The purchase of short-wave radio is a big issue for new amateur radio amateurs, and entry-level short-wave radio is the focus of new equipment. The entry-level equipment we are talking about here is mainly based on the manufacturer's product line and price positioning. In the price, we have delineated the products below the level of 6,000 yuan.
With the development of science and technology, entry-level devices are not synonymous with low performance in terms of performance. Due to the wide application of new technologies, as well as the enhancement of key components and the improvement of integration, the performance of entry-level devices on the market is definitely not lost. In the early days of mid-range radio products, even some new technology highlights are still beyond the reach of old equipment. Entry-level products have always been the most sold products, and they are also one of the major links to gain popularity and reputation. Therefore, this has become the focus of competition among manufacturers. The competition here includes price, performance, and cost performance. In order to increase the selling point of products and increase the cost-effectiveness of products, many manufacturers gradually migrated the technology of some mid-range machines to entry-level equipment. In amateur radio equipment, entry-level shortwave equipment tends to have the highest price/performance ratio. Usually, with the increase in product quality, radio prices rise rapidly, but in addition to adding some fancy extra features, the actual most basic transceiver performance is very slow, may increase prices by 5 times and the basic performance is less than 10% . So some old HAM with a small budget will also pay attention to these entry-level devices when they update their equipment.
The entry-level short-wave radio stations that are currently available on the market are mainly YAESU and ICOM. The specific products include YAESU FT-450AT, FT-897D, FT-857D, FT-817ND and ICOM IC-7200, IC-706MKIIG, IC-703plus and so on. There are also ICOM IC-7000 and KENWOOD TH-480SAT/HX on the market, ALINCO DX-70 and other machines basically belong to this category, but because their price is much higher than the 6000 yuan grade set in the previous, it is not in this Within the scope of discussion.
Entry-level shortwave radio
Feature Division According to the product application characteristics, we classify the common entry-level short-wave radio stations in the market into the following types: Multi-band “almighty†radio stations: The main feature of this type of radio station is that the operating band supports 144/430 MHz bands outside the HF+50 MHz band. Multi-band multi-function products are the selling point. Typical products are YAESU FT-897D, FT-857D and ICOM IC-706 MKIIG. Practical pure short-wave radio: The main feature of this type of radio is that the working frequency band is HF+50MHz, and the design is mainly based on fixed use. At present, the main products are using IF DSP technology as a selling point, typical products are YAESU FT-450AT and ICOM IC-7200. Small mobile stations: This type of radio is characterized by the fact that HAM uses batteries for outdoor use, so the output power is small, but its small size and light weight make it suitable for single-person mobile communications. These products are light, small and portable as selling points, typical products are YAESU FT-817ND and ICOM IC-703plus.
The purchasing strategy should make it clear that at the same price level, there is no overall leader in the performance and function of the radio. Common commercial products have their own strengths. Only in this way can there be opportunities for competition on the same platform. If there really is any product that stands out from the crowd, , then other products do not have to produce. Most radio equipments are designed with different priorities for different applications. Therefore, the selected radio stations should be comprehensively considered according to their own purposes and needs in order to maximize the potential of radio stations.
Applicable - Design Features In addition to fixed use, many HAMs also install short-wave radios into their cars or into backpacks for mobile communications. Then some products designed specifically for mobile communications can fully demonstrate its superiority. For users who like to drive, especially those using cars such as the FT-857D and IC-706MKIIG, which have separate head designs, will provide great convenience for vehicle installation. For friends who like to use wild camping, designing a battery bay like the FT-897D will greatly improve radio station integration. For enthusiasts who like to carry short-wave radios like radios while traveling and on business trips, small devices such as the FT-817 are small and light-weight devices that are easy to move while greatly reducing the carrying load. For the feverish QRP backpacker, the IC-703plus's mobile/dual-use design will bring a lot of convenience to the “move throughâ€.
Practical - Performance Configuration Requirements
For HAMs that have purchased fixed U/V ultrashort-wave radios (including fixed-use radios), if they do not have special requirements for U/V SSBs, they may be inclined to purchase pure shortwave machines. Compared with multi-band machines, pure short-wave machines are not dominant in terms of price, but the internal design of the machine is relatively loose, and the failure rate is low and more durable. In the current market, the main entry-level pure short-wavelength machine FT-450AT and IC-7200 belong to the type of IF DSP, the configuration is higher than the multi-band models such as FT-897D with the price line, the actual noise reduction effect Also better than FT-897D.
For friends who are fascinated with CW telegrams, devices with IF DSPs are definitely worth giving priority to. The typical products are the FT-450AT and IC-7200. Because the most practical feature of the IF DSP is that it can set a very narrow IF passband through software, which is very useful for distinguishing CW signals from anti- adjacent-frequency interference. In non-intermediate-frequency DSP models, the optional narrow-band IF needs to be achieved through the purchase of expensive physical filters. Now with the IF DSP, there is no need to pay extra.
For those who have not fixed U/V ultra-shortwave stations or think that the existing U/V equipment is not suitable for use, such as those without VFO (frequency continuous tuning function) and no indication of signal strength table, a multi-band radio can be selected. Top two made the station at home add a short wave, but also enhanced the configuration of ultra-short wave. Although the FT-897D/857D supports multi-band radios ranging from short-wave to 430-MHz amateur bands, it can only operate in one band at the same time (that is, if you use 430 MHz, the HF band cannot work, and vice versa. ) Non-fever users rarely need to listen to multiple channels at the same time, not to mention the noise of ordinary amateur short-wave machines when they are waiting for short-wave is not suitable for friends who are accustomed to V/UHF walkie-talkies quickly (equivalent to walkie-talkies without squelch). ). Novices can use the multi-band machine to understand the actual short-wave communication status. If interest in short-wave communication is multiplied to reach the fever level later, a million-grade mid-range device can be added. The multi-band machine now purchased can be used as a backup or advanced U. /V segment full mode machine use. If a short-wave communication is to be decomposed due to the huge antenna erection or short-wave communication characteristics, the multi-band machine currently purchased can still be used as a high-level U/V full-mode machine, and it can also be used as a short-wave device. In fact, many HAMs are rarely used after purchasing short-wave radio stations for basic reasons.
In addition, if you plan to purchase a multi-function standby radio as a backup device for the main short-wave radio station in your home and complement the full-mode V/U ultra-shortwave communication, multi-band radios are appropriate, and the FT-897D/857D and IC-706MKIIG are also portable. Use when moving.
Yue You - Special appearance requirements
Playing amateur radio is a kind of personal interest. The ultimate goal is to make yourself satisfied, happy, and fulfilled by doing what you like. Amateur radio equipment, apart from its practical use, is appreciated by amateur radio lovers for more time, so a device that satisfies the user's aesthetic requirements in appearance can bring more satisfaction to users. In layman's terms, it is "looking happy." For the military and police complex users may be mainstream military short-wave equipment is expensive and difficult to buy, decommissioning out of the military equipment performance is far less than the current civilian equipment, some designs and functions are not suitable for amateur radio, then like the IC-7200 The products that have a military charm on the radio and are suitable for use by amateur radio stations are just enough to satisfy the tastes of many friends. Some enthusiasts like to travel with short-wave radio stations. Small, light-weight, short-wave machines that support battery power, such as the FT-817, are a good choice. They don’t add too much to carry-on baggage under the premise of effective use. Load, but also enjoy the joy of radio waves anytime, anywhere.
Equipment purchase focus problem
Pure short-wave machine VS multi-band radio Some claims that the configuration of a single pure short-wave machine plus a separate V/UHF vehicle radio station is much better than a multi-band radio station. In fact, this argument is somewhat exaggerated. First of all, in the price budget, the purchase of pure short-wave radio and vehicle-mounted ultra-short-wave radio (fixed use) is not dominant. Second, in terms of short-wave performance, the short-wave performance of the multi-band machine represented by the FT-897D is the most commonly used short-wave machine with the same price and the early mid-range short-wave machine.
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