u/Gigem1987

Got my General last week, and this is my gift to myself. Just ordered from DX Engineering. Here is what I got and my plan on how to use...

1. Icom 7300 MK2 transceiver
2. Samlex SEC-1235P-M power supply
3. Spooltenna Parks - EFHW4010 End Fed Half Wave antenna
4. 35 feet of premade RG-8X feed line coax cable with PL-259 on one end and BNC on the other

My "shack" is my office on the 2nd story of my home. I will deploy the Spooltenna from a balcony outside my office window, and run it downwards to a small tree that is the needed 66 feet away. Will slope from maybe 15 feet high down to maybe 6. Not much slope.

I will connect the radio to this antenna spool with the 35' feed line.

At this point I will just run the coax through the slightly opened window. Might get one of those flat "under window" coax connectors in the future.

I wanted this antenna to be portable/removeable/simple, as I am just wanting to get my feet wet in this hobby. If I love it, I will pursue something more permanent. For now, I should be able to deploy in just a few minutes.

My plan once this shows up next week is to first attempt FT8. That is one reason I went with the 7300 MK2 - it seems tailor-made for FT8. I am hoping for some success and good contacts from doing this to get me fired up about HF and maybe then I can work on my "mic fright".

My experience with the Yaesu FT-65R I got myself when I got my Technician has been underwhelming. Not much happening that I can access from my house on 2m and 70cm with this HT, even with the upgraded Diamond antenna.

Nothing will be grounded or bonded beyond the grounded plug for the power line into the power supply. My plan is to unplug and unhook everything when I am not using it, and to of course not use it in bad weather.

If all else fails and I just don't fall in love with this hobby, the resale market seems pretty strong. I should be able to recoup a good chunk of the money I spent if this hobby just isn't for me.

Anyway, that's my plan. I know it's all suboptimal, but this is the compromise I landed on. I also realize that none of this is DIY or homebrew, and that if I knew what I was doing I could have saved a bunch of money. But I need some quick wins to make me fall in love with this before I start the struggle of DIY projects.

73

If so, how would you compare the FAA test to the FCC test for whatever level ham license you have? Thinking about doing this...

As the title says, I've gotten my Technician license and am studying for General, hope to take it in the next month or so. All I have for gear now is a Yaesu FT-65R HT, but I've got the bug!

I own my home, but our city buiding codes don't allow big external antennas. I know there are stealth options, but at this point I'm thinking I want something that's basically "portable", that I can setup in my office at home without any permanent installation done. I have decent elevation in this 2nd floor office (see photo below). Something the wife won't object to is a good thing!

FT8 really interests me for several reasons, and I'd like that to be the thing I explore next. Where we go from there, who knows? But that's what I want to do once I get my General.

So... can you Elmers recommend a decent rig to me? I've done a lot of searching, and the Icom 7300 comes up A LOT. The newer MK2 seems to be a great (although expensive) choice. Thoughts?

More importantly... antenna(s)? Recommendations for something that will do well for FT8 in this setup and at least do "decent" for phone in HF? Something I can setup in front of this window would be great! I know it will be a compromise, and if I continue to fall in love with this hobby then more antenna will surely follow. Mag Loop???

I am not looking to do a homebrew or DIY type setup. I want something more tried and true. Maybe some early success will inspire me to pursue homebrew in the future. I know that buying turnkey is more expensive, I accept that...

Thoughts?

https://preview.redd.it/msadletqtffh1.jpg?width=1195&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=66a07d923c7ba4b77c35a0b173b3aaf209944740

New Technician here, with new Yaesu FT-65R. I spent the time to learn how to program it manually, and I'm glad I did. Then I bought the USB cable and the RT Systems software, and I'm REALLY glad I did that!

Did some searches on RepeaterBook.com and got a good list to export and then import into RT. Then I asked ChatGPT to make me a CSF file to import based on all of my interests and locations I visit. It added Marine VHF and GMRS frequencies for monitoring, and a bunch of other things I wouldn't have thought of. I think it did a great job!

But I'm still glad I know how to program it manually if needed...

Plans changed. Can't go.