Ham Radio: Your First HF Radio - Why Buy A Low Power Radio? 

When starting out the best advice I was given is to prioritize on the antenna and feed line of your station. Having said that most HF QRP transceivers are light weight and compact, ideal for portable and mobile work. If that is not a requirement for your style of operating then the 100w HF transceiver route is the way to go for sure. For reasons like GUI ease of use, connectivity of antennas and interfacing with a PC and future proofing as you progress through the licencing stages. I have only ever bought new twice. The second hand market can represent amazing value for money. My advice for buying is 1. "try before you buy" if at all possible. Trust me, I went through many transceivers (and £1,000's) before discovering what I needed and enjoyed using. 2. Don't base your purchasing decisions solely on internet reviews and technical performance tables. 3. If you buy a transceiver and end up not getting enjoyment from it sell it and try again. Some times you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find a prince ;-)

I really like your logic, Tim. It makes a lot of sense to me. Take care and 73 from Tracy VE3TWM!

FT-981 my first radio new… loved it so much bought a second one used, to dedicate to mobile and portable use..

I bought a second hand 450D on the basis that I might take the next level exams at some point so that I could increase the power levels appropriately. I quickly realised that for me QRP is where it is at (confirmed over time by hearing far too many megawatt + cowboys just blasting through the airwaves). The same money in a QRP rig would have made portable a lot more practical and a G90 is something I still hanker after.

I came back after a long hiatus from the hobby and went for a IC-705. Not a cheap option but still QRP but gives me HF VHF UHF and all mode. 73

I am new to hf and very happy with my HR2510. Yes, starting on 10 meters, well, that's all I can afford for now. But I very proud to say that I have worked with several countries in Europe 10,000 plus kilometers away and the farthest I've had contact with was Brazil which is 19,316.34 kilometers from here in the Philippines. It gave me such fullfillment with low power and just an aluminum tubular dipole. I am just saving to have my IC-735 fixed. It maybe old school, what's important is it can communicate which is what ham is all about. Thanks for this video and 73's.

Great words Tim. I run a ft817nd out portable also at home. It's the only HF rig I have. Motters M7TRS 73 👍🏻

Good points Tim - same argument could be said for Full Licence holders who buy amplifiers that exceed their 400w licence conditions here in the UK ;) - same difference really :)

Some great advice there Tim. Enjoy watching your videos. Keep up the great work 👍👍

I agree Tim its good to future proof and with the new 'direct to full exam' could get to full licence quickly now.

Enjoyed the video Tim, there one thing I think the UK does that’s so much better than the USA is giving the Foundation guys the 10 watt HF privilege. Our entry level (Technician) only have a small part of the 10 meter band for voice. I think the 10 watt option your Foundation guys have lead them to learning about efficient antennas and learning how to properly operate. As for beginner radios you know how I feel about the Xiegu stuff. I got to that point because as a beginner General a few years ago I started with a QRP rig and then got a 100 watt amp, it gave me the option of operating with some power at home and experimenting with QRP portable. I really think it made me a better ham. All the best my friend!

Fully agree Tim. Always try to future-proof as far as you can. After all, a 100W radio will happily run at 10W, if you wish to try QRP... But you'll be needing an amplifier if you want to run your first 10W radio at a higher power. Best regards de Jon M7COT

I started with a Pye Cambridge on 2m and 6 Watts of a.m. Then the KW202 and KW204 at 100 Watts followed by an FT101E then QRT, moved house, got married. Then went down the QRP route with a homebrew ssb/cw 80m + 20m 4 watts and added all h/f/ bands. Built a 2 Watt one valve cw tx and repaired a Wireless 19 set with low H.T. so 2 Watts. Got an FT817ND for portable, not done it yet. Not forgetting a Pye Bantam on 4m with 1 Watt a.m and Pixie at 350 mW. I don't want any higher power now. QRP to QRP is great. G4GHB

Good Video Tim👍 I like to use all of my radios VHF, UHF, and HF ON 12 volt Battery Power and while you can turn the power down on a 100 watt to conserve battery power they are not as efficient as a lower powered radio. You made very good points 73 KV5P

Some fair points Tim. I opted for a 7100 on passing Foundation to future proof my radio, but last year purchased an X6100 for portable/SOTA/ camper van use and enjoy portable operating far more than sitting at home, plus 10W from an elevated position through a good antenna is surprisingly effective.

I agree completely, Ok yes money can be a limiting factor but these rigs are built to last. Download manuals, RU-vid reviews. No rush, Besides, In the interim you may have gone up a class!

Some thoughts from somebody here on the other side of the pond: When I first got my General and was going HF radio shopping, I was inundated with advice that I had to buy at least 100 watts or I didn't have a real radio and anything less than 100 watts was going to be a nightmare. So I bought a radio with a full 100 watts. While this was a good choice for at-home use, where I had access to essentially infinite wall power, it was more of a hindrance when it came to wanting to operate portable off a battery. Even if I did turn the power down, the additional electronics involved in a higher-power radio meant a heavier and more inconvenient radio to lug around. I was dramatically less likely to have as much fun with radio as I could because of the bulk of higher power radios. Further, on a regular basis, I have tried turning my power down just for fun, and I got essentially the same amount of quality contacts. At any rate, I was at the mercy of the ionosphere, no amount of power can change propagation. So I would say to get a higher power radio to start with, but also be very open to selling it off and getting a lower power one if your interests or needs change in the future. Don't listen to anybody telling you that a less-than-100 watt radio isn't a "real" radio either. Watch the used market like a hawk, you'll eventually find an awesome deal you can't not buy. And whatever you do, focus on your feedline and your antenna the most, those are more consequential in getting contacts than what radio you have.

I do like my G90, but it's an extra/portable rig. However, I am amazed at the contacts that can be made on 10 or 20 watts with a good antenna. I agree if the budget allows, a 100 watt rig is a good choice. Plus, all those 100 watts are fully available with a knob in times of emergency. Hopefully, it will also serve as motivation for license upgrades. There's always more to learn and the hobby is more accessible than ever. Cheers!

I agree with you up to a point. Most of the 100 watt radios are a bit on the heavy side and draw a lot of current so, for those who are interested in hiking and portable operation, one of the qrp rigs might be a better choice. For example, I can't imagine hiking up a mountain for a SOTA activation with a TS-590SG and a battery large enough to power it for a day in my backpack. A compromise would be the Xiegu G90 which can put out 20 watts. It's a lot lighter than the 100 watt rigs, draws less current and it's built in auto-tuner will match almost anything. Coupled to an efficient antenna, you can work the world with it when propagation is good.

Good points, and more valid because power privileges for all licence classes are to be increased. Now the problem is that lots of low power radios are 25W and the new foundation power limit will be 20W.

Buying a Yaesu FT-891 would allow portable, mobile and home QTH use on the HF bands, with the addition investment in a LiFePO4 battery. One radio to rule them all! (Except for the FT-857d 😁) Cheers, Fraser

A few good points there Tim. My first radio was a 991a, it is a great radio that covers all bands. I also have the Chinese radio (G90). It is a great little radio. I use it on holiday, mobile and portable. It is all horses for courses. As someone has posted and as Callum has pointed out. Run a radio at 100w and soemthing will burn out. So go get an amp to increase your power without working the radio into the ground. It will be hot if you run 1kw+... 😀

Power was not a problem when I was first licenced, 400 watts vhf and up. Less on the microwave bands. I bought a yeasu 101 ZD MK 3

As Tim Allen alias Tim Taylor of the TV series "Home Improvement" often said, "More power!" Seriously, though. A Yaesu FT-891 (full 100w) is about as expensive, or maybe a tad more, than a 10-20w radio. If you upgrade your license you will have to buy a radio twice. For people with limited financial means, that's a non-starter. Later, if one feels he/she needs a radio for a special purpose like SOTA and backpacking - and has the funds - they can go out and buy an Icom IC-705, Elecraft or something similar. I agree with Tim (G5TM)

I agree with you. However, for those with a fuller wallet an option is the Elecraft kx3. Add the px3 100w amplifier later. This is a combination with no compromises.

Hi Tim, unless you are searching specifically for a Sota station, I would also go for 100w radio. Xiegu G90 is a little unique with 20w, it’s an incredibly useful amount of power though. If you like portable go for a g90/FT-891, else IC-7300 will give you everything for home QTH with beautiful spectrum display. FT-891 you could use for Sota if you pack light on other accessories. Maybe the FT-891 is the Goldilocks of radios?! Audio always sounds good on your mobile videos. Cheers Steve MW0SAW

I think there are some good arguments here. Especially, if you intend to go for Intermediate/Full and you want a desktop rig for fixed operation. Though, there are perhaps some arguments for going the other way. Some of the QRP rigs will give you additional bands or modes other than FM on VHF/UHF for example. The smaller QRP rigs are perhaps more flexible for fixed, mobile or portable. If you need extra power, an appropriate PA can be added. Despite being a Full Licence with a few higher power rigs for different bands, I still maintain my FT-817 is the most versatile rig I have and the one I would always want to keep. If you opt for a 100W HF only rig as your first/only rig, is there a danger that your horizons will remain limited? If that's all your interested in, fair enough. However, you might be missing out on the ability to easily try other bands/modes and portable/mobile operation?

Just remember the higher the output the more battery power and the better the antenna has to be also remember don't use more than you current licence allows it is so easy to put out more than you are supposed to

Agree with you entirely. Buy a full power radio and use 10 Watts. The shops would like to sell you a second set later on. Can’t blame them I suppose? ☘️👍

I started with 817 and progressed through the years. The wire outside the window makes it all than high power.

solid advice tim, thankyou, M3IIS, Mike.

For the price it's hard to beat a ft-891 as a reasonably priced well featured radio. All though the G90 has a lot of useful things like an amazing tuner and a useful waterfall.

Raise some very good points here Tim - I'm pretty sure it was yourself in another video who described the antenna as part of the system not to be overlooked - I think that is the most important thing to be considered here. Dont spend a load of money on an transceiver, only to put a cheap/poor antenna and bad coax on it. I think looking back in hindsite on my own Foundation experience, all the radios I purchased were more than capable of >10W, and even now as Intermediate, I respect the licence and stick to 50W, even tho the 7300 and 9700 go up 100W (way more than enough IMOH). The important thing to me would of been to equate the cost of the best antenna I could of afforded as well as the transceiver. i.e. an IC705 into a dummy load vs a UBit-X into a capable antenna (like a 6/5BTV with decent coax) would be a better option. I would say tho, but I'm a QRP person, is that if I had choose from the many radios here, I would go with the IC705 and if I really needed it, an AMP/ATU for increased power - it really is an amazing radio, but then I dont own any of the others which you mention here so am completely biased :).

Fair points and I would fully concur. As an M6 I thoroughly enjoy my 10w privilege and all my radios but one can exceed my 10w restriction. I often have the conversation whereby Foundation licence holders appear to be getting 5/9 on DX while much bigger UK stations struggle on the same stations, strange that!!! I currently run x2 FT8800, one mobile and one in the shack, an FT450D in the shack, an FT857D for 10w portable on HF,VHF,UHF and my trusty FT817 for quick field portable deployments for QRP. I also have a Clansman PRC320 but cannot use it to its full potential because of its TX power settings. I usually only go portable and all my antennas are home-brew and tuned to resonance which means I get the best out of them and no tuner required. I don't really feel I have the tech background our understanding to progress just yet, but with the help of some very good HAMS, I have some great support to look at it in the future.

Agree totally Tim this isn't north Korea if you follow me if you want to buy a certain radio and you've got the money then go for it as we all know having a good antenna and the way it's set up I would say is the most important part of the hobby.

I started out with a 10w licence myself, I bought a 10m radio for the car, problem is, it does 15w AM, 45w SSB and 65w FM out of the box. I also have a Palomar Linear form my CB days that works from 18mhz-32mhz and can make my output slightly above 10w if I use it (225w SSB into the dummy load with 5w input). I have yet to use either the amp or full power on the radio, as I am having no problems at all getting DX contacts on 5-8w into my homemade T2LT antenna's. A better antenna is better than more power I have found. My IC-7300 is still in the box I got it in, and it's now almost 2 years old... When conditions are good, low power is fine, but if you want to compete with some of the contest stations around the world, you're going to need more than a foundation ticket allows in most cases.

Good advice Tim I bought a 5w with a 10w ATU for 3 reasons I could practice transmitting using what we learned in the Radio course, with little financial risk "if it started smoking at the back". My thinking is that I don't want to start into, say, motorbikes by buying a Harvey 1200cc. I will start with a 75cc and build up experience. Including bad experiences... I consider QRP like fly fishing. Delicate, light, relatively simple, and you can learn lots, including how to get ready, équipement, etc At the Radio club their advice was just like Yours. Buy a 100w, set it to the legal limit (here in Belgium it's 25w HF for a newbie like me), and you should take off. I was saving up for a Yaesu 891, when suddenly i met a long time ham where I could buy a "hardly used", who died, for 1/2 price. So suddenly i have one I'm now investing my time in understanding and using the vast menu it has. I also am going out on QRP with my uSDX+ and learning how to set it all up, radials, grounding. SWR, finding an "OK" place to park and setup When i become proficient at that, I'll do like you, Tim, and bring "my precious" (891) with me, and go hunting for a VK early in the morning on 20m 😃

Sound advice there Tim, just about to take my exam then will be looking ya radio

Sound advice tim buying a 100watt radio kind of future proofs Having to buy again if you upgrade your licence.

Spot on Tim plus don't buy 2nd hand HF radios from people who been using it on CB bands I know most of it been using Hi power on FM all the time as it not recommended 100W on FM.

Good chat mate.

In reflection, I do have a 100w rig and a qrp rig, more often I enjoy the qrp qso's , it's a great achievement, but at the same time whilst running a 100w, if someone gives 57 or 59, I always reduce power anyway. It's not always the case we should run high power for every qso. Maybe less power equals less band noise equals better qso's, maybe. The good thing about our hobby, everyone has the chance to have their own choice.

Sound advice and depending upon power output of the transceiver the losses in feeder etc will probably be close to or around the 10watts.

Hi Tim, hot topic all right, wow. With all due respect, I won't give my opinion hi. Take care mate.

I purchased a ft857d back when I passed my foundation, it stands me in good stead now as an intermediate but... I've just dropped a wodge of dosh on an ic705. Why? Because carting the ft857 + the cables + power + antennas is a hefty lump and until I sort my home shack out I feel I just don't use it enough. I am looking forward to having my ic705 on its internal batt + a simple antenna on me at all times, when I go for a wander. Qrp rigs have their niche, but... totally agree, future proof first then try the harder stuff.

When I passed the US General class exam, I was very tempted by the price of the G90. However, I purchased the Yaesu ft 891. Not only for the 100w, but the Japanese quality, a 3 year warranty, and ability to purchase from an established US based retailer. Price difference at the time was about $150.00, plus the possible future cost of an antenna tuner. No regrets. The Icom 718 would have been less but was hard to find at the time. For a new operator on hf, having the quality of factory manuals, available Nifty manual etc is a consideration Not anti Chinese radio, my vhf/uhf mobile is a TYT, happy with it as well.

If somebody is portable operator based not only the fact that is the way he wants to operate but on the top of that he cannot deploy any HF antenna at home, future proofing will look pretty differently.

I went for the 7300 when I passed. I am studying for the intermediate and if I pass that will be 6 months between licences. I am in it for the long haul so buy once cry once! M7MXD

What do you think of a Yaesu ft480r as a first radio and how far could you expect to reach with it ? Also a suitable antenna to be fitted in an external garage.

really depends if anyone is going to answer your cq, whether it’s at 5, 50 or 400 watts

In some countries, Japan being one, you can't own a radio you are not licensed to use, hence the QRP kit like the Icom 705. The 10 watt limit for foundation holders is ten watts at the aerial, not what comes out the TX. So if there is a long coax run do some maths and work out, or better still measure, the loss and run an appropriate level to give ten watts at the aerial. For that you need a radio that runs more than 10 watts.

Why do you think there will be another component shortage soon, are they growing them in southern Europe?

Great points Tim that i"m sure will resonate with many. Even with my antenna constraints I try and do all contacts with 5 watts. If that doesn't work, I go to 20 watts, and if that doesn't work, I go to 80; 1 s point for quadrupling of power as many knows. It blows my mind when I'm doing small power and someone is using 1000 watts. For me, the sweet spot of getting a contact is 20 watts. I never go to 100 bananas which is what my radio does, because what's an extra 20 watts from 80? It's called radio sympathy. M0VSI

As an M7 I completely disagree. My radios are all 10w or less (X6100, IC705, F818) yet I have contacts all over the world. Its all about the antenna not the radio! The reason QRP is challenging as you say is not the power, it's because too many think they need to use high power just to talk to France.

A used 100watt ic 7300 my choice if i was my first hf operator 📻

you get what you pay for, buy cheap it is cheap.

need at least 50watts

Thank you, and thank you to @LB0FI for the heads up

I actually agree with you mate. I am a QRP guy but I think for most starting up it makes sense to get a 100 watt radio that you can turn down to 5 or 10 watts until upgrading your license. For those that simply can't afford to, then they can always get a 5 or 10 watt radio & add an amplifier when they upgrade thier license. ⚡🙏⚡