HF Handhelds -- Radios That Go Anywhere

by VK3VSR on May 24, 2004

It is probably worthwhile mentioning that there is yet another contender in the hand held market. The Condor 8833 which was made until about 2000 by a small New Zealand company.Many are still available worldwide but are difficult to obtain on the secondhand market as they are maintained as prized possessions by their owners. The Condor is 150mm highx67mmx55mm, about the size of an average handheld from the 90s,perhaps a bit smaller, and is fitted with a 2 channel(crystal locked) capacity suitable for channelling up between 2-7Mhz. My radios are both channelled for 5300Khz and 6840Khz.The radio is loaded with 8x AA batteries(an external 12 volt option is available) and utilizes half wave dipole which neatly reels up or out as needed.It plugs in to the top of the radio. The dipole is thrown over a bush,fence or up a tree. No counterpoise is needed.Audio is excellent and the range is in the order of 500-10000 km depending on conditions,often further,sometimes less. Transmit power output is 1watt PEP.Power consumption is only 180mA transmit and 10mW receive.Batteries last quite a long time.The speaker mike is built into the radio and is activated by a PTT button.The complete radio with batteries only weighs 510gm and comes in an optional neat waterproof plastic shoulder bag.But there is no reason why you can't just carry it in your pocket.It was designed for emergency communication application and as a super lightweight fully portable long distance personal communicator. I have used mine on various safaris to extremely remote regions of Outback Australia and maintained contact with friends at Bases in Alice Springs and Darwin from distances 100 to 1200 km.I have also used these radios to communicate between two seperate Safaris on hiking Outback Adventure Tours to talk to one another over distances of 100-300 km,which UHF hand held could not achieve.These radios are used in remote New Guinea highlands and around the world where small,light,efficient personal communication is required.See the photo.Regards.Roman