Page 1 of 1

My first HF radio

PostPosted: Sat Mar 29, 2014 5:57 pm
by PhoneMan
So, I've been a ham since June of '12, got my General in August of '13, and have been meaning to get started with HF, but couldn't afford a decent HF radio.
Well, now I have one!
IMG_0108.JPG

It's a Ten Tec Paragon. now I need to build an antenna and get started on DXing. I bought the radio, it's power supply, the tuner, a separate 13v power supply, a Kenwood 2 meter mobile, a Vibroplex "bug" key, and a computer interface for a very reasonable price.

Re: My first HF radio

PostPosted: Sat Mar 29, 2014 8:13 pm
by nsquidc
Congrats! Hope to hear you on the air. If you need any advice on the antenna, feel free to ask!

Re: My first HF radio

PostPosted: Sat Mar 29, 2014 9:08 pm
by PhoneMan
nsquidc, thanks. I have several I'm going to build, and also have an "Antron 99" from my CB days that I plan to use on 10-17 meter.

Re: My first HF radio

PostPosted: Sun Mar 30, 2014 7:12 am
by nsquidc
Do you like CW? The Paragon is a great rig and will serve you well. At 100 watts though, unless you have an awesome antenna, you'll have a hard time getting outside the continental U.S. without CW.

CW really is your ticket to the world :)

Re: My first HF radio

PostPosted: Sun Mar 30, 2014 2:53 pm
by PhoneMan
I've been using my Antron 99 antenna on SSB and got a few contest stations in the Cayman Islands, Iceland and Croatia, as well as a few US based ones.
I'm not good with CW, but I intend to learn.
With my current antenna, I can get it tuned on 10-20 meters. I pan to build a dipole for 160 too.