Excellent Question!! I am anxious to see the kinds of responses that
you get.
I recently got back into Rovering and was (and still am) faced with many
of the same questions that you asking. So by no means am I an expert or
anything. Around every corner I am quickly reminded of why I come to
these reflectors and bow to the veteran rovers! As a guy who is going
through these same questions that you are, here is the little pieces of
advice that I can share.
TOP ADVICE that I wish I had listened to W9FZ when he gave it to me...
"Keep it SIMPLE!! Don't take on too much or you will either fail or
burn out." Trust me on this!! I so wish I had listened now.
First, I break the questions down into four basic categories:
1. Desired Rover Category (aka What Bands do I want to run?)
2. Radio(s)
a. Transverter for 222?
b. Amps?
3. Antenna(s)
4. Power for the whole thing
You already answered #1. And you have already eluded that you are
preparing for #3. So now to your question, Radio(s). There are two
things that I can guarantee you. #1, you will not find an All in One
Radio that does all four bands on the market today. And #2, the
radio(s) that you end up choosing will depend a lot on your personal
preferences. What someone else likes about a particular radio, you may
not like.
So with that, I have an FT-847 and an IC-7000. I LOVE my FT-847!! For
me it is just an easy rig to use. I love the individual outputs on the
back for HF/6M/2M/70cm. Most radios today offer only two.. HF/6m on one
and 2m/70cm on the other. This can be a hinderence when it comes to
adding amps and transverters. As for challenges with the FT-847, it has
a funky STBY port that you use for hard keying your amps and
transverters. The biggest drawback is the variable power output is a
dial in the front vs programmed for each band. Luckily my amplifiers
for 2m and 70cm expect full power, so I don't have to adjust for
switching between them, but if I have the 6m amplifier or the
transverter connected for 222, I have to adjust or I will blow them up.
In the heat of a contest, I am too scared of that happening.
The IC-7000... It's a decent little rig. I love the size, but I have
always hated the feel of the tuning dial when you are scanning the band
or QSY'ing to a different Frequency. I like how the Yaesu's just float.
However, that is just a personal preference of mine. I love the fact
that I can program the power output by band. However I hate the shared
outputs HF/6m and 2m/70cm. Makes it more challenging to run 6m and a
Transverter on the same radio.
So for me... I chose a three radio setup. Overkill? Yes. But as a
former Computer Engineer, I love redundancy incase something fails.
I use my FT-847 for 2m and 70cm. I dedicated the IC-7000 to 6m so that
I wouldn't have to worry about the power output setting on the FT-847
during the heat of battle. As for 222, I have a DEMI 222 Transverter on
order, and I have decided to go with an FT-817 as the IF because it can
only do 5w which means I don't have to worry about blowing up my
Transverter. Given that I am not switching bands... I really don't have
to deal with the menu's or the tiny buttons too much. I just spin the
dial to the frequency I want and talk.
Anyway, that is what I came up with as the best compromise. Not the
cheapest way to go by any means. And one could argue whether I am
sticking to the "KISS Theory" (Keep it Simple). But for me, it takes a
lot of the brain activity out of it, and lets me focus on making the
contact vs fussing with the settings on the radio.
Everyone's miles will vary, but that is the setup I ended up choosing.
I am anxious to hear what others suggest.
Good luck in your adventure!
73,
Austin, K4AMK/R
http://www.k4amk.us
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [VHFcontesting] Rover radio ideas?
From: Bob Burns W9RXR <w9rxr_@rlburns.net>
Date: Mon, September 20, 2010 9:51 pm
To: vhfcontesting@contesting.com
I keep thinking about getting into VHF/UHF contesting as a Rover. Dan
Evans K9ZF exposed me to rovering 10 years ago when I found some
operating locations for him in Eastern Kentucky and shot some photos
for an article he got published in CQ VHF. Rovering looked like fun,
but I never really pursued it.
Well, a recent positive experience operating a portable station in a
local HF contest has me thinking about rover operation again. The
Limited Rover class appeals to me, so I'm thinking about what it
would take to compete at that level. One of the considerations is, of
course, radios.
The only multi-mode radio I own is an Icom IC-746Pro, so I can
operate 6m and 2m for starters. But, what about the other two bands?
At the risk of starting a war, what do you guys suggest? An Icom
IC-7000 with a transverter for 222? A Yaesu FT-736 with the band
modules I need and bricks to up the power? Or a Yaesu FT-847 plus 222
transverter? I occasionally see Icom IC-x75 series VHF/UHF radios
show up at hamfests and auction sites--are they still viable?
Thanks in advance for your input. Just wait 'till I ask about antennas.
<grin>
Bob...
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