8 May 2016

New rigs?

At the moment I am happy with the rigs I have, so I can wait to replace rigs.

At the moment the IC7300 looks a favourite over the FT991, but a decent FT817 replacement at the right price might fit the bill. All decisions on future investments are predicated on the price being right. I want dealers to make a fair margin, but I do not like being ripped off.  On the IC7300, dealers are making a mint out of early adopters who want the rig at any price. Later, the IC7300 price will drop.

I am awaiting Dayton to see if Yaesu really does replace the workhorse FT817. I have my doubts. As you know, 5-10W is quite enough for me.
at 10:38
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2 comments:

Todd Dugdale said...

I think that the future replacements for rigs like the 817 will be SDRs. There's a lot of very interesting stuff coming from that angle. The new LNR Precision LD-11is might be the best example -- all-mode, 5-8W, 160-6M. I know that you'd want VHF/UHF all-mode, but the point remains that this is where the future is, and VHF/UHF isn't precluded.

There are a few Chinese all-mode QRP rigs popping up now, too. Mostly, it's hobbyists working together to try to make a buck, rather than big manufacturers. But, if the Chinese manufacturers get behind one of these rigs and improve it, bring the price down with economy of scale, they could turn out to be really nice. Maybe not Yaesu-nice, but worthwhile.

I'm excited right now by stuff like the BG5ROJ digital modem.
https://va2ss.com/category/bg5roj-digital-modem/
A 1W SDR-based transceiver is in development that will fit inside of the modem.
I've got one on order to use with my FT-897D so that I don't need a laptop to run digital modes while portable.

Never really understood what you have against PSK31. It's a natural QRP mode, and allows for actual conversations (unlike WSPR). Totally silent, so you can operate without bothering anyone else in the room, and you don't have to contend with poor accents and "mumblers". As always, to each his (or her) own, of course.

Sun May 08, 05:08:00 pm GMT+1
Roger G3XBM said...

Hi Todd, nothing against, PSK31 as such. I agree it is an effective QRP mode. What I don't like about the mode is the over-use of macros. I prefer people to write in free form. 73s Roger G3XBM

Sun May 08, 08:21:00 pm GMT+1

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