{"id":443,"date":"2018-03-17T11:19:40","date_gmt":"2018-03-17T18:19:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ad6dm.net\/log\/?p=443"},"modified":"2018-03-17T12:40:17","modified_gmt":"2018-03-17T19:40:17","slug":"choosing-the-next-rig","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ad6dm.net\/log\/2018\/03\/choosing-the-next-rig\/","title":{"rendered":"Choosing the Next Rig"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In my quest to find the next portable rig (I already decided), I made a comparison sheet with stats about the various rigs I was considering.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/spreadsheets\/d\/1-05xnPdeplKfqS171KpGEEMeiUDslMD-C3kVyxZ3aCY\/edit?usp=sharing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Here is my portable rig matrix<\/a> (including handhelds). Hopefully this list could be of help to others.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/spreadsheets\/d\/e\/2PACX-1vQHYtMVOnKztSPuBLFLTWXmVF0qWzRL31Ibtmmmuch8_Nn5fDwULnnoRU7Pg4RRkwY2VlKvh9TXQmix\/pubhtml?widget=true&amp;headers=false\" width=\"768\" height=\"500\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Bear in mind, I had specific goals in this rig evaluation:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Portability of station setup<\/li>\n<li>Ease of use in multiple modes<\/li>\n<li>CW practice wherever I was<\/li>\n<li>Expansion of my amateur radio capabilities into other modes, e.g. APRS, packet, digital HF, base and mobile antenna improvement<\/li>\n<li>Versatility and integration with my existing setup<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>While I was dead set on getting the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.elecraft.com\/KX3\/kx3.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Elecraft KX3<\/a> fully loaded, I decided that if reining in the budget, a single QRP rig was not worth all the other gear (antenna ideas) that I wanted to invest in. So I went with my second choice, the RS-918SSB mcHF v0.6 clone &#8220;Recent\/Risecomm&#8221; RS-918SSB. It was a tie with the Xiegu X5105, <em>but that mcHF screen!<\/em><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_444\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-444\" style=\"width: 768px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ad6dm.net\/log\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/IMG_5734.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"444\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/ad6dm.net\/log\/2018\/03\/choosing-the-next-rig\/img_5734\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ad6dm.net\/log\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/IMG_5734.jpg?fit=4032%2C3024&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"4032,3024\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 7 Plus&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1519763105&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;3.99&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;125&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.25&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"New RS-918SSB\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;A shiny new mcHF clone.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ad6dm.net\/log\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/IMG_5734.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"wp-image-444 \" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ad6dm.net\/log\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/IMG_5734.jpg?resize=768%2C576&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"New RS-918SSB\" width=\"768\" height=\"576\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ad6dm.net\/log\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/IMG_5734.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ad6dm.net\/log\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/IMG_5734.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ad6dm.net\/log\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/IMG_5734.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ad6dm.net\/log\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/IMG_5734.jpg?w=2320&amp;ssl=1 2320w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ad6dm.net\/log\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/IMG_5734.jpg?w=3480&amp;ssl=1 3480w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-444\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shiny new mcHF clone.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I am fully aware of the politics behind this radio but found that the original <a href=\"http:\/\/www.m0nka.co.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">m0nka<\/a> v0.6 kit is no longer available. He&#8217;s focusing on <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/tuCEDr4nG4A\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">an entirely different form factor<\/a> that does not appeal to me.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, I was able to save that money to acquire lots of other imporant items: a couple of hamsticks, a shiny new Kenwood DH-TH74A for APRS and D-Star work, a mini paddle key from American Morse, and a Bioenno LiFePO4 battery with solar controller and 2A LiFePO4 charger. I also ordered a military pole 36ft portable mast for my field and base station plans. All this and more by exercising a little bit of frugality against my Elecraft lust.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_446\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-446\" style=\"width: 768px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ad6dm.net\/log\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/IMG_9133-1.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"446\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/ad6dm.net\/log\/2018\/03\/choosing-the-next-rig\/img_9133-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ad6dm.net\/log\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/IMG_9133-1.jpg?fit=2578%2C3439&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2578,3439\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 7 Plus&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1521243107&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;3.99&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;160&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.25&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Kenwood TH-D74A and California Bourbon\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ad6dm.net\/log\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/IMG_9133-1.jpg?fit=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"wp-image-446 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ad6dm.net\/log\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/IMG_9133-1.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Kenwood TH-D74A and California Bourbon\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ad6dm.net\/log\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/IMG_9133-1.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ad6dm.net\/log\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/IMG_9133-1.jpg?resize=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1 225w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ad6dm.net\/log\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/IMG_9133-1.jpg?w=2320&amp;ssl=1 2320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-446\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kenwood TH-D74A and Bourbon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I was also able to get a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.smileyantenna.com\/category-s\/1824.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Smiley Antenna Tri-band Whip<\/a> antenna for the Kenwood, which enables amazing 220 resonance in addition to great gain on 440 and solid performance on 2 meters. (For when I am not attaching the Kenwood to my car mobile antenna.)<\/p>\n<p>All in all, it was an exercise in cost-benefit analysis. I had certain goals, e.g. to get a primary APRS mobile setup while commuting, and also a very portable &#8220;EDC&#8221; (everyday carry) HF rig.<\/p>\n<p>While the KX3 is in a class of its own with regard to receive filtering, modularity, and overall quality of radio, I thought I could live with a rig in equal (or smaller) size that enabled me to get on the air with more watts (15w vs. 10 on the KX3), a sweet touchscreen color display with much more info, daily CW practice without having to lug around my FT-857D, and less than a quarter of the price of the KX3 (picked it up for $450 with shipping vs. $2000 quoted from Elecraft website).<\/p>\n<p>And with this, I&#8217;m now on D-Star, a digital mode I wanted to know more about, am able to work packet (via KISS bluetooth or USB on the Kenwoond TH-D74A), explore Winlink, ultimately get out there and work stations&#8211; on 2 more rigs with supporting gear!<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s so cool to be positioning with APRS, and so far have made 300+ mile CW contacts from a crowded parking lot on 40m CW.<\/p>\n<p>And with about $800 to spare!<\/p>\n<p>So you tell me&#8230; Did I make the right choice? I&#8217;ve always heard it said that QRP is a luxury once you get your &#8220;real rig&#8221; established. In an EMCOMM situation. you&#8217;ll wish you had that extra power. I tried to choose the most versatility with the options before me.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe one day I may still get the KX3. But it will be after gaining much wisdom having explored so many other aspects of ham radio.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1160\" height=\"653\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sM4PY5-js5o?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In my quest to find the next portable rig (I already decided), I made a comparison sheet with stats about the various rigs I was considering. Here is my portable rig matrix (including handhelds). Hopefully this list could be of help to others. \ufeff\ufeff Bear in mind, I had specific goals in this rig evaluation: Portability of station setup Ease of use in multiple modes CW practice wherever I was Expansion of my amateur radio capabilities into other modes, e.g. APRS, packet, digital HF, base and mobile antenna improvement Versatility and integration with my existing setup While I was dead set on getting the Elecraft KX3 fully loaded, I decided&hellip; <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/ad6dm.net\/log\/2018\/03\/choosing-the-next-rig\/\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[8,9,6],"tags":[14,29,15,27,23,36,28],"class_list":["post-443","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-antennas","category-rigs","category-ssb","tag-aprs","tag-cw","tag-digital","tag-dx","tag-hf","tag-rig","tag-vhf"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9naFX-79","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":773,"url":"https:\/\/ad6dm.net\/log\/2019\/03\/the-other-side-of-sota-failed-chasing\/","url_meta":{"origin":443,"position":0},"title":"The Other Side of SOTA: Failed Chasing","author":"AD6DM","date":"March 25, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"In today's episode, I go on my typical Lunch Time on the Air\u2122 (LTOTA) during my lunch hour at work in Rancho Cordova, and I fail at chasing two of my friends activating Summits on the Air (SOTA): - Jose K6HZR activating San Juan Hill (1 pt) W6\/CT-230 - Scott\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Contesting&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Contesting","link":"https:\/\/ad6dm.net\/log\/category\/contesting\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1,"url":"https:\/\/ad6dm.net\/log\/2017\/10\/hello-world\/","url_meta":{"origin":443,"position":1},"title":"Hello world!","author":"kf6ujs","date":"October 17, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Hi folks! I got into ham radio in 1999, but mostly just worked in VHF hitting SF Bay Area repeaters on 2 meters. I wanted ultimate portability, but never knew what it would be like to have a powerful rig. In 2017 (yes, 18 years later of my handheld talkies\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Learning\"","block_context":{"text":"Learning","link":"https:\/\/ad6dm.net\/log\/tag\/learning\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":684,"url":"https:\/\/ad6dm.net\/log\/2018\/12\/projects-2018\/","url_meta":{"origin":443,"position":2},"title":"Projects 2018","author":"AD6DM","date":"December 31, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"This past year was an eventful ham radio one. As I begin to look ahead to goals and daydreams of 2019, it's always good to not expect the past to be the norm, but to take a moment and appreciate all the stuff that's happened good and bad. Thinking back,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Elmer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Elmer","link":"https:\/\/ad6dm.net\/log\/category\/elmer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ad6dm.net\/log\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Southwest_050216.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ad6dm.net\/log\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Southwest_050216.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ad6dm.net\/log\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Southwest_050216.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":394,"url":"https:\/\/ad6dm.net\/log\/2018\/02\/wiring-a-cw-paddle\/","url_meta":{"origin":443,"position":3},"title":"Wiring a CW Paddle","author":"AD6DM","date":"February 23, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Many HF transceivers use a stereo jack for the internal electronic keyer. Some have a 1\/4\" jack, others have a 3.5mm jack. This is a note on how most of these are wired to a CW paddle. On a TRS cable (tip ring sleeve 3.5mm) Red: tip (left, dit) White:\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;CW&quot;","block_context":{"text":"CW","link":"https:\/\/ad6dm.net\/log\/category\/cw\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A 3.5mm TRS cable","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ad6dm.net\/log\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/IMG_6595-1-1024x767.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ad6dm.net\/log\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/IMG_6595-1-1024x767.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ad6dm.net\/log\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/IMG_6595-1-1024x767.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ad6dm.net\/log\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/IMG_6595-1-1024x767.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":74,"url":"https:\/\/ad6dm.net\/log\/2017\/10\/great-california-shake-out-earthquake-drill\/","url_meta":{"origin":443,"position":4},"title":"Great California Shake-Out Earthquake Drill!","author":"kf6ujs","date":"October 19, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"It was a quick checkin on the W6SF repeater from Folsom, CA today. In participation with\u00a0The 2017 International ShakeOut Day, today Oct. 19, 2017 at 10:19am, we had a QST to check in to the drill. Most checkins had \"no damage\" but there could have been mock damage appended with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;EMCOMM&quot;","block_context":{"text":"EMCOMM","link":"https:\/\/ad6dm.net\/log\/category\/emcomm\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1344,"url":"https:\/\/ad6dm.net\/log\/2023\/01\/which-first-ham-radio\/","url_meta":{"origin":443,"position":5},"title":"Which First Ham Radio?","author":"AD6DM","date":"January 20, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Getting into amateur radio these days is much like merging onto a freeway. If you hesitate in the on-ramp you might just pull over to the shoulder and watch all the traffic speed by while you sit there indecisively. But taking the metaphor further, you need to even select your\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ad6dm.net\/log\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/IMG_5668-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ad6dm.net\/log\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/443","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ad6dm.net\/log\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ad6dm.net\/log\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ad6dm.net\/log\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ad6dm.net\/log\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=443"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/ad6dm.net\/log\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/443\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":455,"href":"https:\/\/ad6dm.net\/log\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/443\/revisions\/455"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ad6dm.net\/log\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=443"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ad6dm.net\/log\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=443"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ad6dm.net\/log\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=443"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}