Old Rig or New?

[N8TI]

Hello.  I set up a second ham station in my bedroom closet.  I set up a FT-101 and my IC 706.  In the basement, I left the boat anchors and the FT-1000D. My connections to the Quad on the tower, the inverted V and the inverted L are all downstairs.  I ran a 300 foot long wire attached to 50 feet of twinline to use as an antenna for the bedroom.

Well, I am having a blast.  I have used the radio more for simple CW ragchews than I have in years.  Convenience is certainly a good motivator to get on the air.

Because I am using the second station so much, I have been thinking about a rig that is more for a base station.  I used to have an FT-890 and was thinking about that,  but I also was thinking that perhaps some of these newer rigs that go for about $1000 might work as well as the older rigs, given the advancement in DSP, etc. What do you think?  Is cheaper $1000 rig,  say, Icom IC 7200 or Yaesu, FT-950 as good or better than the older rigs?

[W7ETA]

You can start looking at one measure of receivers' performance on Sherwood Engineering Receiver.

Personally, I like knobs and buttons, over menus, on rigs.

And, since I enter split operation pile ups, I like dual receivers.

73
Bob

[WB2WIK]

I think it's best to have a DX-100 or Viking Valiant, along with an SX-101 or NC-300 or something, and bring them upstairs to operate then back downstairs when not needed, and do that each and every day.

You need a strong table.

Doing this, most would lose about 5 lbs a week, it's better than going to the gym.

[KA5N]

Of course there's also the hernia repair.

Allen

[VE3FMC]

Hello Joe

I have a FT-950 which I use daily. I have an Icom 7000 which I use for VHF/UHF and a few contacts on HF.

For your compact closet station an Icom 7000 would be perfect. Mate it up with a switching power supply, auto tuner and you are good to go. Built in keyer, good DSP and filtering, small foot print on the operating desk.

The FT-950 would also be a great choice, but it would take up more space on the desk. Since you are in the closet I am sure space is tight.

I know you love CW but you should also look at the digital modes, lots of contacts to be made. But then you would need a laptop in the closet to operate those modes.

Now if you want to make a deal on some of your boat anchor equipment you know how to get in touch with me 

For anyone reading this thread Joe and I go back quite a few years. He took me to Dayton years ago and then he came here to operate FD with the club I was involved with back in the mid 90's. So we go back a few years.

[WX7G]

You deserve a new rig with DSP.

[VE3FMC]

You deserve a new rig with DSP.

Joe has some really nice boat anchors that I would be willing to trade a like new Icom 7000 for 

[K9MHZ]

Let me get this straight....you have a basement station and now you want to put another one in your bedroom?

Can't help but thinking that what goes on in a basement should be separate from what goes on in a bedroom.  Strange.



 

[VE3FMC]

Let me get this straight....you have a basement station and now you want to put another one in your bedroom?

Can't help but thinking that what goes on in a basement should be separate from what goes on in a bedroom.  Strange.



 

You have to go read Joe's other thread here to understand why he has the bedroom station.

[NR9R]

Another idea may be to leave the transceiver in the basement and control it remotely.  When the IC-7200 is interfaced to a PC with a USB cable it can be controlled through an internet connection.  Then all you need to bring upstairs is your laptop (although controlling antennas is another story).

[WB1FPA]

Joe,     Find a nice FT-900 and call it good.   The 900 doesn't hear its own display noise on 15M (as did the 890 I had), has good QSK, a great internal tuner, and it just plain works.   Small.  If you need a CW filter, any of the Collins filters that INRAD has at 455 KHz can be wired into the rig and the 2k I/O impedance will work just fine.   The 890 is good too!