After the handheld radio feature checklist we published a while back, we decided to make one for portable HF rigs. We put this spreadsheet together in hopes that it would be useful in helping people decide what HF radios they should buy or build for their communities and crews, based on details that are actually relevant, rather than just junk marketing claims.

The two spreadsheets contain different criteria, as different things may be important on the different types of radios. Some of the things on this new spreadsheet may be considered “creature comforts” by some, but since one is likely to spend more time actively using (listening, tuning, adjusting settings, etc.) an HF rig than a VHF/UHF handheld, operator comfort can be an important factor.

Hopefully it’s clear that the purpose of both of these lists is not to “check off boxes” with regards to features, but rather to help you know what to look for and decide what’s important to you in an HF radio. You shouldn’t go looking for a radio that has every single category colored green. There’s no point in that.

The inclusion of the Lab599 TX-500 was a bit of an afterthought, as it’s a little over the self-imposed threshold of $1,000. However, since a few comrades have had experience with the radio, we thought it made sense to add it to the lineup.

Hopefully this is at least a little bit helpful for someone starting out on HF.