I passed my Technician test this morning and I need suggestions for a mobile dual band setup. Some folks have suggested the Icom 5100 but it's a bit pricey for a beginner. I've seen them all over the board, from $70 on up. What would you suggest?
Do you -really-
need a dual band radio?
It depends entirely on where you are located. Being new to the hobby, you might want to take some time to figure out what actually gets used in your area. When I was a new ham, I had a 70cm radio, and I quickly discovered a couple of things:
-many 70cm repeaters were "private".
-many 70cm repeaters were linked to 2 meter repeaters.
-most traffic was on 2 meters.
I found that a 2 meter only radio worked just fine and saved me money.
I understand, as a new ham, you want the best bang for your buck, but I can promise you that you'll always be chasing the 'perfect' radio as long as you are in the hobby. There will always be something new. You may find that digital is popular in your area, and spending a bunch of money on an analog only radio won't make a bunch of sense down the road.
Step into the hobby slowly, jumping in with both feet and spending a bunch of money on radios may not be the best approach. Figure out what's popular in your area and get a basic radio that will do what you need. Hold back some of the money for what you figure out after that point. You may find your interests develop in other directions. You may find most of the people you want to talk to are on a DMR repeater.
You can get a Kenwood, Icom or Yaesu 2 meter only radio for a lot cheaper than a dual band. Put the money you save into doing a proper installation, permanent mount antenna, wire to the battery, etc. Put the rest of the money in the bank.
