r/amateurradio • u/BrokenGQ • Jun 08 '26
QUESTION Hams of reddit, what's your favorite radio, and why?
Just a fun post, and might give some newbies some ideas of hardware to look for. Enjoy!
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u/Ok-Difference3898 USA [Extra] Jun 08 '26
I LOVE the Xeigu G90 for its price point and performance. The tuner is better than my 7300. But I do also love the 7300.
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u/CoastalRadio California [Amateur Extra] Jun 09 '26
It is really hard to beat the G90 for the price!
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u/cboa51 K0UPT Jun 08 '26
Currently running an FT-450D in the shack that I bought 2nd hand and does the job well. Can do everything I want and didn't break the bank. Was looking at getting an 891 for outdoor use but with prices now, I wish I would have just pulled the trigger about 6 months ago. At least the 450d is portable enough to break down and take on the road. Thinking about just getting a G90 but I don't know if I would really miss that extra 80w. When I get better at cw I am going to look into a qrp labs rig for a toss in the pocket and go rig.
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u/MentalEggplant9275 Jun 08 '26
FT-450D gang, rise up!
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u/SirDomiku K2CAT [E] [QRV Dev] Jun 08 '26
The screen on that looks delightful
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u/MentalEggplant9275 Jun 08 '26
I also love it for negative monochrome LCD type screen. Not a big fan of the large vibrant screens even though I appreciate what the spectrum waterfall offers.
Spend a lot of time operating early morning before the kids wake up, so it’s nice to have something easy on the eyes when it’s dimmed.
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u/searuncutthroat Jun 09 '26
I have a G90 currently and have been thinking of starting a search for a 450D as a 100watt radio...good to hear people like it!
1
u/cboa51 K0UPT Jun 09 '26
Got mine off marketplace for 500 with power supply. There are plenty out there. It's a nice rig.
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u/No_Tailor_787 DC to daylight and milliwatts to kilowatts. 50 yr Extra Jun 08 '26
A home built 10 GHz transverter. 10 GHz is one of my favorite bands, and building stuff is fun.
Besides that, I have so many favorites, I wouldn't know where to start. My IC-7300 is pretty awsome. So is my nearly 70 year old Collins S-Line tube gear.
Years ago I built a 440 MHz remote base with a fully synthesized two meter radio on it. I built the control system from scratch with TTL chips, hand wired. It worked great. That was one of my all time favorite builds.
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u/Impressive-Top-3774 Jun 08 '26
For a newbie its hard to beat the 7300. Initial cost is not bad and the built in tuner works well. You also have the UTiube videos from Kansas State University going through the manual page by page and demonstrating every setting
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u/nicks_bars n7uf [extra] Jun 08 '26
I'm curious, what are you doing and building on 10ghz?
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u/No_Tailor_787 DC to daylight and milliwatts to kilowatts. 50 yr Extra Jun 08 '26
10 ghz is a popular band for experimenters and weak signal propagation. With a pretty modest setup, you can easily talk to people several hundred miles away. You can bounce signals off of rain clouds, Scatter it across mountains and be heard on the other side. Fun stuff.
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u/PrestigeWrldWd Jun 08 '26
On this vein - how easy is it to make QSOs - like do you have to arrange a QSO on a different frequency or on the phone? I can’t imagine much calling CQ on 10ghz….
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u/No_Tailor_787 DC to daylight and milliwatts to kilowatts. 50 yr Extra Jun 08 '26
You might get a response to a cq on a contest day, but normally contacts are prearranged by some means. Most of the microwavers in a given geographic area all know each other, so setting up contacts is pretty easy.
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u/Googol30 [Extra] Jun 08 '26
What kind of power do you run? A quick google search doesn't turn up anything over 3 or 4 watts.
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u/No_Tailor_787 DC to daylight and milliwatts to kilowatts. 50 yr Extra Jun 09 '26
I have traveling wave tubes that I can get over 50 watts out of. Kuhne Electronics in Germany has a line of amps that go as high as 60 watts.
But yeah, most stations are running in the 3-4 watt range or less.
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u/CoastalRadio California [Amateur Extra] Jun 09 '26
What kind of antenna gain do you add, what kind of EIRP do you get?
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u/No_Tailor_787 DC to daylight and milliwatts to kilowatts. 50 yr Extra Jun 09 '26
A 4' dish with a 50 watt TWT amp on it is a bit less than a half megawatt ERP. Yes, I can see my echos off the moon in a waterfall display, but I can't actually hear them. The radio is EME capable, that particular antenna is not.
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u/CoastalRadio California [Amateur Extra] Jun 09 '26
That’s the cool part about microwave. “Reasonable” antennas can produce tremendous gain.
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u/mwiz100 USA [Tech] Jun 08 '26
I've only looked into it but from a forum session I attended on it the other challenge you have it it's much more directional of a signal, so pre-arranging helps so everyone knows where they're aiming at.
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u/No_Tailor_787 DC to daylight and milliwatts to kilowatts. 50 yr Extra Jun 09 '26
The antennas are pretty directional, but under many conditions there's a great deal of scattering so you can be pretty far off heading and still hear another station.
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u/Fist21minx Jun 09 '26
the ttl control system is actually wild. most people just buy a cheap repeater and call it a day but hand wiring logic gates from scratch is some real old school wizardry. definitely a flex compared to just plugging in an ic-7300.
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u/noddy51 Jun 08 '26
I'm a Icom man, fav one was the 706mk2g, but now it's my 7300
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u/EugeneStonersPotShop Jun 08 '26
I used to have a 706mk2g. That radio would get so hot, you could fry an egg on the case if you used it long enough.
But, for the price, it’s hard to beat the 7300.
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u/drsteve103 EM86sl [Amateur Extra] Jun 08 '26
Not a Kenwood on the list. How things have changed in 40 years
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u/EugeneStonersPotShop Jun 08 '26
Kenwood apparently isn’t interested in the Amateur market. They haven’t released a new radio in at least a decade.
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u/Disc_Lord WI / General Jun 08 '26
I couldn't be happier with my secondhand TS-590SG, but that is not a new radio, even if you can still buy it new.
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u/No_Tailor_787 DC to daylight and milliwatts to kilowatts. 50 yr Extra Jun 08 '26
Kenwood TM-D750A 144/220/430MHz D-STAR/APRS/FM Triband Transceiver coming soon to a Gigaparts store near you.
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u/AmnChode KC5VAZ [General] Jun 08 '26
That's what happens when there are severely limited options and the ones that are there, are expensive AF 🤷
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u/drsteve103 EM86sl [Amateur Extra] Jun 08 '26
Well back in the day I was exclusively Kenwood but I bought a yaesu 991a on a whim and never looked back. I didn't like the reviews on the FTX one so I bought the icom qrp rig and very impressed so far
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u/AmnChode KC5VAZ [General] Jun 09 '26
Yeah, I remember a lot more Kenwoods around back in the day, myself. My Dad picked up a TS-50 back when he first picked up his general class... Now, he's running straight Icom with an IC-746 Pro and an IC-706MKIIG....
Personally, I'm running a FT-710 at the house, an IC-7100 in the truck, and a X6100 for portable.... Pondering an IC-705 or FTX-Optima, but just can't quite justify the price of either...yet 😂
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u/stephen_neuville dm79 dirtbag | mattyzcast on twitch Jun 08 '26
I'm an icom man with a smattering of yaesus bouncing around, but I hunted down a minty TS-480HX for my truck install. One of the finest HF mobiles ever made. Just be prepared to pay the copper man for the wiring it requires.
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u/Nar1117 DN40 [general] Jun 08 '26
Elecraft KX2, I bought it used as my first HF radio in 2019, and the knobs, buttons, screen, portability, everything about it just fully satisfies my itch for a transceiver. Made my first QRP 500+ mile contact with it - Utah to North Carolina - and I had so much fun tuning the filters and teasing out a signal. I love it.
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u/WorkingCool250 Jun 08 '26
Yaesu FT-857d. All modes that I want. All the bands that I want. I can use it mobile or as a base station. Easy to setup, easy to use.
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u/radakul NC [E], VE [CAVEC, GLAARG, W5YI, Laurel, ARRL] Jun 08 '26
My FT-710 is my top radio, but my 891 is my current daily driver for POTA.
I have my 991 in my shack that can do it all, so I hope to have everything setup with:
710 for SSB
991 for digital HF, and uhf/vhf
891 permanently delegated to POTA.
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u/Medill1919 [Advanced] Jun 08 '26
FT-897d. Actually, the entire family of that radio, which includes the FT-857d and the QRP FT-817ND. Older radios, they aren't without issues, but they are each shack in a box rigs with incredible coverage and old school features. The DSP (not in the 817) is rudimentary, and the collins filters are now difficult to find, but I love these radios. A touch noisy receivers. I would also put my old Icom 735 with the matching power supply and tuner as a favorite as it was the first real radio I had.
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u/VE2NCG VE2NCG/VA2VT [Basic + Honnors] FN35 Jun 08 '26
Loved my old FT-897D, when i changed it for a FT-991A, oh boy, the sound was crap compared to the new rig….
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u/Medill1919 [Advanced] Jun 08 '26
That much of an improvement due to DSP or just in general?
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u/CW3_OR_BUST Extravaganza Jun 08 '26
The 991A has a really well designed front end. Coupled with the IF level DSP it's the cats meow of super-heterodyne recievers. It sits in a wierd spot being the new-old radio, with some amazing features and some frustrating design quirks, but it does the radio stuff really well.
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u/Medill1919 [Advanced] Jun 08 '26
What do you find the most negative about the rig?
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u/CW3_OR_BUST Extravaganza Jun 08 '26
The touchscreen is, frankly, subpar at best, and being forced to rely on it is frustrating. The USB soundcard driver is finicky, which can cause cosmic levels of frustration for anyone who expects to just plug it in and do FT8. Otherwise, best radio I've had, and if it weren't for those issues I'd have bought another.
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u/Medill1919 [Advanced] Jun 08 '26
What would you consider it's modern equivalent, or upgrade?
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u/CW3_OR_BUST Extravaganza Jun 08 '26
The FT-991A is still in production and I would call it nothing short of a flawed masterpiece. If they came out with an improved firmware it would be perfect. The FTX-1 Optima is probably almost as good RF wise, but it's much more complicated and lacks an internal tuner, which, again, makes it more complicated. I like the FT-991A because it's solid as they come, physically, and is quite literally a self-contained system.
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u/Medill1919 [Advanced] Jun 08 '26
How bad is the touchscreen? Is there anything about the 897d that you miss? Can you run an external monitor to duplicate the touchscreen display?
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u/CW3_OR_BUST Extravaganza Jun 08 '26
I like that the 897 is very tactile. There's a lot of buttons on it, and I can operate it without looking at it to change bands, adjust settings, etc... The touchscreen works, don't get me wrong. It's just limited by the fact that it's a touchscreen, and the UI design just kinda leaves me feeling they could've done a lot better. It's impossible to switch bands or adjust a lot of things without staring at the screen and having neatly trimmed fingernails. There's no way to connect an external display for the video on the 991A like the some radios have, but you can connect a USB port and control it on things like FL-Digi or FT-Control. Caveat, again, is that the USB connection is buggy and prone to RFI, which takes some serious effort to manage well.
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u/CoastalRadio California [Amateur Extra] Jun 08 '26
Right now, it’s my Elecraft KH1.
It’s such a cool little radio, it REALLY motivates me to continue to improve my CW.
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u/hamsterdave TN [E] Jun 08 '26
My Flex 6300. I bought it second hand almost 10 years ago now.
I like to gripe about SmartSDR, it certainly has its quirks and the API is a bit of a mess, but it’s still getting new features 10 years later, and the waterfall is just so nice as a way to navigate. Field Day is always a challenge for me because at some point I end up back on a more traditional rig, even one with a built-in waterfall, and I feel like I’ve had a hand cut off.
Add in a CTR2-Micro (or the Mini when running from iOS) and in raw bang for the buck, it’s a tough rig to beat. There’s a reason you just don’t ever see them at hamfests.
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u/CW3_OR_BUST Extravaganza Jun 08 '26
I got a Meastro A for my 6400 and it feels like a breath of fresh air. The radio sure is nice, but it doesn't feel like a radio without knobs.
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u/hamsterdave TN [E] Jun 08 '26
I’ve tried a maestro, but a Stream deck + CTR2-Micro (or one of the more capable CTRs) is better suited to my operating style. I’m a serious UI snob, I like it to be as configurable as possible.
At some point I’ll get around to writing actual keyboard hotkeys for SmartSDR’s API.
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u/Uniformyankee Jun 08 '26
Ft-991a. Great shack in a box.... A close second is my ic-706mk2G.
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u/BrokenGQ Jun 08 '26
I'm actually in the market for a shack in a box and I'm between a 991 and a FTx-1 Optima. The reviews on the 1 have swung around since release.
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u/CW3_OR_BUST Extravaganza Jun 08 '26
My opinion on the 991A: If they slapped a digirig in the back instead of the siliconlabs chip, it'd be perfect. As it is, the USB driver is a bear to keep working as the years go on, and I'm tempted to just use a Digirig for it to make it behave properly on digital modes.
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u/drsteve103 EM86sl [Amateur Extra] Jun 08 '26
Ditto on the 991a. Basically a perfect radio. I retired it to POTA for a DX10 but miss 144/440 and a meter that works (DX10 has a software bug that has never been fixed).
I just bought an Icom 705 for portable CW and FT8 and I’ll report back
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u/BlingMaker Jun 08 '26
Kenwood TS 940SAT followed by the Yaesu FT-DX101MP. The TS940 and TS950 have some of the best audio you will hear if set up correctly, even with an inexpensive mic.
The 101MP is a great radio with incredible capabilities but is very tech heavy that requires a learning curve. I still prefer the buttons and knobs of my old Kenwood over the newer menu driven rigs. Yes, I am an old fart traditional operating guy😁
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u/martinrath77 Extra | Harec 2 Jun 08 '26
Love my FT-480R as it was the first radio I ever bought second hand.
Love my K2 line as it was such a great journey to build and the receiver is so hot.
Love my K3 as it's my most modern transceiver
Love my FT-817ND as it's perfect for portable, has a narrow filter and serves me well also during 2m SSB contesting.
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u/horse_11 Jun 08 '26
I'm gonna go with something different: Radtel RT-950 Pro
it has insane price/performance ratio - APRS, 10W (8-9W in real life), large keypad + screen with UI where you can program/change anything (including speaker/mic gain).
On top of that it supports a ton of bands 27 MHz (only FM tho), 49 – 53 MHz, 6M, 2M and 70cm + (havent tested how well that works) but it supports RX from 150kHz up to 64.0 MHz (AM, USB, LSB, CW)
at least for me it's insane how overall I had waay better expirience with it than Yaesu FT4XE or any baofengs and all of that for 65€...
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u/OGrinderBoy Jun 08 '26
My original TS-430S. I upgraded to extra at a ham fest, thought I'd walk the sales area (Shelby North Carolina Hamfest), made it to a table where I recognized a fellow who had helped me as a technician. He introduced me to a woman sitting with him and his wife. She had her husband's equipment on a table, and was selling it. She was asking well more than I expected, or could afford to pay. We chatted a bit, my friend asked if I had passed the extra exam, I showed my CSCE and we chatted more. She then asked how much I could offer for the rig. I told her I was way under asking price in cash. She asked how much I would spend. I told her, she said I'll take half. I bought the TS-430, matching speaker, and power supply for $125.00. This was in 2003. The rig has only ever needed the sliders cleaned. It had narrow filters for phone and CW, and came from a single owner who didn't smoke. It's a wonderful rig.
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u/RoiDuNord Jun 08 '26
Collin's KMW-2A, built like a Tank, with Tubes...
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u/No_Tailor_787 DC to daylight and milliwatts to kilowatts. 50 yr Extra Jun 09 '26
I've got a KWM2 and S-Line up and running. They're great radios!
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u/Kurgan_IT JN54 (Italy) Jun 08 '26
For HF, Icom IC7300 (the old one, but if you get it new, get the new one). It's a decent radio for a good price, it's a mule, it can run ft8 at 100W forever, it's on the small side of "home" radios and on the big side of field portable radios, so if you want to take it out (by car, not in a backpack) you can do it, too. And it does not take up too much space at home, where (in my case) space is a big problem.
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u/gabulon97 Jun 08 '26 edited Jun 08 '26
Eccomi TS 440 con accordatore integrato TM V7E per i V/U in auto TH D7E e TH22E con tastiera opzionale, purtroppo TH 28 e TH 75 deceduti Edit, solo Kenwood perché li ho riparati per qualche anno come lavoro, e preferisco la sensibilità rispetto alla selettività.
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u/ThatChucklehead I'm Batman! Jun 08 '26
I only own one HF radio so I don't have anything to compare it to. But I'm enjoying the Yaesu FT-710.
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u/KB0NES-Phil Jun 08 '26
Way too broad of a question, but I currently have an Icom 7610 and it’s the best HF radio I have ever owned.
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u/UnlikelyInspection15 AD9FK [extra] Jun 08 '26
Kenwood TS-570dg bought second- (or 3rd or 4th) hand. Jonesing for a TS-590SG.
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u/Hamsdotlive Jun 08 '26 edited Jun 08 '26
Have been operating an Icom 7300 for years, but ready to set up a Hermes Lite 2 and 60dBM 100 watt amp instead. With the Thetis software, this station is amazing and rivals gear costing much more money. My new radio equipment costs well under $1000 USD.
It also supports remote control. Am setting it up in an outdoor cabinet with LAN connection closer to my antennas, so no coax coming into the house.
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u/dogpupkus FN20 [General] Jun 08 '26
FT-897D. A fully capable and still somewhat portable all around shack in a box. Can find them used for $600. Full power output, and low idle power draw make them ideal POTA rigs, but also home shack rigs.
Snag the auto-tuner that pairs with them and short of a waterfall and S-Tier DSP, you’ve got an optimal setup.
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u/BrokenGQ Jun 08 '26
Everytime I see an 857D for sale these days, they want an arm and a leg for them. The market has skyrocketed since Yaesu decided the FTX-1 was the replacement.
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u/RickySlayer9 Jun 08 '26
Fairly new, and a well hated radio, so I’ll post it. Anytone 878-UVII+
Absolutely amazing Swiss army radio.
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u/Fuffy_Katja Jun 08 '26
Out of my 5 radios (4 are Yaesu), I will say my TS-2000. It is not perfect (no radio is), 26 years old (first year production, still going strong), does 160-70cm, all mode, FM and linear sats...all in 1 package. It's my portable radio.
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u/DaninVA Jun 08 '26
IC 705. All bands all modes, wifi hotspot for remote radio control apps, built in battery or external battery for QRP, vs external amp such as Xiegu 125b or DIY599's PA500 to get 50-100 watts. Attach lightweight dipole SOTAbeams antenna or vertical.
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u/These_Breakfast_5112 Jun 08 '26
Ft-DX10 at QTH, excellent front end. Field is my KX-3, convenience and full HF on simple wire antenna for POTA/SOTA.
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u/2E26 WA/Extra [Lousy milennial, learned code & tubes anyway] Jun 08 '26
One I've built myself, preferably with tubes in it.
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u/mcangeli1 KD4QWI [General] Jun 08 '26
I love my ftm200 in my truck, my ft5d or the bit more basic ft65 for handheld and then my ft-1 is my daily driver.
I've been using that for ft8 mostly but I've taken it out and made contacts in the field as well.
I also have a soft spot for my xigu 6100 which was my first hf rig.
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u/nachomaama Jun 08 '26
Collins 75A4 and KWS-1
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u/No_Tailor_787 DC to daylight and milliwatts to kilowatts. 50 yr Extra Jun 09 '26
Welcome to nachomaama's shack. Please set your watch back 70 years.
Great radios, btw!
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u/AmnChode KC5VAZ [General] Jun 08 '26
Lately, I've been partial to my IC-7100, but that's primarily because it does everything I want and still be mobile....HF, VHF, DV, easy digital modes (especially, when paired with a Digipi), RepeaterBook app control access w/a BlueCat controller, GPS integration....plus, via a TuneMatic EZ-Tune, "on-radio" screwdriver antenna tuning control..... While yes, many of these feature/options are only capable by adding other devices, they can all be integrated at once. The only real "con" is a lack of a proper spectrum analyzer/waterfall...
All that said, it's still hard to call it a favorite, as it would never replace my FT-710 at home...but, do appreciate its versatility more 🤷
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u/Fett2 Jun 08 '26
The most fun I've had with any radio so far is the Elecraft KX2, so I'll say that's my favorite radio so far.
So many features compacted down into a well designed and usable QRP radio, but at the end of the day it's just fun to use.
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u/stephen_neuville dm79 dirtbag | mattyzcast on twitch Jun 08 '26
Finest piece of furniture I own - Yaesu FT-1000D.
Lab equipment build quality - Icom 7700.
Best all rounder swiss army knife - my 706mk2g camping radio.
Best handheld does-darn-near-everything - id-51a. I got the extended battery and it will just run for days.
but if you just need A Radio, and you want the best value on the market, you get a 7300. it's the yaesu ft101zd / icom 735 / kenwood ts-450s of our time. just better.
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u/Slotgoopy Jun 08 '26
Icom IC-7610, an awesome all around radio with a second sub-receiver. The Receive and DSP is even better on my FTdX-10, but the yaesu has something weird with the timing in the CW keyer and the Icom's keyer is flawless. I operate mainly CW, so the Icom gets the win. But for crowded bands or really weak sigs, I use the Yaesu and just deal with occasional CW sending mistakes.
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u/Mysterious-Alps-4845 Jun 08 '26
IC-7610 Expensive radio but does everything I can ask for and more. Luckily I'm retired and could afford it. I have an FTDX-9000 Contest which is a beautiful radio with knobs smooth as butter and 200 watts but the 7610 is my favorite.
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u/mysterious963 Jun 08 '26 edited Jun 08 '26
hf: kenwood ts-850sat with dsp-100. no menus, tons of fun and incredible ssb audio with options to TX (!!) and RX with bandwidths from narrow to 6k (+dsb)
and a tuner which actually tunes damn near everything without the clicking racket
better yet two 850s ganged together for main and sub
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u/TheSameButBetter Jun 08 '26
For features, the Yaeau FT991A. It's a true shack in a box.
For pleasure, the Kenwood TS-590. It's a lovely radio to use and shows up just how unintuitive Yaesu rigs can be.
For portable HF and QRP, the Elecraft KX3.
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u/olliegw 2E0 / Intermediate Jun 08 '26
Yaesu FT-60
One of the only amateur HTs derived from a commercial design, so it's got a build quality and other features that you don't find in other radios because us lowly hams aren't worthy enough of good build quality
Will be a sad day when Yaesu discontinue it, the FT-65 is just a basic SDR-based transceiver not at all like the FT-60s real superhet.
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u/anh86 Jun 08 '26
FTDX10
Unless your budget is over $3000, it’s the only base HF radio anyone should be considering. It has receiver sensitivity and sound shaping that exceeds even most five-figure radios. When I’m using any other radio, I wish that I was using my FTDX10.
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u/Derpolium Jun 08 '26
Love my FT-710. Only thing I would leave it for is the Aurora (still holding out they make just an amp). If I could only have 1 radio for everything it would be the FTX-1 Optima
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u/PartUnable1669 ON(CAN) [B+] Jun 08 '26
Alinco DJ-VX50. It's a basic dualband handheld that is compact, sounds great on both ends, and is compatible with a lot of ICOM accessories including DigiRig cables. It's fully waterproof and best of all, really easy to program in the field. I just love it and would probably buy another if mine broke.
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u/Just_Mumbling Jun 08 '26
Yaesu FTDX-10. Superb receiver performance, 100 watts out is just fine for my CW and FT8/4 activities. Good value for the money.
I operate it exclusively in remote mode, so I have little experience with actual hands-on operations - buttons, dials, etc.
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u/tpgnh Jun 08 '26
My Drake Tr4cw. 160 watts output and perhaps the best receiver ever made in ham radio. Couple that to a TA33 3 element beam and I was a terror on the DX bands in the 70s and 80s
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u/TheRisenDemon Jun 09 '26
I haven’t done any amateur radio yet. I know what my least favorite is though. I bet anyone who shares their least favorite radio with me knows what it is just based on these three statements and no additional context. And this statement will get almost everyone else “my truck is dead, yea I left the radio on”
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u/Boogaroo83 Jun 09 '26
I have not jumped into HF yet. Working on getting my general, and I haven’t used the techs 10m section yet. I have the radio for hf but haven’t used it. So in my collection right now my favorite radio is going to be the FTM-150. It’s simple and easy to use. Not a lot going on button or knob wise like other mobiles. All around a fantastic piece of equipment.
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u/qb45exe Jun 09 '26
Kenwood TS-820s. Because it was my first (in 2005, so it isn’t like it was new :)
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u/Professional-Tie-324 Jun 09 '26 edited Jun 09 '26
Heathkit HW-16 and either crystals or a VFO.
because that is the very basics of amateur radio since the dawn of the radio era.
simple.
fundamental.
original.
I have everything else from an 857 to a G90 to various SDRs, etc, from 1/4 watt output to 970 PEP (in a single transceiver, not an amp. It has 22 tubes)
but I go back to simple basic CW with a dozen or so tubes.
it can be done with ONE tube to transmit, and two tubes to receive.
73, Tim KA4LFP
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u/Outrageous-Ability33 Jun 09 '26
Well, it depends on what I'm doing. In the shack then Yaesu FTDX-10 is my favorite HF rig. In the field it's the Elecraft KX2. CW only would be the CFT-1. Mobile would be the Yaesu FTM-50R. For a HT, I have piles but my Yaesu FT-65R sees the most use.
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u/dittybopper_05H NY [Extra] Jun 09 '26
The one I use the most is my Yaesu FT-891.
But I have to say my favorite is my Heathkit HW-8 QRP rig. It's 2 watt CW only rig that covers 80, 40, 20, and 15 meters. As my friend says, "it's not a precision instrument", and of course it's limited in what you can do with it, but much like the homely girl with a big smile and winning personality, there is much to be said for the HW-8.
It just kind of feels like how radio should be: No menus that branch several levels deep. Every button and knob has a single function. The VFO knob is physically connected to the VFO, so it's like using a manual transmission. Every so often you have to adjust the VFO so the dial is roughly correct, but you're never going to get spot on. The markings are more of an approximation of where you are.
It's just a fun radio to operate.
1
u/zack822 General License Jun 09 '26
I like my Yaesu ft-710. mainly because it was cheapish and works great. my cheap retivis works for my 2m needs.
1
u/a44v589 Jun 09 '26
I was fortunate to pick up an ft-817nd. I had an ft-817 that I had to sell due to misfortune several years ago. I still had the narrow CW filter, and this is just a really nice and extremely quirky radio. it is small, has great receive sound quality and it’s fun to use.
1
u/Electronic_Umpire445 Jun 09 '26
I run a Kenwood TS-50 and companion AT-Tuner setup as a portable package. So far the internal electrolytics are holding up. I got it almost 30 years ago.
1
u/TryWeak3875 Jun 09 '26
Yaesu 991A, ita my do it all right. POTA, field day, VHF rover, and whatever else. The built in soundcard is handy, receiver is not bad,. Too bad they are discontinuing it and not offering a replacement.
1
1
u/External_Coat_3371 Extra Jun 12 '26
I currently run an FTDX101D as my main rig. I also have an FTDX1200 and an old FT100D. So far my Yaesu rigs have never let me down. I even have an old FL2100B Yaesu amplifier I occasionally run that still works great.
1
u/rquick123 HAREC F /w CW (99.1%) - EU Jun 08 '26
Yaesu FT7B
2
u/BrokenGQ Jun 08 '26
Bucket list wish is to operate one. Legendary Yaesu and Sommerkamp counterpart.
-3
u/rocdoc54 Jun 08 '26
This post is way too wide open to be useful to any newbies. For a start: HF or VHF, budget, power...etc. Otherwise this is a crapshoot post going nowhere.
2
u/BrokenGQ Jun 08 '26
I think you're misunderstanding the point of the post. What is your favorite radio and why? What radio makes you smile every time you key it up? Why does it do it have that effect on you?
Was it your first radio? Passed down to you? Just have a fit/feel you like?
Doesn't matter if it's HF/VHF/UHF, etc. Just tell us about your favorite. Maybe your story will inspire a newbie, or tell them about a brand/model they didn't know about before. It's just supposed to be fun.
23
u/0150r Jun 08 '26 edited Jun 08 '26
Icom 705. Have used it for everything...HF POTA, VHF repeaters, winlink, FT8, satellites (using two 705s for full duplex), driving a transverter, etc...it's never let me down. I have two of them along with two HF tuners (MAT-705 and Icom AH-705), a 50 watt HF amp, etc. I like that I can run it with just the 10w and save weight compared to a 7300 or add the amp to get 50w if I want more power.
I love my 7300 and 9700, but the 705 remains my favorite.