Foundations Of Amateur Radio

Foundations of Amateur Radio A regular question that I hear from amateurs, both new and experienced ones, is "What radio should I purchase?". It's a simple question that doesn't have a simple answer. The obvious variables, budget, size, frequency and modes are one side of the coin, and when you start looking, you'll learn that there is a lot of information on the subject. You'll learn that you can get amateur radios from $15 to $20,000 and everything in between. To be clear, I'm just talking about the radio, not the power supply, the amplifier, microphone, computer, antenna, interfaces, Morse key and the like. Unless you won LOTTO yesterday, and not even then, you should probably not buy a $20,000 radio first up, but if you do, make sure you give me a call and I'll help you test it. The question that often happens is, should I buy a Yaesu or Icom, which is like asking, should I buy a Mac or PC, or a Holden or a Ford. As you know, there are many different options and the same is true for your radio. The r