Jump to content

How to choose your first HF radio

From HamWiki
How to choose your first HF radio
License neededIn the US, Technician for limited HF and General or higher for most HF voice; other countries differ
TimeA few weeks of reading, listening and comparing
Skill levelBeginner
You will needA budget that covers the antenna, feed line and power supply as well as the radio
Typical 100-watt radio
Power input13.8 volts DC, about 21 to 23 amps on transmit
Useful featuresBuilt-in antenna tuner, USB audio and control, adjustable DSP filters

How to choose your first HF radio helps a newcomer pick a first transceiver for the HF bands, where a modest station can talk across a country or around the world. An HF radio, usually called an HF transceiver, is a transmitter and receiver in one box covering the high-frequency range, 3 to 30 MHz.[1] The right radio depends on your license, where you will operate, the modes you want and your budget. This guide compares types of radio rather than recommending models; for putting the station together, see How to set up your first HF station.

Before you start

  • Know how far HF reaches. Close in, HF travels as ground wave, which fades out within about 100 km (60 miles) over land. Farther out, signals are bent back to earth by the ionosphere; one hop can reach roughly 3,200 km (2,000 miles), and several hops carry a signal around the world. Daylight supports the higher frequencies, while the lower bands work best at night.[1] See Radio propagation.
  • Know where the sun is in its cycle. HF conditions follow the roughly 11-year solar cycle. Solar Cycle 25 peaked in October 2024, and forecasts since then show a downward trend.[2] As activity falls, 10 and 12 meters, and later 15 and 17 meters, open less often, so a first radio should cover the lower bands too.
  • Listen first. Tune the bands on a WebSDR or at a club station to hear what HF sounds like.

Step by step

  1. Check your license privileges. Transmitting needs the right license. In the US, a Technician license allows only CW (Morse code) on parts of 80, 40 and 15 meters, CW and data from 28.000 to 28.300 MHz, and CW and voice from 28.300 to 28.500 MHz, at up to 200 watts PEP. The General license adds voice on most HF bands.[3] Rules differ by country. In Canada, for example, the Basic qualification covers only bands above 30 MHz; Basic with Honours (80 percent or more), the Advanced qualification or the Morse code qualification adds HF.[4] See Amateur radio licensing around the world.
  2. Decide where you will operate. A 100-watt radio for home or car is the most flexible first choice; almost all can also run low power. A portable QRP radio (5 watts or less on CW, 10 on SSB) runs from a battery at a park or campsite, but needs a good antenna and patience. A computer-based software-defined radio (SDR) is run from software on a computer or tablet rather than from knobs.
  3. Budget for the whole station. The antenna matters most: a modest radio on a good antenna beats an expensive radio on a poor one. A homemade wire antenna costs little (see How to build a dipole antenna); commercial wire antennas at one dealer ran from about $85 to over $400 as of October 2026.[5] Add coax, an SWR meter, a power supply and perhaps a tuner.
  4. Plan the power supply. Most HF radios run on 13.8 volts DC. A 100-watt radio draws about 21 to 23 amps on transmit: the Icom IC-7300MK2 and Yaesu FT-710 are rated at 21 amps, the Yaesu FT-891 at 23.[6][7][8] Choose a regulated supply whose continuous rating, not its peak rating, covers that. Supplies sold as 30-amp models cost about $130 to $230 as of October 2026; check that the 30 amps is the continuous rating.[9][10] A QRP radio needs far less; the Icom IC-705 draws at most 3 amps.[11] See Power supplies.
  5. Decide whether you need a built-in tuner. An antenna tuner matches an antenna that is not quite 50 ohms so the radio delivers full power. Built-in tuners handle modest mismatches; the IC-7300MK2's matches 16.7 to 150 ohms.[6] That suits a resonant antenna, not a random wire. Wide-range external automatic tuners match much more; the LDG AT-100ProII matches 6 to 1,000 ohms and cost about $310 as of October 2026.[12][13] Some makers also sell external tuners for radios without one. No tuner fixes a poor antenna.
  6. Check the receiver features. Modern radios use digital signal processing (DSP) to set the receive bandwidth in fine steps, with noise reduction and a notch filter. A waterfall display shows activity across the band at a glance.
  7. Check the computer connection. For digital modes such as FT8, the radio exchanges audio with a computer. Many current radios do this over one USB cable that also carries rig control; the FT-710's USB-B port, for example, carries both.[7] Some USB ports carry only control, and older radios have none, so they need an external digital mode interface.
  8. Decide on new or used. A new radio brings a warranty and current features. A used one can save a good deal, but test it: full power on every band into a dummy load, a lively receiver and working controls. Buy from a club member, a hamfest seller you can find again or a dealer that takes returns. Vintage tube boat anchors, with high voltages inside, rarely make a good first HF radio.
  9. Try before you buy. Ask an Elmer (mentor) or a local club to let you operate a few radios.
Download the manuals for every radio on your short list before you buy. Reading the transmit current, tuner range, USB functions and menus side by side makes the differences clear.

Comparing radio types

Prices are new prices from US dealers or the maker, before tax and shipping, as of October 2026. Some were temporary sale or rebate prices; regular prices are given where they differ.

Type Power Typical features New price, as of October 2026
Compact 100-watt mobile or base 100 W Small; no built-in tuner on some models About $750 to $780[8][14]
100-watt base with built-in tuner 100 W Internal tuner, spectrum display, USB audio and control About $1,000 to $1,500 on sale; $1,300 to $1,500 regular[7][6][14]
QRP portable 3 to 10 W Light, low current; kits available About $100 for a kit or $150 assembled; $1,050 to $1,400 on sale ($1,500 to $1,550 regular) for multiband all-mode radios[15][11][16][14]
Computer-based SDR Varies Controlled from software; some have no front panel About $270 for a bare board; $2,500 and up for complete radios[17][18]
Used 100-watt radio 100 W Older models may lack USB, tuner or display Varies with age and condition

The models behind these prices are examples, not recommendations: the Yaesu FT-891; the Yaesu FT-710 Field and Icom IC-7300MK2; the QRP Labs QMX kit (3 to 5 watts), Yaesu FTX-1 Field (10 watts) and Icom IC-705 (10 watts, or 5 on its battery);[15][11] and the Hermes-Lite 2 board and FlexRadio FLEX-8400.

Checklist

  • Your license covers the bands and modes you want.
  • The radio covers the bands you want; for a main radio, 80 through 10 meters.
  • Money is left for an antenna, coax and a way to measure SWR.
  • The supply's continuous rating covers the radio's transmit current.
  • You know whether you need a built-in or external tuner.
  • For digital modes, the USB port carries audio as well as control.
  • A used radio has been tested on every band before you pay.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Introduction to HF Radio Propagation, Space Weather Services, Australian Bureau of Meteorology.
  2. ↑ Solar Cycle 25 reached its maximum in October 2024, Solar-Terrestrial Centre of Excellence, March 2026.
  3. ↑ Frequency Allocations, ARRL.
  4. ↑ RIC-3: Information on the Amateur Radio Service, Issue 5, ISED, March 2022.
  5. ↑ End fed antenna search, MTC Radio, October 2026.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Icom IC-7300MK2, DX Engineering.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Yaesu FT-710-FIELD, DX Engineering.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Yaesu FT-891, DX Engineering.
  9. ↑ 30 amp power supply search, MTC Radio, October 2026.
  10. ↑ Samlex SEC-1235M, GigaParts.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 ICOM IC-705, DX Engineering.
  12. ↑ LDG AT-100ProII, DX Engineering.
  13. ↑ Automatic antenna tuner search, MTC Radio, October 2026.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 HF Radios, MTC Radio, October 2026.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 QMX, QRP Labs.
  16. ↑ IC-705 search, MTC Radio, October 2026.
  17. ↑ Hermes Lite 2, Makerfabs.
  18. ↑ Products, FlexRadio.
Retrieved from "https://hamwiki.org/index.php?title=How_to_choose_your_first_HF_radio&oldid=3037"