how much power is realistically needed for a ham?

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Mace

Mace

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I'm looking at mobile ham units for my 60 and am wondering. How much power do you really need?

the Yaesu ft-1900 looks to be a great, compact, starter unit. but only puts out 55 watts.. Is that really an issue? Should I pony up for a 65 or 75 watt unit?

Obviously I am a newbie at this and just want a good, solid starter pack.

I'll pay more for the antenna to get what I want..
 
jonheld said:
You realize there's only a $10 difference in price, right?
Click to expand...

Between what?

The standard 1900 is only 55 watt and can be had for ~$150

I did not realize they could be tuned up to 85 watts.

most of the higher wattage radio's I have read about also tend to be larger. (without going to an internal fan and a higher price)
 
Mace said:
I'm looking at mobile ham units for my 60 and am wondering. How much power do you really need?
Click to expand...

My Yaesu FT-2800 (65 watts) requires 15-amp fuses, and my Kenwood TM-D710 (multiband) takes 20 amp fuses, so in general you'd want a circuit that can handle that much with some room to spare. Yaesu says to never use less than 12AWG for power leads (for the 2800). Ham radios are sensitive to low voltage, so don't scrimp on the wire gauge.

A mobile HF radio (typically more powerful) will require more power than that, so if you think you might ever want to operate HF mobile then you'd be time and money ahead to run even larger wires on your installation.
 
It will be wired properly.

I'm more concerned that I will be disappointed getting a 50 watt radio instead of a 75 watt radio.
 
Mace said:
I'm looking at mobile ham units for my 60 and am wondering. How much power do you really need?

the Yaesu ft-1900 looks to be a great, compact, starter unit. but only puts out 55 watts.. Is that really an issue? Should I pony up for a 65 or 75 watt unit?

Obviously I am a newbie at this and just want a good, solid starter pack.

I'll pay more for the antenna to get what I want..
Click to expand...


In short, no.

No functional difference between 55 and 75 watts.

It's a good starter radio, but the 2900 is a better overall unit.

90% of the time, you will only be using the 5 or 10 watt setting. It's only when you really want to reach out in a marginal setting that more power is desirable or needed, and even then, if 10 watts won't do it, neither will 100 watts.

Any mobile unit will suit your needs, spend some time on your antenna and don't worry about the radio.
 
Mace said:
It will be wired properly.

I'm more concerned that I will be disappointed getting a 50 watt radio instead of a 75 watt radio.
Click to expand...

Sorry, I misunderstood your question.

Like the others said, you won't be able to tell the difference between a 50 and 75 watt radio.

And +1 on the Yaesu 2900 (or even a used 2800) being an excellent first mobile radio.
 
Thanks, I guess I'll look into alternate mounting locations and get the 2900
 
Mace said:
Between what?

The standard 1900 is only 55 watt and can be had for ~$150

I did not realize they could be tuned up to 85 watts.

most of the higher wattage radio's I have read about also tend to be larger. (without going to an internal fan and a higher price)
Click to expand...

The FT-1900R is $165
The FT-2900R is $175
Prices right off the HRO website.
 
Based on trail use experience... and NOT a radio guy really...When running in a group, 5 watts will do ya. If you spread out over 30 miles or so, then you are probably gonna be working in the 50 watt range unless you are in a place like Kansas or other pool table flat country. If you are in terrain that puts mountains between you then line of sight with minimal reflection around corners will limit you regardless of power.

Personally, I like having as much power available as possible. We don't have repeaters to help and often find ourselves spread out over longer distances when we are in the field. For a minimal price increase ($10?) I'd chose the higher power unit. But if your expected use will not task you with a lot of long distance simplex commo... I'd agree that you will likely never know the difference.

But, like I said.. not a "radio guy"... just a guy that uses them. ;)


Mark...
 
I think AES is there in LV, you might wander over there. They will give you good advice and let you check out the radios. Most of the guys in Ham stores are avid Hams themselves and are very sharp

Don't forget about the antenna. That matters much more than your radio. What truck is it going on and how do you plan to mount it?

If you can't decide what to do, use a Wilson 2m mag mount in the center of the roof. If you do a permanent mount, it is hard to beat a Larsen 150 series 5/8 wave are hard to beat in an off roader due to their inherent toughness. I like the NMO style mounts but that's not super important.
 
Mace said:
Never even heard of the HRO website.
:meh:
Click to expand...

Well, that confirms your first post stating your newbie status :)

I have a HRO about 1/2 mile from my house - which is dangerously close and best visited with credit cards left at home!

I personally would spend more time/money worrying about the antenna, mount, location and quality of coax running to the rig. I have 2 antenna units that I can use for my 2m comms, a short very flexible comet sbb1 and when I need the distance I can use a 5/8 comet ssb25.

cheers,
george.
 
The radio is going on my 60. Can't really hard mount it to the roof, I'll have the RTT on there every so often and I park it in a covered garage most days at work. I may be able to make a mount on top of the spare tire carrier. Ground plane may be weird there tho. Mag mount may be the best option for me.

I knew that the antenna was the big deal. and I will spend money on that. Just got to figure out how I want to set it up.

Come to think of it, I may swap the radio into my F350 for races every so often. Although, the hand held I just bought would probably work for that as well.
 
Will the mag mount hold up to 80 mpg on the highway?
 
Mace said:
Will the mag mount hold up to 80 mpg on the highway?
Click to expand...

Easily. Want to borrow mine for a real world test? The magnet on a Wilson 2m mag mount is impressively strong.

I'd be willing to send it your way as soon as Beno sends it back to me.
 
lol, The test will be this summer (july 23) on the con.

Just did a search. Are they only in the $50 range?? If so, I'll take your word on it :)
 
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