A wide selection of rigs is available to todays ham radio enthusiast. Some may be bought in kit form whist others are available as off-the-shelf units. They may take the form of handheld, portable, transportable, mobile or base units and will cover a range frequencies, power levels and operating modes. VHF/UHF rigs may be designed as single band, dual band or quad band units. HF rigs are primarily multiband/multimode rigs but a few are designed specifically for single mode use, eg cw operation.
Although rigs are readily available from ham radio retail outlets, many enthusiasts, especially those working QRP or the microwaves, design and build their own transceivers. However, whether you build or buy you must first think carefully about how you want to develop your interest in the hobby, then proceed to build your shack starting with something simple and ultimatlely progressing to your ultimate goal. But even with careful thought and good planning, your targets are almost certain to change. Technology is developing at an unbelievably fast pace and new modes of transmission are appearing. D-Star is the prime example .
Developments such as D-Star may inevitably lead you to change your mind as to where you wish to go but if you are prepared for it, there is a challenge to be met and it should be tackled today. After all, our hobby is a scientific one which requires us to experiment, self-train and learn. Thats is what Marconi, Hertz, Tessla and dozens of others did. So make up your mind where you want to go then go out, get that rig and start experimenting without delay.
Rigs may be bought new and second hand. They may be obtained from retailers, E-Bay or radio rallies and hamfests. Thoroughly check before you buy to ensure they are in full working order and read user and independent reviews to satisfy yourself they are reliable and satisfactory for the modes and power levels you want to use.