Best Base Station HF Radio for Ham New to HF and Wanting to Be Heard by Jim Heath W6LG

Jim W6LG lists the best base HF transceivers ham new to HF. It is a very short list. Which HF home transceivers would be on your list? Again, this would be for the ham new to HF and wanting to be heard.

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[basshorseman]

After my wife died (she was also a ham) I decided to get back into the hobby, and went with the IC7300, later the FTDX10, now I have the FTDX101MP. Everything Sir James says is quite right...Thanks Jimmy

[lawyerzubin]

I am a newly licensed amateur radio operator from Nepal. I did my research and ordered a new rig, the Yaesu FT 710 AESS from the HRO. I am waiting to get the delivery of the radio, very excited. I agree with you Jim. Thanks for your informative video. 73, 9N2WF.

[captwillj.]

Jim's advice is spot-on. I've been in HAM radio probably about as long as Jim... got my Novice license in 1959, and General in 1960. My father (who was not a ham), drove me to Phila again in 1961, and I took and passed my Advanced. Joe Welsh was the FCC examiner that administered my (and at that time, all G and up tests).
Started with a borrowed Hallicrafters SX99, and home-brewed a CW transmitter from a diagram in the ARRL Ham Radio manual. Had fun, and worked hard, saving money and worked my way up, in used equipment.

I eventually bought a Swan SSB rig, which I absolutely loved and used for years, and much later, bought a Kenwood. Both the Swan and the Kenwood, were 100 watt rigs. I still have and use the Kenwood, and it still works as new.

There's something to be said if you want to build, learn, see what you an work on low power, but you will probably eventually want that 100 watt rig, which really makes a world of difference.

Best advice is what Jim has said, and if 10w is all you can afford, get it and get on the air.

[garystortz]

Jim, we spoke on 17meters last week and you helped me with audio settings on my 2 week old FT710. Thanks for the help, 73.

[robertjureit]

New guy, just came across you channel. Like you content. I’m 70, so getting my liesense, will be a challenge. Have wanted to get a ham radio for 20 years. Just procrastinated . Will be a new follower.

[WBTK]

I own the FT-710 AESS for about 8 months. It is indeed a fantastic radio and has an internal 3.1:1 antenna tuner. The DNR filter in HF set at about level 4, or sometimes 7 makes things sound clear. You can use a mouse like in a computer to handle the menus. No need to use the touchscreen. The video (DVI) output is just icing on the cake. Certainly recommended radio. I also own the FT-891 which is another incredible radio but the menu system is a pain. Also has no internal antenna tuner. I also recommend the FTDX-10 which is a small step-up from the FT-710 with a cool CW and (I believe) RTTY internal decoder. If you look at a couple of my recent videos I am constantly showing the FT-710. Mine was a bit off on RF/IF AGC levels so I had it adjusted. Fabulous receive. Thanks Jim for yet another great video. 73

[hipal]

My first HF was a Kenwood TS850. I actually got to use my radio at the Elmer’s residence before and worked great. He came to my house and helped me set it up at my residence then got me on the air. I was able to buy his radio, power supply, external speaker, and external antenna tuner. I was a lucky one. Still use it today. It’s been 6 years.

[PDJV]

Hello Jim and all Hams, i'm 1 Year a Ham Starting with a Yaesu FT991-A got 2x Now, I used 1 on my Barge .
4 weeks ago i Got a Yaesu FTdx10 Super Radio.
My Antennes are Chameleon Loop 2.0 Home Base & Endfed Home made 10, 20, 40m working great on my Barge.
Love My Hobby - also got 2x Yaesu Ftdm 300 - 1 for in the car ant one on the base station.
73 From Capt.John PD7JV have a Great Dx

[RicksHamShack]

I agree with your summary. For the beginner, new is better than used, 100w is the starting point, and the FT710 field is probably the best bang for the buck right now, albeit it is menu driven and has a steep learning curve.

[TheQwik]

Good to see you Jim, I agree with everything you said. My only other comment would pertain to new amateurs overcoming mic fright. POTA/SOTA hunting, Field day, QSO parties etc are a great stepping stone to get new amateurs used to using their rigs. The exchanges are easy and good confidence builders.

[daytonstrongrecovery]

Bought my first full HF rig 2 years ago, a FT-710 & absolutely love it. Great recommendation for anyone wanting a great rig straight out of the box with a simple learning curve. The filtering, receive & audio is fantastic. Hard to beat for the $. 73 KB9QDI

[tomw]

Jim, I totally agree. New hams starting with. 100 watt transceiver with a homemade antenna is the best way to start into the hobby. I am sure there are some that just can not afford the expense and for those, all I can say is just do the best you can. But get a radio and get on the air. Find a person or group to just chat with. Maybe start with some POTA hunting just to get past the fear of the microphone button. But as soon as you can, move on to some longer chats. Tom, WA4EOD

[bendeleted]

Thanks, Jim. New to ham here. Great timing. I have run through the whole gamut on how to build a shack in a hurry, and I ended up exactly here a few days ago. This video seals it for me. There's a lot of used stuff you can find but they are invariably very proud of it. Cool and nostalgic, but not worth the prices. I think going separate radios and antennas is great if you don't want to abandon one band to get to another, especially if you want to listen for and/or relay important traffic on multiple bands without switching anything but mics. Thank you.

[whitepinephotography]

Thank you Jim, a great unbiased post. The FT-710 is by far the best new radio for a new ham. It has everything required along with a three year warranty. While there are other radios available the 710 is cutting edge with firmware updates that are super easy to apply. Being number 4 on the Sherwood list means the receive is world class unlike some of the vintage radios. The menus are very well done and easy to learn. with the built in tuner you can build a simple wire antenna and you are on the air. The display is clear and you can even add a big screen with the rear connector. this radio does it all including SSB, CW and digital with a simple usb cable. I think we want to welcome new hams to the hobby and keep them. Great Post.

[chiltonweems]

Generally I agree with everything you say. I purchased an FTDX10 two years ago as my first HF. It’s been great and I’ll probably never need another transceiver or get around to using all its functionality. But, For a new ham, like me, I’d suggest purchasing one of the several MFJ multiband wire antennas or similar ones. They are only about $100 +/-

[jeffwillams]

Spot on. And new hams, watch out for the online sales people and marks who push their favorite brand no matter what. Listen to hams like Jim. They speak the truth.

[fredflintstone]

Great down to earth advice. Thanks for sharing, Jim.

[ammocraft]

I have a FT-710 for portable, and an IC-7610 in the shack….now, I am a self confessed icom guy, but although the 710 has a great receiver, I dislike everything else about it. You summed it up perfectly when you said whoever designed the interface clearly doesn’t use radios! The 705/7300/7610 are the complete opposite. Apologies to the Yaesu guys….all personal choice and preference, of course.

[ripnlips-KFNNA]

I bought my first hf rig 9 months ago. I decided to spend the money on new proven equipment and eliminate the frustration factor. I am so glad I did. Now I have confidence to buy old/used equipment and play around with it to get it working. Btw, my rig was the FT-DX10.

[mully]

Yes I agree on 100w power, my first and only radio is a Xiegu G90, and face the problems Jim explains (disenfranchised struggling to make contacts @home). Good Advice 👍