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| howto:newhams [2020/09/20 18:13] – [What to Buy] va7fi | howto:newhams [Unknown date] (current) – removed - external edit (Unknown date) 127.0.0.1 |
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| ====== Welcome to the Amateur Radio ====== | |
| This page lists basic information that new hams are probably wondering about. For information specific to our club, see [[/howto/newmembers |this page]]. | |
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| ===== What to Buy ===== | |
| Traditionally, the major radio brands have been Icom, Yeasu, and Kenwood. Recently, many Chinese radios have appeared on the market that can be much cheaper (both in cost and quality). As a result, many new hams get a Baofeng handheld as their first radio. Unfortunately, the issue with (only) using a handheld is that even though they might hear the local repeaters just fine, they often have difficulties talking to them because of their lower power. | |
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| In general, the antenna is the most important part of the system and the radio is the least important. So for those on a budget, the **minimum** setup should consist of an external antenna (mounted on the side of the house or on a balcony for example), with a cheap Chinese mobile radio like the [[https://www.eham.net/reviews/view-product?id=12549 | QYT KT-8900]]. That being said, if you can afford a good radio from the big three, they are well worth it. | |
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| A very good basic antenna is the [[https://www.eham.net/reviews/view-product?id=1863 |Comet GP-3]]. If the coax line is not too long, RG-8x works, but if you're able to mount the antenna higher (and height makes a huge difference!), then it's worth buying good coax like LMR-400. | |
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| Finally, ham radios usually run on 12V (13.8V to be more precise), so you'll also need a power supply. Power supply are usually rated by Amperage. With only one (basic VHF/UHF) radio, you'll need at least 5A. The club has a bunch of these low output power supply so ask us to borrow one instead of buying one. Eventually, though, you'll want a power supply that can provide at least 20A so that you can power more equipment. | |
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| ===== Where to Buy ===== | |
| Now that you're ready to buy some equipment, check out these pages: | |
| * [[/links#amateur_radio_equipment_retailers |Retailers]] | |
| * Our club's [[memberscorner/inventory |Inventory]] page. | |
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| And ask around for opinions. Also, if you google a radio and add "eham" to the search term, you'll get some very good reviews. | |
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| ===== Frequencies ===== | |
| Here are some good places to find out which frequencies to use: | |
| * [[/references/simplex |Simplex]] | |
| * [[/references/radioprogramming#frequencies|Repeaters]] | |
| * [[/howto/chirp|Programming your radio with Chirp]] | |
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