Question from a newbie on the Yaesu FT990 and inaccessible bands
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| Mar 9th 2013, 09:39 | |
KZ8KZOTotal Topics: 0 Total Posts: 0 |
Hello all. Marty from Kalamazoo MI here. KZ8 KZO I have a technician level permit, and have spent all my beer money to buy a Yaesu FT-990. It appears to me that this unit will only operate (for me as technician grade and NOT a CW user) in the 80m, 40m, 15m and 10m bands. Only 10m allows voice, and that's a mighty fine slice of 200 mhz that no one seems to be on. I can do voice on the 6m > 23cm bands, but this "great radio" stops at 30mhz. Soooooooooooo ... 6 of the 7 bands I'm allowed to operate on are not accessable on this radio. I'm disappointed and frustrated. All at the same time. Do I need another radio ? Direct reply at martyspaulding@gmail.com is appreciated as I don't visit this site daily. Marty KZ8 KZO |
| Mar 9th 2013, 17:50 | |
W1VTSuper Moderator Total Topics: 0 Total Posts: 0 |
Hi Marty, Depends on what you want to do--10M is the only DX or distance band available for Techs to operate voice. Problem is, that the solar activity has been so low that most band openings are in the middle of the day--awfully inconvenient for folks who have day jobs. 2M or 70 cm FM is better suited for local emergency communications work. Upgrading to General is a good idea if you want to operate where most HF voice activity occurs. If you are really lucky 6M opens up for DX, but for most folks, finding 6 open is even harder than finding 10 meters to be open. Zack Lau W1VT ARRL Senior Lab Engineer |
| Mar 21st 2013, 20:51 | |
n1rndTotal Topics: 0 Total Posts: 0 |
Welcome to the Ham ranks Marty. I'm not trying to talk down to you, but it seems that your not to well versed on how the available spectrum works. That's okay, it will come from experience. I'd keep the 990, its a great HF rig. Even by todays standards. I've had mine since it was new and love it. Plus if you really get into the hobby, you will want to upgrade to General. Then you can use all of the HF ability of that rig. Feel free to ask more questions. Dave, n1rnd |
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