Hello David,
If you don't mind a used rig, I just saw a Kenwood TS-570D on Ham Radio
Outlet for $525.
I own one of these radios and I don't think you would be unhappy with it.
I will tell you a little about it.
100 watts
CW, SSB, AM, FM and RTTY modes
Built-in Antenna Tuner
Dual V F O's
The D model covers 160 through 10 meters.
Will receive from AM broadcast band continuously to 30 Mhz although the AM
broadcast reception is not that great.
Does have speech output for many of its functions with the optional Speech
Synthesizer. I am not sure which synthesizer it requires, however, I
suspect one could be located and I will help with this.
This radio has been out of production for probably 6 years or so, however,
this does not make it a bad radio.
I must caution you that if you want this radio, you will have to act fast as
used gear moves quickly. You can call the specific store that has it and if
you indicate you will order quickly, they will hold it. Don't order online
as it may be gone before order is processed.
You will need an optional power supply to power the radio. This is the case
with almost all radios purchased today. You do not have to purchase the
matching supply from Kenwood, it is expensive and supplies manufactured by
Astron work fine. If you decide to purchase this, Ham Radio Outlet can
discuss with you power supply options they have.
I know this is getting long so I will stop and you can contact me off list
and I can help you locate a speech synthesizer and tell you anything else
you may want to know.
Check it out at www.hamradio.com
73's
Howard, W A 9 Y B W
----- Original Message -----
From: "David thurmond" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, December 14, 2011 7:13 AM
Subject: Best Beginner HF Transceiver
> All,
>
> Thanks for your feedback regarding transceiver choices. I should have
> given a few more specifics. First off, I would prefer not to break
> the bank if possible. If I try to spend $2000 on a new rig, my stuff
> might end up out on the front lawn, and I might need to get an
> attorney. :) I would like to find a rig that might not necessarily be
> full of features in favor of one that is either accessible with speech
> or else is easy enough to operate without it for a totally blind ham.
>
> The Kenwood 480 is an awesome-sounding rig, but if I have to wait to
> save up to buy one, I might never get on the air. At the same time, I
> would hate to cheap out and buy something that is so basic that I will
> be tired of using it after six months and end up buying something else
> anyway.
>
> I am very interested in CW, and of course in DXing as well, so I am
> primarily interested in the HF bands, but if I could get something
> with VHF capabilities also for a little more money, I am certainly not
> going to turn it down.
>
> Operating with low power would be perfectly fine with me, as I am
> probably going to end up using some sort of stealth antenna due to the
> small size of my property and the fact that I'm right in the middle of
> a busy suburb. No need for a "big guns" sort of station with a
> 200-foot tower...I just want something modest with enough features to
> get me started without breaking the bank.
>
> The speech output options of the Kenwood and ICom rigs sound very
> attractive, as I don't want to run my rig exclusively through my
> laptop. But since I have not even been on the air yet, perhaps this
> is not really as important as I think it is. I certainly need to be
> sure I am not operating out-of-band, and I need to be able to know
> what kind of signal I am getting. Beyond that, I really do not have
> the experience to know what is important for me to operate, and what
> is really just an awesome feature that would be nice to have, but not
> critical.
>
> Any suggestions would be much appreciated.
>
> David Thurmond, KK4ADV
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