My Station
This is a brief description of my station. It's far from perfect and certainly nothing elaborate. After getting my license in 2009, I took advice from WB2KQG (Vinny) and purchased a rig that was easy to operate and a good value. I settled on a Yaesu FT-450 and it didn't disappoint. I've been able to break through pile-ups (operating at 100 watts or less) and it was pretty easy to set up for digital operation. I've recently purchased Yaesu's FT-950. For 2-meter operation, I have an Icom 2200H.
For my antenna, I wanted a multi-band dipole and purchased the Cobra UltraLite Jr., which maker K1JEK says has been used by U.S. Army Special Forces in Iraq. It's designed to cover 10m through 80m, though I've had success making a couple QSOs on 6m. My UltraLite is flat-topped, hanging 40 feet between two trees.
Instead of using the FT-950 internal tuner, which tunes only 3:1 SWR or better, I have an LDG AT-200Pro, which does a better job. For digital work, JT65 PSK and Feld Hell, I use Tigertronics' Signalink USB as well as KK7UQ's IMD Meter, which is used to ensure I don't overdrive my PSK signal. Both are fine additions for every ham shack.
Finally, I use Ham Radio Deluxe and Digital Master 780 as my software on a pair of monitors. There is other freeware out there but HRD, written by HB9DRV (Simon Brown), is my favorite.
For my antenna, I wanted a multi-band dipole and purchased the Cobra UltraLite Jr., which maker K1JEK says has been used by U.S. Army Special Forces in Iraq. It's designed to cover 10m through 80m, though I've had success making a couple QSOs on 6m. My UltraLite is flat-topped, hanging 40 feet between two trees.
Instead of using the FT-950 internal tuner, which tunes only 3:1 SWR or better, I have an LDG AT-200Pro, which does a better job. For digital work, JT65 PSK and Feld Hell, I use Tigertronics' Signalink USB as well as KK7UQ's IMD Meter, which is used to ensure I don't overdrive my PSK signal. Both are fine additions for every ham shack.
Finally, I use Ham Radio Deluxe and Digital Master 780 as my software on a pair of monitors. There is other freeware out there but HRD, written by HB9DRV (Simon Brown), is my favorite.