This week I have started the search for a suitable HF transceiver to obtain when the house is nearly finished and I get a station licence. A daunting task. Things in the electronics / radio world have moved on a bit (to say the least) since I was last active.
I have been reading reviews and watching you tube videos and am amazed at all the acronyms and features relating to the new rigs that are totally alien to me. SDR, Roofing Filters, HRDDS (High Resolution Direct Digital Synthesizer), 3DSS (3-Dimensional Spectrum Stream), MPVD (Multi-Purpose VFO Outer Dial), QMB (Quick Memory Bank) and loads more. I was brought up on crystal oscillators, super heterodyne receivers and so on.
Google search has been my teacher and now I think I am up to speed.
The problem is that in Thailand you cannot import any old rig unless you have an import licence and once imported have the rig examined by the National Broadcasting and Telecoms Commission. This adds quite a bit to the cost of the rig so I will be looking to buy one that has already been imported into Thailand. There seems to be 2 companies in Bangkok that might be able to help.
The Tenmeter Shop and G. Simon Radio - both sell imported Icom and or Yaesu rigs for the HF bands and are located in Bangkok. There are other similar shops but they seem to only sell vhf / uhf equipment which is not what I want.
My choice, if available, is the Yaesu FTDX 10. All the reviews I have read, and watched, give the impression that there is very little between the Icom 7300, the Yaesu FT710 and Yaesu FTDX 10, apart from personal choices regarding control layout, menus etc. I have not bothered looking at the higher priced rigs as they are way off my budget.