Amateur Radio - Its Money Money Money

A place to discuss all aspects of amateur radio operation.
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Buick Mackane
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Amateur Radio - Its Money Money Money

Post by Buick Mackane »

What is it with this hobby ? Enough is never enough, You think you've got all the gear you'll ever need then BANG!! Something else catches your eye, My bill so far this week stands at roughly £135,

Its like dating a super model with a passion for ferrari's and cocaine, Infact that would probably work out cheaper,

As depeche mode once sang - I just cant get enough {bnghd}
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ch25
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Re: Amateur Radio - Its Money Money Money

Post by ch25 »

It is all about choices.
The question is: would 2x more expensive trx allow me to work 2x more dx? Answer is nope :)
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Re: Amateur Radio - Its Money Money Money

Post by speeddemon »

:yawn: :eh: ..Just like anything in life ..ya gota pay to play..
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Re: Amateur Radio - Its Money Money Money

Post by Samalex »

depends on what it is
antennas are the most important park of a set up once you have a good one then you can work most with any radio
but its down to preference as well as brainwashed lol

latest radio must be better than the old one eh no sale blurb is so much a con as well as people who say you need this as he was told by someone in the know and so on

its only expensive i you want it to be

Says me with too much stuff lol
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Re: Amateur Radio - Its Money Money Money

Post by Auldgeek »

I find the main expense is changing some aspect of the hobby. It's fine having the right transceiver for HF and a great performing antenna, but if you suddenly have the desire to do satellite working or weak Tropo VHF DX , then your wallet takes a huge dent. I spent an absolute fortune equipping my station for 2M VHF DX work and then later on for satellites, in particular Oscar 40 (what a lemon that turned out to be) and you find it's not just the main bits of kit you spend your money on, it's all the other bits you need (or think you need)

Yip, it can be expensive should you wish it to be. However, for those who are relatively new to the hobby, in terms of value for money, it's never been better. I can remember with clarity, the day I purchased a Kenwood TH-79E 2m/70cm, handheld for £429 and that was without any accessories and I think my first Kenwood TS-850S cost me the best part of £1500 and at that time, your typical dual band mobile radio was £600! {bnghd}
Last edited by Auldgeek on 11 Nov 2017, 09:28, edited 1 time in total.
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ch25
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Re: Amateur Radio - Its Money Money Money

Post by ch25 »

Just as addition. You do not need big money to have good results. A friend of mine have Honor Roll with w3dzz and Kenwood TS-120s barefoot.
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Re: Amateur Radio - Its Money Money Money

Post by QWAM64 »

The trouble is these days people want the latest model with all the bells and whistles,you can play in this hobby with not to much expense. I have some of the latest kit in my shack but the absolute favourite is a 40 year old Drake TR7 line up , it knocks the spots off my Yaesu FT991A and my Icom 7100. Do your homework read up on some of the older rigs and you may be very surprised at the results you get.
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Re: Amateur Radio - Its Money Money Money

Post by Mattylad »

Most hobbys are heavy on the wallet these days.

Take going fishing, fine use a simple rod and reel @£20, but go pole fishing for carp and you could be talking upto £2-3k for a good pole. (cheaper ones are available).

Radio is not alone in the wallet emptying business.
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Re: Amateur Radio - Its Money Money Money

Post by nay27uk »

I find it gets expensive when you want to homebrew some bit of kit, I am currently building a digital interface (tnc) so far it has cost me about £60 but I did need new copper clad board, chems as had ran out plus a UV light box then all the components, could have bought a ready made unit for about £30.

I was also looking at building my own antenna analiser based around an arduino to build it would cost me over £60 when I can buy a ready made analiser like a SARK 100 for just shy of £50.

I do like the joy of making my own stuff but It always used to be cheaper now days it is more expensive than buying ready made stuff
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Re: Amateur Radio - Its Money Money Money

Post by MrWeetabix »

The thing about homebrew kit is that it holds no re-sale value. Once you've spent the money on the build, thats it, you use it and get value back or you don;t and lose it. At least with black-box operations, when you get bored with radio or find another hobby you can always sell it on and take some of the money back you've spent.
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Re: Amateur Radio - Its Money Money Money

Post by nay27uk »

Your bang on there Mr wetabix
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Re: Amateur Radio - Its Money Money Money

Post by Auldgeek »

There's a balance to be had between commercial and homebrew. These days, you wouldn't think very many folk build transceivers, transverters or amplifiers from scratch. It's generally cheaper to buy. However, you cannot put a price on the satisfaction you get from using something you've built and there's still a big call for homebrew gear. The BITX40 for example, is very popular, as is the SDR transceiver design from M0NKA.

So what if it has no resale value. You didn't build it to sell on!
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Re: Amateur Radio - Its Money Money Money

Post by MrWeetabix »

I'd love to have the time and money to spend on self-build stuff. I fully agree on the satisfaction gained, but as with many people of my generation, the old work/life balance is an issue and the finances are important in everything if we're gunna keep a roof over the family and keep food in their bellies.

I'm not knocking the home-brew brigade, more power to your solder-elbows people, I just look at my hobby with different eyes. At least if I need some quick cash, I can monetise some of my ham kit, as much as it may pain me to do so, but the option is there. :-D
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Re: Amateur Radio - Its Money Money Money

Post by Clipper »

Buick Mackane wrote: 10 Nov 2017, 17:09 As depeche mode once sang - I just cant get enough {bnghd}
Well, if you can't Get the Balance Right you'll have to Enjoy the Silence, Buick. See You! ;)
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Re: Amateur Radio - Its Money Money Money

Post by M3HIM »

Mattylad wrote: 26 Nov 2017, 22:44Take going fishing, fine use a simple rod and reel @£20, but go pole fishing for carp and you could be talking upto £2-3k for a good pole. (cheaper ones are available).
If you buy a good pole for fishing you can also use it for portable antennas! :D
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