[50mhz] a 6M starter rig

[Michael N Hopkins]

The post I excerpt below laments that a $200 Yaesu FT-620B doesn't do FM
and that it's big, or at least not small.

Gosh, folks, the smaller these things get the harder they are to fix and
a Yaesu 620B is QCWA eligible now, as would be the ICOM-502 I got for
$100 in '78.  It worked FB, for DX.  But the way of VHFing is that you
need three watts for DX and 100 for the locals since no one wants to
swing his beam, or use CW.

The CW is an interesting wrinkle.  A few weeks ago I purchased an
MFJ-9406 with mic for $100 off about $250 new at the North Texas
Microwave Assn's U of TX Arlington mixer.  I think that a good price and
they eBay around $125 so I'd advocate one of those for a foot-wetter. 
Mine sounds good and works well but it has no CW and the adaptor board is
$60 so I've blocked out a clone of the CW adaptor plus received the $4
Far Circuit board for the Littlefield squelch add on.

But I'm intimidated by the surface mount, since I don't like to run stuff
I can't fix with my 59-year-old eyes so, if there is really someone
wanting to conjure up on the Magic Band for bottom dollar, he or she
should e-mail me or, in the alternative I'd trade up to the FT-620B. 
I've fixed those.  Look out for cold joints on the USB/LSB/CW/AM
switching.

BTW, in the '80s QST offered a three part beginners set up with a VXOing
CW only TMTR, a Mini-Miser's Dream RX retuned to 30M, and a 6M to 30M RX
converter.  That was an all CW deal and I worked a guy, for over an hour,
who just got the TX up and running.

How about that?  Not only CW on 50mc but a RCC certificate too!

Michael, MNHopkins at JUNO.com, ab5L
Student of Tecraft, ICM and 6 Meter's Golden Age: 1956-58


> The 620 is not a bad rig; it has SSB, CW and AM.....BUT it does not 
> have FM....and no rptr offset for those wanting true allmode...also no 
> squelch IIRC......$200 though would get you a used Ranger DX-5054
allmode 
>radio with squelch!  And much smaller than the 620B
>