What Should be your FIRST Ham Radio?

I suspect that somewhere out there, there is a long-term active ham who only owns one radio. Considering the number of hams worldwide, there must be many such hams. But I don't believe I've met one yet. If one is reading this, feel free to introduce yourself.

Every active ham I know owns a few radios. Most have some sort of station at home, many own a mobile in their vehicle, lots have some sort of portable station. Quite a few have some duplicated capabilities, and many hams buy and sell used rigs.

If you accept that your first radio won't be your last or only radio, then the choice of which radio to start with may be less intimidating. It's not necessarily a long term commitment, and monogamy is definitely not required. Start with the one you most want to play with now.

 

My first radio was a kenwood ts 440 line fully accessorized at the end of 80’s with my first salary. Now I use it time to time and It looks alike brand new, but noisy to my ears.

Luke

 

I guess what I would recommend is buying a "shack in a box" type radio with HF/VHF/UHF all in one rig. I also recommend buying a used rig to start with. Most sellers on QRZ are reputable and I have had good luck both selling and buying on here. It will save a good bit of cash for someone just starting out to make sure they really enjoy the hobby. My first rig upon getting back on air several years ago was a used Yaesu FT-897, a great combo radio. At the time, I did not have a power supply for the radio and operated on the internal batteries that allowed 20W PEP out. Using a portable Super Antenna, I sat on my back deck and worked stations all over the country on 10m. I do have to agree however that with the current state of propagation, operating QRP/low power may be more frustrating than rewarding without a good antenna system and agreeable conditions. If its an HF only rig, I don't think you can go wrong with the Icom 7300. There are any number of used ones available for less than $1K and you can run a full 100W. There are also lots of used VHF/UHF handhelds for sale all over and with the proper adapters such as a hand mic, lighter plug 12v cord, and antenna connection, they can even be used mobile with pretty fair results.

 

"What Should be your FIRST Ham Radio?
The question is "should be"... and not what was.... My recommendation is anything that is affordable, works, enables you to make contacts and provides you with an opportunity to learn about the diverse aspects of our hobby.

 

I would suggest the IC-7300 and either a multiband half wave end fed or a DX Commander all band vertical............you will have to spend some $ here but you want to be successful right out of the box.....would be nothing more discouraging for a new ham than to call CQ for hours with no replies........ my 1'st rig in 1963 was a used DX-60 and a very cheap Hallicrafters novice Rx , don't recall the number........ but that was a different time and we walked up hill both ways in the snow to school then too!...........hi hi............. happy hamming..........

Mike, K1FNX

 

Let's face it, there are two things that many Hams will often never admit to ... Being a CB'er in the past and owning a Baofeng.
Yet, probably no other factors ( in recent years) have led people to HAM radio more than those two things. A third, of course, would be being introduced to ham by a friend.
Now before I get attacked here, note I did not say, ALL Hams, nor even the majority of Hams, I said many Hams.

After all, how many kids look up from their smart phones and say, "Hey, I think I'll become a Ham Radio Operator". How many ads have you seen on TV for Ham radios, or how many times do you hear people talking about Ham radio when no Ham is present. I once mentioned going to a 'Hamfest' at work. A women standing nearby heard me and said that she wanted to know more about it, I said "Sure", she then asked me if I used caramel and brown sugar or what? So, yes, we do need to work on that 'refer a friend' concept.

Although I'm a little off topic, please keep in mind regardless of what radio they end up with, be that kind considerate 'Elmer type' Ham and try to help and encourage them. Don't run down their choice of radio and immediately discourage them. Don't tell them how much of a LID they are, they have not had 10, 20, or 50, etc.. years of experience like you. I have not been licensed nearly as long as many of you and I can well remember some of the nice helpful guys that were my first contacts. However, I also remember being ridiculed by others because I did not immediately know the exact procedure for their net, or once, when mentioning that I had just gotten licensed two weeks ago (at that time) , someone breaking into our conversation to 'inform' me that I was outside the frequencies allowed for my license class, which I wasn't.

 

In the spirit of giving let's get the ARRL to give every new ham an HF rig.

 

My first radio was a Heath kit HW-101. It was crap. I had it 3 weeks and Got rid of it. I then up graded to Collins S Line Station. I had it until 2 and a half years ago. Now I have factory built Johnson Viking II with a National NC 300. Johnson 122 FOR and one IS dual 813 linear home brew. My back up is Johnson Viking Ranger I and Hammarlunc HQ-129-x

 

Like it has been said, your budget and what your interests are will determine what is available to you. If your budget is $30 you are limited to the TYT and Baofeng variety of handhelds for VHF/UHF or some sort of CW kit you build yourself for HF. As your budget increases your options open up pretty quickly. Just be sure to budget for more than just the rig as it won't be much use without a way to power it, plus feed line, an antenna and something to hold up the antenna if you don't go the "throw a wire in a tree route". As a Tech. I started out with a handheld and was lucky enough to have a budget for my Yaesu VX-6R which is still one of my favorite rigs today. My first HF rig is the Yaesu FT-818 and it is still in use today. I'm a fan of "shack in the box" rigs as your first transceiver if your budget allows. You'll be able to get a taste of everything and could help determine your main interests. Two good recommendations might be the Icom IC-7100 and the Yaesu FT-991A in this case. Don't overlook the used market either, some great deals can be had by local hams looking to make room for the next new rig they've been eyeing. I also have no problem recommending QRP to start with if the individual understands it's lower power and not to expect a bunch of 5/9 reports. It just takes a little more patience. I started with QRP myself and have enjoyed ever since and accidentally became a QRPer. Whatever route someone goes I hope they just make an effort to get on the air as much as they can and make contacts.

 

Lets not let a little Should Be for newbies get in the way when we can show each other how woke we are by making it all about ourselves and how old we are by the radios we used back in the day. We all know that time served makes you the big dog in the yard HAHAHA. I got my license back in 1842 and my first radio was a Coconut by the Professor.

 

The one you can afford that provides the capability you want. Just starting out, used is always best if money is tight. Otherwise purchase a so called "shack in a box" that covers HF, VHF, and UHF. SWL is such an important aspect to radio that a transceiver with broadband receive is a must. If it receives VHF/UHF all the better.

 

QRP just means low power, but yes, it does lend itself to be easier for portable use. But there's absolutely no reason you can't run low power from home. Some people just love the challenge. I personally just like playing with some of the various QRP radios I've built, and I haven't had much of an opportunity to operate portable lately.

 

I'm definitely not knocking QRP, since I build and operate QRP radios. It's just that someone new to ham radio might easily get discouraged, especially being at the bottom of the sunspot cycle, by not being able to make as many contacts as with a 100W rig. Sometimes I even get discouraged trying to use my 10W 20m SSB rig since it seems that just about everyone's running power and they don't have time for a puny 10W signal.

 

My two cents: Unless you personally know the ham you'd be buying it from, don't buy your first radio used. When you're new you don't know enough to recognize a mediocre deal vs. a terrible deal vs. a decent one, and it's very easy to find yourself spending more buying a used radio that doesn't work out (and then another, possibly a new radio,) than you would have just buying new in the first place. Definitely what I did to myself re: HF amplifiers.

 

As previously said, it depends on what you want to do. My first was a used 2M hand-held. it was fun to be on local repeater, but I tired of it quickly. Some might find they have found what they wanted and upgraded to a 50 watt 2 meter rig for base station use. Great, found your spot. I myself wanted to work DX. I then bought an Icom 520, hooked up an old CB vertical and worked some over the water stations. I was hooked. I then moved on to a Kenwood 440. I put up an G5RV multi band antenna. Started working lots of DX. been at it a long time. Many steps to get to my IC-775DSP. 204 countries confirmed. I still have 2M rig and the big radio. Just get on the air and you will figure it out. I really suggest stay with used equipment until you know what you like. The person on the other end wont care.