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Having been away for a number of years and dismantled most of the shack and boxed the radios for neat and safe storage, it's that time with my birthday imminent and Christmas with nothing really in mind.
To that end, what are the preferred radios currently available as new. Not the older classics, but readily available such as Yeticom Optima, Stryker 955 or the updated Grant, Jackson and Lincoln mk2 sets which show up when I attempt a google search.
A cursory glance through various forums show there's still a healthy market for the older gear, but what about new? U.K. Availability preferred rather than import please.
G0SLQ website
Icom IC-7100 + two patchleads and a broken PL
i still love my good old deltaforce and lincoln 1 radios. but if you can get hold of a stryker 955 they have plenty of power and sound very nice on ssb. im not a fan of new radios at all
Mudslinger wrote:The Anytone AT-5555 and the clones of it (I like the Blue Superstar 6900N looks) are a very good radio for the money.
They are on version 6 now, and all of the initial bugs seem to have been sorted.
They feel a bit cheap compared to an older set, but they perform very well indeed.
I have one of those going back a few years now, boxed in with quite a few others.
I was thinking more of radios such as Yeticom mk3 , Lincoln 2, Grant 2, even a Jackson 2 as well as the previously mentioned Stryker. The emphasis being on currently available sets as I have quite a few older sets from Cobras, Superstars through to Jumbos.
All but given up with the amateur side hence a small, modern set in the car might provide more activity.
G0SLQ website
Icom IC-7100 + two patchleads and a broken PL
Mudslinger wrote:The Anytone AT-5555 and the clones of it (I like the Blue Superstar 6900N looks) are a very good radio for the money.
They are on version 6 now, and all of the initial bugs seem to have been sorted.
They feel a bit cheap compared to an older set, but they perform very well indeed.
I have one of those going back a few years now, boxed in with quite a few others.
I was thinking more of radios such as Yeticom mk3 , Lincoln 2, Grant 2, even a Jackson 2 as well as the previously mentioned Stryker. The emphasis being on currently available sets as I have quite a few older sets from Cobras, Superstars through to Jumbos.
All but given up with the amateur side hence a small, modern set in the car might provide more activity.
Avoid the Jackson 2, it is terrible on SSB!!! At least the one I bought was.
Grant 2 is a decent legal radio but not a very good export radio as it only does frequencies ending 5 or 0.
Lincoln 2 now on version 4 works very well.
Best value for money is the Anytone 5555 or variants.
Mudslinger wrote:The Anytone AT-5555 and the clones of it (I like the Blue Superstar 6900N looks) are a very good radio for the money.
They are on version 6 now, and all of the initial bugs seem to have been sorted.
They feel a bit cheap compared to an older set, but they perform very well indeed.
I have one of those going back a few years now, boxed in with quite a few others.
I was thinking more of radios such as Yeticom mk3 , Lincoln 2, Grant 2, even a Jackson 2 as well as the previously mentioned Stryker. The emphasis being on currently available sets as I have quite a few older sets from Cobras, Superstars through to Jumbos.
All but given up with the amateur side hence a small, modern set in the car might provide more activity.
Avoid the Jackson 2, it is terrible on SSB!!! At least the one I bought was.
Grant 2 is a decent legal radio but not a very good export radio as it only does frequencies ending 5 or 0.
Lincoln 2 now on version 4 works very well.
Best value for money is the Anytone 5555 or variants.
Funnily enough Delboy I was just looking at your YouTube reviews last night. I can see you didn't get along and it sounded distorted to hell.
Thing is, it seems there are problems with most modern sets as I recall a damning review of the Yeticom - even the mk3 which is meant to be much improved. I have a 5555 so fancied something different so forgetting the Presidents, will decide between the Stryker and Yeticom, trying to make sure I only buy the one
G0SLQ website
Icom IC-7100 + two patchleads and a broken PL
Not too sure why you want modern over proven. Another shout for the 5555 clones, even though you already have one. If it works, and works well, then it doesn't really mater if it's a week old or 50 years old.
I always steer people away from the fancy Grant2's and suggest that a classic entry level HF set will do them better for the same price. People are giving away Alinco HF sets at the moment, no, they're not the best, but they're better than a Grant2 or Stryker thingy.
Winner of the 2017 IBTL 'Summer Sizzler' competition
Mudslinger wrote:The Anytone AT-5555 and the clones of it (I like the Blue Superstar 6900N looks) are a very good radio for the money.
They are on version 6 now, and all of the initial bugs seem to have been sorted.
They feel a bit cheap compared to an older set, but they perform very well indeed.
I have one of those going back a few years now, boxed in with quite a few others.
I was thinking more of radios such as Yeticom mk3 , Lincoln 2, Grant 2, even a Jackson 2 as well as the previously mentioned Stryker. The emphasis being on currently available sets as I have quite a few older sets from Cobras, Superstars through to Jumbos.
All but given up with the amateur side hence a small, modern set in the car might provide more activity.
Avoid the Jackson 2, it is terrible on SSB!!! At least the one I bought was.
Grant 2 is a decent legal radio but not a very good export radio as it only does frequencies ending 5 or 0.
Lincoln 2 now on version 4 works very well.
Best value for money is the Anytone 5555 or variants.
I had a Jackson 2 around 12 months ago. The SSB receive was atrocious. I certainly wouldn't recommend one to anyone else.
The 5555 and clones are excellent radio's for the money. Good receive and good SSB TX audio (they sound great with a half decent power mic). Steer clear of the earlier revisions though, they were plagued with problems (I have a V6 6900N and it's a great radio).
The Stryker 955 is an outstanding piece of kit (no, it's not an Anytone clone). 60W SSB straight out of the back, channel or VFO mode, plenty of bells and whistles and sounds astonishingly good even on the supplied stock mic. Near impossible to get hold of new in the UK, and second hand units generally sell past the £200 mark.
Never, ever, ever....bloody anything ever!
Far too many radio's to list here. But I do own a legal one...
crikey,,,your birthday,,happy birthday,,getting old huh..interesting to see you aint been around much...talk about head in the sand.hope alls well..ade...box of frogs !!
Yet another for the Anytone 5555 clones. I have a secondhand Superstar 6900 v6 and IMHO its probably the best value for money radio out there.
FM tx and rx has good audio, SSB has good tx and rx ( although I sometimes think mine sounds a bit tinny on rx.......) and the AM tx and rx is as good as any Uniden....
Alan 26FB806
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27.385 LSB, 27.555 USB, 27.78125 FM
Forget the Grant 2...........I was suckered in by it, Alinco DR135.....brilliant package. Ok so you have to programme it but once you have sussed out the procedure it's brilliant ! yes it has it's little foibles such as RF gain etc etc but it's currently £150 cheaper than the Grant 2, doesnt need switching on & off and the mic works on FM out of the box.
For the anytone 5555. Its a lot of bang for the buck.
