Cheap Amateur Ham Radios For A TIGHT Budget and Beginners!

Рет қаралды 92,424

3 жыл бұрын

I hear it from many in the comments. "Amateur Radio is TOO Expensive!" Lets talk about a budget options for those looking to get on the air without breaking the bank.
Amazon List: www.amazon.com/shop/hamradioc...
An Amazon Affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases
KM4ACK Antenna: km4ack.square.site/product/49...
HRO: www.hamradio.com/
Support Ham Radio Crash Course Content
Patreon - / hoshnasi (includes monthly newsletter, stickers and Patron perks)
KZfaq - / hamradiocrashcourse (includes early access to videos, membership YT badge and custom emojis)
Shop HamTactical: www.hamtactical.com
Shop Our Affiliates: hamradiocrashcourse.com/affili...
Shop Our Amazon Store: www.amazon.com/shop/hamradioc...
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Current Shack Config (includes affiliate links)
ICOM 7300: amzn.to/2PKBpmZ
SteppIR 3E Yagi: consumer.steppir.com/shop/hor...
ICOM 2730a: amzn.to/2JqrASg
MFJ-4230DMP: mfjenterprises.com/products/m...
Connect with Ham Radio Crash Course
Website...................► hamradiocrashcourse.com
KZfaq..................► / hamradiocrashcourse
Twitch......................► / hamradiocrashcourse
Podcast...................► hamradiocrashcourse.podbean.com/
Discord....................► / discord
Tiktok.......................►www.tiktok.com/@hamradiocrash...
Facebook................► goo.gl/cv5rEQ
Twitter......................► / hoshnasi
Instagram................ ► / hoshnasi
Physical Mail............►Josh Nass P.O Box 5101 Cerritos, CA 90703-5101
Music by Sonic D:
Soundcloud.com/sncd
Twitter.com/sncd
Facebook.com/djsonicd

Пікірлер: 74

@one-of-us9939 3 жыл бұрын

This is gonna be a learning curve... Boy, am I glad all you people are here! Thanks

@lomgshorts3 Жыл бұрын

Viewing this video, I sometimes wonder why everybody buys "off the shelf" and pays big money for something they can make themselves (antennas mostly, but shack equipment from kits will be much cheaper and sometimes better quality and building from a kit will TEACH you stuff). Building your own antennas will teach you a lot about antennas and radio propagation. I also recommend building shack accessories from kits. That way, if the magic smoke comes out of it, you have the means to FIX it yourself. Dipole antennas are an inexpensive and completely homebrewed way to effectively get on the air. Doing things like Amateurs did 40 years ago when they had no "buy off the shelf" opportunities WILL save you big money!

@Zombified- 5 ай бұрын

Where can I buy an inexpensive kit to build a radio? Antennas are step 1 when it comes to hobby building in the ham scene as we can all do it with a hanger and some solder. What else is there though?

@truththestrangerfiction9099 4 ай бұрын

Thanks a bunch for the tip....., I like the idea of building my own equipment.

@Charlie-Bee 3 ай бұрын

For new hams sometimes it's better to buy, especially new in order to get into the hobby and learn then pick up skills like antenna building and tuned circuits etc as you go

@barfrodgers1202 3 ай бұрын

I'm completely new to radio and building my own from a kit wouldn't mean anything because idk what it all even does yet

@lomgshorts3 3 ай бұрын

For your "First Radio", yeah, that is fine! But, in order to learn and understand electronics, fix your own gear, build stuff, and generally know what Hams are talking about, kit building helps you know more about the hobby. That is where your Elmer can help out greatly !!! Turn to the guy who helped you study for your exam, he is your " Elmer" (teacher) and pick a few simple kits to start out on. You might get hooked on building stuff. Is how I started long ago !

@insightfulmind 2 жыл бұрын

Very helpful, getting my Tech class in July and General possibly in August and stating to think about gear to get!

@WQ9FHamRadio 3 жыл бұрын

#teamreplay Tons of good recommendations on the video. I know a lot of folks go with an HT as their first radio, my first radio was an HT, but I quickly upgraded to a mobile radio. With how cheap you can get into a used Japanese mobile radio or new Chinese mobile radio, along with J-pole or a mag mount VHF/UHF antenna stuck to a baking sheet you are much better off. Love the videos as always, 73!

@T4RJon 3 жыл бұрын

Missed the live stream. Trying to find my first HF setup now. Problem is I need mobile and go-box setups Would like to QRP with the mobile setup. Will be looking into your online options for testing, or testing with local club in June for General. Thanks for doing what you do. Great content. You and HR2.0 are my go-to's. Expanding to other channels you guys work with as well. Love the collaboration of youtubers! Keep up the great work! KT4RJN

@Kd8OUR 3 жыл бұрын

I personally had the kguvd1p and that was an every day use radio. I used to used it on breaks when I worked at the Dayton airport. The ft60 is a great one too, very good battery life, easy to use and durable. Unless you want/need c4fm get the ft60 instead. The ft1900 was my first, but I would give a nod to the yaesu ft2750, the ic2300 is another great 2meter rig.

@SuperWillie0 Жыл бұрын

Man, your videos are very helpful. Thanks!

@disasterduck13 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the info

@DonzLockz 2 жыл бұрын

Great show Josh. I've backordered the Wouxun KG-UV9P"X" from BSR but received my first HT, the Anytone AT-D878UVII Plus and a hotspot. I just bought the cheap Baofeng UV-9R Plus HT just to keep in the car. Now looking at the Xeigu 6100 for HF but also like the 7100, not sure yet.. I'm only licenced for QRP for now and will run the CAHRtenna at home and out and about for now. I will get an amp later and/or the 7300 for QTH, maybe with the DX Commander. Not sure what direction I'll be going but too many aspects of ham radio including FT8, WSPR and POTA. My health might not be good for SOTA. :/ Still early days, I have learnt so much in 3 months and your channel is great, very easy to watch, feel comfortable and accepted while learning so much.🍺👍🤓

@rickgull6520 3 жыл бұрын

The best memes on the intertubes!

@roypatterson7866 3 жыл бұрын

I just purchased a Baofeng UV-82.

@Gravel_Rat78 3 жыл бұрын

My first radio was a Yaesu FT-2900... 75 watt VHF only... great radio for the shack or mobile... my first HF was the Icom IC-7100. I bought it not knowing exactly what I wanted to do with HF but knew it would do anything I wanted to do. The original plan was to own it a year and then move it to my “Adventure Machine” then get my dream radio a Yaesu FTDX101MP. But Yaesu came out with the FTDX10 and saved me a lot of money... 18 months in the hobby and I haven’t bought an antenna... unless you count my ham sticks for my home brewed octopus. Building is my favorite part of the hobby. @Ham Radio Crash Course, can you do a video on QRP Multi Band SSB kit transceivers? I ordered a QRP Labs QCX Mini for 40, but I found I’m mostly interested in voice DX. I don’t work digital or CW modes very often.

@BattleGn0me 3 жыл бұрын

Josh, Im not usually good with names myself, but I don't think being good at call signs is a thing. Maybe it's a passive indicator of a balanced and healthy life that you have trouble recalling people by your call sign. Thanks so much for having the YT channel, I would be rudderless and adrift in Ham hell without it.

@russ-aepx3307 2 жыл бұрын

I recently purchased a Baofeng BF-F8HP and the Nagoya NA-771 antenna. Other options, too. For $68 alone, a great 8-watt radio. BTW - The Mirkit programming cable WILL work with Windows 10 if you download a driver. I believe BaofengTech offers such.

@Pseudoswede 9 ай бұрын

Love that you’ve got a Change My Mind meme

@GG-vx7gi 3 жыл бұрын

Some good ideas. I had already purchased a yaesu ft4xr ht, and a tyt 8600. The anytone you recommended was my first choice but was out of stock everywhere last spring. I purchased from US retailers, which took away some of my concerns with radios from China. Weighing the G90, which has real good bundled price with the stand at 459.00 thru connect systems vs the Icom IC 718 at about 120.00 more. The G90 caught my intererest due to the 718 being on backorder everywhere. Initially only receiver and 10 meter tech segment use until I take the general exam. If the 450d were still in production, the choice be clear.

@1942Grampz Жыл бұрын

H Josh Owen G0RCL UK. I have a budget QYT KT-WP12 tiny mobile budget 2m and 70cm radio, I like very much, it is softtware driven and upgradable. The main feature is the display which is on the fist mic along with the speaker and controls to program it with, great feature if you are hard of hearing to just put it to your ear. It is very small but so handy to remove for security, plugs into the cig holder 12v and run about 20 watts. You probably know about this radio, but my take is yeah it's a super little to get you on the air radio.

@sophoklesgreek3237 2 жыл бұрын

I am very late to the party But .. hell .. finally someone considering all the people with a tight budget.. everywhere you look it is ICOM this... Kenwood that .. and all of this stuff cost an arm and leg.. so thank you for this

@HamRadioCrashCourse 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching!

@MrBracey1970 3 жыл бұрын

UK pricing-Icom IC 7100-£1000 Icom IC 7300-£1200 Xiegu G90-£400 Yaesu FT891 -£670 Yaesu FT818-£600

@slowpotato1 4 ай бұрын

"It's... a wind chime.."😂

@RichardHopkinsLobosSolos 3 жыл бұрын

Radioddity has a bundle deal with the G90, the fan/bracket, and the CE-19 for $479 where the G90 by itself is $435, so it's cheaper to get them all at once rather than piecemeal. For the Ed Fong J-pole. Jason, Ham Radio 2.0, has them in his shop.

@marktaylor9572 3 жыл бұрын

even cheaper today 435 with all the extras

@cyberphython 3 жыл бұрын

The TYT UV88 is pretty good for a cheap hand held

@simonj48 3 жыл бұрын

Ham radio really is only as expensive as you want to make it to be. Low budget offerings; pixie 0.5w cw transceiver kit, less than $15 off built in a case on ebay. Less than $10 if you're willing to build the kit yourself. You can make an antenna for less than $15. Granted you'll need to learn morse, but it's a part of the hobby that tends to go unnoticed and overlooked by people. Plenty of activity and you can work the world. That's not to say CW is a cheap means to get into ham radio, for the same price as the kit and antenna, you could be jumping on 70cm/2m with a uv5r, working repeaters (and the gateways) and high points for activations. It's nice to have gear like an icom 7900, and that will be expensive, but it's not needed by any means. I always find it weird when people say to me, it's too expensive of an hobby to get into. When really they mean it's expensive time wise, because the hardware itself doesn't have to be. Then when people do throw down large amounts of cash getting into the hobby for expensive hardware, they still find it lackluster when they look at their iphone and aren't getting the results from the radio they expect (or rather want). If you go back even just 30 or 40 years, radio as we know it now was not the same. Building your own radio, learning as you go at the club so you could get on air was just the way things was done. Just because we can spend insane amounts of money on different radios, antennas, paddles etc doesn't mean we have to, it's just easier.

@TheNoCodeTech 3 жыл бұрын

#TeamReplay for the win!

@brianvandy4002 2 жыл бұрын

If you are going to take a technician test, at least read through the general pool and take that one too as it doesn't cost anything in the same test session. After two weeks of studying I was going in for my test on Saturday. On Friday I found out that if I pass I can take the General test also for free. I read the question pool once before leaving to take my test and was easily able to pass it. Tech and General area SO close it is easy to pass one if you passed the other. Just need to know W=VA and the variants, and 300,000,000 m/s so you can easily calculate frequencies by band and the rest is just common sense if you've already studied for tech. (Thought I'd post this after I saw the superchat where the guys wife passed her tech test.)

@Mr.Thermistor7228 2 жыл бұрын

That’s solid advice

@JohnUsp Жыл бұрын

A hint: when you look for a radio, avoid radios with "Direct-Conversion" receiver and look for "Superheterodyne". IMHO the best cost-benefit radio is the "QuanSheng TG-UV2Plus".

@asystole_ 3 жыл бұрын

Hey Josh, always love the live streams even if I don't get to see them live. Just FYI the link to your instragram in the description is wrong.

@AlvinMcManus Жыл бұрын

Wow, that brew must have been throwing off aldehydes to give that funky finish.

@gregoryjob4395 Жыл бұрын

Have you got a chance to try out the Alinco DR-MD520T

@vanmacproductions 2 жыл бұрын

Is there are list of the recommended radios in this video somewhere - I do not see in show notes. tx.

@beekeeper8474 3 жыл бұрын

I went from a uv-5r but quickly upgraded to ic-7100. I use it as mobile and base station. Takes about 5 minutes to switch from truck to desk. The radio does all I need. Would like to add add an amp.

@gfdemt917 3 жыл бұрын

Does TenTec qualify as a budget radio

@scorchfrost3813 2 жыл бұрын

Im totally new to the waves but have been passively fascinated from afar for most of my 33 years. Where is the best database for beginners? A place for learning terms and uses and rules and whatnot.

@Mr.Thermistor7228 2 жыл бұрын

This channel right here

@dah960 11 ай бұрын

I think the guy on a prepper thread suggested the Kg-uv9d. The main reason was something to do with scanning multiple ranges at once and even relaying or repeating across different bands iirc. Does that sound about right ormake sense?

@brianvandy4002 2 жыл бұрын

Most radios are 13.8v + or - 15% (2.07v). That means most radios are good from 11.73 to 15.87 volts. Obiously, the closer to 13.8 the better, but if you're running lithium at 14.4 you're fine.

@scorchfrost3813 2 жыл бұрын

If i get the handheld (the TYT for $35 mentioned at about 15:30) what else, if anything, would i need in order to operate efficiently?

@hcy0 3 жыл бұрын

Did you mention the SW-3B? 180 $ for 3 band CW.

@mikethees6434 3 жыл бұрын

If you played you're cards right you might have a HF radio from you're 11meter days

@planca3430 Жыл бұрын

i have a beofeng uv5r and a president hr2600 is the hr2600 a good start for lower band ham to start out with?

@chartphred1 2 жыл бұрын

I've been battling to find a small digital radio that covers the aviation band, but can also double by receiving as many other bands as possible. But is portable, and feature rich. Don't mind if it covers ham bands etc. But just don't want to pay hundreds, too broke.

@HamRadioCrashCourse 2 жыл бұрын

Sounds like you should buy an SDR dongle.

@randymay3925 2 жыл бұрын

Anytone AT-778UV 25 watt mobiles work well on a budget for a $125 radio

@jaytibbles2223 2 жыл бұрын

cars/truck alternators charge at 14.4 vdc

@buttyug Жыл бұрын

7100 is over $1150 currently 😢 Ft 818D with a few aerials seems the cheapest all mode option 🤷‍♂️

@michaeljbergquist 2 жыл бұрын

never to late josh

@user-tw8rf5hy3r 3 ай бұрын

Hi - I'm looking to chat with my brother who is 200 miles away. What's the cheapest, good quality radio I could buy to reach him?

@toml.8210 2 жыл бұрын

The SDR dongle might be cheap, but the PC you need to use is cost $1000. Even a tablet PC that could be compatible is ober $5000. There aren't any receivers that are inexpensive? My Retekess SW receiver was only $20.

@quitchangingmyaccounts Жыл бұрын

I had my amazon account closed down by bad people 24 hours after buying. I can not see the item in my history. Worried it wouldnt show up I tried to cancel the payment in my bank. I will try to reverse this as the item showed up. Thankyou and if we have payment issues I will try to make it right.

@TE5LA-GAMING Жыл бұрын

$500 For just transceiver base. Recommendations?

@9999plato 2 жыл бұрын

Unless the new ham knows they ONLY want VHF UHF then perhaps a good used all in one station in a box might be best. Certainly if they have the budget a new rig is better with better filtering and possibly cleaner transmit abilities. Spend the money once and bite the bullet or you might be spending piecemeal and spend more money.

@HamRadioCrashCourse 2 жыл бұрын

I disagree. I generally don’t recommend all in ones for new people. One down radios takes out your whole station. Plus their traditionally poor performers.

@echofoxtrotwhiskey1595 Жыл бұрын

@@HamRadioCrashCourse is the Yaesu FT991a a poor performer? I’ve heard nothing but good things about it.

@MrJkoehler99 2 жыл бұрын

Hey Josh would you please help me. I bought baofeng bf-f8hp and i'm trying to program off of chirp and the new download on the page isn't working. I do have the right $20 cable. could you give me a eariler download that has my radio on it?

@HamRadioCrashCourse 2 жыл бұрын

What’s the issue with the download? You’d still have to fix that even if I sent a radio image.

@MrJkoehler99 2 жыл бұрын

@@HamRadioCrashCourse I tried on the internet page and it won't download onto my computer. But I did go at tbe bottom of tbe page of tbe download page, and it says you can use an older download witch I did the first time. It worked, I programed my radio and everything good. Well I want to change some thing, so I went back to the chirp page, and I can't find the build I used. And all the ones that will open don't have my radio or model.

@gblan 3 жыл бұрын

Just bought my first radio. I decided to go with quality, a modest price and keep it simple...Icom IC-V86.

@banihex 3 жыл бұрын

Yaesu 450D all the way! It performs WAY out of its league for the price.

@Asshole58 2 жыл бұрын

I’m just getting into cw. Would this b a good radio just starting Cw?

@flyfliker Жыл бұрын

Yeasu 450d

@banihex Жыл бұрын

@@Asshole58 sorry I’m 6 months late. Yes, definitely great for CW! You learn a lot by getting hands on with the filtering, but it’s not overly complex. I’ve worked opposite ends of the earth and love the simplicity.