Short Takes #32: Do I Really Need that New Radio?

Like i said earlier my little 8 bander for no more than it cost me is still a good little radio.
I had to replace a final due to a static discharge from a wind storm but it was an easy fix
Anyway its new home is in a backpack with a good battery pack and bugout endfed. With a qrp tuner.
Most likely will use it with the key when my fist geys a little smoother.
Nice and liteweight for sota.

 

Sounds like the exact thing that happened to cars.
The "Analog" gauges on cars are just computer readouts from the PCM, and have been since OBDII hit in 1995/96. Manufactures played with number readouts, but found that customers still prefered dials, so they either electrically actuate an Analog gauge, or display a dial on a screen.

 

Maybe the true best solution was a heads up display? Neither of which were readily available or cost effective at that time. Aviation dealt with this same issue of needing to both look at the instruments, and out the window for landing in very low visibility conditions. The solution, display the instruments on the window. Though even that requires the operator to learn to how to actually use it properly.

 

This is ultimately a catch 22 type situation. If you never have access to a means to actually try operating that way, then you will never figure out how to do so. It does require a bit of mind shift to get there, but it is not actually hard at all. The hardest part is understanding that many of the operational limitations imposed by older radio technology for how we can actually use the radio gear do not need to be adhered to anymore. The technical reasons for many of those operational limitations no longer exist, provided that you have chosen the proper equipment.

It kinda reminds of how young people today get criticized for not knowing what a rotary dial phone is. But yet those who grew up with rotary dial phones often struggle to use touch screens on smart phones and tablets. And smart phone technology now provides means for the "phone" to multitask, something that simply wasn't possible with a rotary dial phone. It isn't just about audio anymore.

Even getting people used to using rotary dial phones required ATT to put out "videos" in many years past about it for the people who were only comfortable with using an operator to place a call. The irony is that with voice recognition technology today in smart phones, you can now once again dial just by talking through (to) the phone. So it can be argued that it has all come full circle.



It feels like we are in the same place for getting people to understand what SDR can actually all do. The way I learned how to operate a radio was using knobs and buttons, and being on just one frequency at a time some 50+ years ago. But I recognized long ago though that method was never actually the best way, it was only the most cost effective and practical way for many decades. It is now neither.

 

my 29 year old son when he was in school he had a terrible time with reading an analog clock face , and reading a imperial ruler , and cursive writing . however he uses metric weights and measures as well as temperature in metric. it was how he was taught in school. when we had his kid sister 14 years later, my wife and I made sure to teach her how to read - before school and also reading a dial clock and both imperial and metric measurements oh and she can write cursive well too. I didn't want her to struggle like he did with this . but we all resist change especially when we're so used to doing something the same for decades. a good example too is a fire engine pump panel the large main dials still ( on our 1983 Pierce Arrow Engine) had gauges that still had the old steam line pressures readouts form the old steam engine -horse drawn fire engines had. it was passed on as nostalgia , but we all knew that it was because folks are resistant to change - in fact the large fill and output LDH connections are still called steam connections to this day - it's slowly being phased out but it took a really long time. now the pump panels are digital and the pump has onboard computers so the 'engineer' doesn't need to do the math in his or her head anymore (friction loss per hose length and length of the lines being used. finally the huge dial gauges (steamer) are gone. on the modern engine (pumper) - if the engineer didn't get the math right the folks on the nozzle would take a ride especially on a large ' master-stream line' like a 2.5" line even if the lads were big fella's they'd skid all over the place ,or get a broken nose or jaw like my uncle who was trying to hold down a wild line that the engineer was feeding way too much- what a huge improvement! . so 'tradition' and folks that are resistant to change - they want things to be like they always have been are the culprits - us hams are like that too. I like big radios with knobs and dials -it's not our fault - it's what we're used to or grew up with . but I don't want to go back to the old analog dials - digital displays are great aren't they?! if we want to grow, we sometimes need to accept this change or be lost in the way it used to be. it took me a long time to get on board with SDR's now I enjoy the way they work, and a tiny little box that replaces my scanner radios, my general coverage receivers etc.. it's great! wish I would have tried it a long time ago! 73

 

Great line Lon, so true.

 

I would think any operator will be served well with any of the rigs on the posted list.
I own/owned several on the list.

If you have an older radio and it does everything that you want in a radio, save your money, but if you want to spend the money to go with newer technology that may do it better, go for it`.

I`ve watched many of the, this rig vs this rig videos and could point out many things that the user could have did to make the vs video fair for each rig, it helps to know the radio well enough to do one of these videos, in some cases, they did not.

At the end of the day, you have to be happy with the rig sitting in front of you.

 

Opinions tend to jade a persons ability to adequately review a new product.
Sometimes they often dont research its capabilities enough outside of their normal practices, or have been prejudiced by heresay from others.
I run into this a lot getting people to try linux.
Although in our hobby price of radios prevents us from buying multiples of the same unit to actually do an indepth analysis of them does limit our ability to objectively test and rate them.
As an example: my little chinese usdx 8 bander.
Its only 5 watts maximum.
Not the greatest mic in the world, but barefoot on a home brew 20 meter without an amplifier at all reached halfway around the world.
Now I know many will say they did the heavy lifting but it does not require power to receive, but a proper antenna is more sensitive especially if built in a tuned array.

 

exactly ! the new - even the baseline radios are more than enough. 25-30 years ago an HF radio was good but to make it great , you had to add expensive filters and sometimes an outboard DSP unit and if you wanted to listen to out of the amateur bands, you needed a general coverage receiver. and to make the general coverage receiver you (more than likely) had to "filter up" the passbands you thought you'd use the most. in the early 1990s I wanted a Kenwood TS-850s big time! it was a dream rig for me. the rig then cost a little more than 2k and that was bare bones , to make it a great rig the DSP unit ( it sat on top of the radio) , and it didn't come with filters and they were expensive and then if you wanted the internal antenna tuner , guess what? you had to either order the rig with the S (AT) automatic antenna tuning unit or buy it separate and add it yourself. I have 2 of those radios ( no DSP units though) and even today, they are excellent rigs. - the first rig I got (around 25 years ago) with an IF DSP and filtration was my Icom IC-746 pro , it came all built in - when I first powered up the rig and had my noisy vertical hooked into it... I thought ' there's something really wrong ! I turned up the AF gain and turned the RF gain wide open and started to tune the VFO and ran across some stations in QSO - damn near blew the speaker out! I was amazed! now you can get an Icom IC-7300 or a Yaesu FT-710 ( both are direct sampling SDR's) for around a grand! and it has everything possible packed into the cabinet! full filters DSP controlled , you get a AF-FFT display , a waterfall, a tuner , contour filters oh and an ATU . it's wonderful. and if you just want to keep it simple like KC3TEC said above you can have that- a radio that is just a good radio, that sips power and can be added to ( if you've got the itch) so with all the cool stuff available to us today - if you just need a standard everyday radio - they are very affordable . and if you just want a radio to take anywhere - they are affordable and have all of the enhanced tools built in . or if you have an old trusty rig, and really want to soup it up ( most people want a great receiver ) with a SDR-switch and a good SDR like an SDRplay, you can have a super receiver tapped onto your rig or running "sidecar" to your old rig and you can have that awesome waterfall and spectrum analyzer ( panadapter) running with your rig. and when you're not using the SDR for your HF experience , you can use it as a 'police-fire-ems' scanner, or as an awesome general coverage receiver. you can get maximum use from your old radios and for a fraction of the cost of buying brand new gear.

 

Over 67 years as a licensed amateur radio operator, especially during my years of serious DXing and contesting, I invested a LOT of money in transceivers, towers and antennas. When I was working (I'm now retired) I frequently changed transceivers and amps. When a newer, greater (and usually more expensive) transceiver came on the market I would often buy it. Top of the line radios were preferred. Those days are gone forever as I am now fixed income retired and my ham radio goals, for the most part, have been achieved. I still work DX and dabble in a few contests each year but with a substantially downsized station.

Until recently I owned a current production transceiver which is highly rated. It was and is a good radio, but I sold it. I was not using nearly all of the features, and bells and whistles that SDR based transceiver has. I started thinking about which, of all the transceivers I have owned, did I enjoy the most. My conclusion was that the Yaesu FT 1000 MP series was my all-time favorite. I successfully used those radios more than any other in the chase of DX and in hundreds of contests. So I went on a quest to find one, fully loaded, in great shape from a reputable seller--and I found one. And the SDR radio went to a new owner who uses all of its features and enjoys the heck out of it.

My FT 1000 does everything I want a radio to do, does it well, is like a familiar old friend, and I'm convinced it will be my last rig. And, in retrospect, I am convinced that the radios I sold over the decades were perfectly capable of performing as well as the top-of-the-line radios I replaced them with. If I had it to do over again I would not be lured by the newest and best (and most expensive) radios to hit the market. They gave me bragging rights but that's about it and those bragging rights only lasted until something newer hit the market.

 

Why NOT ..

YOLO


K8PG Paul

 

Hi Dave,
Another great post -
In my view, the urgency to upgrade to a new radio likely stems from a mix of marketing hype, peer influence, and the natural desire for shiny new gear which is common in the ham radio community. Rob’s advice aligns with practical wisdom: a radio is just one piece of the puzzle, and not always the most critical.
The ham radio hobby thrives on gear enthusiasm, ham radio hobbyists are gearheads at heart!
New models from brands like ICOM, YAESU, KENWOOD, FLEX...etc. are marketed as game-changers, in trade magazines and online forums can amplify the fear of missing out on a better and shiny new radio with "greater performance".
Technology is always advancing —SDR makes rigs more flexible, DSP keeps getting sharper, and digital modes are evolving, but ham radio’s core hasn’t changed: it’s about making contacts, not chasing specs.
Prioritizing in a better antenna , low-loss feedline, or accessories often yields more noticeable improvements in performance than upgrading the radio itself.
It’s easier to fixate on a radio upgrade than tackle trickier issues like antenna restrictions or skill-building, which require more effort or creativity!
It’s tempting to blame the radio if one is struggling to make contacts, but current solar cycle conditions of Cycle 25 are favorable, so issues are more likely tied to antenna system or operating habits.

If you’re set on upgrading, look at cost-effectiveness and modern features for a long term without breaking the bank.
Your radio isn’t the key to success— location, antenna efficiency, audio quality and skills matter more. The urgency to upgrade is likely psychological or social, not technical.
Focus on optimizing what you have first, and only upgrade if your current rig is genuinely limiting the goals you seek.
A new radio is worth considering if your current one is unreliable, missing key features where superior receiver specs can make a real difference. Budget allocation depends on your specific needs.
John WY2G -

 

Make changes when tech makes a lunge forward.

I spent a lot of years playing bass in bands that were regularly gigging. I changed gear when it was going to make a significant difference. I went solid state back in the 70’s to improve reliability and drop some weight. Went to Neodymium speakers to dump a bunch of weight.

Technology changes. When it does, there are times when it is worth moving forward.

I own a bunch of HF radios. If I had to to choose one, it would not be one of the expensive ones. That day is near.

 

Thanks Jerry, good post. That FT1000MP and others of the same class were great radios. I have one Heathkit that I remember fondly, and still believe I had more fun with that radio than any SDR. Dave, W7DGJ

 

My equipment has been driven by budget constraints and mobility in mind.
I did not go with the "shack in the box" approach. I hate losing everything when one thing fails, I guess.

I find that the Yaesu FT-891 does everything I need in the HF/6m bands. I have it paired with a n LDG Z-11Pro II coupler/tuner and a DX Commander Classic vertical 1/4 wave ground-mounted multiband antenna for 40m - 10m. The 100W seems to get me wherever I need to go. It is mounted in a "mini-rack" of plywood shelves and thread-rod with the iambic paddles and straight key on the bottom. I can unhook power and antenna, grab the rack and put it in my truck for POTA. A Dell Inspiron 15/3520 laptop and DigiRig DR-891 serve my digital needs for the HF/6m and VHF/UHF.

I also have a VHF/UHF rack with a Kenwood TM-D710GA for 2m and 70cm operation and an Anytone AT-588V2 to get around on the 1.25m band. A diplexer and triplexer feed my LMR-400 feedline to a Comet CX-333 antenna at 30 feet. For portable operation I have a tri-band Ed Fong WB6IQN j-pole antenna. A Wouxon KG-UV8H handheld serves me well when I do community event communications support.

I also have a Midland MXT-400 GMRS radio and Wouxon KG-805G handheld I use to entice my 7-year old granddaughter into the radio hobby.

I have also begun building my own antennas, something I really enjoy doing.

If there is one thing I am lacking, I wish I had an all-mode radio for the 2m/1.25m/70cm. I also want to build an Elecraft K2 kit, but those are, at the moment, just outside muy budget. Maybe one day I will also dabble in the dark arts at SHF and above.