I find all the discussion of the Orion interesting and I think the Orion has
it's place, but I think what is needed is an affordable starter radio. We
need a radio that a new ham can buy without breaking the bank, but one that
won't disappoint with poor performance. I realize that higher performance
equipment costs more, but I hope there can be a happy medium.
I don't know if the numbers would work out, but wouldn't it be fantastic if
a new ham could get on the air with a new basic rig and antenna for under
$500?
Here's what I think would be needed:
0) All mode, or at least CW, SSB, AM (maybe receive only).
1) Decent receive performance. Able to work in midly harsh RF environments
(i.e. able to stand up to many 20 or 40 over signals in the same band during
a contest or pileup).
2) Decent selectivity. I don't know if the cost effective approach would be
DSP filters or a set of 4 crystal or mechanical filters (2400, 1800, 500 and
250 Hz ).
3) Built in computer interface - a new ham is going to want to do the
soundcard modes - but the radio should be easily usable without a computer -
i.e. have a user friendly front panel interface. While we're talking about
a computer interface, how about USB instead of RS232?
4) Built in keyer. I think any basic radio should support CW. A couple of
basic memories would proably be a no-brainer and makes it a lot easier to
call CQ. Personally, I prefer to be able to program the memory with some
sort of entry where you "type" in the text rather than having to key it in.
A ham who is just starting out may have a hard time getting a decent enough
fist to enter a basic message. The keyer should be able to reverse dot and
dash paddles from a menu rather than requiring a wiring change.
5) Mechanically rugged and able to run off of 12 V ( not just 13.8 ) so the
radio could be used portable. 120V AC operation should be considered.
6) Built-in wide range automatic antenna tuner.
7) Minimum of 50 watts (preferably 100). It would be nice if the power could
be reduced to QRP levels, but a new ham shouldn't be saddled with the
challenge of QRP right from the start - for my first few years in the hobby,
I remember how frustrating it was to spend a whole evening calling or
answering CQ's and getting no response.
8) General coverage receiver - not needed for ham radio, but probably a good
selling point.
9) Relatively complete package without requiring additional options (at
least at the $500 level). If a fully loaded rig could be bought for $500 and
options could be left out reducing the price that might be workable - what I
wouldn't want to see is a $500 radio that really needed about an additional
$300 in options to be usable.
I may be dreaming about what's possible, but I think the cost of equipment
is becoming a deterrent to geting new folks into the hobby or of getting
hams beyond the HT stage.
73,
Mark
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