What Radio Should I Purchase...

An email written from Susan Smith KJ7ABC 

to participants in the SLC SE Division CERT net 

sent February 13, 2012

Dear Friends of Amateur Radio,

The classic two-pronged question a newly licensed ham usually asks is "Which radio should I buy and how much will it cost?"  As in most hobbies, this question cannot be answered in a straightforward, easy fashion (but read on for a particularly low-budget option).    I venture to say that the typical ham has more than one radio, including one or more handheld transceivers in addition to his or her main station, which may be a mobile radio or base station.  After the primary question of which radio come the questions about antennas, power sources, other equipment, gear, manuals, organizations, nets, etc.

But, let's get back to the question of which radio to purchase.  The Web offers many primers and guides to choosing a ham radio, including one at http://www.eham.net/newham/firstradio and one by ARRL to download at http://www.arrl.org/buying-your-first-radio .  Some important considerations in choosing a radio include:

   1.)  Which bands do you plan to use?  For instance, 2-meter and 70-centimeter bands are common for the Technician class and will get you onto a variety of simplex and repeater frequencies, but if you plan to upgrade to General or Extra licenses relatively soon, a broader range of bands might be considered. Do you want a radio capable of operating on more than one band?  Dual-band handheld and mobile radios with 2 meter and 70 centimeter are common, with 1.25 meter as a third band on some models.

   2.)  Where or how are you going to be using the radio?  For instance, will you be using the radio only at home, in the car, at work and/or roaming the city or hills?  Many hams enjoy assisting communications for public service events such as marathons, parades, and festivalKG-UV3Ds.  More and more cities are involving ham operators in preparedness for emergency disasters and in real-life community emergencies.  Reaching other operators either by voice or CW (Morse Code) around the world can be exciting and challenging.

   3.)  Is D-Star or packet radio (etc.) of particular interest to you?  Radios and the extra equipment for such options can be pricey.

   4.)  What is your budget?  Some people ask whether this is a hobby they can afford even before they prepare for a licensing exam; hence, asking licensed hams their opinions and doing research on your own is extremely important to answering that question.  There is a huge range of prices for radios and radio-specific accessories, from memory-programming software to replacement antennas for a handheld to GPS capabilities for some radios, and some manufacturer's accessories can have a hefty price tag.  As many hams purchase multiple radios over the years, there are used radios for sale that might be in the price range of even the most humble budget.

    5.)  What other personal considerations do you have to take into account?  Is the weight or size of a handheld a major consideration?  Will the radio fit your hand well if your hand is large or small?  Are the keys too small for you to tap? Might you have a difficult time seeing a display with lots of information in a small font?

So, what does this boil down to?  I have not attempted to develop here a guide on this topic, especially as I am a relative newbie myself and am not conversant with much of amateur radio yet, but I will offer a few insights and possibilities to those who are at the earliest stages as an amateur radio hobbyist and can't or don't want to spend a whole lot of money at this time.  I plan to keep this short and sweet: radio, power, antenna.

My husband and I have purchased multiple radios since licensing as technicians in July 2010.  Recently, I purchased a Wouxun (pronounced o' shing) KG-UV3D 2m/70cm radio online (http://www.powerwerx.com/wouxun-radios/kg-uv3d-dual-band.html) for $119.99 and the high-gain antenna for $29.99 to carry to work and on trips.  If I'm a bit rough on packing it around, I know I'm not spending hundreds to replace it.  Also, knowing that some prospective hams in the SLC Southeast Division are concerned about the cost of getting into ham radio, I wanted to test it.  After using it a few times over the last three weeks, I believe this inexpensive radio and its accessories may suit many an amateur radio operator at a budget price, particularly for use at shorter distances (e.g., the Southeast Division) and on repeaters.

In case you consider buying a Wouxun, here are some things of which to be aware.  The purchase list I have attached below serves as a reference on this topic.
  * I find the relatively short and simple operator's manual helpful and succinct.
  * Some operators may feel they need a lot of memory for programming frequencies.  This radio has "only" 128 memory channels.
  * The connector on the radio for the antenna is not a typical U.S. connection; hence, purchasing the longer high-gain antenna and adapters such as the SMA Female to UHF SO-239 Adapter (for connecting to certain antennas, such as rooftop antennas) at the time of purchasing the radio is advisable.
  * Charge at least six to eight hours before first use, even if the green light on the charging base appears before then.
  * Judging by experiences of another recent buyer and myself, the radio comes set in duplex with negative offset ... as if connecting to a repeater.  For simplex operation (as in 147.50 MHz for the SLC SE Division Net on Thursdays at 9 p.m. -- yep, a shameless plug!), the operator must remove the negative offset.  (See instructions in the manual.)
  * The Wouxun weighs 9.2 ounces and is 2.3 x 4.1 x 1.6 inches.
  * Unlike some other radio manufacturers, the software for programming frequencies into the Wouxun is free by downloading from the Internet.  One ham recommends using the free Chirp programming software at http://chirp.danplanet.com/ .
  * I would be glad to lend my programming cable and/or cloning cable to anyone who purchases the Wouxun.

My purchases January 2012 from www.powerwerx.com follow.

WXAAB	AA Battery Pack for Wouxun Radios	$10.99
WXNRG	Nifty! Quick Reference Guide for Wouxun Radios	$5.99
WXCLN	Cloning Cable for Dual Pin Wouxun Radios	$9.99
WXGAT-RV	High Gain Dual-Band 2m/440 Handheld Reverse SMA Antenna	$22.99
WXBTE	Battery Eliminator for Wouxun Radios	$14.99
WXS16	Wouxun SMA Female to UHF (SO-239) Antenna RF Adapter	$5.99
KG-UV3D-2/420-520	Wouxun KG-UV3D Dual Band 128 Channel Handheld Amateur Radio... (Receive Range: V: 136-174, U: 420-520 MHz, Transmit Range: V...)	$119.99
WXUSB	USB Programming Cable for Wouxun Radios	$15.99
HM05JSJ	Comet Reverse SMA Female 18" coax adapter jumper to SO-239	$14.99
WXHST	Economy Headset Microphone for Wouxun Radios	$8.99
WXRSM	Powerwerx Heavy Duty Remote Speaker Microphone for Wouxun Radios	$44.99
WXLTR	Wouxun Leather Case	$14.99
Flashlight	Powerwerx 9 LED Pocket Flashlight: FREE with purchase of $125 or more	$0.00

	Product Total:	$290.88
	Saving:	$9.99
	Shipping:	$14.11
	Tax:	$0.00
	Total:	$304.99

In response to an email on this topic, a ham says, "After playing around with my wife's Wouxun, I don't think I'd be afraid to try one of the other Chinese brands.  For example, AsiaRadioSales (http://www.asiaradiosales.com/en/) has dual-band handhelds starting at $46 shipped direct from Hong
Kong.  I've purchased some other stuff from them and been satisfied.  It only takes a week or so to get here."

In addition to a radio, power and antennas are extremely important components for effective communications.

A radio can receive ("hear") radio communications on relatively low power, but transmissions require a great deal more power.  If you have a handheld radio with a rechargeable battery such as the Wouxun above, most hams recommend buying an alkaline-battery pack/adapter (i.e., for AA's or AAA's), if available for your radio, and lots of batteries to act as standby when your rechargeable battery gets low.  Over time, rechargeable batteries can decrease in power capacity or life, and batteries with a full charge can be critical for effective communications.  There are lots of other battery or power options for handhelds, but I will not cover that here.

As antennas are a vital consideration in good radio transmission, many experienced hams recommend dedicating extra money to the antenna over buying a pricier radio when other features of possible radios are about the same.  When I attached the Wouxun via the adapter mentioned above to my dual-band rooftop antenna, I was able to reach a repeater in Utah County, where hams reported they could hear me "clear as a bell."  (Keep in mind that although my rooftop antenna is relatively modest, I have a good location in the SLC Southeast Division, rising above Highland Drive but not too far east, to have great reach across Salt Lake Valley and a bit beyond.)  Additionally, I purchased a magnetic mount ("mag mount") antenna for my Wouxun to use on my car and at home threaded through a slightly open window to the rain gutter.  This is a two-part system -- both Diamond -- the SPM-35 mag mount (http://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-000002) costs $44.95 and the NR-770HB antenna (http://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-000063, also available in silver) is $59.95.  The ham that recommended the Diamond antenna to me says Comet makes something similar  that may cost less; I just wanted to get what he knew works great.

If anyone has experience with the Wouxun, other handhelds, mobiles or base stations that could be considered budget radios for new amateur operators, please let me know your impressions of them, including model numbers, at ssmithrph@aol.com .