Radios, Gear & Shack Setup

A little background: I got my Technician license about two years ago, upgraded to General last spring, and I've basically been operating from a corner of my home office that looked like a disaster zone. Radio sitting on a stack of old books, power supply balanced on the edge of the desk, coax running across the floor where I kept tripping over it. My wife was remarkably patient about it, but even I was getting annoyed at myself.

The radio itself is an ICOM IC-7300, which I saved up for over about eight months. Love that radio. But a great radio deserves a decent setup around it, and I kept half-doing things and never finishing. So a few weeks ago I decided to actually commit to a proper shack setup before winter hits and I spend more time indoors on the air.

The Desk Situation

I picked up a used L-shaped desk from Facebook Marketplace for forty bucks. Nothing fancy — it's one of those particleboard IKEA-style things — but it gave me a lot more surface to work with. I put the radio and monitors on the main section and dedicated the shorter return section to logging, my notebook, and my MFJ-993B auto-tuner. Having the tuner off to the side instead of crammed between the radio and the monitor makes a huge difference, both practically and just visually. The desk isn't pretty but it works.

One thing I did that cost almost nothing was run a length of pegboard across the wall above the desk. Picked it up at Home Depot for maybe twelve dollars. Now I have hooks for my headset, a little shelf for my SWR meter, and a spot to hang a dry-erase board where I scribble down frequencies and contest notes. If you've never used pegboard in your shack, seriously consider it. Incredibly flexible.

Power Supply and Cable Management

This was honestly the biggest headache. I'm running an Astron RS-35M, which is a solid supply but it's heavy and bulky. I ended up putting it on a small metal shelf I mounted under the main desk surface, which gets it off the desktop completely and keeps it ventilated. I ran the DC cables up through a grommet hole I cut in the desk. Not perfect, but it keeps things cleaner.

For cable management I used a combination of velcro straps and some plastic cable raceways along the back edge of the desk. Coax goes up through a hole in the wall (finally drilled that properly instead of running it under the window like I was doing before) and out to the antenna feedpoint. All my DC runs are labeled with those little Brady label maker labels. I know that sounds excessive but when you're tracing a problem at 11pm it's really nice to know which cable goes where without having to follow it the whole length.

The Microphone Setup

I'd been using the stock hand mic that came with the 7300 and it's fine, don't get me wrong, but I wanted something hands-free for longer rag chew sessions. I went with an Heil PR-781 on a cheap desk boom arm I found on Amazon. The audio reports I've been getting are noticeably better than with the hand mic, and I can actually sit back in my chair without hunching over to hold the mic up. The boom arm took a little fiddling to get balanced right — the spring tension wasn't great out of the box — but I added a small counterweight I rigged from a couple of large washers tied with paracord and it holds position much better now.

I also finally set up the audio levels properly in the 7300's menus. I had been running a little hot and probably splattering a bit. Got it dialed in with help from a couple of folks on a local repeater who gave me honest signal reports. Appreciate people who actually give real feedback instead of just saying "you sound great, fine business" every single time.

Grounding and RFI — Still a Work in Progress

I want to be honest here: this part isn't done. I have a ground rod outside but I haven't run a proper RF ground strap into the shack yet. I've been getting away with it on HF because my antenna feedline has a decent common mode choke, but I know this needs to get sorted properly before I start experiencing interference issues I can't diagnose. I picked up some copper strap and the hardware I need — it's just sitting in a bag waiting for me to actually do it. Classic ham procrastination, I know.

I did add a decent power strip with surge protection to the shack, and I'm in the habit of unplugging the coax during storms now. Baby steps.

Overall First Impressions

Honestly, I should have done this two years ago. The difference in how much I actually enjoy operating now is pretty significant. When everything has a place and the cables aren't a rat's nest, you spend less time fighting the setup and more time actually making contacts. I got on 40 meters last Sunday evening and worked a station about 1,100 miles out without really trying, just because I sat down and started calling instead of messing around trying to find my logbook under a pile of stuff.

Total cost of the shack reorganization project was somewhere around $150 when I add it all up — the desk, the pegboard, the boom arm, cable management stuff, the shelf brackets. The Heil mic was a separate purchase I'd been planning for a while. So it wasn't totally free but it wasn't outrageous either. A lot of it was just reorganizing what I already had.

If you're in the same place I was — radio sitting on a stack of books, cables everywhere, kind of embarrassed to show anyone a photo of your operating position — I'd say just pick one small piece of it and fix that this weekend. It snowballs pretty quickly once you start.

I'll try to post some actual pictures once I get the cable situation behind the desk looking a little less horrifying. And I'll definitely write something up when I finally get the grounding sorted. Thanks for reading through my first post here — hopefully useful to someone out there who's just getting their shack together.

First thing I had to deal with was a desk. I almost bought one of those cheap particle board computer desks but my husband talked me out of it, which was the right call. We ended up finding a solid-core door at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore for twelve dollars. Threw some basic metal legs on it and now I have a desk that's about 30 inches deep and six feet wide. That depth is something I did not know I needed until I had it. There's actually room to spread out the manual, have the radio, a notepad, and a cup of coffee without everything feeling like a Jenga tower.

The radio I'm running right now is an IC-7300. I know, I know, everyone has one, but there's a reason for that — it's just a really solid starter HF radio and it doesn't require a ton of external gear to get on the air. Mine came used from a local club member who was upgrading, and I got it in great shape for a fair price. I've had it about four months and I'm still honestly learning what all the menus do. The built-in tuner is handy but it has limits, and I've been debating whether I need an external tuner depending on how my antenna situation evolves.

Speaking of which, the antenna feed comes in through a hole I drilled in the exterior wall, which felt terrifying to do but was actually fine. I've got a bulkhead PL-259 connector mounted there with a little weatherproofing around the outside. Right now I'm running a used LDG Z-11 Pro II autotuner between the feedline and the radio, mostly because my end-fed wire out back is not exactly resonant on everything and the IC-7300's internal tuner sometimes won't commit to a match on 40 meters with the way I have things set up. The LDG handles it without drama.

Power supply is a Powerwerx SS-30DV. I did a lot of reading before buying one and the main advice I kept seeing was don't cheap out on the power supply. So I didn't. It's quiet, it's clean, no RF noise issues so far. It sits on a small shelf I put together out of some leftover lumber, off to the right side of the desk where I don't have to look at it but can easily reach the knobs.

Cable management is where things get real embarrassing real fast. I have a partial solution involving velcro ties and a surge strip mounted to the back of the desk, but there's still kind of a nest of coax and USB cables behind the radio that I try not to look at directly. The USB goes to my laptop for logging and digital modes. I use for contesting when I get brave enough, and WSJT-X for FT8, which was the first digital mode I tried and the one that made me understand why people talk about it constantly. It's genuinely wild to work stations in Europe at two in the morning with like 30 watts.

Microphone situation is still evolving. The radio came with the HM-219 hand mic, which is fine, it works. But I picked up a used Heil PR-781 desktop mic at a hamfest a few weeks ago and I've been slowly figuring out how to get my audio set up the way I want it. I've gotten some good signal reports and some reports that I sounded "a little bassy" which I'm still tweaking. Audio is one of those things I didn't realize would have so much to it. There's a whole world of mic gain settings, speech compression levels, and passband adjustments that I'm just beginning to understand.

One thing I did that I'm really glad about was buying a small label maker and labeling all my connectors and cables. Sounds incredibly boring but the first time I had to trace something at 11pm I was very grateful to past-me. Each cable coming into the back of the radio has a little label. Each outlet on the surge strip is labeled. It took about twenty minutes and it has saved me time and frustration multiple times already.

Grounding is my current obsession and honestly my current anxiety. I've run a short ground wire from the radio chassis to a dedicated ground rod I had put in outside the shack wall, and there's a bulkhead panel where the feedline comes in that has its own connection to the same rod. But I've been reading more about station grounding and bonding and I'm starting to think I need to do a bit more work there. The stuff about RF ground versus safety ground and how they're different things — I'm still wrapping my head around it. It's one of those topics where you think you understand it and then you read more and realize you only understood part of it.

I've also got a small whiteboard on the wall where I jot down frequencies, things I want to try, reminders about contests coming up. Low tech but it's been useful. There's a clock next to it set to UTC because I spent the first two months being confused about time zones and logging and I decided a dedicated UTC clock was just worth having.

The shack is still not done, maybe it never will be, and that's kind of how I've come to think about it. Every time I get one thing sorted out I find three more things I want to improve or change or add. But compared to the kitchen table situation this feels like a legitimate station, and when I sit down and turn the radio on and start spinning the dial, it feels like the right kind of hobby.

If you're setting up your own first shack and want to swap notes, I'd genuinely love to hear what you're doing. I'm figuring this all out as I go and other people's practical experience has been way more useful to me than any single guide or manual.

The FT-891 arrived yesterday and I spent most of the evening getting it set up. I have to say, coming from the simple world of VHF/UHF repeaters, this thing is pretty intimidating! So many buttons, menus, and settings. The manual is thick enough to use as a doorstop.

Why I Chose the FT-891

I went back and forth between several radios for weeks. The IC-7300 kept coming up in reviews as the gold standard for new HF operators, but honestly it was just out of my budget range. The FT-891 seemed like a good compromise - it has most of the modern features I wanted like a waterfall display and decent built-in antenna tuner, but at a price point I could actually afford.

I also liked that it's compact. My shack is really just a corner of my bedroom right now, so space is at a premium. The 891 fits nicely on my small desk without taking over the whole area.

Setting It Up

The unboxing was exciting, but then reality hit when I realized I needed to figure out how to actually connect everything. The radio came with a basic DC power cable, but I needed to get a proper power supply. After reading some forums, I ended up getting an Astron RS-35M. It's probably overkill for this radio, but I figured it would give me room to grow.

Getting the power supply wired up was straightforward enough - red to positive, black to negative, nothing too scary there. The manual recommends heavy gauge wire for the DC connection, so I used 12 AWG which seems to work fine.

The antenna situation is still a work in progress. Right now I have a simple wire dipole cut for 20 meters stretched between my house and a tree in the backyard. It's not pretty and it's definitely not optimal, but it's what I can do in my current living situation. The built-in tuner in the 891 seems to handle it okay, though I know I'm probably not getting the best performance.

First Impressions

The display is really nice compared to older radios I've seen at the club. The waterfall display actually helps me understand what's happening on the band in a way that just listening never did. I can see the signals visually and it makes tuning around much more intuitive.

The audio quality through the built-in speaker is decent, though I've been using headphones most of the time since I'm operating in the bedroom and don't want to disturb anyone. The headphone jack is conveniently located on the front panel.

One thing that's taking some getting used to is all the menu options. There are so many settings to tweak! I'm trying not to go overboard and change everything at once, but it's tempting. The noise reduction features are pretty impressive - much better than I expected from a radio in this price range.

Making My First HF Contacts

Last night I finally worked up the courage to make my first HF contact. I'd been listening for a few days getting comfortable with the bands, but actually transmitting felt like a big step. I found a station in Texas calling CQ on 20 meters and managed to work him without too much trouble. He was running high power and had a great signal, so it wasn't exactly a challenging contact, but it felt amazing to actually talk to someone hundreds of miles away with my own equipment.

This morning I got up early and caught some interesting DX on 40 meters. I didn't try to work anyone since I'm still not confident with my operating procedures, but just listening to stations from different countries was fascinating. The propagation seems much different from what I'm used to on VHF.

Things I'm Still Learning

The antenna tuner is something I need to understand better. It seems to tune up fine on most frequencies, but I'm not really sure when I should and shouldn't use it. I've been reading about SWR and impedance matching, but there's definitely a lot more to learn there.

Band planning is another area where I feel like a beginner again. On VHF it's pretty straightforward - repeaters are here, simplex is there. But HF has all these different sub-bands for different license classes and different activities. I bought the ARRL band plan chart to tape up next to the radio, which helps.

I also want to get into digital modes eventually. The 891 has a USB port that's supposed to make computer interfacing easier, but I haven't tackled that yet. One thing at a time!

Next Steps

My immediate priority is improving my antenna situation. The wire dipole works, but I'd like something more permanent and efficient. I'm thinking about trying a fan dipole that would cover multiple bands, or maybe looking into a vertical antenna that would fit better in my small yard.

I also want to join in on some of the nets I've been hearing. There's a local emergency net that meets twice a week, and it seems like good practice for improving my operating skills in a friendly environment.

Overall, I'm really happy with the FT-891 so far. It feels like a big step up from my previous equipment, and I'm excited to explore what HF has to offer. The learning curve is steep, but that's part of what makes this hobby interesting. Every contact teaches me something new.

If anyone has tips for a new HF operator or suggestions for getting the most out of this radio, I'd love to hear them!

When I first got my license back in February, I was so excited to get on the air that I immediately bought a Baofeng UV-5R and started hitting the local repeaters. That was fun for a while, but I kept hearing about HF and all the amazing contacts people were making around the world. The problem was, I had absolutely no idea where to begin with putting together an HF station.

The Research Phase (aka Going Down the Rabbit Hole)

I spent weeks watching YouTube videos, reading forums, and asking questions on Reddit. Everyone seemed to have different opinions about what radio to get as a first HF rig. Some people swore by the Yaesu FT-450D as a great starter radio, others recommended the Icom IC-7300 even though it was more expensive. A few suggested looking at older rigs like the Kenwood TS-440 or TS-940.

The antenna situation was even more confusing. Dipoles, verticals, loops, beams - my head was spinning. And don't even get me started on all the discussions about feedline, SWR, and antenna tuners. I was starting to feel overwhelmed and wondering if I'd bitten off more than I could chew.

Making Some Decisions

Finally, I decided to stop overthinking it and just pick something reasonable to get started. My budget was around $800 for everything, which I knew wasn't huge but should be enough for a basic setup. After reading countless reviews, I settled on a used Yaesu FT-450D that I found on a local ham swap page for $350. The seller was super nice and even threw in a desk microphone.

For an antenna, I decided to start simple with an end-fed half wave. I know there's some controversy about these antennas, but they seemed like a good compromise between performance and ease of installation for someone renting an apartment. I ordered a 49:1 UnUn kit from a small company and planned to build my own wire antenna.

Setting Up the Shack

The spare bedroom in my apartment isn't huge - maybe 8x10 feet - but it was enough to set up a basic station. I found an old wooden desk at a thrift store for $25 and spent a weekend sanding and refinishing it. It's nothing fancy, but it gives me plenty of room for the radio and has drawers for storing accessories.

One thing I didn't anticipate was how many cables and accessories I'd need. Besides the obvious power cable and microphone, I ended up needing coax, an SWR meter, and various adapters. The local ham radio store was incredibly helpful - the owner spent almost an hour with me making sure I had everything I needed and explaining what each item was for.

Power was another consideration I almost missed. The FT-450D needs 13.8V DC, and while it came with a cigarette lighter adapter, I knew I needed a proper power supply for base station operation. I found a good deal on a used Astron RS-20A linear supply. It's probably overkill for the FT-450D, but I figured it would handle any future radio upgrades.

The Antenna Adventure

Installing the antenna was definitely the most challenging part of the whole project. My apartment is on the second floor, and I don't have access to the roof or a yard where I can put up poles. I ended up running the end-fed wire from my shack window, around the building to a tree in the courtyard, and then back to another tree. It's not ideal, but my SWR readings are reasonable on most bands.

The 49:1 transformer is mounted in a small weatherproof box just outside my window. I had to get creative with the mounting since I couldn't drill into the building, but some heavy-duty double-sided tape and a couple of zip ties seem to be holding everything securely.

Getting the feedpoint impedance right took some experimenting. The antenna calculator said I needed about 65 feet of wire for 40 meters, but I ended up having to trim it a few times to get the SWR down to acceptable levels. Thank goodness for the SWR meter - I would have been completely lost without real-time feedback.

First Contacts and Lessons Learned

After all the setup work, making my first HF contact was incredibly exciting. I started on 20 meters in the afternoon and was amazed at how many signals I could hear. My first QSO was with a station about 500 miles away - not exactly DX, but it felt like magic compared to the 5-mile range I was used to with my HT.

I quickly learned that my antenna works much better on some bands than others. It's pretty good on 40 and 20 meters, okay on 15 meters, but pretty awful on 80 meters. I think the apartment environment and low height are hurting performance on the lower bands. That's something I'll have to work on in the future.

One surprise was how much difference the time of day makes. I'd heard about propagation in my license study, but experiencing it firsthand was eye-opening. 20 meters that was dead in the morning would come alive in the afternoon with stations from all over the country.

What's Next

Now that I have a functioning HF station, I'm already thinking about improvements. I'd love to try a different antenna design - maybe a magnetic loop for better performance in this limited space. I'm also interested in digital modes like FT8, which means I'll need to figure out the computer interface situation.

The whole experience has been incredibly educational. While the technical aspects were sometimes frustrating, there's something really satisfying about building a station piece by piece and learning how everything works together. If you're a new ham thinking about getting into HF, my advice would be to start simple and don't let perfect be the enemy of good. You can always upgrade and improve things later, but getting on the air and making contacts is what this hobby is all about.

73 and hope to work you on the bands!