maybe still outdoes the new ones except it
doesn't have DSP. I love it. Go for it. Get one with the cw
filter(s). I have two inside and it's really narrow, if you want it to
be. Good luck.
73 de K2ES

Yeah! Me too.
A copy of an email to ARRL below: I hope it gets some consideration.
I been around long time but restarting myself I find it a pain to compare
apples oranges and lemons.
This is going to be worse than buying a car with all the "options" and or
built in functions.
Getting started must be a real intimidator for someone new to all of ham
radio.
When I started years back I had no good input from anyone and was Pixed off
for 2 years
because I found no DX,... No one bothered to let me know novice bands
were deserts lol
New hams always ask what radio to buy because the mfgrs and adverts make it
hard to see
what is needed and what comes with a radio. Wooo a new person probably
doesn't know a
lot of DX folks use split freq's to work the "pile ups". I lucked out with
my GTX 757 II and
got a nice rig I could drop in the car or work in the shack. I once worked
Mongolia from the
shack in Indiana and Saudi Arabia from the Indiana parking lot at work in my
car 10m,. I never
thought those few watts could compete with the KW's ... just a matter of
timing and luck mostly.
73 Good luck K4TWO
I'll be following the suggestions toooo
Thanks ev1



I don't know where this "complaint, advice, recommendation" should be
squirted at, but this seemed to be a starting place.
ALL the files and adverts I see in QST or on the web can drowned and
overwhelm a new ham.
What is ALWAYS missing is "what this radio needs to work is.... AC line...
DC power supply... Antenna match... Types of Antennas a user might connect.
Sheeez get some of the basics out to the "New Hams" they want to sell
these things too.
Let them know about how much MORE it is going to cost than the listed price
of the current unit under test.
How about a Key or Speaker or Mic, need a rotor?.... Come on lets get the
newbies a chance to spend his few dollars with out getting
a box and then wish for Christmas to come so he/she can connect it up and
really get on the air.
Go look at the advert's and "reviews" as though you were NEW to the hobby
and about to invest some hard earned money.
While most of the tech info can be impressive, it is fluff to a newbie.
Just tell me how it worked and what needed to make it usable.
How much were all those "options they said were available?" Money for what
filter? What warrantee??? It is the price of a car is it 5 years too?
Thanks.... Hope this message gets to where it will do some good.
Might even put some "shop and compare tables" out for them.
I been around a long time and was getting ready to upgrade from my GTX757II
to a "last good radio" for my retired years and wading through
all the poo has just about put me off buying another radio. I did apply
for a new 4 land call for retired call... I hope Vanity call. Can get a
little vain when that's all that is left. hihi
I just spent 2 days rebuilding the optical dial that froze up in my 757 so I
better move on before it gets arthritis again.

"JET" lifehelth at comcast dot net wrote in message
...
After helping sell the mobile units for a friend of mine that is a SK, I
am thinking of getting back into the hobby again.
What are some suggestions for a base rig, used under $800.. I have had
Kenwood and Yaesu in the past, but have not kept up with everything. I
have seen Kenwood 930/40 on ebay but seem to remember problems with those
units.. So I am open to listen.
TIA
73's
N5XIE