Who all be a HAM operator here?

[desmocat]

I was thinking about getting into amateur radio.
I did some research and found out getting your Technician license is not as hard as it used to be. (no CW, aka morse code), but to get more privlidges, you can do like a 5 WPM test to get HF rights.
I was looking at several radios and was wondering what ya'll thought about these:

ICOM IC- 2720H (Dual band)

Yaesu FT-8900R (Quad band! )

Or maybe a Kenwood or Alinco dual bander.

I have read many good things about all the above brands, but wanted some real world/user input as well.
Also, where are some good places to shop for the best deals?
Fire away. Thanks.

[Shawn711]

I would say a good place to start is finding out about local hamfests, as you can find some good deals there on used or slightly used equipment as well as good information from other hams on equipment.....most hams are more than willing to help in anyway possible.........also check for a local club for meetings as you can find out valuable info there as well.......... Ham Radio Outlet usually has some decent deals www.hamradio.com .........
I agree, Yaesu, ICOM, Kenwood, and Alinco all make decent equipment......usually quality would be ranked in that order, as well as the price of similar equipment....

Shawn
N3WMY

[vass0922]

http://www.techimo.com/forum/showthr...threadid=49515
for more answers