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  • Hams on the Cheap

    From Mortar M.@1:124/5016 to Daryl Stout on Wed Dec 3 12:14:52 2025
    Re: Re: The PCL Net
    By: jimmy anderson to Daryl Stout on Tue Dec 02 2025 11:15:44

    Hams are frugal cheapskates, after all.

    Guess it depends on your perspective. Considering the cheapest desktop HF rig I've seen is ~$500 US, and that's bare-bones, you're not exactly starting out in the bargain basement. Wnat an SDR desktop like the IC-7300, then your looking at a grand! Then there's the antennae, possibly a tower and/or amp, and it goes from there.

    Great hobby, but not a cheap one. It's no wonder most the hams I've listened to were had professional careers before they retired.
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  • From Jimmy Anderson@1:396/45 to Mortar M. on Wed Dec 3 22:17:00 2025
    Mortar M. wrote to Daryl Stout <=-

    Hams are frugal cheapskates, after all.

    Guess it depends on your perspective. Considering the
    cheapest desktop HF rig I've seen is ~$500 US, and that's
    bare-bones, you're not exactly starting out in the bargain
    basement. Wnat an SDR desktop like the IC-7300, then your
    looking at a grand! Then there's the antennae, possibly a
    tower and/or amp, and it goes from there.

    Great hobby, but not a cheap one. It's no wonder most the
    hams I've listened to were had professional careers before
    they retired.

    Makes 2m/440 much cheaper - but more limited of course...



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    * Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS-Huntsville,AL-bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)