In a comment on the post, What new hams are up against, Patty writes:
I am in the process of learning Morse Code and also studying for my Technician license. I am overwhelmed by what starter radio to get. I am interested in just doing CW and have articles on a two-band QRP rig. Is there any recommended radios that I can get that just send and receive CW? I appreciate any feedback. Thanks.
Normally, when I get asked this question, I advise people to visit the ARRL’s Buying Your First Radio webpage, and in particular, to download the PDF file, Choosing a Ham Radio. This publication has a lot of good information on what frequencies and modes that hams can operate and what radio equipment is required to operate them.
In particular, Patty has determined that she wants to be a CW operator. Of course, I think that’s really great. Knowing that narrows down the choices. Since most CW operation is on the HF bands, she will want her first radio to be an HF radio.
Patty has already done some research on this topic, as evidenced by the fact that she mentions having read an article on a two-band QRP rig. While this may do the trick for her, I’d advise against a QRP radio as one’s first radio. The main reason for this is that the low power output will make contacts harder to make, and the receivers in these radios are generally not as good as more mainstream transceivers.
At this point, the radio I like the most for beginners is the Yaesu FT-450D. It costs less than $700, but still has advanced features, such as digital signal processing (DSP). Several guys around here have purchased them and are very pleased with them. Other radios that are about the same price (actually a little cheaper) are the ICOM IC-718 and the Alinco DX-SR9T. Both are good radios, but the IC-718 has been around for a while already, so doesn’t quite have the features that the FT-450D has. Alinco has never been a popular choice, so I’d stay away from them just based on that.
Another option, for a little more money, is the Kenwood TS-480SAT. It costs $850.
Of course, you’ll need more than just the radio. At the very least, you’ll need a power supply and antenna in addition to the radio. Figure on spending $200 – $300 on these accessories. That still brings your investment to less than $1,000, though.
Now, Patty might complain, “But, I only want to operate CW. Why do I have to pay for all the other stuff?” This is actually a somewhat valid complaint, but I would counter that adding voice and digital capabilities doesn’t add that much cost to the radio, and she’ll have those capabilities should she decided to upgrade to General Class at some point and then work SSB or digital modes.
A step up from the beginner radios are the ICOM IC-7300, Yaesu FT-dx1200, and the Kenwood TS-590SG. These radios range from about $1,200 to $1,400, and offer features not found on the less expensive transceivers. For example, the receivers are generally better, and the IC-7300 and the FT-dx1200 have bandscope displays.
Another question that often gets asked is, “Can I buy used equipment?” Well, yes, you can, but I’ll defer to the advice given by the article Choosing a Ham Radio about used equipment:
Used equipment is cheaper, of course, but may have faults or defects with which you might be unfamiliar, leading to problems. Teaming up with an experienced ham or a reputable dealer is the way to evaluate used equipment.
Whether you buy new or used, teaming up with an experienced ham, or “Elmer” in ham radio lingo, is a good idea. A good Elmer will help you avoid some of the more common mistakes that new hams make and help you have more fun with ham radio. And, you may find a lifelong friend in the process.
W4DON says
First transceiver a CW operator should buy? Ans: TEN-TEC
They are designed by hams that operate CW.
I recommend one of the new Ten-Tec’s such as the Omni VII or Eagle 599.
The discontinued Jupiter, model 538 with the green screen is my favorite
and can be found on Ebay often.
For CW operation/reception you want at least 150-500 Hz bandwidth filters.
The Jupiter goes down to 150 Hz!!!!
73, Don
Dan KB6NU says
Personally, I’m not a big TenTec fan. While TenTec rigs do perform well on CW, I don’t think that they are a great value when compared to other models. I never operated a Jupiter, but we had an Omni VII at one of our club stations for a while. None of us really liked using it, so we traded it for an ICOM IC-756PRO.
JP KB1TIC says
You might want to add the FT-891 to the list. It’s more of a mobile rig, so it doesn’t have quite as many buttons, but right now, it seems to offer newer technology than the IC-718 for a lower price ($600 vs. $640 at Universal Radio, once you consider the rebate for the 718) — including adjustable DSP bandwidth.
Todd KD0TLS says
I’ve always thought the fear of “disappointment” with a QRP rig is overblown. There may very well be local operators that can be easily reached with a QRP rig, for example. QRP operation is a skill, but so is CW. I’ve borrowed the new YouKits HB-1B CW rig, and didn’t find its receiver to be that bad — though it could use a real mechanical CW filter. If I didn’t already have two FT-897Ds, I’d have dropped $300 on one of those.
The most likely “disappointment” is to be found in the anal and petty reactions of other “skilled” CW operators: an unwillingness to QRS, a rejection of anyone that “does it wrong” (i.e different from *them*), and a tendency to ignore “non-DX”. This has been my experience operating on 40, 15, and 10M, regardless of what a “considerate operator” is *supposed* to do. It’s also a phenomenon that skilled CW operators tend to deny the existence of, because they are skilled and don’t experience it — or just accept it as “normal”.
Having said that, I think that the FT-891 is a good choice in terms of price, but I doubt that it can be fitted with a CW filter. The DSP filtering on the FT-891 is inadequate by itself.
Don’t forget to include the cost of the key itself — unless Patty is planning to do “keyboard CW”. A shoddy key (or paddle) will produce more disappointment on a regular basis than a QRP rig will, IMHO.
Ed KC8SBV says
IC-718 with a cw filter, or an FT-450D…
Try this one:
https://www.qrp-labs.com/qcx.html
Ed KC8SBV
Curt K8AI says
I agree with W4DON. A Ten Tec would be my choice as a real, CW op’s rig. The superb QSK, super quiet receiver and effective xtal filtering make them a joy to use. Processor noise and DSP makes my ears bleed.
Daniel Trainor says
A used Ten-Tec Argonaut V (model 516) is almost an ideal CW rig for beginner (or anyone). Small and super simple to use – simple controls – no drilling down into complex menus. Really good RX sensitivity, and selectivity with variable band pass filtering from 3000 – 200 Hz. Exceptionally fast QSK full-break-in. TX is only 20 watts but on CW, but its all you need. And if you want to operate true QRP, you can dial it down below 5 watts. You can find these used for about $400-$600 used – But they do not appear for sale too often as it is a very sought after rig for CW ops. Argonaut VI and Eagle are also exceptional on CW, but they are much more $$$. If you can find an older Century 22 (CW only rig) that is also a very nice beginner CW rig if in good shape. Those are also sought after, but in the $200 range.
Dan KB6NU says
If you can find one for $400, it might be worth it. At $600, I don’t think it’s a great deal at all. Not when you consider that you can get a new FT-450D for just a little bit more. And, you don’t have to worry about Yaesu going out of business.
Vern Maine Ai1i says
I agree with the author. I migrated to the FT-450D early on in my 6 years in ham radio. I’m all CW on the HF bands. I now have three 450D’s; one at each of my homes and one for the RV when I’m in between. Great little rig for a casual operator like me that likes to keep things simple.
Thomas M. Beaudry says
I agree with the person who didn’t like the Ten-Tec Omni. Used one at a few Field Days, was a pain to operate. On the other hand, the Ten-Tec Jupiter is my dream CW rig. Easy to operate and I’ve never heard another rig sound as good when operating CW.