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Newbie
I am a newbie to the hobby, I arrived at this newsgroup from the "AM window
web site,,, I will take my tech test in a few months, I need some advise on what to get for a transceiver and not spend a fortune. After 43 long years I have renewed my interest in the hobby and am looking forward to pursuing it. Secondly, am I in the right place to ask this question or is there another newsgroup that would be better for a newbie like me. Thanks for all your help,,, Gary |
Hi Gary -- this group is OK but rec.radio.amateur.equipment
might get a better response. Since you specified Tech license, I assume without code, your privileges will be in the VHF/UHF range. http://www.arrl.org/FandES/ead/classes.html New HT's and mobiles run $135 or so, used ones for as low as $30 For reviews see eHam reviews http://www.eham.net/reviews/ For used gear see swap pages http://ac6v.com/swap.htm Good luck on the test. -- 73 From the Spurious Noise ';';;';x":.,";"' ------------------------------- "abr" wrote in message ... I am a newbie to the hobby, I arrived at this newsgroup from the "AM window web site,,, I will take my tech test in a few months, I need some advise on what to get for a transceiver and not spend a fortune. After 43 long years I have renewed my interest in the hobby and am looking forward to pursuing it. Secondly, am I in the right place to ask this question or is there another newsgroup that would be better for a newbie like me. Thanks for all your help,,, Gary |
Hi Gary -- this group is OK but rec.radio.amateur.equipment
might get a better response. Since you specified Tech license, I assume without code, your privileges will be in the VHF/UHF range. http://www.arrl.org/FandES/ead/classes.html New HT's and mobiles run $135 or so, used ones for as low as $30 For reviews see eHam reviews http://www.eham.net/reviews/ For used gear see swap pages http://ac6v.com/swap.htm Good luck on the test. -- 73 From the Spurious Noise ';';;';x":.,";"' ------------------------------- "abr" wrote in message ... I am a newbie to the hobby, I arrived at this newsgroup from the "AM window web site,,, I will take my tech test in a few months, I need some advise on what to get for a transceiver and not spend a fortune. After 43 long years I have renewed my interest in the hobby and am looking forward to pursuing it. Secondly, am I in the right place to ask this question or is there another newsgroup that would be better for a newbie like me. Thanks for all your help,,, Gary |
I am a newbie to the hobby
I need some advise on what to get for a transceiver and not spend a fortune. am I in the right place to ask this question Hi Gary, The best place to find out all this stuff would be the ARRL web site. They have a lot of advice on how to get started. My 2 cents, an excellent, used solid state HF Xcvr can be had for $300-$350. Check Ham adds, EBAY, Hamfests ect. Tube rigs are even less, but they have problems that a newbie would not know how to deal with. (drift, tube failure, caps dry out ect.). A new low end solid state rig will run you $600-$800. These do offer excellent performance compared to older rigs. Once you have a rig, you will need a power supply and antenna. A good 12 VDC @ 20 amps power supply is available now for less than $100. Once you have the rig and PS, you will need an antenna. The antenna system can run from nothing to thousands, depends on what you wish to do with your ham ticket. Good luck. 73 Gary N4AST |
I am a newbie to the hobby
I need some advise on what to get for a transceiver and not spend a fortune. am I in the right place to ask this question Hi Gary, The best place to find out all this stuff would be the ARRL web site. They have a lot of advice on how to get started. My 2 cents, an excellent, used solid state HF Xcvr can be had for $300-$350. Check Ham adds, EBAY, Hamfests ect. Tube rigs are even less, but they have problems that a newbie would not know how to deal with. (drift, tube failure, caps dry out ect.). A new low end solid state rig will run you $600-$800. These do offer excellent performance compared to older rigs. Once you have a rig, you will need a power supply and antenna. A good 12 VDC @ 20 amps power supply is available now for less than $100. Once you have the rig and PS, you will need an antenna. The antenna system can run from nothing to thousands, depends on what you wish to do with your ham ticket. Good luck. 73 Gary N4AST |
Gary
What is right for you depends a lot on where you are and what your interests are. As a tech licensee, you won't have access to the HF spectrum, so for now, you probably don't want to spend a ton of money on an HF rig. Of course, even that depends a lot on your plans and your situation. Perhaps dropping in the neighborhood of a grand for a radio that can cover VHF, and will allow you to listen to HF to spur you on to get your general is what it right for you. But for most people, it wouldn't be. If your interest is public service, you may want to check your local ARES/RACES group and see what they use. If you want to chat with local folks, find your radio club, or check to see what repeaters are in your area. Then perhaps try to locate some folks to talk with. In some major cities you may find that 2 meters is so congested as to be almost useless, and if you are going to enjoy your first experiences, you want to get on 70cm. On the other hand, in much of the country, there is NO 70 cm activity to speak of. VHF and UHF are mostly local, so understanding what is happening in your area is important. If you're really into the tecchie stuff, perhaps you want to try some of the more exotic modes. You will find QSOs few and far between, but there is a trememdous amount of excitement from that first satellite or EME contact. Keep in mind that, as a tech, most of the activity you will see is local, so understanding what is happening in your area is a big deal. Also, on VHF, the radio is less important than the antenna, and especially, on how high it is. VHF is mostly line of sight, and the higher your antenna, the longer that line of sight. ... "abr" wrote in message ... I am a newbie to the hobby, I arrived at this newsgroup from the "AM window web site,,, I will take my tech test in a few months, I need some advise on what to get for a transceiver and not spend a fortune. After 43 long years I have renewed my interest in the hobby and am looking forward to pursuing it. Secondly, am I in the right place to ask this question or is there another newsgroup that would be better for a newbie like me. Thanks for all your help,,, Gary |
Gary
What is right for you depends a lot on where you are and what your interests are. As a tech licensee, you won't have access to the HF spectrum, so for now, you probably don't want to spend a ton of money on an HF rig. Of course, even that depends a lot on your plans and your situation. Perhaps dropping in the neighborhood of a grand for a radio that can cover VHF, and will allow you to listen to HF to spur you on to get your general is what it right for you. But for most people, it wouldn't be. If your interest is public service, you may want to check your local ARES/RACES group and see what they use. If you want to chat with local folks, find your radio club, or check to see what repeaters are in your area. Then perhaps try to locate some folks to talk with. In some major cities you may find that 2 meters is so congested as to be almost useless, and if you are going to enjoy your first experiences, you want to get on 70cm. On the other hand, in much of the country, there is NO 70 cm activity to speak of. VHF and UHF are mostly local, so understanding what is happening in your area is important. If you're really into the tecchie stuff, perhaps you want to try some of the more exotic modes. You will find QSOs few and far between, but there is a trememdous amount of excitement from that first satellite or EME contact. Keep in mind that, as a tech, most of the activity you will see is local, so understanding what is happening in your area is a big deal. Also, on VHF, the radio is less important than the antenna, and especially, on how high it is. VHF is mostly line of sight, and the higher your antenna, the longer that line of sight. ... "abr" wrote in message ... I am a newbie to the hobby, I arrived at this newsgroup from the "AM window web site,,, I will take my tech test in a few months, I need some advise on what to get for a transceiver and not spend a fortune. After 43 long years I have renewed my interest in the hobby and am looking forward to pursuing it. Secondly, am I in the right place to ask this question or is there another newsgroup that would be better for a newbie like me. Thanks for all your help,,, Gary |
"abr" wrote in message ... I am a newbie to the hobby, I arrived at this newsgroup from the "AM window web site,,, I will take my tech test in a few months, I need some advise on what to get for a transceiver and not spend a fortune. After 43 long years I have renewed my interest in the hobby and am looking forward to pursuing it. Secondly, am I in the right place to ask this question or is there another newsgroup that would be better for a newbie like me. Thanks for all your help,,, Gary In addition to checking ARRL reviews and other online sources, join a local ham club in your area. It really helps to be able to draw on a knowledge base in your local area. Dee D. Flint, N8UZE |
"abr" wrote in message ... I am a newbie to the hobby, I arrived at this newsgroup from the "AM window web site,,, I will take my tech test in a few months, I need some advise on what to get for a transceiver and not spend a fortune. After 43 long years I have renewed my interest in the hobby and am looking forward to pursuing it. Secondly, am I in the right place to ask this question or is there another newsgroup that would be better for a newbie like me. Thanks for all your help,,, Gary In addition to checking ARRL reviews and other online sources, join a local ham club in your area. It really helps to be able to draw on a knowledge base in your local area. Dee D. Flint, N8UZE |
On Sun, 28 Sep 2003 15:41:05 -0700, "Spurious Noise"
wrote: Since you specified Tech license, I assume without code, your privileges will be in the VHF/UHF range. http://www.arrl.org/FandES/ead/classes.html Thats one way to keep HF less crowded. Don't flame me, but IMHO, I don't see much rational for morse code tests being a part of the HAM liscencing scheme. Aside from the above statement. mike |
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