If I can buy new, I will. If the new is not much more than the used, I'll buy new. I haven't even started looking at them until I learn more, which is why I asked my question. I'll check the local supply and also look online and see what is there. I have no idea what to look for when I do look for one. What features? Can they replace my '97? What bands should they cover etc.
Don't look at or buy radios yet.
That is a common "soon to be" ham mistake. Without understanding how huge this hobby is, buying any radio would be an expensive mistake.
Thank you, Mmckenna. That gives me many things to look at. I was thinking amateur was all sort of mashed together. HF and VHF/UHF all in the same package as it were. I really enjoyed shortwave listening when I was a kid. If there is no ham community locally, then why bother, is very useful. I had thought that VHF/UHF was quite a long range. 100 miles or more. My Wife likes to listen to the scanner so maybe HF is more what I need to look at. You guys have been such a font of information and help. I really do appreciate it!.
Listen with your scanner and see what you hear. VHF/UHF can have a lot of range if there are repeaters in your area. Some ham repeaters are linked to the internet, so hearing users from all over the world is a possibility IF there is such a repeater in your area.
My first radio was a VHF/UHF hand held. While it let me make a few contacts and talk through a few repeaters, ultimately I realized I needed a mobile radio. That gave me more capability.
I've owned a lot of different radios over the years. I tend to play with something for a while, then my interests change. I'm not very active right now, but have been playing with some HF stuff at work, which is raising my interests in those bands again.
I'm having to wait a month or two to get an external antenna to find out if I have any local hams.
Sky-band Antenna
www.scannermaster.com
That'll work well, but don't be surprised if you do not hear a lot of ham radio traffic. The bands have been quite in some areas of the country, interests ebbs and flows.
My area is still analog, and the '97 does do a decent job of monitoring local traffic. I have tried to scan from the rig I have in my mobile home (sort car antenna and a long wire across the living room ceiling. (White collar red neck here) but I can't even get Wx inside. I only have decent reception (I assume it's descent) when I out in the car with the short antenna on the roof. I get more and better reception then. I got a sheriff's car from about 30 miles away under almost ideal line of site the other day from my car. From listening inside my home, I haven't heard any local traffic on the amateur freqs, but I haven't scanned that for very long.
Try around commute times. Also, in the evenings some repeaters will have times they have meetings once a week.
Medical insurance deductibles take a lot of money for January and February, which is one reason I'm looking at budget. I have no idea what mobile receivers cost new, but I am hazarding a guess that with a little work, I can come up with about $300.00
Avix
$300 will get you a basic single band mobile from one of the three big amateur radio manufacturers (Icom, Kenwood, Yaesu). You can stretch your dollar farther if you go with the Chinese stuff.
Don't forget your antenna!
Rookie mistake that we often see here: New ham spends $$$ on the fancy radio, then tosses a $15 antenna on the roof and then wants to know why his $$$ radio sounds like $15.
