Clegg Venus Transceiver

[davet753]

Originally Posted by Kamakiri

Funny you should mention that, I've been looking into getting a couple Gonset Communicators. Seen them at the Rochester Hamfest, but I didn't know if there was much action on 2m AM. I just put up a new J-pole for my Clegg FM-28 (the only 2m rig I have) so it might be a good time to play around

There are pockets of 6 meter AM activity scattered throughout the country, but I don't know about 2 meter AM. I would venture to guess it's quite a bit more sporadic and scattered than 6. I know there is virtually no 2 meter AM activity in my area.

Gonset Communicators are still around, but the 6 meter versions are not getting any cheaper. The Communicator 1, 2, and 3 (known as Gooney Boxes) are usually cheapest, then the Communicator 4 (a later, step-up model in a small case) and the G50 Communicators on top of the list (higher output power and a built-in VFO). The cream of the crop would be a Clegg Thor or a Clegg Zeus/Interceptor package, but they're extremely hard to find now-a-days.....and if you can find one, the price is out of this world.

If you really want to get on the air with a decent amount of power on 6 meter AM, try and find a G50 Gonset, or a Clegg 66'er. I've seen some pretty good deals on 66er's on Ebay earlier in the year. Clegg also made an equivalent for 2 meters (called a 22'er) that are usually pretty cheap these days.

How do you like your Clegg FM rig? I've become a fan of Clegg gear after learning more about their build quality, and have seen some of the FM28 rigs on ebay. You're the first person I've talked to with a Clegg FM.