I'm ready to take the plunge into HF after getting my General license last month. Local elmers keep recommending either the Icom IC-7300 or the Yaesu FT-991A. The IC-7300 seems to be constantly recommended as an "entry level" transceiver in the $1,100 range that competes with $2,500 radios. However, the Yaesu FT-991A does 100 watts on HF and 50 watts on 2 Meters and 70 Centimeters, which could be a great option to build a shack around. The internal tuners in Icom radios will usually only match an SWR mismatch of 3:1, which has me a bit concerned about antenna limitations. What would you experienced operators recommend for someone just starting on HF?

The IC-7300 seems to be constantly sold because it is probably the best selling HF radio in the history of amateur radio. There are thousands of them out there, which means you'll have a huge community for support. I've used the 7300 in the shack, taken it to parks and even upgraded it with a desktop microphone. It has fun features like a voice recorder standard. For a first HF rig, you really can't go wrong with it.

I went with the FT-991A as my first HF rig and love the versatility. I started my shack with a Yaesu all-mode radio which provided a versatility of things I could do, even with just a Technician license. The 3:1 tuner limitation isn't a big deal if you have decent antennas - most compromise antennas can be tweaked to fall within that range.