Is it possible get into ham radio inexpensively?

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Is it possible get into ham radio inexpensively?	Reply
by KF7AKD on October 29, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
I've heard this, but I have my doubts. other than echolink, you need expensive rigs, antennas, baluns, and cabling among other things. what are your opinions?

RE: Is it possible get into ham radio inexpensivel	Reply
by K0BG on October 29, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
I have a friend who operates mobile. The radio, an FT-101, was purchased for $75 not working. $20 later, and it was converted to 6146 finals. The antenna is a hamstick taken out of a dumpster at the same hamfest, and repaired. You can't get much cheaper than that! Alan, KØBG www.k0bg.com

RE: Is it possible get into ham radio inexpensivel	Reply
by KF7AKD on October 29, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
That's reassuring, and very surprising. any other good stories like that?

RE: Is it possible get into ham radio inexpensivel	Reply
by W5RB on October 29, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
A local ham bought a working HF rig, Icom , as I recall , at a hamfest a couple of years ago . All solid state , new enough to have the WARC bands. Was demonstrated at the hamfest test bench to be working , I think he had to buy a mic for it , $20 from MFJ . Deals are out there . Inexperienced shoppers need to bring a grizzled flea-market veteran .

RE: Is it possible get into ham radio inexpensivel	Reply
by KG4DGF on October 29, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
My first HF setup in 2003 was an atlas 210X and a homemade dipole. Total cost, $220. It worked just fine.

RE: Is it possible get into ham radio inexpensivel	Reply
by K7KBN on October 29, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
Depends on what you consider "inexpensive".

RE: Is it possible get into ham radio inexpensivel	Reply
by WB6BYU on October 29, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
At a hamfest last weekend I saw a number of multi-band HF rigs for $250 or less. They may not be the latest whiz-bang model, but any of those would run rings around the equipment that many of us started with. And if you know some hams, it isn't unusual for someone to have an old rig that you can borrow for some amount of time to get started. (Some clubs have established procedures for loaning out equipment.) Wire antennas for HF don't have to cost much. I started out using salvaged telephone wire strung in a tree. At one point I was given a 30' length of coax, but before that I used only 18" of it in my whole station. At the same hamfest I picked up two working VHF/UHF FM rigs for less than $100 each. My UHF antenna is a ground plane made from scrap wire hanging from a suction cup on my window. Many of us got started on very limited budgets - it is quite possible to do. You don't have to buy everything new, or have every possible accessory in the catalog. It does help to have some knowledgeable hams to advise you, of course, especially those who have a junk box of parts and aren't afraid of building something simple like an antenna tuner.

RE: Is it possible get into ham radio inexpensively?	Reply
by N2EY on October 29, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
Depends on four factors: 1) What do you consider "inexpensive"? $50? $500? $5000? 2) How much "good stuff" do you already have (tools, space for a shack, space for antennas, wire, etc.) 3) How much are you willing to do yourself? For example, you can make a wire antenna for almost nothing from scrap wire and PVC pipe, or pay dozens of dollars for one. 4) What sort of ham radio do you want to do? Does it have to be brand-new gear, or is used OK? Do you insist of voice modes, or are you willing to learn Morse Code or fix up an old computer to run data modes like PSK31? 73 de Jim N2EY

RE: Is it possible get into ham radio inexpensively?	Reply
by K7AAT on October 29, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
The more you learn about radio and electronics, the more you can save. Barring the price of a solder iron, a few tools, and solder, you could probably build a transmitter and receiver ( CW at minimum ) out of junk you could obtain for free. I suspect what drives the cost up in part is the insistence of hams to have all the fancy bells, whistles, and esoteric modes. If you are unwilling to just limit yourself to CW and a zero budget in the beginning, then the problem is really yours... not the hobby's. Ed K7AAT

RE: Is it possible get into ham radio inexpensivel	Reply
by KF7AKD on October 29, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
I had guessed someone would ask what "inexpensive" would be. in my estimation "expensive" to a hobby means spending money on the newest/best/priciest models while inexpensive means eliminating as much cost as reasonable. at least to me that is. thanks you guys...I'll be looking for an elmer nearby.

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