A while back, I got to thinking of all the different radios and accessories that I have owned over the years and started looking for pictures of those radios. The following is a list with pictures and approximate chronological order of when I owned them. There are a number of radios on HF and VHF/UHF that I could not find photos of or I have just flat forgotten that I owned over the years. This list does cover a period of 45 years as a licensed amateur operator!
2018
My main radio is now a Yaesu FTdx-3000, Heathkit SB200 Amplifier and MFJ -989D tuner. I use as FT7900r for 146-442MHz. My mobile is a Yaesu FT857d, and a FT-8900r.
2014 to 2017
My present fixed station is a Yaesu FT-1000D transceiver with a Yaesu MD-100 microphone. I obtained this particular radio in an estate purchase. It has been hit by an EMP induced by lightning. I finally found someone to repair this radio and it is now my main rig. I use the SP-5/LL5 with it. I have not been able to locate original Yaesu cables for the LL-5. Guess I'll probably make some alnog the way. I also have a Vibroplex Iambic key for the keyer in the FT-1000d. The FT-650 was purchased in August after a long period of looking. Produced at the same time as my FT1000d, is uses the same receiver design as my FT1000d, and has an output of 100 watts. I have an SP-6 Speaker (not pictured) for this radio. For 2m/440 I have an old Alinco dr-600t, an Anytone 5888, and for GMRS, I have a Maxon 4450. A Uniden BC350C scans the county VFD and SO frequencies. Most of my accessories such as external tuners, mics, antenna switches, 13.5 vdc power supplies, etc are made by MFJ. I use a Dell laptop for logging, etc.
My present mobile equipment in my Titan, the vehicle I use for camping, travel, every day on my rural property, and weather chasing and is a Yaesu FT-857d, remote mounted with an ATAS-120A antenna for HF thru 6 meters, and as an additional 146 Mhz and 432/440 Mhz transceiver. A Yaesu FT-7900r hooked to a MFJ dual band mobile antenna is the primary VHF/UHF radio. My Any Tone AT-5888 UV transceiver is for GMRS, commercial land mobile, and a mobile amateur radio cross band repeater for when I am on foot in a rural area. I have two Wouxon KG-UV6D 2.5's for VFD, SO, GMRS, and amateur in one hand held radio.
In my Quest, I am using Yaesu FT7900R For 144/442 MHz. The Yaesu FT-690 r11 and the Ranger are installed in my Quest.
My wife's Chevy Uplander has a Yaesu FT-7900r with an MFJ mobile antenna.
Now for my radio history prior to my present station
1963: 1st Novice station:
Hallicrafters S-108 rcvr Johnson Adventurer xmtr
Early 1964: 2nd Novice station
Hammarlund HQ-110C rcvr Hallicrafters HT-40 xmtr]
1966/1967: 1st Technician/General station
Hallicrafters SR-146 6m AM transceiver with HA26 VFO
1967: My first HF SSB station.
National NC-303 Receiver Gonset GSB-100 transmitter
I added a an Ameco 6M converter to the receiver and a Heathkit HX-10 6m Phasing SSB xmtr in 1968.
1969:
I traded HF transmitters for a Hammarlund HX-50. I also purchased a WRL DuoBander 84 for 75m and 40m mobile with a home brew Texas Bug catcher that was apx 12ft long.
HX-50 DuoBander 84
1969 also saw the first use of 2m FM when I purchased an old Motorola 80D single channel VHF mobile. Over the years, I converted a number of Motorola Low and High Band Land Mobile remote mount transceivers to 6m and 2m repeaters.
circa 1971
Purchased a Regency HR-2A for mobile and a Swan 12 channel mobile for the the fixed station.
I also traded off my trusty NC-303 (one of the really big mistakes I ever made!) and Hammarlund HX-50 for an SBE-34 xcvr. This transceiver was a good performing transceiver but it lacked CW, both in its mode selection and its VFO. That eventually played a part in trading it off on a Hallicrafters transmitter and receiver.
1973
I purchased a Hallicrafters SX-146 and HT-46 HF SSB/CW station. This was a very good operating radio pair, probably much better than most people thought!
1974
I added to my station with a Swan MB-40A. This was another big mistake I made. This particular radio came in with no serial number attached or etched on it. I had to send it back to the factory several times and on one trip back it came back with a serial number tag on it of 00001. This radio, when it worked right, was a great little radio, but it could be a bit fickle at times! I traded this radio and my Hallicrafters on a Yaesu FT-101E! I wish I had kept this radio!
1978
I started collecting my Yaesu FT-101E line and eventually had the full line of equipment except for the scope and the phone patch/speaker!
I owned my Yaesu equipment for about 14 years or so until it was fried by lightening along with my computer network!
circa 1993
I ended up selling the entire Yaesu station after it was fried by lightening for a down payment on my TS-690S Kenwood transceiver. This was my HF and 6m SSB station until the lightening hit again in July of 2007 and the transmitter suffered damage that was not repairable at a reasonable price! The receiver was not damaged and the radio now is a general coverage receiver for 1Mhz - 54Mhz. I would like to purchase a TS-690s that has a non-working receiver with a working transmitter so that I can make a receiver/transmitter station of the two radios. if you have one of the radios with a non-working receiver and working transmitter and want to sell it a a reasonable price, please send me and email.
FALL 2007
I started collecting the Drake station in the Fall of 2007. My antennas and house took a direct lightening hit in July of 2007. The total bill came to over $13000 in damage to my computer network, amateur radio equipment, and house. When I started collecting my present station, I had a really strong desire to go back to older equipment that had old fashioned tubes, meters, and analog tuning. The old desire to own the radio station I had wanted since I first laid my hands on the receiver at a local ham outlet came out and I ended up purchasing that equipment over EBAY.
I also purchased a AC-3, AC-4, and MS-4 speaker. The microphone I still owned from 40 years ago is a Turner S-33D. It still works great. I now have somewhere around $1100 tied up in 30 year old equipment. It's been more expensive that I had planned --BUT-- in a rough comparison between my FT-857d, my TS-690S, and the Drake R-4C, I think the Drake out performs the Yaesu and Kenwood receivers, and I really love the analog VFO verses the digital VFO's! The R4C also has a much better sounding audio on its MS-4 speaker verse the FT-857d and TS-690S on a GE MasterProg mobile speakers that is very efficient mobile speakers.
Dec, 2009
In Dec, 2009, I added a Kenwood TS-520s to my station. It had sat on a fellow employee's closet shelf for more than 10 years after his father passed away and he sold it to me at a very reasonable price. It looked brand new on the outside, and when I opened it up, after blowing a little dust out, looked brand new on the inside! When I hooked it up to an antenna, it performed brand new! I sold this equipment on Ebay in early 2011 after I purchased my present FT-1000D in 2010 in an estate purchase.
VHF and UHF FM
There were a number of other radios in between for mostly mobile use on 10m SSB, 2m FM, and 440 FM. A few are pictured below:
My First 2 Meter handheld transceiver had 2 channels and about 2 watts output! I had the smaller version of the two Motorola transceivers shown below.