Jim Skamarakas

I am looking for a ham radio. All of the Heathkit base HF stuff is long gone, as is the 30′ tower. This is a complete starting from scratch.

I made the following post on the QRZ forums, and am interested in the responses I get -

Now I am not looking for a specific brand or model recommendations, thats like asking which is better Coke or Pepsi. And we all know the answer is they are both bad for you, just drink water.

Yes, soda is a horrible thing. It rots your teeth, increases your appetite, fattens your ass, and wastes money and resources for a drink. Just drink water
I decided to go with a handheld. I travel with my job every week and want something I can take with me to use when at the customers city and bring back and forth in my laptop bag or small suitcase. That makes small size a top item on the selection list.

Does anyone have a list of handheld features and a scale to help weight them or set them in the must have / nice to have / things that are fluff and don’t matter or you features 99% of the hams will never use.

Being realistic, I just want to be a little bit educated when I go shopping. I don’t want to walk out with purchase in hand and get home to find out I forgot to buy a battery charger, or got a radio that doesn’t work with Bluetooth or connect to a PC over USB, or one that can only be used on certain frequencies on days that start with W.

No matter what I get I am sure I will have a great time with it, and learn so that if I don’t hit the mark, I will be an even pickier and more educated buyer for the next piece of gear. I no a lot about the features in cars I like not from auto reviews, but from all the cars I have owned, rented and driven for hours. Hands on experience is a wonderful teacher.

I really am interested in the features that are must haves and the ones that 99% or more never use. I honestly don’t think I can take a mobile HF rig with me on a plane every week and set it up in a rental car.

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Categories: ham radio
Tags: ham radio