I completely agree that the question of which is the best transceiver is not
an easy one to answer. However, we can simplify it somewhat by narrowing
down by categorizing specific key criteria such as:

1. What is your license class, and if you have the Technician class ham
license, do you plan to upgrade in the near future? If you hold the General
class or higher license or the Technician license, but plan to upgrade in
the near future, then, you may be looking for an HF rig, a VHF/UHF rig, or
even one that will cover all of the ham bands in one box. If, however, you
hold the Technician class license and have no intensions of upgrading and
enjoying just working FM through your local repeaters, you may be in the
market for simply a VHF/UHF FM only transceiver. Of course, you could be a
Tech and not interested in upgrading, but want to work the HF frequencies
that you can; in which case, you still might be in the market for a rig that
will cover those frequencies. 

2. What is the maximum you can afford, or what is the maximum you are
willing to invest? Even these are not easy questions to answer. It depends
on whether you are going to pay for the entire rig up front, or whether you
are going to pay with monthly payments. I never recommend monthly payments,
but if that is the only way you can afford to buy a transceiver, then, that
is an option for you to consider. Personally, I don't believe in any monthly
payments if it can be avoided and such financing should be used only for
required needs, and I don't consider ham equipment a required need, but that
is my personal position. Ham gear is a want, not a need, and those kinds of
purchases should be saved up for, rather than paying a financing source
interest which only makes your purchases cost more. 

3. Subject to the answer to question #2, another issue that must be
considered is are you going to buy a new transceiver or used. This is not a
simple question to answer either, especially if you purchase used gear. It
depends on how old; is it current or old technology; are parts still
available if needed; is it considered "used but reconditioned;" is it
available from an individual or from a dealer, and the questions go on and
on. In short, you will generally pay a little more when purchasing used gear
from a dealer, but there is also a little less risk of getting a rig with
problems. However, I have purchased lots of gear from individual hams and
have been perfectly happy with my purchases. 

4. If you are blind and cannot see the display and markings on the controls,
then, you will want to take accessibility into consideration. The majority
of rigs are not very accessible, given today's definition of accessibility.
Does the rig have a voice module included with it or is such a module
available for it? Do the various controls give you some kinds of useable
feedback, e.g. do they peep when you press them and do the beeps have a
different pitch or tone that tells you their selectable state? For this
reason alone, many of us blind ops prefer certain models of the Kenwood line
of transceivers, e.g. the TS-480, TS-590, TM-V71a, or the Elecraft
transceivers like the K3.  

5. What mode or modes will you most likely be using? If for example, you are
mostly a CW operator, you will want a highly selective receiver that will
allow you to bring out the signal you are trying to copy and block out
unwanted signals. Since CW occupies a much narrower bandwidth, you will want
a receiver that includes sharper filtering like the common filters used such
as 2400Hz, 500Hz, 250Hz, and 100Hz. With DSP (Digital Signal Processing) you
can even go narrower. If you operate only SSB, you will still want a
selective receiver, but you will not need nearly the tight level of
selectivity that is needed or desired by a CW op. For example, SSB signals
are normally received using filters from around 2600 Hz to 2400 Hz; though
many of the newer receivers give you considerable flexibility in adjusting
their selectivity levels. In contrast, if you plan to operate only on
VHF/UHF FM, you certainly do not need to pay all of the extra money for a
highly selective, all-mode transceiver. In today's world of digital rigs and
communication modes, such as RTTY, PSK31, you may want to try your hand with
some of these digital data modes, and if that is the case, you will need a
rig that is compatible with such modes, e.g. will connect to your computer.

6. Do you need an exceptionally sensitive receiver in your transceiver?
Sensitivity relates to how well does the receiver hear weak signals. Most
receivers today are quite sensitive, but even still, some are better than
others. If you plan to work a lot of DX, for example, you will want a really
sensitive receiver. However, if you mostly rag chew on 75 and 40 meters and
check into nets, your need for an exceptionally sensitive receiver is not as
critical. You can determine a receiver's sensitivity by comparing their
relative signal to noise ratios. Technically speaking, the signal to noise
ratio (S/N) can be regarded as the amplitude difference between the noise
floor and the signal peak. There are various trade-offs and relationships
between noise figure, sensitivity and dynamic range when comparing different
high-quality receivers, and that can get pretty complicated.  

These are just a few of the issues to evaluate when considering the
question: which is the best transceiver for me to purchase? There are many
other points to ponder such as does the rig have an automatic antenna tuner
built into it; how portable is it; what is the transceiver's service record,
e.g. has it been known to have problems, and again, the questions go on and
on. It is highly recommended that before you purchase any rig, you go on
Google and search for all the information and reviews you can find on the
transceivers you are seriously considering purchasing. eHam tends to have
very good customer reviews of all kinds of ham gear. 

Ron, K8HSY


Dr. Ronald E. Milliman
Retired Professor of Marketing