Sounds like the RSGB in full swing there
MY main SWR/power meter is a diamond SX-200, whilst not the greatest, its not the worst either. Avoid the cheep cb types. A bird 43 meter is excellent, but you need to get the right inserts for the frequencies your using.
My HF antenna here is a simple wire doublet, and i do well with it. Build antennas rather than buying them (except perhaps for a dual band colinear for 2m and 70cm FM, which is esier to buy than build!) as this will be cheaper and you'll learn a lot more.
As Phil has mentioned the FT-817 is a great little radio, does all bands and all modes (ok, not quite all bands, but all the important ones!), and its light weight means you can use it anywhere. You might find SOTA floats your boat (as it does mine) and the 817 is immensly portable. Incidentally, the 817, 857 and 897 (i think it is) all share the same internal electronics but different cases and in the case of the latter two a bigger PA. Which means if you learn to use one, moving to the bigger one is no effort.
Phils suggestion to stick to modern kit for tx and indulge in vintage receivers is a good idea, you can play all you like then without breeching any license conditions, and a seperate station receiver is always usefull for checking your other equipment against. I have a FRG-100 receiver for that very purpose
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Wilson
There seems some delay over paperwork from the RSGB, I was told by a local instructor that the only two people who handle processing of paperwork are BOTH on holiday at the same time or something equally British. So with the best will in the world he can't do much for at least two weeks. Not sure of the details, that was the gist of the conversation. I need to look into the equipment side of thing in more depth once I have got he exam side of things sorted. Have no fears, I am a generally law abiding chap with respect for others and a desire to abide by any regulations, I was just wondering how output of transmitters was throttled, if needed.Thanks for the test gear info, what is considered a decent power / SWR meter to look for? I am, as you have seen, pursuing info on aerial possibilities, as that will obviously have a bearing on what frequencies I may be interested in. Much as I would like to take advantage of the space here, and the seclusion, I definitely don't want the place looking like a military installation. `Er indoors would probably share that sentiment in spades, too.
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