Any radio can be a base station radio. What really makes a radio a base station radio, is how you set it up, and use it. However, in general, when people talk about base station radios, they mean larger stationary radios that have more power and capabilities than handheld or mobile radios. Some characteristics of a base station radio are that it is not meant to be moved, it has a permanent place in your house or shack, it usually has a larger more permanent antenna mounted as high up as possible, and an external power supply if the radio does not have an internal power supply, usually a 120V to 12V power supply.
The Radio
In the modern era of radios, a lot of the “base station” rigs are actually quote mobile, or easily used mobile if needed. Radios have gotten smaller, and they are able to pack in a lot more features than in the “good old days”. Most base station radios will be capable of 50 – 100W of output to help your signal get out. The will generally be larger, and have more buttons, bigger dials, and bigger and better screens. Because they are not as limited on space as when they make a handheld, or a mobile radio, they give you more buttons to make settings and changes easier and faster. Same for the dial and the screen. When they have more real estate, they give you better features to make life easier.
The Antenna
Base station antennas are generally permanently mounted, and larger with more gain than mobile antennas. Since the antennas aren’t as limited on space, they can be larger, longer, and thus has a lot more potential to be high gain. Also, on a base station antenna, since you are usually able to mount them much higher than you would be able to get a handheld or mobile antenna, you will have a longer line of sight if it is a vertical antenna like an omnidirectional antenna for VHF/UHF. Most larger base station radios however are geared more toward HF frequencies, where line of sight isn’t as important since you are skipping your signal off the ionosphere. Also, when you are dealing with HF, you are usually using something much larger than a pole mounted unidirectional antenna. EFHW (End Fed Half Wave), Dipoles, Hex Beams, Moxon, Loops, and large directional Yagis called Beams are all common. Wire antennas, like the EFHW don’t really require a pole or tower. You can have one end start from your radio, and the other end going up into a tall tree. For Dipoles, you can have them in lots of configurations although the inverted V and flat are the most popular.
Coax
Again, since you are not moving the radio around, or limited on space, base station radios usually take advantage of much larger coax that has much less loss per foot. 1/2″ coax is a standard, but you can get away with much less, or go for broke (literally) and install Heliax. You will need to consider the characteristics on the loss for the frequencies you plan to use the most. If you are using VHF/UHF the most, you will want a coax that has less loss in the 144 – 450 MHz range. For HF, you would want a coax with great efficiency in the 3 – 54 MHz range. In general, the larger the coax line’s diameter, the less loss you will experience. Some great coaxes to consider are Messi and Paoloni Airborne or Ultraflex in 10mm or 13mm, LMR400, RG8, RG8X, and many more. You will need to decide which coax meets your requirements, and will work in your situation (bend radius etc.).
Grounding
Surge Arrestors
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