[Spooks] equipment

[Chris Smolinski]

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>If you want to get your foot in the door, an analog receiver for a couple
>dollars is adequate.  25 feet of wire is more than enough even for deaf tube
>receivers.  After you get your feet wet you may want to upgrade to more
>expensive rig.  I notice every time most of the people miss the facts:
>
>1.  Just started
>
>2.  Don't know anything
>
>3.  No money
>
>Get your hands on what you can for as little as possible.

I strongly agree with the above. I started with an analog desktop 
radio (DX-160). Actually I had an analog portable (gasp!) for a month 
before that. I agree that if you're just starting in the hobby, you 
probably can't (or shouldn't) spend a lot of money before you decide 
if you want to continue in the habby.

IMHO, however, I think that a given amount of money can be better 
spent on say a used communications (desktop) receiver over a new 
portable radio. Even an analog communications receiver (if it has 
good and accurate tuning) might be "better".


I'll point one one thing that costs very little, and is far more 
important that what kind of receiver you have - what kind of 
*antenna* do you have? We all know that the best receiver in the 
world is terrible with a lousy antenna. For just a few dollars 
(barring any restrictions on outside antennas) you can toss up a 
100ft longwire, which will generally blow away reception using a whip 
antenna. Which brings on one beef I have with portables - most of 
them overload when you connect an external antenna up to them.

I'm assuming that folks on this list don't want to listen to the BBC, 
they want to hear numbers stations. And if you're here in the USA, 
then besides V2 and a few of the E10 skeds, and maybe E3, you are 
going to need a fairly decent receiver and antenna to pick much up. 
Can you pick up other numbers stations with a portable? Sure, you 
probably can. when conditions are just right. But it is going to be a 
much more difficult talk.

While I am not trying to encourage the newcomer to spend $1k on a 
radio, I also don't want him to have false expectations of what 
stations he is going to pick up with a portable radio and whip 
antenna.

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Chris Smolinski
Black Cat Systems
http://www.blackcatsystems.com