"Hidden expenses" in Ham Radio?

[John E Davies]

I'm serious about getting my basic Technician license, but before I jump in I would like to find out if there are any signiicant long term costs in the hobby, other than equipment purchases.

For example, do the 2 meter radios require professional calibration or tuning at regular intervals? If so, how much does that typically cost and how often?

How about the dual band equipment? The Kenwood TM-D700A (with APRS) really has me interested, though it would be a few years away - anything special involved in maintaining that sort of transceiver?

Thanks very much. I don't want any unexpected surprises.

JohnDavies
Spokane WA

 

[offroad_nomad]

The only "hidden expenses" that I could think of is the desire/need to want the neat radio-related "toy" or accessory that you either read about or see in someone's vehicle. I have both amatuer and land mobile radios and they are user friendly with no additional costs so far (other then what I mentioned above). My Antenex antennas have worked great with no further adjusting/calibration needed.

 

[Cruiserdrew]

Aside from the desire for frequent upgrades, I don't see much ongoing expense.

 

[CDN_Cruiser]

None really. The equipment is very high end and solid state so there is no need for calibration. I've also noticed that, for electronic equipment, the lifecycle for amateur radio products is quite long (eg vs. mobile phones, TVs, etc). For example, the Kenwood HH I bought many years ago is still their "main" model, or look at the Icom 706 line, etc. As with any electronic item, if it needs to be repaired, be prepared for some big expenses as it may not just be a blown fuse or a "broken part" that is easily repaired.

Agree with the other points that if you start to upgrade, you can fly through the cash in no time! The big leap is going to anything that also requires HF. Yo9u can still do a basic set-up and home brew antenna, but if you want features, small size, multi-band, multi-mode, etc it will be expensive.

I started with a good HH (~$400), bought some external antennas and mounts (~$200), then bought a 12V power supply ($300), a multi-band radio ($800), Antennas, mounts ($400), etc. I could really use an antenna tuner, some testing equipment, a 2M base antenna, etc.

There is no "need", but there is a desire!

Cheers, Hugh

 

[MrMoMo]

So far I have invested in $100 CAD for a used radio and $20 for a used antenna....

 

[nakman]

The test costs $14..

 

[jonb96150]

Like the others have said, it only gets expensive if you buy more stuff. My 12+ y.o. Kenwood TM 732 (I think !) dual bander gave up the ghost this summer after being in open 4x4s its whole life. That will be the only expense in over 10 years, and it lived a very hard life.

 

[alia176]

I bought an used radio from Ebay (FT1500 for $130) and a good quality antenna + mount = $130. But now that you got me thinking about this APRS, my mind is wandering again.....!

Ali