I've been spending my Sunday tuning around the ham bands, mostly 40 meters. I ran across a QSO in progress and the topic interested me — buying a new rig.
The guy who was doing most of the talking said he was using an Icom IC-746PRO and had a Yaesu FT-897 that he had been using full-time at home. He's trying the PRO out to see if he likes it and wants to buy it.
I've not used the 897, but it looks like it has plenty of capability in a very compact package. I've not heard many complaints — in fact, I've never heard any about them. I've considered buying one just to try it, and I think between it and the 857, I would opt for the 897. The front panel of the 857 just never looked good to me, perhaps if I was trying to use the rig mobile I might change my mind. It's my understanding that both rigs are the same, just different front panel layouts.
The discussion about rigs was interesting, because the ham I listened to said that he didn't think more complicated radios were worth the money unless you used and understood every single adjustment and feature. He was critical of the guy selling it because the seller admitted to him he had never adjusted the DSP filtering beyond the three factory settings. According to this guy, if you don't know more than that about using your rig, you bought more rig than you need and wasted your money.
He has a point, I'll agree. And if your criteria to justify a new radio is that it should meet the needs of your capability and nothing more, then I would agree to that. But buying a radio is like buying a car or a house. If all we wanted was utility, we would all drive Yugos and live in mobile homes.
And lets face the truth — few of us can justify the need for a new rig. Buying a rig is an emotional process, and we want that new rig because we want something new to play with. And people buy a rig based on lots of factors, the least of which are its capabilities.
Some hams buy the latest and greatest simply to have one to try. That's a big part of the hobby for lots of guys, and they enjoy that. It's not wrong, its just their thing.
How many FT-1000D's are parked on 75 phone that seldom leave the band or a handful of frequencies? I dare say there are lots of top-rated rigs that seldom leave the band. But in the grand scheme of things, that's one person's radio hobby, and there's nothing wrong with that.
Most hams don't want to buy a stripped down, featureless rig (unless they're really purposely doing so for QRP, etc.). They want the bells and whistles, even if they don't use the modes they're useful in.
I want a rig that's both attractive, affordable and has a good set of useful features. The 746PRO, the PROIII, the IC-7000 and the 706 all meet that standard. Other brands do too, including the Yaesu FT-2000 and perhaps the FT-950.
I still would like to try the FT-897, but frankly, I don't particularly like the rig's appearance. Why pay that much for a tiny display when the 706 has comparable features and is relatively simple to use? I won't say it isn't a very good rig; one of these days I would like to buy a used one to try. But given the choices in that price range, I'll opt for the 7000 or 706.
Another factor too in my book is size. I have room for a large radio in my shack at home, and a smallish rig like the 897 (or 7000 or 706) just isn't my idea of a “fixed station” ham rig. I want something larger, with a larger front panel and some real estate for a larger display. Now do I absolutely HAVE to have such features? No. I can fire up my Swan 350 and operate fine on the major ham bands. While I enjoy the Swan from time to time, its very barebones and not exactly an ideal CW rig.
Everyone's justification for the rig of their choice is unique. No, I can't justify in any way my desire for a new Yaesu FT-2000 — just like I couldn't justify the purchase of my IC-746PRO or the PROIII. Hell, I can't really justify why I want to keep them both! But I do want them both and will keep them both. And should I bring home a new FT-2000, I suspect I'll keep both Icoms — for a while, anyway!
Speaking of rigs, I almost bought a Yaesu FT-100 at a recent hamfest. A fellow had it priced at $600, but would go to $500 if I wanted it. I don't really need another mobile rig, and if I were going to get an FT-100, I would look for the D model. Overall, I've always wanted to try one of these rigs, but never had the desire strong enough to plunk down the dough. Still don't.
That's enough from me on the topic. I'm honest enough to admit that there's no justification for anything I drag home to the shack, and I don't attempt to try it.
GA es 73 de KY4Z … dit dit ..