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[KD5RYB]

Hello all!
I am 16 and fairly new to amateur radio (licensed in April of '02) and I have been limited to two meter FM. I would like to do something new and get on HF. I am still a Technician but I plan to upgrade soon. I have come up with a plan to get onto HF and I would like your opinion.

I have noticed that Radio Shack sells a 10 meter radio the HTX-10 (SSB,AM,FM, 25W). I have read the reviews on this site and it seems to be a decent radio. I understand that it is not the top of the line radio but that is not important to me right now. Now you might be wondering I would limit my self to one band? The reason is it is fairly cheap radio ($150). Also, antennas are not allowed in my neighborhood and I fiqure I can get away with a 10 meter antenna (since they are fairly small) and my current power supply would not handle a 100W radio.

What antenna would you recommend to use? Verticals, dipoles, wire? I am not really looking for any big time DX, but a little now and then would be kinda neat. Would an antenna in an attic work(our attic is quite large).

I have thought about getting a 100W all band radio but it would not fit me well because:

*too much money (when you are 16 and don't have a job a dollar is worth quite a bit)

*I do not have enough room to put up a large antenna

*I would only have time on the weekends (possibly a weekday every once and a while) to operate and I don't see the point in setting up a large station when I would not get to use it very much

I like this set up because:

*Pretty cheap to set up
*Not much antenna is required
*I can use my current power supply(7amp 10ampICS)
*Overall set up is small enough to take on trips

Now, experienced operators, what is you opinion of all of this? Would this set up work ok, or have I missed something? Any and all recommendations, suggestions, or comments are welcome.


One more thing, what type of results could I expect from 25W on 10m and a fairly simple antenna?

Thanks and 73
Jeremy KD5RYB

[KF4MKJ]

  I have two of the HTX 10s.  One is mobile the other is part of my home station.  I bought my first one right after I passed my code test.  I liked it so much I eventually bought a second for use at home.

  The antenna for my mobile is a Wilson 1000 magmount (cb antenna) with two inches cut off for use on 10 meters.  My base antenna is a homebrew twin lead j-pole for 10 meters taped to a bamboo pole.  If you need plans to make one,  you can download a program from qrz.com that computes the length and tells you how to make the j-pole

  Twenty five watts seems to be enough for most contacts.  I have worked much of Europe, a few islands around Africa,  many South and Central American countries,  lots of the Carribean, Western Asia, and most of the United States.  Fun little radios for the money.

  However there are some shortcomings to them.  The microphone seems to be a stripped down speaker mike.  There is no option for CW it not only has no connections for it, it isn't even one of the modes on the radio.  The HTX 10 also does not tune any finer than 1 khz.

  You had better hurry if you want one because Radio Shack is closing them out.  At $89.00, saw one last week at that price, I expect they will go pretty quick.

73 de KF4MKJ John

[KG6AMW]

Hello Jeremy. Yep its tough when money is limited.  If possible, look for a used rig (Yaesu 840 for example might be purchased for $350 or less used) that will give you more than 10 meters. The problem with 10 meters is that its not open all year and with solar activity numbers dropping will be less so in the immediate future.  This may be why Radio Shack is dropping the price of the unit your interested in.  Also, why not experiment with thin wire antennas (18 AWG). You would be surprised how unobservant people are. This is especially true when it above their field of vision. Good luck, Merrill