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Adsy1944 Profile
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New Kid On The Block

Registered: 08-2013
Posts: 8
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Could someone please help me choose my rig?


Hi guys,

I've gotten bored of fiddling with the ancient sets in my dads shed, so I want to buy a starter kit, the problem is I'm spoilt for choice!

I want a mag mount so I can easily assemble and disassemble the rig on my car/shed.

Team MX-8 mk iv
I like this one as it displays the signal, country and frequency in the display with the channel, but I'm worried it looks a tad cheap.

Team TS6-M
I like the look of this one, but cannot find a whole lot of information.

Thunderpole T800
This looks to be the most well known make and possibly the highest quality, but doesn't appear to have as many features as the Team sets.

Essentially I'm looking for a total starter rig under £100, with at least AM/FM, if not SSB as well. Any pointers would be great as I'm looking to buy before christmas.

Cheers guys!

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26FB939
4/Dec/2014, 10:48 pm Link to this post Send Email to Adsy1944   Send PM to Adsy1944 Blog
 
yamanx1 Profile
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Head Honcho

Registered: 09-2007
Location: In a world of my own
Posts: 4894
Karma: 40 (+41/-1)
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Re: Could someone please help me choose my rig?


Hi and welcome.

For your aerial, bigger is better and frankly none of the "starter" ones you have listed are any good. They are not up to the job.

For a mag mount I suggest this:

Sirio 3000

But there are others even better, but more expensive. This is the most important part of you kit.

The radio, well I don't know about your area, but I would definately get a SSB rig regardless as FM can be full of rubbish, or nothing at all.

OK, its a bit more than your budget, but save a bit more and try and get something along these lines

Superstar

This is a reasonable radio for about £80-100 and would get you on the DX trail emoticon

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By all means think yourself big, but never think others small.... R.F.Scott
4/Dec/2014, 11:57 pm Link to this post Send Email to yamanx1   Send PM to yamanx1
 
Adsy1944 Profile
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New Kid On The Block

Registered: 08-2013
Posts: 8
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Re: Could someone please help me choose my rig?


I already have a President 144, but it's been modded to a different band altogether (or so a friend tells me). I know these aren't the best kits in the world but I want a basic starter I can just throw up and dismantle.

All I'm after is a basic starter set (my parents want to buy for Xmas) that I can build on with better antennas later on. I'm also keen to get the AM to start with and have the choice between cept and EU.

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26FB939
5/Dec/2014, 1:33 pm Link to this post Send Email to Adsy1944   Send PM to Adsy1944 Blog
 
dxbarefoot Profile
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New Kid On The Block

Registered: 08-2013
Posts: 6
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Re: Could someone please help me choose my rig?


Greetings,

Regarding the antenna, as mentioned previously bigger is better. If portability is not too much of a concern, a portable dipole may do the trick. I made one using two 102" steel whips. I used it horizontal, vertical and in an L config at 30' and had a great time.

Good Luck and 73

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2FB792 Brian, Central Iowa
11/Dec/2014, 1:59 am Link to this post Send Email to dxbarefoot   Send PM to dxbarefoot Blog
 
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Freebander

Registered: 05-2015
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Posts: 37
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Re: Could someone please help me choose my rig?


As far as antenna goes nothing will beat something that's cut for the freq!

A good antenna from what i been reading and from what iv'e been taught from hams over the years is a full wave loop cut for 80mtrs or the lowest freq's you think you will be using...as it becomes multiple wavelengths on higher freqs.

They are a low noise/low radiation angle wicked DX antenna.

Last edited by 2Greedy, 24/Jun/2015, 12:44 am


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43~FB~288
FREE BANDING! where limitations take a back seat!
24/Jun/2015, 12:36 am Link to this post Send Email to 2Greedy   Send PM to 2Greedy Blog
 
Hot Fusion Profile
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Management

Registered: 03-2008
Location: South West England
Posts: 1389
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Re: Could someone please help me choose my rig?


Just to complicate the antenna discussion even more, bear in mind that most of the radiation of a quarter-wave antenna comes from the first half of the conductor.

If the first half is coiled up into a loading coil as is often the case with mobile antennas, efficiency will suffer.

There are 2 ways around this:
Use a full-length whip (just over 8 feet long) but obviously don't drive with it!

or use a top-loaded antenna.
In this case the all-important lower half exists as a straight radiator, the less important top half being coiled up to shorten the overall antenna.

I did some tests a while back, and used a full quarter wave as my yardstick, being far enough away from base for signals to be in the 5 - 7 range on the meter. A base-loaded halfbreed type was over 1 S point down on the full length antenna, whereas a DV27 top loaded cheap piece of crap was barely a needle-width lower than the full length - a surprisingly good performer.
With a similar DX27 (top loaded but helically wound) I could tell no difference.

Make of that what you will.

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Andy - FB107
25/Jun/2015, 4:43 pm Link to this post Send Email to Hot Fusion   Send PM to Hot Fusion
 


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