New to Ham Radio

Boombox

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Sep 2, 2012
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I'm not a ham, so take my comment with a grain of salt. But as an SWL for several decades, I've done more than my share of monitoring the ham bands, HF bands especially, including the CW sections.

If I were to go Tech, I'd get a rig that would at least work on 10 meters and 6 meters. Even lower if you want to go HF -- Techs have access to some CW portions of the HF bands. You don't have to send or receive super fast. Some guys are slow CW keyers. There even is some sort of slow CW club (SKCC? not sure), and it would be a great, simple way to see a lot of what ham radio has to offer. I've heard a lot of slower CW on 40 m especially.

If you're not into the idea of code, 10 meters SSB will start opening up more and more over the next few year. 6 probably also. The antennas are reasonably small.

Of course, there's the handheld VHF-UHF route, too. Or both.

Good luck.
 

W5lz

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Feb 28, 2019
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I am in the process of studying to get my Technician license and was wondering what would be a good first radio?
First, stay in your budget if you have one, which basically says don't rule out the used market. Also like anything used, look it over very carefully and listen to it first.
Second, think ahead as much as possible. Any particular band or mode that interests you?
Third, look for recommendations and derogatory things. Nothing's perfect, but try to find something close?
And lastly, you will not have just -one- radio. You'll always see something 'better' than what'cha got. Sprinkle them with a lot of "salt"...and go for it. The biggy is to have fun. Disappointments go along with it too.
 

alcahuete

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I always get a laugh out of threads like this.

Nobody just wakes up one morning and decides to go get their ham radio license. There has to be a reason you wanted to get your license, and unless you actually say what that reason is, there's not a single person here who can say what a good first radio is FOR YOU.

Do you want to do HF? Do you want to use repeaters? DMR networks? CW? RTTY/FT8? Satellites? etc. There are just so many aspects of amateur radio, that without knowing why you got into it in the first place, and what you want to do with amateur radio, nobody can really tell you what a good first anything is.
 

GlobalNorth

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May 2, 2020
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Fort Misery
I'm not a fan of mobile operation for the newly licensed amateur. Driving is a skillset that requires multi-tasking and throwing in something as unrelated as amateur radio operation with mobile HF rig or a multiband/multimode 2m/70cm is fraught with the dangers of traffic incidents, due to distracted driving.

Learn the craft while stationary and avoid everything but the volume knob for the first several months if you opt to drive with a rig on.
 

K0WBC

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Apr 14, 2022
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Start by looking at repeaterbook.com See what's popular in your area. OF course for all digital modes a lot of us use a radio hotspot to connect around the world. And depends on your budget. Yaesu FT-70 <$100, is fusion/analog handi talky works great. I have a Jumbo spot $100, that connects to the internet and I can talk across digital modes around the world.
 

dogtowndrums

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I have to echo those who advise about finding out which mode the hams local to you are using. I know it is hard going to club meetings "cold" without knowing anybody, but hams are generally very welcoming to new hams because they don't want the hobby to die out. Once you figure the bands and mode out, buy as much radio as your budget will allow. Again, check with the local hams, because you may be able to find decent used gear. Buying a mobile for a first radio and using it as a base station is solid advice, too. If you have busy repeaters local to you, you might be able to get by with an HT. I was in that situation as a Tech, and a cheap Baofeng HT worked okay for me, but using a mobile/base is much more enjoyable in my opinion. Study for Technician, yes, but also study the General material and test for it after you've passed the Technician exam. Oh, yeah, and build some antennas! Good luck!
 

k6cpo

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I have to echo those who advise about finding out which mode the hams local to you are using. I know it is hard going to club meetings "cold" without knowing anybody, but hams are generally very welcoming to new hams because they don't want the hobby to die out. Once you figure the bands and mode out, buy as much radio as your budget will allow. Again, check with the local hams, because you may be able to find decent used gear. Buying a mobile for a first radio and using it as a base station is solid advice, too. If you have busy repeaters local to you, you might be able to get by with an HT. I was in that situation as a Tech, and a cheap Baofeng HT worked okay for me, but using a mobile/base is much more enjoyable in my opinion. Study for Technician, yes, but also study the General material and test for it after you've passed the Technician exam. Oh, yeah, and build some antennas! Good luck!

There are welcoming clubs and there are clubs that' are relatively intolerant of newcomers. When I first got my license I started looking at clubs and got mixed reception. One club didn't even acknowledge my presence and another was very welcoming. I haven't been back to the first since and I've been President of the other for over a decade.
 

Xiphos007

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Mar 8, 2012
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Buy a middle of the road radio, in whatever mode / band your initial interest lies in. Super cheap will wanting more, but too expensive will drain the budget. You can always sell later, or keep it as part of your growing collection. I find buying more than I need at the time allows me to tap into more of the device as my interests expand.
 

TomLine

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Jul 22, 2019
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Hamilton, Ohio
I am in the process of studying to get my Technician license and was wondering what would be a good first radio?
I learned and had a lot of fun by starting with a cheap pair of UV-5R's and programed them with Chirp. I made heavy use of the RTL-SDR (usb radio reciver 30$) and SDR# (sdr sharp free software) which will display all radio traffic on your pc. I disagree with some of the advice offered up to you here, many of the posters are offering really good advice though, but there's always wisdom in not debating the long winded so I'll just leave it at that.
 

TomLine

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When I got my license, the 2 meter and 440 bands were very crowded so there was a good argument to go digital since it uses less bandwidth. However, the manufacturer's sold their own incomptable versions and analog is the most universal to this day. The bands also are less crowded now because of cell phones. Digital is perfect if you're linking over a internet link but I like analog to talk to my friends.

Watch the youtubers who look like you and you'll probably have your answers.


A lot of 2M 70cm is going digital. There are three - DMR, Icom's DStar, and Yaesu's System Fusion. I would lookup your local ham club and check what they use.

For DMR, get an Anyone or BTech?
For DStar, get an Icom or Kenwood
For System Fusion, get Yaesu
 

k7ng

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CN73
@peacefrog922,
A few inputs...
Even though it seems like a cool idea, I don't recommend starting with a handheld radio. Unless you have a little money to spare, for two radios. A mobile radio also works in the house, with a suitable power supply and antenna - preferably an outdoor one. The problem is that a handheld hears a lot better than it talks, and you may find the frustration level builds if people you're trying to converse with tell you you're not coming in very well. It's also illegal, even for a licensed ham, to use them while mobile-in-motion in many states, same as a cellphone. Licensed hams are often exempt from laws against use of radios while in motion, as long as the radio is a 'permanent' installation (but absolutely, positively, be cognizant of the laws in your state and locale regarding use of radio equipment in motion!) Having a pleasant chat on a local repeater (if there is one) or on simplex FM might be more easily achieved sitting in a comfortable chair with your feet up and a lower ambient noise level than might be found driving or even walking around outside).

I usually suggest to people they buy a first radio that has a little more capability (a few more features) than you initially need or understand. Grow into the full capability of your radio. Maybe at some point you'll decide you've outgrown it and move up - or maybe you won't. But paying for a top-of-the-line radio until you know you need it might not be a great idea either.

There are a lot of reasons why people lose interest in ham radio. The easiest issue to avoid is trying to figure out too much too soon. Start with the simple stuff and through continued reading plus dialog with other local hams, figure out what some facets of the hobby are that interest you most and venture into those. There's a whole lifetime to look into all the things you can do with this one hobby. I've been a ham for 54 years and I'm not through the list yet.

The advice about getting a radio capable of SSB on 6 and 10 meters is a very good one. If you're going to operate on those bands, you'd likely find FM very disappointing (it's there but it isn't the favored mode), and both 6 and 10 are going to be getting a lot more exciting in the next few years as the sunspot cycle moves toward a peak. But... those bands might not be available on a first, affordable, dual band (2M and 440 MHz, yes, you should have access to both bands) radio.

Most important, as you've done here, don't be afraid to ask for help/inputs/opinions. Finding an 'Elmer' (ham-ese for a mentor) is very worthwhile. Find a local ham radio club (if there is one) and show up at a meeting. You're likely to be made very welcome, and maybe the Elmer will materialize.

The above is opinion. I represent only myself in those opinions. I haven't gone into enough detail to suit some folks, and too much for others. All the same, I've learned some of this the hard way. Others' opinions may differ and some won't be restrained in telling me what they think of MY opinions. That's part of ham radio too. As hams say... "73"
 

tomhank

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Oct 4, 2022
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El Cajon
Use pre-mounted technologies instead of surface mount kits if you are just starting off working with radios.
Make sure to select kits with a cabinet and power supply when making your selection. Even though some kits on the market don't have these, having them would still seem convenient.
Make sure you're not switching out electrical components or terminals while soldering them onto the circuit.
 
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