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Minimum $$ investment to become a HAM?

A

AppleSeeds

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If you're starting with nothing (no equipment/no training), what's the minimum one would have to put down to get into HAM reasonably? If anyone has a list of equipment that they think is essential with rough prices, that would be much appreciated.
 
I am in the same boat. I recently got my license for marine radio (GMDSS) and what I am told is the amateur license is not much more difficult. I have a new house with a couple of empty rooms that scream "shack" potential.
 
Depends on your goals a bit. If you want to talk locally/regionally, then if you buy used and are frugal you can be in for <$200 in hardware.

If you want to talk around the world I'd say a minimum is about $500 and can easily climb to $1500 if you get everything new and get some bells and whistles.

If you allow yourself, you can spend $10k+... kind of like guns!
 
Thanks Matt, I think I'd start local/regional. What should I/could I buy with a budget of say $250 to start?
 
Here's what I did...if this helps.

I'm new to this...just got my ticket in December. Here's what I spent to get ready.

I picked up a HT (Handheld) new from HRO - 178.00 Shipped to my house.
External Antenna from eBay for my car that I can hook up to my HT for when I'm on the road. 25.00 shipped to my house.

You could stop there...but I also wanted to talk to people at home.

I picked up a used Yaseu FT-1802 2m moble for 75 dollars used on Craigs list
I picked up a used Astron 12A Powersupply used from HRO's Used list for 40 dollars shipped to my house.

Someone gave me coax and an Antenna for free.

So, to start I was in the hobby for 318 dollars.

But, I spent a lot of time fishing for equipment. Remember, you can buy all this stuff before you have a license... So start early and you have time to get good deals.
 
Anywhere from (The licensing fee) to sky's the limit. Hams are notorious cheapkates.

That said, bear in mind you don't get what you didn't pay for. Crappy gear will often come back to bite you in the ass down
the road.

It is addictive to buy more gear, etc.

The only consolation is that once you're "established" gear wise the recurring costs plummet. There's no ammo to buy, just batteries for the HT and antennas to buy if you burn them out or destroy them. For home antennas you can build a lot of antennas or repair your own. Most good gear will last for a long time.

-Mike
 
Anywhere from (The licensing fee) to sky's the limit. Hams are notorious cheapkates.

That said, bear in mind you don't get what you didn't pay for. Crappy gear will often come back to bite you in the ass down
the road.

It is addictive to buy more gear, etc.

The only consolation is that once you're "established" gear wise the recurring costs plummet. There's no ammo to buy, just batteries for the HT and antennas to buy if you burn them out or destroy them. For home antennas you can build a lot of antennas or repair your own. Most good gear will last for a long time.

-Mike
 
Minimum? That's $15 for your license. Some people have free old gear they give away. Or you could actually build your own from scratch or old TV parts:



But you can get used gear cheap....

Or a new handheld radio (hams call them "HT" for Handheld Tranceiver or "Handi-talkie") for 2M are available about $110 on up.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
C-Pher - thanks for the information. I am probably going to get in touch with HRO
drgrant - thanks as well, I need to learn about antennas. I didn't realize they could burn out

R1ch -
Thanks, I had a good idea of what HT stood for, but wasn't 100% sure.

I understand the basics but what's the output rating of an HT versus a base unit? How far is an HT really going to allow me to talk, or is all in the antenna?
 
AppleSeeds said:
C-Pher - thanks for the information. I am probably going to get in touch with HRO
drgrant - thanks as well, I need to learn about antennas. I didn't realize they could burn out

R1ch -
Thanks, I had a good idea of what HT stood for, but wasn't 100% sure.

I understand the basics but what's the output rating of an HT versus a base unit? How far is an HT really going to allow me to talk, or is all in the antenna?[/QUOTE

It' s actually more dependent on the quality and location of the repeater you're trying to access. Of course, the antenna on your HT does make a difference, but on certain machines from certain locations, it's not unusual to be able to access a repeater using 5 watts or less 15 to 20 miles away.
Click to expand...
 
Ah, thanks Mark. I feel I once happened upon a way to determine what repeaters were around? Who operates them? Would they be likely to be down in an emergency?
 
Someone posted this awesome link that shows a map of repeaters in a given area by mode.

Not all do, but many repeaters are set up with emergency power sources that kick in like UPS's and keet the machines up for varying amounts of time -- some for days on end.
 
Thanks Mark. I seem remember finding a site that allows you to find repeaters and tell how far away they are? Who runs the repeaters? Would they be soemthing that is likely to be operational in case of an emergency?
 
Thanks for the help.

So on repeaters, I remember seeing you can lookup where the repeaters are? Who runs the repeaters? Would the be reliable in an emergency?

Is there kind of a "go-to" first model for HT and for a base unit that are a great value for the money in terms of being able to grow into it?
 
I just went through the same thing. They have brand new 2 meter rigs at HRO for only about $140. Add a power supply to that and an antenna and you'll easily be up and running for less than $250. The dual band radios are about $250 and they can be had used for under $200.
 
AppleSeeds said:
Thanks for the help.

So on repeaters, I remember seeing you can lookup where the repeaters are? Who runs the repeaters? Would the be reliable in an emergency?

Is there kind of a "go-to" first model for HT and for a base unit that are a great value for the money in terms of being able to grow into it?
Click to expand...

Here is a list of most New England repeaters:
http://www.nerepeaters.com/

They are mostly run by clubs. Some require you to be a member. Others are run by individuals (I run one myself).

As to your first, you have to decide what type of operating you want to do. HT's work only very well at close range unless you connect them to an external antenna.
 
I had said in another thread...I can pretty much talk to the Scituate RI repeater almost all the way to Norwood, MA on my HT with an external Antenna.

Crappy picture, but this is the external mag mount that I use on my HT in the car.

IMG00069.jpg
 
I have this issue and now that I am a little older I have identified it. I buy into a hobby kind of on the cheap not really knowing what I am looking for and then once I figure it out I immediately sink an ass ton of money into new gear because the gear I started with isn't cutting it for me anymore.

Is this hobby like that? Should I spend more money up front and get something a little more advanced or if I do buy one of these HT's is that something I will always need and use?

Sorry to bring it back, for some reason my subscription to this thread didn't remind to pay attention to it.
 

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