I would put the ats 909 (Which comes with reel antenna) above the HF150, and that is saying something !.. the 818 has only ssb, with bfo, good, but the 909 is a better rig.. as for the roberts, it will work..
Listening to 'herb' .. ok, far from me to EVER be controversial lol... but I would always prefer to make my own decisions rather than base them on someone elses in this way..
the great cruising massacre on the tonga NZ run was caused by reliance on a shorebound station and lack of confidence in their abilities - and the sheep principle..
Herb provides a good service.. but..
-------------------- PM me for info re SSB's etc. Bought, sold, repaired, fitted and optimised.