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Your First Radio

This chapter deliberately names no models and no prices. Models change yearly, prices change monthly, and what's "best" depends on your situation. Instead: the three categories, what each is for, and what to look for.

The three categories

Handheld (HT — "handy-talkie")

A walkie-talkie-sized radio, battery-powered, with a short whip antenna. Typically 5 watts on 2 m and 70 cm, FM only.

  • Best for: your first radio, full stop. Repeaters, club nets, public-service events, hiking. Fits in a jacket pocket.
  • Limits: 5 watts and a stubby antenna mean you're leaning on repeaters. Simplex range is modest. Battery life is hours, not days, of heavy use.
  • Honest note: the cheapest handhelds are very cheap and work fine for repeater access — but their receivers can be overwhelmed near strong signals (a known weakness of budget designs). If yours hears interference others don't, that's likely why.

Mobile

A bigger radio meant for a car (or a desk with a power supply), typically 25–50 watts, with an external antenna.

  • Best for: your second radio, or your first if you mainly want reliable repeater access from home or car. More power and a real antenna transform what 2 m/70 cm can do.
  • Needs: 12-volt power (car battery or a base power supply) and an external antenna — a magnetic-mount on the car roof or a simple outdoor antenna at home.

Base / HF station

A full-featured radio for a desk, usually covering HF plus VHF/UHF, with SSB for long-distance work.

  • Best for: later, when the HF bug bites (worldwide contacts, digital modes).
  • Honest note: this is where the money goes — radio, power supply, antenna system, possibly an antenna tuner. Wonderful hobby territory, but not a first purchase for most people.

What to look for

Whatever category you choose:

  • Bands: at minimum 2 m and 70 cm (dual-band). Single-band 2 m radios exist and are fine if your local activity is all there — check your area first.
  • Power: 5 W handheld / 25–50 W mobile is the standard useful range. More watts help less than a better antenna.
  • Programming: you'll enter repeater frequencies, offsets, and tones. Radios with computer programming (via cable and software) save enormous tedium over punching everything in by hand on a keypad. Ask the seller or club what cable/software a radio needs.
  • Receiver quality: matters more than transmit power for enjoyment. A deaf radio hears nothing no matter the watts.
  • Used is fine. Ham radio has a healthy used market (hamfests, club mailing lists). A used radio from a known manufacturer, tested by the seller, is often the best value in the hobby.

What you don't need yet

An amplifier, a tower, an HF beam antenna, or any accessory with more knobs than the radio. Start with the radio, learn the repeaters, join the club. The hobby will tell you what to buy next — usually an antenna upgrade, not more radio.

Check: Before buying, visit a local club meeting or ask on a local repeater net what people in your area use. Local advice beats any generic recommendation: they'll know which repeaters are active, which bands matter locally, and what programming help is available.

Next: Your First Contact — what to actually say when you key the mic.