At the moment the running order, ignoring wSDR designs, is:
- Elecraft KX3 - best RX, expensive with all options in the UK. n ternal auto-ATU option
- Ten-Tec Argonaut VI - excellent RX and ideal base station but no 5,24 or 50MHz coverage.Expensive.
- Yaesu FT817ND - excellent base/portable unit up to 432MHz,but RX not as good as KX3 or Argonaut VI. 13-14 year old design.
- Icom IC703 - excellent base transceiver,but no longer available new. Internal auto-ATU.
Overall, the FT817ND represents best value for money all things considered,
in my view. It may be an old design but I can buy 2 FT817ND with plenty of change for the price of the KX3. And I get a better design for home station digital (WSPR) use with botj 144 + 432MHz bands. Even adding a Z817 or T1 auto-ATU to the price of the FT817ND units there is still change when compared with the fully loaded KX3.
Reviews on
www.eham.net are similar for all radios listed.
5 comments:
Your forgetting the X1M. Now available in the UK £279.96, checkout Moonrakers website stock seems limited?: http://www.moonraker.eu/popular-products/x1m-platinum-5-band-qrp-80-10m-hf-transceiver
73 G1KQH
It's true the KX3 is not cheap price wise that is but I do have one and am very happy with it. I really like the support and constant updates that are offered by Elecraft.
Mike
Roger - How well does the 817 RX perform on LF / 2200 m? Deaf or useable without a preamp?
Steve / VE7SL
PS .....super to see you back! 73
For a fairer price comparison you should add the cost of an exterhal ATU such as the Elecraft T1 to the price of the 817.
Julian, G4ILO
And also a CW filter to the '817. I don't know about the UK, but in the US, when optioned equally, the difference is more like 20 to 25% - and for that you get much better ergonomics in addition to the better performance of the KX3. I had both the KX3 and FT817ND side by side and there was really no comparison. I'm not saying that the '817 is a bad radio - it's not. But the KX3 is *much* better, and when calculating (performance + ergonomics)/price, the result is the KX3 has more bang for the buck (or "value")...even if it takes more bucks! IMO.
73 de Lee, AA4GA
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