Amateur (Ham) Radio BS and Callsign Thread!

Honestly if I ever come into money I think the IC-7300 is the radio I'd buy. I already have an AH-4 (used to have an IC-7000 that I stupidly sold). I still have a FT-857 and that's another proven radio, although long in the tooth technology wise but still a solid analog radio when you put in a couple of decent Collins filters. I have an ATAS-120 to use with it. Not the best performance but the interface is seamless at least. Mainly they can be found pretty reasonable used, half the price of a FT-991.

 

I’ve really been digging my 991a.

 

They are neat radios. If I didn't already have plenty of VHF and UHF radios and needed a complete shack-in-a-box solution it would top of the list, no doubt. I've always liked Yaesu radios.

 

I'm not really sure what you mean by that, but I'll go with it.

I'm shopping for an antenna for my roof:
1/4 wave
NMO mount
Spring to survive accidental contact with trees?
Ability to fold down when not in use to keep it out of the way/avoid parking garages.

Any other criteria I should add?
Any brand recommendations that are good or over rated?

 

So, you’re suggesting an IC-7300 in a pelican or something to operate out of the truck with, but not use like I would my d710?

 

I put a 48” comet 2x4sr on a ditch light bracket and I was able to fold it down (the antenna folds) in garages. It worked pretty well there. It is now on my bumper.

 

How'd you guys do Murph?

 

W1FOY, js8 would have been a new one for me. Had a great time this weekend. Stayed mostly dry, @m603holden brought an ice fishing shack. Kept three dudes dry and warm. 10/10 would do again.

 

FT-991A can be mounted in a Shack in a Box....

 

Depends on what you're after. The IC-7300 looks to me like a pretty good direct sampling HF radio. It's fairly small and light, too. Would be useful for portable, like in a go box or just carrying to Field Day.

But it doesn't have 2m or 70cm, only has one tuner and the case isn't design for mobile, face doesn't separate or anything. So I don't think it really overlaps the use case of a TM-D710 with dual band 2m & 70cm, wide band receive of VHF and UHF, ability to do APRS.

If you need a single radio that can do just about everything the FT-991 might work. Icom's competition to the FT-991 is the IC-7100, which does most of the same things but does not have a digital mode (the FT-991 can do Fusion).

 

I have a 710 so I could roll with both. How often are guys using HF while driving or while passengers in their vehicle? It seems like it might be easy to just run the 7300 or something similarly sized portable.

 

Do you mean IC-7100 or TM-D710?

As far as mobile HF, that's why I bought the FT-857 originally. I find it difficult to do much more than roll through a few memory channels while driving so I didn't really do much actual mobile operation. Then I found when I got to camp having the radio mounted in the truck wasn't any good. Much preferable to sit at a table or at least use the tailgate as a table than sit in the cab. Plus the limitation of mobile antennas, it was pretty much meh. Just not for me, it was mostly just a fancy VHF/UHF radio with only one VFO. I'd rather have a portable HF station with a decent tuner and wire antennas.

 

Copy. I have the D710Ga.

I am looking at a job at Mount Rainer National Park. There isn’t much going on out there outside of work. There is a 1.25m repeater out there which may force me into that band.

But, it would be stupid to waste all of that time at that elevation and not play with radios.

 

Well, 1.25m is 220MHz and not a lot of options for that. I'd probably suggest getting a Yaesu VX-6R while they are still being made. It's down a little on 1.25m only doing 1.5W compared to 5W on 2 and 70 but at least it does it and is a pretty good HT in general.

If you're thinking maybe day hikes to activate peaks (SOTA, Summits On The Air) or something like you have lots of options depending on your budget and what you want. For hiking the FT-818, KX2 or KX3 or the new IC-705 are options. I had a FT-817 and ended up selling it because the FT-857 doesn't burn all that much more power at 5W TX (the FT-817 is pretty inefficient even on RX) but eliminated the need to carry around a linear amp since the FT-857 can be dialed up to 100W. The Elecraft radios are nice full featured radios, if you have the budget.

Personally I think a true QRP radio, like a 1W 20m or 40m CW radio in an Altoids can makes a better backpacking outfit that you bring along for trips lasting days. Then have a reasonably compact station that can be packed up and carried a couple of miles if you want to do an all day operation. That's what my FT-857 has become. I have it in a small soft case with a LDG Z-11pro, a 5A-hr battery and some wire antennas. All of that plus regular stuff like a couple of Nalgene bottles, my Crazy Creek and a jacket fit in a large daypack.

The IC-7100 or FT-991 (or FT-891 if you don't need 2/70) could be all in one, except 1.25m. But they are not quite light enough to more than carry a little bit. They could be built like a manpack radio, though.

 

So
Many
Options

I had never heard of SOTA. And I really never thought I would be into portable use either. Now I want like 6 radios. Thanks for that, lol.

@koditten?

 

Pretty good. Managed to get 2 sat contacts this morning around 6:30.

I wasn’t present for it though. We spent too late sitting around the campfire sipping on spirits so we were still in the bed at that time.

 

Pics or it didn't happen.

 

Do you need a spring on a 6" antenna? I wouldn't think so. 1/4 wave whips are pretty flexible. If you're really concerned about it, I'd get a nitinol whip from stico. More durable then a typical stainless whip.

 

Ft-891