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These are all
mainstream radios for a new ham to
consider. There are many others
available such as the top-tier Yaesu, ICOM,
Kenwood radios in the $10,000 range. But for
the most bang for the buck, these are some
of the winners.
With one exception,
all are brand new 100-Watt HF radios that
cover 160M to 6M, CW, SSB, AM plus digital
at a reasonable price. Most are
provided with an internal antenna tuner.
Many but not all
radios below are the newest in
software-defined radios (SDR). The
older superhetrodyne design was invented 100
years ago and has been the dominant design
until the SDR radios recently came in the
scene. Without going into many
details why, the new SDR radios are often a
better choice in 2024.
The used market is
too complex for this single page.
Chinese HF radios were not listed because as a
new ham, they may be lacking in intuitive
usability and you may need English-speaking
support.
Again this is just a sampler
for new hams so Google the
model numbers below for more details.
Remember:
Technicians get SSB voice privileges on the
hot 10-meter band on day-1 !
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Kenwood TS-590
Current
production
Was a popular
radio, still available
but it is a very dated
design. No spectrum display,
etc. Superhetrodyne design. $1600 range.
PASS ON IT |
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ICOM IC-718
Current
production
20 years ago it
was a great starter radio, simple to
operate. The receiver specs
are just OK at best.
Superhetrodyne design. $900
range, maybe less.
PASS ON IT |
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ICOM
IC-7300 Current
production
Arguably one
of the best selling HF radios of all
time. A true game changer with a
great spectrum display, very good
receiver, very good sounding audio.
A true SDR radio. Fairly simple to
operate. The design is 5 years
old but still relevant. The
features can work as a long-term
permanent radio you might not
outgrow. $1000 range but can
be found on sale.
A very good value with good
performance.
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ICOM
IC-705 Current
production
A lower
power, micro-portable version of the
IC-7300 but with D-Star, 144 and 440
MHz added. Another ground-breaking
design. 5W and 10W Max with an
external battery. Primarily
designed for portable, SOTA and POTA
outdoor operation. $1400
range.
A very popular low power
consideration for a special portable
purpose but a bit pricey.
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Yaesu
FT-710 Current
production
A very
popular new entry, a true SDR radio
with superb receiver performance,
fairly easy to get to understand.
The gimmicky spectrum display is not
as good as the IC-7300 but still
very usable. The features can
work as a long-term permanent radio
you might not outgrow.
(Note: The more expensive FTDX-10 is
an older model, not full SDR and
with some ergonomic issues on the front
controls. Some questionable
benefits but some buyers still
prefer that model)
FT-710 is in
the $1000 range
but can be found on sale.
A very good value with good
performance.
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The FT-891 is so
popular that
Gigaparts.com has come out with a hiking
bag just for this radio.
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Yaesu
FT-891 Current
production
The only HF
radio in a niche positioning that
many consider as the perfect
small-sized SOTA-POTA radio. Can be used
mobile, base and outdoors.
Full 100W with a very small form
factor. No internal antenna
tuner. Detachable front controls.
To achieve
the very small size using a small
screen, the user interface has many
nested menus which can be a
challenge to learn.
That being
said, it is a clear winner for a
small but full power 100W HF radio that can be
used as a base, mobile and outdoors
for POTA.
But if your
use is mostly intended as a desktop
base station, the IC-7300 or FT-710
may be a better choice.
Superhetrodyne
design but operates very well.
$680 range,
very popular for SOTA and POTA.
A very good value with unique
operating capabilities.
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These are
clearly higher end, true SDR radios
but they are out there if you want
the ultimate in user-adjustable high
performance. They won't talk
any further and don't sound any
better on SSB than the above radios
but for complex uses and contesting
where you prefer lots of options,
these fit the bill. Niche:
Transmit AM audio quality clearly
out-performs the above radios.
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The Flex 6400 HF radio
"server" with antenna connectors on
the back.
The user
control interface can
be this Maestro above
or an ordinary PC or iPad.
The
Flex-6300 can be a great deal on the
used market. Due to firmware
upgrades, it can operate as well as
the new top tier models. Compatible
with all Flex 6000-series
accessories. $1500 range used.
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FlexRadio
Signature 6000 series.
Current production
True high-end
SDR HF radios that were designed
from day-1 to be remote controlled
over the internet or a LAN.
Many firmware upgrades have added
significant new features.
The Flex
eco-system can add multiple antenna
switching systems and a full legal
limit power amplifier.
The lowest
tier model has the same superb
performance as the top tier.
The highest tier is really four
receivers in one box.
Flex has an
open-API for third party add-ons.
Direct Sales
only, no dealers.
$2400 to
$5000+ range new.
Can be found
used for less such as the 6300 on
the left. |
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Elecraft
K-4 Current
production
Newly
introduced SDR model. Competes
directly with the Flex family above
with top performance. Primarily
designed as a desktop radio but can
be IP-remoted.
Direct Sales
only, no dealers.
$4400 to
$6800 range
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To contact the
author, that information is on his QRZ page
at KK1RZ
last
revised
03/04/2024 |
