13-12-2021, 08:06 PM
Jon
The radio prices may, at first, seem a bit steep but keep in mind that the radio you buy will be in use for the next 10 years or so - unless you decide to upgrade to a bigger better unit in the future. From personal experience, most Icom radios seem to have a lifespan of better than 15 to 20 years, not sure but the Yaesu models are probably similar. It is not like you have to do regular gear 'updates' like with motor cars to keep them running.... The suggestion by Roger about screw-together radios is fine if you have the necessary technical skills to find problems to make it work properly. Buying second-hand can just be buying someone else's problem child. New from a reputable source = equipment warranty.
Don't worry too much about the 'lingo / jargon', it becomes a standard part of the everyday knowledge for a typical radio amateur. You can probably learn some of it a bit faster by searching the web for general AR (search terms : amateur radio, ham radio) videos on YouTube and just look and listen to the discussions / descriptions and figure out what is being referred to at the time. Then it becomes natural (to us), even if not the XYL (look that one up too). Just a note about the term Novice : back around the 1980's, the licensing authority here in Oz (now ACMA) introduced a Novice (NAOCP) grade amateur licence to add to the 'Full' (AOCP) and Limited (AOLCP) licences. That grade (Novice) plus the others two disappeared to be replaced by Foundation, Standard and Advanced back in about 2004.
There is a lot of wisdom available through this, and other forums, and there is no bad question to be asked. Some of the answers might be regarded as "bad", particularly if the budget doesn't suit, but are informative anyway.
I will wait on callsign confirmation before I alter your login ID.
73 Doug
The radio prices may, at first, seem a bit steep but keep in mind that the radio you buy will be in use for the next 10 years or so - unless you decide to upgrade to a bigger better unit in the future. From personal experience, most Icom radios seem to have a lifespan of better than 15 to 20 years, not sure but the Yaesu models are probably similar. It is not like you have to do regular gear 'updates' like with motor cars to keep them running.... The suggestion by Roger about screw-together radios is fine if you have the necessary technical skills to find problems to make it work properly. Buying second-hand can just be buying someone else's problem child. New from a reputable source = equipment warranty.
Don't worry too much about the 'lingo / jargon', it becomes a standard part of the everyday knowledge for a typical radio amateur. You can probably learn some of it a bit faster by searching the web for general AR (search terms : amateur radio, ham radio) videos on YouTube and just look and listen to the discussions / descriptions and figure out what is being referred to at the time. Then it becomes natural (to us), even if not the XYL (look that one up too). Just a note about the term Novice : back around the 1980's, the licensing authority here in Oz (now ACMA) introduced a Novice (NAOCP) grade amateur licence to add to the 'Full' (AOCP) and Limited (AOLCP) licences. That grade (Novice) plus the others two disappeared to be replaced by Foundation, Standard and Advanced back in about 2004.
There is a lot of wisdom available through this, and other forums, and there is no bad question to be asked. Some of the answers might be regarded as "bad", particularly if the budget doesn't suit, but are informative anyway.
I will wait on callsign confirmation before I alter your login ID.
73 Doug
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.