HF Radio for Emergencies

Cris Schroeder

Cris Schroeder

EF2
Joined
Jan 7, 2007
Messages
145
Location
Clearwater, KS
I'm planning some upgrades to my chase vehicle for next year. We spend quite a bit of time out in the sticks, aside from chasing, and I'd like some means of long-range communication. I have my Yaesu 2m setup but am considering adding HF capability for when I'm out of repeater range.

The Yaesu FT-8900 has 6- and 10-meter capability, but honestly I've never heard another ham on 10 meters...SSB or FM. If I ever needed to reach help, 20 meters seems to be the ticket but I don't want to buy a $500+ transceiver for just-in-case.

Anybody have any recommendations? Ideally I'd like to find a single-band 20 meter SSB transceiver with 50-100 watts of output. So far I'm striking out.
 
For relying on a rig for emergency use in a vehicle, a Yaesu FT-897 would be my choice. I’ve heard nothing but good things about it. I wouldn’t have any qualms about buying one used on eBay or from a dealer, so that could save you some $$.
 
The FT-8900 is an FM-only radio, so that will not be of any useful help. I'd consider an FT-857/897 or Icom IC-706g type radio, along with a proper antenna. You can also use it as a receiver while on the road to hear HF SSB, MW AM and broadcast AM to pass the time.
 
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