Want a 2m 70cm starter rig

[beamin1]

Hello,

I have my license from when I was younger amd want to get back into it. I have a baofung handheld but its worth all 30 bucks so worthless basically. I want a radio I can use in the houseand put a full size antenna outside/ Where to start? Im so lost dont even know where to buy a radio or what to pay vs whats a good brand.


Cheers

Allison

 

[AK9R]

Amateur radio brands? Alinco, Icom, Kenwood, and Yaesu have been the popular brands for several years. All but Alinco have company-owned U.S.-based sales and service operations which are dedicated to their products. Alinco has a very engaged U.S. importer who stands behind the product.

As for radios fitting your requirements, take a look at these (in order of price, low to high, at Ham Radio Outlet):

Icom IC-2730A
Yaesu FTM-6000R
Icom ID-4100A (has D-STAR digital voice)
Alinco DR-735T
Alinco DR-MD500T (has DMR digital voice)
Icom ID-5100A (has D-STAR digital voice)
Yaesu FTM-300DR (has Yaesu System Fusion digital voice and APRS)
Kenwood TM-V71A
Yaesu FTM-400XDR (has Yaesu System Fusion digital voice and APRS)

 

[KC3ECJ]

Hello,

I have my license from when I was younger amd want to get back into it. I have a baofung handheld but its worth all 30 bucks so worthless basically. I want a radio I can use in the houseand put a full size antenna outside/ Where to start? Im so lost dont even know where to buy a radio or what to pay vs whats a good brand.

Cheers

Allison

Are you just doing FM, other analog modes, or digital modes?

Do you think you'll need many watts, such as 40 or more, or will say 20 work?

 

[Hit_Factor]

Have you tried to make contact with any of the operators in the local ham radio club?

They know what repeaters are in the area and which digital modes might be available.

What's your general location? (County, State) maybe we can point you in the right direction.

 

[jwt873]

For outside a decent dual band antenna will make a difference.. Something like a Comet GP-3 antenna. https://cometantenna.com/amateur-radio/base-antennas/ba-dual-band/ Get it as high as possible over your roof.

 

[Hit_Factor]

And poor quality or the wrong kind of coax cable can ruin everything.

 

[ladn]

I'll +1 on the Icom IC-2730A I have one as a mobile. Good receiver. Whatever radio you get, you will also want the appropriate programming software. I use the RT-Systems software in several of my radios (each radio requires a different version of the software) along with CHIRP.

I also have a TYT-TH9800 that I use for a portable base. The TYT is a quad band radio (2M, 440, 10m and 6m), but I only use the 2m/440 capabilities. I've not used it in a high RF noise environment, but I've found it to be a very decent radio for the price point.

As others have said, your coax and antenna choices are also important for good performance.

And, welcome back to the hobby!

 

[jazzboypro]

I use an IC-9700 with a GP-3 antenna and around 75 feet of LMR400. I know the IC-9700 is not exactly a starter rig but it does 144/440/1200 and D-STAR it is in my opinion an excellent radio.

 

[GlobalNorth]

If you buy a Yaesu, don't even try to use their software to program it. It is frankly poorly written and buggy.

Go with RT Systems for Yaesu programming. They specialize in programming and it simply works.

 

[ka4gfy]

I'll also agree with the RT Systems software.

As for the radio, you won't go wrong if you stick with one of the big 4, Alinco, ICOM, Kenwood or Yaesu.

Iuse Diamond X-50's for 2 meters and 70 cm. They work well, are fairly low profile and well made.

Connecting with the local ham radio club is the absolute best way to find out what modes are in use in your area. FM analog is pretty universal, but digital modes can vary by area. The local hams can help you with that. For example, you don't want to buy a DSTAR radio and find out there are no DSTAR repeaters in your area, or DMR or Fusion. There is no radio made that will do all three digital modes.

Once you find yourself hanging out on a particular repeater, be sure to join the club that owns it to help support it. It's very poor form if you live in the local area and use the club's repeater on a regular basis.

73,
Rich, KA4GFY

 

[R8000]

Kenwood, Icom or Yaesu. Stick with those brands and you will do fine.

 

[ladn]

As for the radio, you won't go wrong if you stick with one of the big 4, Alinco, ICOM, Kenwood or Yaesu.

Even though I have several Alinco radios, I won't recommend them to novice buyers because of the lack of a good support and service network. Remtronix is Alinco's USA support vendor.