Intro, Licensing, Equipment, check! Wait, antennas! help!

[Redshirt]

Ok, so I have myself a ham radio license thingy, a leetle HT radio thingermajigger, and a nice shiny Yaesu 897D, sans antenna. Maybe I skipped that part of the ham radio series, but I don't see much in the way of antenna recommendations.

So that being said, for a Technician who wants to listen more than talk and be able to do so on many bands, what options do I have available for a reasonable price? Should I invest in an auto-tuner? Damn but this hobby gets expensive faster than guns!

[SteveD]

It all depends on where you live and the size of your wallet
do you live in an apartment or on a ranch?
Is there zoning regs for towers?
Do you have a hoa?
Please explain your situation as much as you can so we can help.

[Redshirt]

I live in Spokane Valley WA in a house.
No hoa.
I have no clue about zoning regs. Where would I locate these.

I'm looking at an antenna preferably $300 or less. Bonus points if it is portable so I can take it on top of a mountain and scream at the world when I get really bored.

EDIT: Removed the borderline political statement. Have I mentioned I really like no politics forums?

[TacAir]

You are looking two different issues sets.

HF and V/Uhf

Buddipole, portable, HF only.

V/Uhf - several choices, in Spokane a good 5/8 wave ant should be more than enough. I could work the Moscow repeater from town with 3 watts and a Larsen Kulrod 5/8 wave on the roof. Professional grade V/Uhf antenna, the also make a dual bander as well.

HAve fun.

Is the 07/67 machine at Elsenburg still up?

[alanmexico]

The FC-40 tuner for the 897d is one option for 160-6 meters. It will tune a length of wire with the press of a button on your 897d. It's a bit pricey, but you can find one on ebay or the QRZ forums occasionally for $175-$250. I have one connected to my 450d and have worked 25-30 countries in a short amount of time. (It works with the 857/897/450 and maybe a few other Yaesu rigs).

One caveat.....the FC-40 won't tune a single wire for EVERY band. Depending on the length and other factors, there may be more than one band that just won't tune. You may have to experiment with wire lengths to get it working on most bands.

It would be very easy to set up the FC-40 and wire in a remote location as it does not require external power.

Alan WN5Q

[KJ4VOV]

You are looking two different issues sets.

HF and V/Uhf

Buddipole, portable, HF only.

V/Uhf - several choices, in Spokane a good 5/8 wave ant should be more than enough. I could work the Moscow repeater from town with 3 watts and a Larsen Kulrod 5/8 wave on the roof. Professional grade V/Uhf antenna, the also make a dual bander as well.

HAve fun.

Is the 07/67 machine at Elsenburg still up?

I've worked the Moscow repeater from Lewiston on an HT with a mag mount 1/4 wave on the roof of my rental car, so a decent J-pole in Spokane shouldn't have any problems with what he's using for a rig.