On Mar 13, 3:44�pm, "Jeff" wrote:
OK, I just passed all the exams necessary to obtain an amateur extra
license. *Now I'm thinking I'd like to buy a rig for my home office/
den. *The question is...do I buy a new or used radio? *I have found
several used that are recommended, but to start out I'd rather not
have to jump right into the repair of my only transceiver. :-{ *So,
I'm somewhat inclined to go for a new radio, but then there's the
difference in price to consider. *Does anyone have any opinions on
this matter? *How tough is it to work on a used radio that may/may not
have some minor/major issues when you receive it? *Do used radios
generally have major issues or are the generally fairly cosmetic (i.e.
a meter that's dead, etc.)? *Thanks for any info/advice.

As one in a very similar situation (Extra received 7-3-07) I got
both HRO and AES catalogs, checked the websites of the
Big3 (Icom-Kenwood-Yaesu), read the Product Reviews
section on eHam.net, got some give-out sheets from the
local HRO outlet. I decided on NEW because I could
afford it...not all can. A whole new station at home.

Based on using an Icom IC-R70 for twenty years...and
knowing what it inside it, repair of certain portions of such
"older" designs may or may not be easy if you get a
"fixer-upper" used model. Some of the legacy equipment's
spare parts just aren't available now. Depends on how old
the used design is. Special ICs are probably not available
now and trying to substitute for those takes a lot more
smarts and experience than the average ham.

From what I've seen of others' purchase of fixer-uppers,
most of those fell victim to previous owners fooling around
with the insides and results ran the gamut from oops-no-
work to unknown-nodata-supplied results.

Buying new has the advantage of a long warranty period.
There's no "bargains" available unless the manufacturer
is offering them direct. Note: The big dealers say "their"
prices are "best" but those only reflect the manufacturer.
In some states, buying just outside the state may save
taxes (check the mail-order pages on websites for both
applicable tax and shipping charges). I got my IC-746Pro
from AES in Las Vegas, NV, with only a three-day wait
for UPS to deliver. So far it works fine. The 746Pro
was offered with a free 12 VDC supply (PS-125,
seprately $300) and a straight-off $200 price reduction
plus a mail-in rebate of $50 good until end of March. It
doesn't hurt to check for those things. :-)

The 746Pro is NOT my recommendation for mobile since
it is heavy and has no detachable front panel...but the LCD
everything-in-it display is (to me) wonderful, big enough and
bluish-white instead of eyestraining amber or green back-
ground. One looks at the front panel more than anything
so it should be pleasing to the eye. The lil-bitty IC-7000
(in the same HF-to-VHF multimode) might be fine for
mobile in size and weight, for example, except the display
is way too small for many and as such not a good thing
to use while driving. Regardless of the brand, if you have
a local ham radio supplier/outlet, check them out first...
if they pester you about buying, just say your are trying
to make up your mind and don't give in until you are ready.

If you can buy a used radio private-party, ask for a demo
if they are local. Since you are now eligible to operate
fully on the bands, you can be the "alternate" control op
if the present owner is a General or Tech.

Once decided on a radio, new or used, it needs an
antenna of some sort. All sorts of those are available
but where you use it, home or mobile, makes a big
difference...plus any covenants or restrictions on home
installations plus spouse approval (most important!).
For mobile it is usually calling for a VHF radio to keep
the antenna within reason. Hint: 70cm is 3 times the
2m frequency so a "duo-band" antenna for that is
hard to tell from a monoband antenna. There's lots to
see on many different antennas at eHam.net reviews.

It's a lot of "homework" to do a good job of selection,
but well worth it, especially for a neat, compact home
station. When I went from almost nothing to a new
home station, I will be spending about as much on all
the accessories, antenna, etc., as the all-mode, lots-
of-bands transceiver. [I am not done yet...:-) ]

Have fun! 73, Len AF6AY