8 Underrated USED Ham Radios YOU CAN STILL BUY! 

Most used rigs I've looked up unless at a HAM fest (and even at those) are being sold at new prices. Just about everyone wants to sell for a profit and not at a used price. When a new rig is 20-100 dollars more than a used thats over 5-10 years old, I spend just a little more to get a new rig with a warranty.

Luv my ic 706-2G & ic7000 with large video out screen option --- Thanks for the reviews Hayden cheers wishing you a 100% recovery & good health in the future 73

Glad to hear you're recovering dude. When I inherited Dad's car he had the FT-7800 in it. The radios I inherited were the Kenwood TS-50 and TS-680s. Old but still working great. Also an Icon IC-T90a handheld.

frankly the best deal for the money still today is the 706mk2G is my vote for the best rig still for 10 years going. i have owned a couple of these and they are a great radio and solid build coupled with a icom AT its great rig.

Another feature to the Kenwood TM-D710 (and it’s precursor the 700) beyond it’s APRS and GPS features is Kenwood’s ‘Sky Command’ operation. This allows you to remotely operate some Kenwood HF rigs remotely, such as the TS-2000 (and some newer rigs like the 590 and 990 series and others also). So as long as you are in range of UHF and VHF to your base HF station, you can have QSO’s on HF. Its more than simple cross band repeating because you can control settings on the HF rig, such as change frequencies, modes and more. I have recently begun using this feature with a Kenwood TH-D72 handheld. It’s quite nice to sit outside in the patio area on a hot summer evening instead of upstairs in my shack and use HF on a handheld. It works quite well. I look forward to experimenting mobile use next with a TM-D700 I have on hand.

Sorry to hear your ill. Get well quickly so I can see you on FT8. Thanks 4 everything..Ray

Aaaaye I have a Kenwood TM-D710A and I love it! I soldered in a GPS puck to it following instructions found online, and it works for APRS flawlessly.

Great video! I'm kind of new ham wannabe so tbh I didn't know mamy of those radios. Excellent rigs.

I recently purchased a 22 years old Kenwood ts850. Perfectly happy with it's performance and good audio reports. My 7300 is now stand by rig.

Filters for the FT897 are still readily available. 897D, 891, 8900R and FTM400 owner here. I have no allegiance to any particular brand, I just liked the spec, performance and form factor of the radios, especially the 897D. More up to date radios do have superior performance but there are some great used buys out there.👍

Great video Hayden, some great radios there especially if you can find a good deal on them. 73

Nice analysis Hayden. That 991a looks fun.

Use a 7800 in the shack for chatting on my local repeaters as well as listening to the air band (one of it's great features). A great rig that I got for free from a friend.

All very nice radios. The 706 is a very useful bit of kit being a small shack in the box and relatively cheap. shame it doesn't have a built in tuner, but you can't have everything. Nice video.

I’d put the Kenwood TS-2000 on this list. What an awesome, capable radio.

706 is a great radio. still have mine

What I really liked about my icom 7000 was being able to plug a monitor into it. I did this both as a shack rig and mobile.

My first radio when i first got my Foundation was the Icom IC-9100, it was a shack in the box and allowed me to do 70cm 2m & HF with one unit and 3 antennas, A Diamond CP62 for 6m, a BB7V & a LDG AT-200PRO II tuner for 10m to 80m and a X510 with a duplexer for 2m & 70cm . I have since upgraded but still have the 9100 and BB7V on a trippod setup in my shed with the in the back yard so i can listen to what is going on when i am working out there

Still got a FT-7800 in the shack, stays on all the time. Good video Hayden, cheers.

G’Day Hayden! Another great video. Biggest concern of used radios for me is will they work without a lot of work. All the best, 73 de KI5HXM!

I'm still totally addicted to old Kenwood radios - TS-850s in the shack and 2 TS-50s for portable. Did replace the SMD electrolytics on the 850 and all electrolytics on both of the TS-50s. Both 50s also got a simple DSB clipper (1 cap and 2 diodes) (origin: PA0FRI), and they work like a charm and I'm getting very good audio reports pretty often. Maybe a IC-7300 is a newer and (on the data sheet) better radio, BUT I'm convinced, that I couldn't work stations with a 7300, that I can't work with a TS-50!

My main radio is the 7300 but I also have a 706mk2g which I listen to VHF/UHF and as a general receiver 👍

Hey, Hayden another great radio is the Kenwood TS2000, real shack in a box

Very nice Rigs

Hayden, thanks for the great info, I don't believe you made any mention of the ic7000 having all the filters added....it's been called a mini 756 pro 3.....important to know.

Icom 706mkllG. I can sell mine for as much as I paid for it new. Same for ICOM 703. No my Icom 756 Pro was $3200 US new and I'd be lucky if I could get $600 with everything with it + box and not a scratch on it and the protector still on the display. It is still one heck of a radio.

I have the 706 little brother, the 703+. 10w 180-6. Tuner. 10w. Plays nice with my Roma amp. Sips power on receive, like 0.5 W. Good for QRP and Foundation License.

Kenwood ts-440s is the best. Perfect sound and really nice and fun to play with

I have done FSTV tx/rx with the IC-7000, on screen. One of my favorite radios I own. :)

I recommend the CLASSIC, the Yaesu FT-101 . Advantages: 1) It's built like a TANK, and could probably survive being run over by one! Well, maybe not, but a truck, probably. 2) It's easy to repair. First, it employs plug-in PCBs, which facilitate use of an extender card. It uses discrete transistors, a few standard ICs, and of course, 3 tubes in the PA. NO special purpose and/or LSI ICs, or SMDs, which you can hardly see, let alone see where to stick a scope probe. There were quite a few "sub-species" of the 101 (I have the "B" variant). Some have an AF processor, others, not. Some have 11m, most, not. I think some include 160m, others have the switch position for it, but require that you add a crystal for that band. They're all similar in basic performance. However, I'd recommend the earlier models over the "Z" series. The 101Zs aren't as as well-made, and most importantly, lack the plug-in PCBs. Disadvantages: 1) They're ham-band only (except for11m, for some), and don't have the WARC bands. Of course, you can have any band you want, but a pocket full of crystals can cost more than you paid for the radio. I've seen external VFOs, but they're pretty pricey. You could also build an external HFO reference oscillator, utilizing a frequency synthesizer or Wadley Loop, if you're good at circuit design. 2) They're ALL "long of tooth," by now, and share, with all old gear, the bug-a-boo of failing electrolytic capacitors. However, re-cap kits are available on Ebay, for a reasonable price. One more comment. I'd rate the FT-7 & 7B as a close second choice. They have all the advantages of the 101, but fewer bands, and lower power.

Many years ago my first HF radio was a Yaesu FT747. A great radio I'm sorry I sold it. My first new HF rig was an Icom 746, still have it

Regarding the ceramic filters, they are still available from RS electronics and others, like Element 14.

G’day Hayden, glad to hear you are healing up!

I love the 706 mk11 G in fact in my radio collection I have 5 of them and the two of the 857 and many more radios and i do like my 7100, and 2 of the 8900 i can not help buying radios thanks for the video

Concerning the IC-706MKIIG. Make sure the serial number is above 15 mil. They changed the PA board at this point and the older PA boards are no longer made. Not impossible to replace the finals on the older PA board but, it takes a lot of cutting of the board material. I'd would have kept the 706 over the 7000. It has a way better front end. Only plus is the color screen. It's easy enough to mod the fan to keep the 7000 cool. On the FT-897 and FT-857. They use the same boards. Get the D models for the TCXO and other improvements. Easy enough to add the cap to the filter section. Both the FT-8800 and 8900 have audio IC amps(yes, there are 2. One for the headphone jack and one for the speaker) that are no longer available. They have the same board with the addition of the parts for the extra bands on the 8900.

I scored a ts440sat for 300 bucks it's a great rig and pushes a lot of power

I have the ic 7000 and it draws a fair amount of current. My dad has an ic 718 and although it is a pretty big radio for it's size, it hardly draws any power. Being a beginner radio, I would put it on this list as well.

I was surprised you didn’t list the Yaesu FT-847, I still run this in my shack.

The major difference between the 706 MKIIG and the 7000 was the DSP, AF on the 706 and much more effective IF on the 7000. The color screen was nice but the DSP was the key performance difference!

I miss ham radio, still have a D star icom HT , wouldn’t even remember how to use it, pretty sure it was the first d star ht offered by icom, being from the CB world I never could wrap my head around ham, never made it past the tech license

Some of these used prices are crazy. It's too bad there's a lack replacements that don't deviate significantly from the older models.

Missed a legend the IC-756 PROIII.

The IC7000 didn’t run hot because of the screen. It was because of the multiple high powered (for the time) DSP processors in the radio. It was also famous for blowing the now unobtainium drivers in the output stage. I ran one mobile for several years. Nice little radio.

It is like talking about tapedecks from TEAC and REVOX, right? Old guys with stunning features and superb quality. Now SDR is getting into DMR and digital stuff with add-on modules. Just waiting for that one chip that has everything inside just to be enabled and used with software.

I am still happily useing my origanal Kenwood's 440 and 450 TS's

Yeah I got the Yaesu FT8100 and still use it, the microphone shed it’s insulation and I bought a knock-off in 2020 but I think I’m clipping the repeaters so I might buy a genuine Yaesu mic.

When I had my IC7000 I did the mod for TV receive and caught some band 1 50MHz DXTV signals on it. Sadly most of the band1 analogue tv signals have now gone. A great lil radio but yeah it got hot because the whole of the chassis was the heatsink

Just picked up an IC-703 and it's a gem. If you're an avid QRP operator it's worth a look.

Sometimes you also see deals on still-current radios, like the IC-7300 you mentioned. New they're about US$1150 (that number goes up and down), but somebody recently sold a used one for US$800. That's a large enough savings to justify forgoing the warranty you'd get on a new one. The sale was within a local radio club, so it was unlikely to be a lemon; that would have come back to haunt the seller if it had been. On the other hand, some radios are selling for stupidly high prices used. I have a Kenwood TM-V71A that I bought for about $375 new a few years ago, but they're currently selling used for over $500 -- which is silly because the new price is currently $490.

Sitting my foundation licence soon . very good 👍 information for new hams.i live in mudgee nsw

Heck, while it might be single band, you can pick up a new Yaesu FT-2980R for $180 USD. And that's exactly what I bought for my "first" Ham radio. I say "first" as it's really not my first as I do own a Baofeng UV-5R I bought a year ago.

What do you think of the IC-7100 or the FT-891 for new hams? Alas, the 7100's out of production until possibly around mid-2023 due to component availability issues but as they've been around for 10 years a used one may be available. FT-891s have been in production for about the same length of time too.

I bought a Icom IC-746PRO a couple months ago and have been really happy with it. That is another radio to add to the list. HF, 6m, and 2m. No UHF. I have a FT-857 that I had for a few years. I would also add the Yaesu FTM-400 to list

Thanks for a good video. Curiously, hams typically recommend gear they have owned with satisfaction. 🙂 If you want a "real, full size" radio that you may never sell, consider the TS-890. 🙂 Thanks for your take. TJ

I have the yaesu ft 8800r and it works great on 2m. But as a technician having no luck with 10m, is that because of the lack of ssb? Or antenna?

On the 991. When you reference the USB. Do you mean Universal Serial Buss or upper side band?

Could you recommend a ham radio repair service in the Northwest (Portland, OR area specifically)?

Hello Hayden, the IC-7000 still had the same old Issues the IC-706 Series came with. It's called Heatsink Problems. with s simple cooling Fan Modification you could help that to be solved but not every HAM was able to fix it himself. If you send it in to the Radio Doctors Work Bench you been charged Arms and Legs for that...around 150-200.-Bucks plus the Ride.

There is a really important detail about this list, most of them don't have any replacement parts anymore, filters, options boards and most importantly, output finals aren't produced anymore and requires a lot of modifications to be replaced. Electrolytic capacitors have a life of about 20-25 years at 20C, after that period, they can become dryer and/or can leak and destroy pcboard. As mentionned, some of those radios become really hot which accelerate the degradation of many of those capcitors which can make the radio operate erraticly or not function at all. Out of spec components can make the radio out of spec too on receive and transmit... I can say the 706MKIIG with serial numbers in the millions still have replaceable finals that are available from Mitsubishi but the rest of the components like micro processors or display that is often fading are impossible to find beside getting a donor from the used market which add to the cost of an already used device. Here the pricing is used ham radio great is out of control, some sell as the same price they were brand new and some even more expensive than new like Tokyo Hy Power amps, again with components that aren't in production anymore... Good luck finding a CPU for those ! Shed a couple hundred more and get a brand new device is my opinion...

The FT897 were great but you didn’t mention the dying screen issue which starts with lines missing through the LCD. My friend also had the filter issue. There are work around for the screen inc external solutions. Never had any issues with mine but sold it some time ago.

One of the advantages of the 706MkIIG is that there is a switch to be able to transmit on any frequency so no desoldering involved. I turn down the power to 5 watts when mobile and talk to the truckers to find road conditions etc. My Honda is too small for more than one radio so this handled everything I need.

ICOM 706MKIIG is going for well over $500 in very good condition. The ICOM 7000 is known to blowup and parts are nonexistent. It's a great radio but I would avoid it now. They also sold on closeout for around $800 and now sell used for more than that.

I've got a ICOM M710, 718 & 7200.

1:00 Icom IC-706 MKIIG 3:29 Yaesu FT-7800R(E) 5:05 Icom IC-7000 7:39 Yaesu FT-897D 9:51 Yaesu FT-8900 11:02 Kenwood TM-D710A 12:31 Yaesu FT-991

Whenever buying a older used radio .... Always think about or enquire about , The availablity of spares ...... And depending on this factor , Pay what you think the radio is worth .

Great video de W2CSI

I had COVID for a month. day 7? you lucky man

What happened to the used HF simple radios for sub $400?

Good picks. I have an 857 and a 7300. Will likely not part with either, even if somebody offered me a smokin ape hoodie. Feel better, man.

I replaced the standard xtal osc with the high stability osc. Much better frequency stability.

TeamReplay for the win

Yes Icom 7000 was way ahead of its time.

Do any of your radios do frequencies hop ?

The asking prices of used rigs are outrageous, I will buy new.

Does NZ use these old looking web pages because they are lower demand?

Many have rightfully pointed out about being aware of parts availablity, etc. Also, you should research repair services for your intended purchase. I should like to make you aware that Icom America repairs suck swamp water - the shop in Seattle, that is. There used to be a great gentleman in that area who did marvelous and reasonable repair. I have sent him my IC-745 and IC-706MKIIg and was rewarded with terrific service, decent turnaround time, and an ultra polite attitude. Sadly, he just retired and the Icom America people up there. (This opinion is reflected in the eham reviews.) They are arrogant and dismissive. However, there is a wonderful gentleman in St Joseph, Michigan (near Benton Harbor, the old home of Heathkit) who is terrific! He fixed a problem with my IC-7200 and was reasonably priced and extremely nice. I also recommend the Yaesu people who are in Buena Park, California. They are just down the road from me and I have been to see them personally and can attest to their capabilities. The expertise and attitude translate to stuff sent to them which is why I am comfortable buying used and new Yaesu gear. Good luck!

After years of buying used camera gear off fleabay and so on I have a really good collection of lists of questions to ask sellers about cameras and lenses down to specifics on brands and models. It would be great if someone did a video series on questions to ask sellers about each of the major brands/models of radios out there. Just an idea. I’m a newbie. Thanks for your videos.

You now You can connect a Digital Hot Spot on these Radio through the Router Jack on the Back to Transmit in All Voice Digital Modes,

I have had my Yaesu Ft-991A since new, 5 Years old now. Please note that the USB controller IC are going faulty in these Radios. I was lucky enough to have mine replaced under warranty "in the fifth year".

First video I’ve heard anyone mention the ceramic filter issue for the FT-857 and FT-897. Thanks. I’m probably going to scrub both of those off my potential used item buy list.

All nice looking radio's but frequency read out should read 27:355

Dinki di reviews 🇺🇸

Very hard to recommend a used radio for more than 500 dollars US when a new Icom 7300 can be had for under 1000. A lot of new Hams have little concept of how new SDR radio outclass even “premium” receivers built 8-10 years ago. At the same time, older hams believe their one-time $2000 rig they bought almost 20 years ago is worth 80% of its purchase price without any warranty or in many cases the ability to even get a factory repair at all. With the Icom 7300 selling for just under $1000, factory service costing 200-300 bucks for minor issues on radios off warranty, and a lot of “dream” rigs built pre-2010 no longer supported for any servicing, paying more than $500 for a used HF rig built pre 2017 no longer makes any sense (with some exceptions - Elecraft, Flex, the Yaesu 3000 and 5000’s). Buy an Icom 7300, a Yaesu 991a, or FTDX10. Can’t afford it? Save your money and delay your gratification. Even buying a brand new “living fossil” like the Icom 718 for $700 makes almost no sense with the features found on beginner rigs today. I’d go on to say that “beginner” rigs today are so good, you’d be hard pressed to justify spending for “next level” gear - especially if you’re limited to a simple antenna set-up like a vertical. Take the Yaesu FTDX10, it’s performance is Sherwood engineering top-5, and it can be had for $1100 at times on sale. You couldn’t touch a radio with its capabilities for less than $3000 10 years ago (an Elecraft K3 was your only option really). Today, an Elecraft K4 STARTS at $4500 - and it’s not even in the top 10 on Sherwoods receive assessment (but the K3 still is). Bottom line, there has been an SDR revolution that has rendered older tech radio not obsolete-but definitely a class below- compared to what you can put your hands on new for $1000. For the budget-conscious newbie, either save your money and buy new, refuse to pay more than $500 for most used gear pre-2015 (exceptions noted), or pick up a used Icom 7300 at a discount (but bear in mind saving 100-200 bucks isn’t worth a warranty, especially on used gear).

Old rigs are a gamble if you need to repair them can you still get any parts they are not worth what they are asking for them even if fully working and in good condition how much life is left in it

Probably the simplest radio for new hams is the icom ic-718. No frills, nothing complex, will do all of HF and is easy to pair with a tuner of multiple models and with a signaLink for digital. It’s still available new for about the price one would pay for some of the radios you listed on the used market. Same goes for the alinco dx-sr8, great radio for anyone, especially someone new to the hobby that’s trying to save a few bucks.

The IC7000 is a really bad radio, it over heats when you transmit for longer than 30 seconds, the driver board burns out and is no longer available; compared to the 706MKIIG which it replaced it doesn't come close to the same performance.

I think you you lose a little reciver dynamic range when you try stuffing all bands in one box, imho. Think you lost was fair and valid. But if your gonna buy new the ftdx10 is best bang for your $ and gives you one of the best Rx out today, it hears like 2-3k rigs maybe not the best for filtering ☺️😉

as HT the icom w32a is as great one wil 800 mgh coverage as well

The radio over heats because the fan was to small and it turned off if you went into receive event if the heatsink was red hot, nothing to do with the display.

The 706 series were classics. But for 15 years now there have been no replacement finals. One mistake and it is dead. Also the main input cap is rated 15v +-10% and if do the math, alternator can also blow that out, any designer will tell you that should have been a 25v part. Great risky, but risky future.

Keeping in mind I'm barely halfway through your video, can I assume you're talking in Auz $..? Thanks.

TS-480SAT

Its a shame that 7000 drifted so much. There were a lot of them for sale at the Yuma Arizona Hamfest this year!

If you’re thinking about an FT-991(/A) buy an Icom 7300 instead. The 7300 is much better.

How the FT-450D is not on this list is beyond me, clueless as i just bought mine for $468.

I'm sleepy even watching in 2x speed

Greetings dear friend. I'd like to hear your honest opinion... Are the new Touch-screen transceivers really reliable and wouldn't they be easier to give technical problems? Or is this a meaningless myth?

Ebay prices are nuts. Much better prices on QRZ swapmeet or QTH classified and even Eham. I would also say a Icom IC-7200 would be a good place to land as well for a good price. FT-817/818 for a QRP shack in the box. Agree, all flavors of 706 are better than anything portable today. Sorry 891 fanboys.

Almost forgot....a disadvantage of the FT-101 is that it's, admittedly, not as stable as present-day rigs. While those of us who grew up on Heathkit DX-60s & National NC-183Ds, FT-101-style stability would have amazed us, this "ain't the 1960s, no more." But the 101 IS plenty stable for SSB, though I think it would fall flat on its face, with RTTY. As for digital? Can't say....I don't do digital. (Digital? That's all about those new-fangled adders & half-adders, shift-registers, etc, with their "1"s and "0"s, and such. Right?)

The thumbnail , Nice little play toy . But I’m hearing the electromagnetic spectrum is being re apportioned . The F C C , is moving tv channels and am radio is being removed . That fo mo co is removing am receivers from their new vehicle line . It’s getting insane .