12-12-2021, 03:21 PM
Jon,
While you say 'novice', I suspect you mean Foundation - and that class of licence does not allow much in the way of activities at VHF/UHF. 2M and 70CM only.
Leigh VK2KRR's suggestion of an Icom IC-7300 is a good choice for HF and it will certainly open the door for both local and DX contacts on the 80, 40, 15 and 10 metre bands. The biggest part of the success is really the antenna type, size and style. Full-size dipoles on the various bands wil give you best initial results, and it is possible to combine these to form a 'ray' dipole and thus require just one coax feeder and balun. Multiband trap verticals might seem attractive but are not necessarily efficient and require a good groundplane to work - plus they have a very narrow SWR bandwidth on the lower bands. Try Ross at Strictly Ham : https://www.strictlyham.com.au/icom-ic-7300
Please note that most HF transceivers you spot will be capable of 100 Watts while Foundation licensees can only transmit at a power level of 10 watts regardless of band. You simply turn down the output power until you upgrade to Standard or Advanced.
One thing you must not skimp on is the AC power supply. Make sure you buy one rated for 13.8V DC (nominal 12V) at 20 to 30 amps. Some of the switch-mode supplies are good, provided they are RF-quiet, and are not as bulky as the old-style linear regulator models. I use an old DSE Q1755 SMPS for my portable work, also known as 'Manson 23A CONT 25A MAX 13.8V Power Supply' - use that search term on eBay to find a source to buy from - and it powers my IC-7300 at 100 watts ok.
Apart from that, coax plus wire for antennas, a number of antenna insulators, a 1:1 balun, coax connectors are on the to-buy list. The half-wave dipole lengths can be made to lengths from the standard formula but you might find my article at https://www.vk4adc.com/web/index.php/hf-...na-lengths useful for tuning to the correct part of the band.
You can direct any questions to my email address if you need specific answers to questions and do not want to post publicly - you have it already from our earlier exchange.
73 Doug VK4ADC
While you say 'novice', I suspect you mean Foundation - and that class of licence does not allow much in the way of activities at VHF/UHF. 2M and 70CM only.
Leigh VK2KRR's suggestion of an Icom IC-7300 is a good choice for HF and it will certainly open the door for both local and DX contacts on the 80, 40, 15 and 10 metre bands. The biggest part of the success is really the antenna type, size and style. Full-size dipoles on the various bands wil give you best initial results, and it is possible to combine these to form a 'ray' dipole and thus require just one coax feeder and balun. Multiband trap verticals might seem attractive but are not necessarily efficient and require a good groundplane to work - plus they have a very narrow SWR bandwidth on the lower bands. Try Ross at Strictly Ham : https://www.strictlyham.com.au/icom-ic-7300
Please note that most HF transceivers you spot will be capable of 100 Watts while Foundation licensees can only transmit at a power level of 10 watts regardless of band. You simply turn down the output power until you upgrade to Standard or Advanced.
One thing you must not skimp on is the AC power supply. Make sure you buy one rated for 13.8V DC (nominal 12V) at 20 to 30 amps. Some of the switch-mode supplies are good, provided they are RF-quiet, and are not as bulky as the old-style linear regulator models. I use an old DSE Q1755 SMPS for my portable work, also known as 'Manson 23A CONT 25A MAX 13.8V Power Supply' - use that search term on eBay to find a source to buy from - and it powers my IC-7300 at 100 watts ok.
Apart from that, coax plus wire for antennas, a number of antenna insulators, a 1:1 balun, coax connectors are on the to-buy list. The half-wave dipole lengths can be made to lengths from the standard formula but you might find my article at https://www.vk4adc.com/web/index.php/hf-...na-lengths useful for tuning to the correct part of the band.
You can direct any questions to my email address if you need specific answers to questions and do not want to post publicly - you have it already from our earlier exchange.
73 Doug VK4ADC
Doug VK4ADC @ QG62LG51
http://www.vk4adc.com
This Forum is only going to be as interesting as the posts it contains.
If you have a comment or question, post it as it may trigger or answer the query in someone else's mind.
http://www.vk4adc.com
This Forum is only going to be as interesting as the posts it contains.
If you have a comment or question, post it as it may trigger or answer the query in someone else's mind.