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.

On Mar 13, 7:44 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.

Hi and welcome to the hobby. My opinion is that it is far better to
spend the money for a new transceiver as a new ham, rather than pay
for someone else's problems. My first transceiver was an Icom IC-718,
their inexpensive entry level transceiver - it performed exceptionally
well when the DSP module installed and I worked plenty of DX on a
G5RV.

Another fine inexpensive choice, I think, is a new Yaseu FT-857D. I
am operating this radio mobile with a ham stick with great results.
Both the IC-718 and the FT-857D would make great entry level radios,
not terribly expensive, and will really let you get your feet wet on
HF.

Good luck & 73 de NE1RI - James

On Mar 14, 11:18 am, "NE1RI" wrote:
On Mar 13, 7:44 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.

Thanks for the advice....by the way..do you have any opinion about the
IC-746PRO?
I'm inclined to go for the 718, but I'm thinking...If I'm gonna spend
$600, should
I think about paying more or just plan on buying another rig at some
point?

Thanks again.


Hi and welcome to the hobby. My opinion is that it is far better to
spend the money for a new transceiver as a new ham, rather than pay
for someone else's problems. My first transceiver was an Icom IC-718,
their inexpensive entry level transceiver - it performed exceptionally
well when the DSP module installed and I worked plenty of DX on a
G5RV.

Another fine inexpensive choice, I think, is a new Yaseu FT-857D. I
am operating this radio mobile with a ham stick with great results.
Both the IC-718 and the FT-857D would make great entry level radios,
not terribly expensive, and will really let you get your feet wet on
HF.

Good luck & 73 de NE1RI - James

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

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.


Buying new versus used can be a difficult decision. Many used radios are in
fine shape and many are not. What often works is to buy from a local ham so
he can demonstrate it and allow you to go through its paces before buying.
As a new licensee, you probably don't want to have to fuss around repairing
a radio before you can get on the air.

New radios have the advantages of warranties and customer support. They
have the disadvantages of price and complexity. There is also the issue of
selecting among the many different models. Every manufacturer has made
different choices in designing their radios. For example, on my Kenwood
TS-2000, I can set the internal keyer speed and see a digital readout of the
speed. I don't have to guess at it. On my husband's ICOM, he can also set
the internal speed but there is no readout of that setting so one is
estimating their speed. Basically the same feature but implemented
differently. As a new operator, you may not yet know what features you will
like and what features you won't. There's a slight possibility that a
particular new (expensive) radio might not suit you.

Used radios have the advantage of price. However, I'd recommend being sure
that you know it is working before you buy. Either buy it from a dealer who
has gone over the radio or buy one that you have seen to be in operating
condition. If you go this route, I'd suggest getting something new enough
that it is not a tube type radio but old enough that it doesn't have a
complex set of menus and/or buttons. For example a Kenwood TS-440 or Yaesu
757GX would be good. You can find these for under $300 in working
condition. The nice thing here is that since they are inexpensive, you
really don't have to worry too much about doing something wrong and damaging
them since you haven't laid out a large sum of money. And once you have
operated a while and are familiar with the basics, you will be better able
to understand what the ads and reviews are talking about when they discuss
features and performance. This will make it easier to select a radio when
you decide to get something new. And since you won't have that much in this
older radio, you won't feel guilty about retiring it when you buy that new
one. Another advantage of the older, simpler radios is that you can
concentrate on basic operating without having to go through a major learning
curve (some of the menus on the new ones get a bit frustrating).

Welcome to the hobby and above all have fun. Eventually you will look back
at all this and realize it wasn't really all that hard. It was just new.

Dee, N8UZE