Buying guides
Read one of these before you buy. They cover checking a used rig from the listing photos to the first contact, choosing a first HF transceiver, vintage tube gear, the power supply a rig needs, and licenses and mods. New to used radios? Start with how to check one.
How to check a used ham radio before you buy
What to check on a used ham radio: power into a dummy load, receive on every band, finals, PLL and dial faults, filters, mods, supply, mic and shipping.
Read the guide →Choosing a used HF transceiver for your first station
How to pick a used HF rig for a first station: what your license allows, built-in tuner or not, a band scope, the 13.8 V supply you'll need, and the models.
Read the guide →Buying vintage tube ham gear: Heathkit, Drake and Hallicrafters
Heathkit, Drake and Hallicrafters tube gear: kit build quality, old capacitors and first power-up, tubes, matching supplies, dials and VFO drift, and shipping.
Read the guide →What power supply does a used ham radio need?
What a used ham rig runs on: 13.8 V DC and the current 100 W rigs draw, linear vs switching supplies, built-in AC supplies, tube supplies and amplifiers.
Read the guide →Ham radio licenses, MARS mods and buying a rig you can use
Buying and listening vs transmitting, the three US license classes and what HF each gets, call signs, licensing abroad, MARS and CAP mods, receive-only sets.
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