[usa2003ardf] Altai 145

[Kuon & Dale Hunt]

Of course, with all the new VK3YNG sniffers people are
getting now, you may be able to find a good deal on some
used Ron Graham RX-1's !!

Either set can be used with your existing tape measure
beam.

I have both the Altai and the RX-1.  Both have quirks, of
course, but the RX-1 has been my main competition receiver.
(Until my VK3YNG sniffer arrives...)

Altai advantages:
  low battery drain  (VA7PC says he hunts every two weeks and
          changes the battery once a year whether it needs it or not.)
  relatively easy to use with one hand
  easy for someone to learn to use
  internal battery
  power switch has very positive action - harder to bump on
      accidentally during transport

Altai disadvantages:
  poor selectivity, subject to overload
  only covers 144 - 146 MHz (up to 146.6 with a fresh 9V battery.)
  some units have reliability problems due to bad ground connections
  takes more time to assemble
  tuning can be sharp, poor calibration (VFO not regulated)
  not easy to use with alternate antenna
  no regular commercial source
  Uses high-impedance headphones (very sensitive, but uncommon
     outside of the former Soviet Bloc countries.  I lost one
     of the ear pads, and they were rather uncomfortable until
     LZ1US gave me a replacement.)

Street price for a used Altai has been around $100.  There are
several of them in the Portland area and in Victoria, BC,
because of the Friendship Radiosport Games with the hams from
Khabarovsk.

(I have an English translation of the manual if you need it.)


RX-1 Advantages:
   Easily available (and good technical support from Ron Graham
       when needed.)
   Can be used with most antennas
   Easy to cover the whole 2m band
   VCO gives very accurate peak indication
   matching antenna is compact



RX-1 disadvantages:
   Kit needs to be assembled
   Goes through batteries fairly quickly (6 - 8 hours?)
        (I'm now trying a low-dropout regulator.)
   Tuning is a bit fast when covering the whole band.
   Selectivity can still be marginal on a crowded band.
   Not as ergonomic as Altai.
   Can't hear TX modulation when using VCO mode (so you
     may not notice that the transmitter changed and keep
     hunting the signal.)
   External battery wire is a weak point.
   matching antenna has poor front/back ratio


I think the RX-1 kits are about AUS$80 (roughly US$50) plus
shipping.  Figure on spending $80 or so, depending on how
you transfer the money to Ron.  Many people have built them,
so there is technical help available.


The Ukraininan sets are reported to be some of the best ones
in eastern Europe.  They use the same headphones as the Altai.
However, I don't know if the selectivity is as good as the
Ron Graham - the 2m band is not as crowded with repeaters
in the Ukraine as it is here in the US.

Also, there was an article in one of the ham magazines
(perhaps 10 years ago) about someone who called Mizuho
directly in Japan and ordered one of their HF HTs.
(The person who answered the phone spoke English.)
You could try an internet search and see if you can
come up with their phone number.


So it comes down to your budget and what you can find.  If
you are serious and can afford $200 each, get the VK3YNG
sniffers.  It has wonderful features at an incredible price.
(I think the Mizuho units were in the $300 to $400 range.)
Otherwise, the Ron Graham RX-1 kits (especially if you can
find some used ones from folks who have upgraded) are a
good start, and easier to find than an Altai.  But you
never know what might come your way...

(My wife also uses the RX-1, and I asked her what difference
she noticed between that and the Altai.  She said that the
directional resolution was much better with the RX-1, even
with the shorter phased array that goes with it.  This is
due to the VCO that allows you to hear differences of
half a dB or better.  She also said the Altai was heavier.)

 - Dale WB6BYU