Hi folks, I want to thank everyone who offered advice, it's invaluable to a new ham like myself!
I've settled on the KX3 -- I like the fact that it's versatile enough to be a decent base station and it can go on the road with me. Plus, it seems that it has a lot of features that you generally see on more expensive rigs. The SDR aspect also appeals to me as I'm a nerd and I'd like to experiment with SDR applications on my laptop. I do software development with a masters in electrical engineering, so I'm not worried about the KX3 being overly complex. I'll figure it out eventually, I think. :D The one definite take-away which was clear to me is "it's all about the antenna". I'm considering other antennas other than the Buddipole now. The current front runner is the LNR End Fed 10/20/40 wire antenna. I like it because you tune it for 40 m and 10/20 should fall into place. Also, you can remove the supplied radiator and attach a new one to tune in other bands. It's also a heck of a lot cheaper than a Buddipole. (Not to disparage the BP -- I've read a lot of good reviews about it -- but I'd rather go with something simpler and less expensive right now.) I haven't looked into the magnetic loop antennas yet, but I'll get to that. One question though -- the LNR site said no antenna tuner is needed or recommended, which makes sense in this case. I was still considering getting the optional antenna tuner for the KX3, but can you disable it in the settings if you don't want to use it? I received about equal number of responses on either side of the 10w/100w fence. Once again, it seemed to boil down to "it won't make a lot of difference if you don't have a good antenna to start with". I'll stick with 10w for now, and I can get the 100w amp later. BTW - I plan on initially using phone as I'm still learning Morse, but I would like get to get into CW at some point. Also, I do plan on joining a local ham club. There are several in my area so that should be no problem. If they're all as friendly and accommodating as you folks, I should have no problem getting help. :) Thanks again everyone! 73 - Sean (call sign not in the ULS database yet - should be this week!!) ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
