One of your first considerations to buying radio equipment may be to purchase new or used. This will predominantly be geared specifically to your financial status. Another consideration may be the repair of damaged equipment. In some cases, there is also the choice for kit-building.

There are many good deals to be had for used equipment. Some of the ways to purchase used gear will be at ham swaps, online from sites such as eBay, or other online gatherings.

Some of the benefits to buying new gear is that for one...you get the latest and greatest. The manufacturer or dealer may have selling promotions with extra gear thrown into a package sale. Many times there is also a limited time warranty.

If you purchase used gear, it may be especially helpful if you note the ham's callsign, name, and method of contact, such as telephone # or e-mail address. This is so that if you relatively soon after, have a problem with the gear, you can ask questions or possibly return it. Most hams are honest enough that if the gear has any problems they will tell you...usually if you ask. Again, most...but not all, hams do not want to acquire a notoriety of selling bad gear...especially to a new ham. When you purchase the gear you may want to inquire if they will accept a refund if the gear is as good as a doorstop when you get it home. Caveat Emptor...Buyer Beware. Be careful that you yourself do not do any damage to it yourself. There may be items, especially electronics, that some may not want to refund if you hook up electrical power backwards and fry the equipment. In that regard, can you blame them?

I at one time did purchase a radio, and within a few days of operating it noticed it had a problem. It was a KDK ("KD Klunker") 2M mobile I had picked up from a swap. After about 5 minutes of transmitting it got a little hot and the receive audio went out until it cooled back down. It transmitted fine, but I could only talk and not hear...not too conducive to a conversation. Luckily, I had the ham's contact info and asked him for a refund. After a few questions he had, we made the necessary arrangements. I had seen him at swaps for a couple of years after, with the same radio. I asked him how it worked, he told me "flawless". I don't know if he remembered me or not.

If purchasing at a swap, you may want to ask another experienced ham that you can somewhat trust his knowledge. (I know that this may be hard for many new hams, since they may not know many other hams.) Some swaps have a table where you can test the equipment out before you purchase it.

Look at the gear on the outside. How does it look cosmetically? Is it pristine? Does it look like it has been thru WWII and part of the Korean War? Sometimes that may be an indication of the care the owner had taken with it. If need be, see if you can take the cover off and look inside. Does anything look or smell burnt? If it matters to you... does it smell like cigarette smoke? Do the knobs feel unusually loose or stiff? Are there any modifications either mechanical or electronic performed to the gear?

If you buy online, there will probably also be additional shipping & handling charges. You may not have an opportunity to see the gear up close and when it is delivered may have scratches or scuffs not apparent from any pictures, if there were any in the first place. If it is from a dealer, check on restocking fees if you return the gear.

When you purchase gear, keep in mind the other components you may also need to purchase. Some of these items may be antenna, feed line, power supply, speakers/headphones, microphone, filters, and any other optional equipment you may want in the future; or in the case of an HF radio, an external antenna tuner/coupler. Remember to factor this into your total cost. Ask the seller if there is optional equipment currently installed, like a filter, or if he has any options that are not part of the equipment, but that are made for it. Items like an external speaker or microphone.

You may also find it helpful to read reviews from other hams on such sites like: http://www.eham.com Take what everyone says with a grain of salt. One ham may have had a bad experience with a radio model and is forever biased against the manufacturer. You can get the general idea on how most feel with some information from their experience. In a way they have been the guinea pig.

When shopping around, consider some items like: where are you going to be operating the radio? in the car? in the home? walking around? What do you want to do with the radio? Do you want to use the radio not only at home but from another location? How much space do you have in your shack for the equipment? I've always found it to be somewhat annoying when other hams tell a new ham to buy a specific radio JUST because they have one, without taking into consideration that the new ham may want to use the radio for a different purpose. Buy a radio that suits YOUR needs and wants, not theirs. You are the person who will be paying for it and operating it. There are some hams that will provide you with good somewhat unbiased opinions however. I've always thought, "If you were to ask 2 hams 1 question, you will get 3 different answers."

You may also want to read the online manuals for a particular radio and see what the difference in the radio's functions and programming are in comparison to another radio. Some websites to find these manuals (in addition to the manufacturer's websites) are: http://www.mods.dk, http://www.rigpix.com, or http://www.marcucci.it .

Depending on the gear and the person you may be able to haggle a little on the price. Sometimes you may find overpriced gear where the seller isn't willing to budge, and sometimes you may find a great deal. I think some of the best times for purchasing gear at swaps is in the beginning and at the end. The beginning is good because the gear may be priced to sell to the first person who sees it. The end is sometimes good as the seller may not want to take it home again with him.

If you pick something up to buy, be careful putting it down. I was at a swap looking at a radio, after asking the seller a few questions, we agreed on a price. I set the radio down to get my wallet out. He was not paying full attention as he was digging a box out from under the table and talking with one of his friends. A ham from behind me, picked up the radio, put his money down on the table, and walked away...before I could say or do anything. I looked at the ham in disbelief as he walked away, and the seller gave me a look like..."What do you want me to do? I got my money". Oh well, live and learn. I felt that it was unkind of the ham who got the radio, but what comes around, goes around.

I'd also strongly suggest buying an antenna analyzer. I have a MFJ-269 antenna analyzer which covers HF, VHF, & UHF. There are other manufacturers that have similar products. Timewave has an antenna analyzer also. These (IMHO) are quite invaluable since hams use antennas.