Misc Equipment
This page is for information, notes, links, and thoughts about this hardware. It is not intended as a thorough review, or an argument. I do not claim to be an expert on this hardware.
Below are thoughts on miscellaneous ham equipment. In no particular order.
nanoVNA
Right now, I'm using this to view SWR for antenna systems. I know it can do a lot more than that, but that's how it is being useful for me at the moment. At only ~$50, it's a great option for this. I've used it on a 20m dipole, and EFHW, and a discone. Also helped diagnose an issue with a coax switch. Originally purchased it to get a coax stub filter going. For the price, every ham should have one of these.
ATU-100
Got this as a $37 special on Amazon, fully assembled. Turned out, it didn't work; I had to desolder one coil and re-work it, and solder in new SO-239 connectors as well. Works great now! My only complaint is, the version I have needs a solid 5w to tune up. It sounds easy, but if you're doing QRP or if you have a radio that quickly folds back power, then you have a problem. But, it does work, and it works well.
EFHW-8010 from MyAntennas
A friend set me up with this antenna when I started in HF. It's served me very, very well so far. I have it 8ft at the start, 16ft in the middle, 8ft at the end, in an "L" configuration. It's about all I could do with my yard. The antenna is about 130' long (a little longer I think) and can handle 1kw (I run 100w max.) Seems to work well enough, except voice on 75m, where SWR is too high. I'm told it's because I need to get it higher in the air. For RX, it works well across the board. It seems to get out around the world with digital, so I can't complain!
GRA-1899T antenna
This is portable compromise HF vertical antenna in the line of the Comet HFJ-350M. I bought it for a road trip, but have actually used it more at home. So far have only used it on digital, JS8Call. With the whip at about 45" and a 25' counterpoise attached, I get great results on 40m. Contacts all over the country on <20W with the G90, so I call it a success. I generally mount it on a camera tripod with some velcro straps.
N9SAB Rugged Nano Dipole
Purchased a 40m version of this off ebay. Very well made little antenna, ultra compact. Easy to attach small clips to for quick install. I've only used it a little, but it does work.
Powerwerx SS-30DV
This little unit is quiet, powerful, and a work horse. I love that it has posts in the back, and powerpole in the front. Very useful. I run two radios on it. Seems like the type of gear that will last.
Baofengs
Yes, I have them. I like them. I recommend them to others. I even play with digital on the Baofengs. To me, this is a radio that every ham should have, especially the new hams. They're cheap enough that you can experiment without feeling like you're going to go broke. The hobby needs more inclusive price points (good job Baofeng and Xiegu), and hardware that people feel OK ruining.