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