New ham, what radio to buy?
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bobbyminchew
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The quickest/cheapest way to get on the air would probably be a handheld. I picked up a couple of Baofeng 8 watt handhelds with extended batteries and Nagoya antennas off of amazon.
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K4EET
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Congratulations,
73 Jason WX4JCW
73 Jason WX4JCW
reconrider8
Member
yea either a uv-5r or a bf-f8 i believe it is would be a good way to get on and gratz on your license
First radio
To get started on 2 meters and 440 repeaters, the best buy right now is the Yaesu FT-60R. It costs more than the Chinese radios but is easier to program and has decent free software available called FT-60 Commander. I have several makes of radios (Wouxun, Baofeng, Tytera, Icom, Yaesu), and the FT-60R
is the one that stays in the car as my spotter backup handheld.
To get started on 2 meters and 440 repeaters, the best buy right now is the Yaesu FT-60R. It costs more than the Chinese radios but is easier to program and has decent free software available called FT-60 Commander. I have several makes of radios (Wouxun, Baofeng, Tytera, Icom, Yaesu), and the FT-60R
is the one that stays in the car as my spotter backup handheld.
CONGRATULATIONS....
Yes an HT if your in an urban area...listen to a repeater or two, learn the on the air etiquette and procedures, and then jump right in.
But don't stop now...study for the General and take it while your brain is still in study/test mode! Then the world is your oyster and the fun is just starting...
Yes an HT if your in an urban area...listen to a repeater or two, learn the on the air etiquette and procedures, and then jump right in.
But don't stop now...study for the General and take it while your brain is still in study/test mode! Then the world is your oyster and the fun is just starting...
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ecps92
Member
Join a local Club and find out what Repeaters are '''active''' in your area.
2 meters?, 220 ?, 440 ? before you invest any $$
Please update your RR Profile to indicate where you located
2 meters?, 220 ?, 440 ? before you invest any $$
Please update your RR Profile to indicate where you located
KE0GXN
Member
Welcome to the hobby!
I will also suggest the FT-60R. It is what I started out with as well. Great HT and it can be had for around $150 or less brand new.
However with that said, if you can swing it $$ wise, I would get a mobile as well or instead of the HT. Unless you live close to a repeater or two, you will struggle to make contacts or get out in general. I suffered from some of those issues, mostly because my closest repeater was not very active and the one that was, although close enough, I would still struggle to get into in "a full quieting" signal. It was not until I invested in a "true" outdoor antenna, that my 5 watts was able to get into "all" my local repeaters.
If I could do it all over again, I would have looked harder into starting out with a mobile.....but I was anxious to get on air and have a radio, so in that respect I don't regret going with the HT. As I am just now finally saved enough pennies for the mobile I want and will be pulling the trigger today or tomorrow.
The rest will be entirely up to you, but I will second what Bill above has said. Get into a club ASAP, you will be exposed to so many facets of the hobby and gain so much more knowledge then through any other avenue. Absolute best decision I made after getting my tickets IMHO.
For example, besides what I noted about the facets and knowledge, if it was not for my fellow club members, I would still just be operating on my HT. One member loaned me a Kenwood TM-281 once he found out all I had was the FT-60, so that I could get out to more repeaters on a consistent basis. Another loaned me a power supply. Just recently, I had another member find out I have no HF capabilities, so he loaned me an FT-990 for a few weeks awhile back, while he was out of town. When I returned it to him, another member loaned me a Icom 706MKIIG for as long as need with a tuner, wire antenna and an Astron PS!
So for me, getting out there a meeting hams has been nothing but awesome.
Good luck with whatever you decide and have fun getting on the air!
I will also suggest the FT-60R. It is what I started out with as well. Great HT and it can be had for around $150 or less brand new.
However with that said, if you can swing it $$ wise, I would get a mobile as well or instead of the HT. Unless you live close to a repeater or two, you will struggle to make contacts or get out in general. I suffered from some of those issues, mostly because my closest repeater was not very active and the one that was, although close enough, I would still struggle to get into in "a full quieting" signal. It was not until I invested in a "true" outdoor antenna, that my 5 watts was able to get into "all" my local repeaters.
If I could do it all over again, I would have looked harder into starting out with a mobile.....but I was anxious to get on air and have a radio, so in that respect I don't regret going with the HT. As I am just now finally saved enough pennies for the mobile I want and will be pulling the trigger today or tomorrow.
The rest will be entirely up to you, but I will second what Bill above has said. Get into a club ASAP, you will be exposed to so many facets of the hobby and gain so much more knowledge then through any other avenue. Absolute best decision I made after getting my tickets IMHO.
For example, besides what I noted about the facets and knowledge, if it was not for my fellow club members, I would still just be operating on my HT. One member loaned me a Kenwood TM-281 once he found out all I had was the FT-60, so that I could get out to more repeaters on a consistent basis. Another loaned me a power supply. Just recently, I had another member find out I have no HF capabilities, so he loaned me an FT-990 for a few weeks awhile back, while he was out of town. When I returned it to him, another member loaned me a Icom 706MKIIG for as long as need with a tuner, wire antenna and an Astron PS!
So for me, getting out there a meeting hams has been nothing but awesome.
Good luck with whatever you decide and have fun getting on the air!
N4KVE
Member
What ever you do, buy a Kenwood, Icom, or Yaesu. Try to avoid the $35 disposable radios. They have NO support in the USA, while Kenwood, Icom, & Yaesu have FACTORY owned service centers in the USA.
I second this as well. You'll be much happier with gear that has quality and design in its construction . The chinese toys don't . Also where are your interests? Vhf, uhf? Maybe hf? That really determines what you want to spend your money on. 73, n9zas
If you have a smartphone, you can download (free) Scanner Radio and often listen to the local ham repeaters for free, to get some idea what it out there.
Your decision, if you are going to use a mobile rig during drive time. Or a home rig with external antenna, if you can install one. Or an h/t while out and about or doing volunteer work for ARES, etc.
You might want to also consider that the ARRL posted an article last November, mentioning that they had been testing handhelds that people were carrying at the Dayton hamvention for each of the past several years, and they found that every cheap Chinese SDR was out of conformance (operating illegally) while every radio made by the Big Three was still operating correctly. People get away with it, but ask yourself, if that isn't the sign of a disposable radio, that you might not want to bother with. Or at least, plan on replacing sooner rather than later.
Your decision, if you are going to use a mobile rig during drive time. Or a home rig with external antenna, if you can install one. Or an h/t while out and about or doing volunteer work for ARES, etc.
You might want to also consider that the ARRL posted an article last November, mentioning that they had been testing handhelds that people were carrying at the Dayton hamvention for each of the past several years, and they found that every cheap Chinese SDR was out of conformance (operating illegally) while every radio made by the Big Three was still operating correctly. People get away with it, but ask yourself, if that isn't the sign of a disposable radio, that you might not want to bother with. Or at least, plan on replacing sooner rather than later.
Only if the local repeaters are setup with live audio feeds by a user...a scanner app isn't a scanner, it's simply an app that browses existing online feeds.
I agree with the others to avoid the cheap Chinese radios. The price is attractive but not worth the headache (though some who have them swear by them I think it's because they don't know better...).
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+1 on the yaesu ft60. Its well built and priced and covers a wide range of frequencies. You can buy those cheap Chinese radios but I'd recommend something better.
If you feel you will be content with local chatter, than the suggestions above offer great advice. However, I listened long before I became an amateur radio operator, and I knew based on that experience that I wanted to chase DX and the more esoteric entities associated with it. I went straight to 10 meter HF when I got my license, then upgraded to general and extra soon thereafter. Frankly, it's more exciting. When I would listen to the local group, it was always discussion about ailments and getting old. Rarely did I hear real technical discussion. I'm certain it's not like that in all regions, however. HF opens the door for so much more.
My suggestion is to consider an entry or mid range HF transceiver, or even a "shack in the box" radio that covers all the bands you desire.
Spend the coin for The ARRL Operating Manual to get started. It's fairly cheap. Read though it and then decide where best to place your investment.
My suggestion is to consider an entry or mid range HF transceiver, or even a "shack in the box" radio that covers all the bands you desire.
Spend the coin for The ARRL Operating Manual to get started. It's fairly cheap. Read though it and then decide where best to place your investment.
jim202
Member
Now that there have been a number of reply's to your original post, I will add a couple of comments. You will see that you got a varied answer to what radio you should get.
The real answer will depend on what your intentions are as to where you want to use a radio. In a vehicle or walking around. Maybe the real answer is both. Your the only one that can steer the answer here.
The next question that needs to be answered is on what band or bands do you want to use? This will be effected by what activity is around your area. As you haven't mentioned where you are at, it would help if you provided where you live. This way, the group on here can make some suggestions as to what bands are active at that location.
As has already been mentioned, it would be a good idea to locate a local radio club that you can go visit on a meeting night. This way you can meet some of the local people first hand and maybe find a mentor. That person can take you under their wing and let you learn stuff that otherwise could take years to learn on your own. I found my mentor way back when I first got out of the active army. We became best of friends over the many years.
Now I will say that I have found 6 meter FM and some of the SSB activity to be real interesting. But the band will generally be dead, unless there is a band opening. But back a number of years ago, I use to be able to travel across the big lake just north of New Orleans on my way home and was able to talk on 6 meter repeaters up in Canada. You didn't do that every day, but when the band did provide the skip, it was a thrill.
As I do considerable travel around the country, I also have 2 meter FM in my vehicle. That passes the time while on the road. But you do need to know the frequencies of the repeaters in the area your traveling through. Plus many of them require a sub audible tone to be able to open up the repeater. Finding that CTCSS tone is probably the hardest part of setting up to use any repeater. There are a number of repeater databases on the internet. Just remember they are not always correct or missing the needed sub audible tone.
I had mentioned locating a ham club near where you are. The best way to do this would be to do a search on the internet like "ham clubs in Alexandria Virginia". Just put in the name of the city your in and see what you come up with for results.
I have typed long enough, so now it's up to you.
The real answer will depend on what your intentions are as to where you want to use a radio. In a vehicle or walking around. Maybe the real answer is both. Your the only one that can steer the answer here.
The next question that needs to be answered is on what band or bands do you want to use? This will be effected by what activity is around your area. As you haven't mentioned where you are at, it would help if you provided where you live. This way, the group on here can make some suggestions as to what bands are active at that location.
As has already been mentioned, it would be a good idea to locate a local radio club that you can go visit on a meeting night. This way you can meet some of the local people first hand and maybe find a mentor. That person can take you under their wing and let you learn stuff that otherwise could take years to learn on your own. I found my mentor way back when I first got out of the active army. We became best of friends over the many years.
Now I will say that I have found 6 meter FM and some of the SSB activity to be real interesting. But the band will generally be dead, unless there is a band opening. But back a number of years ago, I use to be able to travel across the big lake just north of New Orleans on my way home and was able to talk on 6 meter repeaters up in Canada. You didn't do that every day, but when the band did provide the skip, it was a thrill.
As I do considerable travel around the country, I also have 2 meter FM in my vehicle. That passes the time while on the road. But you do need to know the frequencies of the repeaters in the area your traveling through. Plus many of them require a sub audible tone to be able to open up the repeater. Finding that CTCSS tone is probably the hardest part of setting up to use any repeater. There are a number of repeater databases on the internet. Just remember they are not always correct or missing the needed sub audible tone.
I had mentioned locating a ham club near where you are. The best way to do this would be to do a search on the internet like "ham clubs in Alexandria Virginia". Just put in the name of the city your in and see what you come up with for results.
I have typed long enough, so now it's up to you.
03,
Maybe you missed the words "often" and "free". If it doesn't cover his area, it can give him a flavor of other areas, and if it has absolutely no worth or interest to him? Total loss is five minutes of his time.
Most of the folks I know would rather throw out five minutes than throw out substantial bucks on equipment they might throw out soon after. Not all, just most.
Maybe you missed the words "often" and "free". If it doesn't cover his area, it can give him a flavor of other areas, and if it has absolutely no worth or interest to him? Total loss is five minutes of his time.
Most of the folks I know would rather throw out five minutes than throw out substantial bucks on equipment they might throw out soon after. Not all, just most.
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