“I Just Got My License. Which Radio Should I Buy?”
You just got your amateur radio license and are ready to by your first ham radio but don’t know what to get. I hear that a lot. I read that a lot on various ham radio message boards. Perhaps you are reading this because you are wondering the same thing.
I’m going to take a leap of faith and focus on VHF/UHF handhelds as opposed to HF rigs because that’s what most people are asking about. Here is my $.02 worth. (If you want to skip everything and get straight to the bottom line, I think the Yaesu FT60R is the sweet spot.)
There are two rules and they are in conflict with each other, but consider them as two lines on a graph. The point where those two lines intersect represents your ‘sweet spot’ and the radio you should buy. Here are the two rules:
- Spend the least amount of money possible when you dip your toe in the water because you have no idea if this hobby will ‘stick’.
- Buy a radio with the widest array of features. There are many facets to this hobby and right now you don’t know which one will spark your interest. By buying a feature-packed radio in the beginning you stand the best chance that your first radio will be good for the long haul.
First let’s get this out of the way: I think your first handheld should be a VHF/UHF dual-band radio. You should follow Rule 2 at least that far. No matter what your level of interest, you are going to want to try repeaters on both bands. Therefore in the discussion that follows I’m going to ignore single-band radios.
Disclaimer:
I’d love to own every radio I talk about here but I don’t This is my opinion only, based upon what other people say and handling most of these radios either in the store or borrowing one from a friend.
Rule 3:
Can you put the radio away for six months, pick it up, and figure out how to do the basics without re-reading the manual? By the ‘basics’ I mean set frequency, repeater offset, tone, and power level. Each major manufacturer has their own philosophy regarding user interface. My HF radio, VHF/UHF base, and VHF/UHF handheld are all Kenwood simply because their user interface layout and operation makes the most sense for me. My previous VHF/UHF base radio was an Icom and even after using it for ten years I still needed to refer to the instruction manual far too often. Other people love them however.
My strong suggestion is that you go to the major manufacturer’s websites and download the manuals for the radios you are considering. Read the manuals with an eye to understanding how to perform the basic functions:
- How to switch bands
- How to set the frequency
- How to set the repeater offset
- How to turn on sub-audible (CTCSS) tones
- How to select the correct sub-audible (CTCSS) tome.
- How to store frequencies/settings to memory
- How to recall from memory.
Spending the Least Amount of Money:
The Baofengs are as far down the curve of Rule #1 as you can get. Translation: they are just about the least expensive radios you can buy. In fact the Baofengs are so cheap ($60) they could almost be considered disposable radios. Many people have reported that they are fragile and tend-to auto-dissassemble. But if that’s all you can afford then that’s what you should get.
The Most Feature-Rich Handheld Radios:
Right now the most feature-rich handhelds are:
- Kenwood TH-D72A
- Kenwood TH-F6A
- Yaesu VX-8Dr
Each of these is very different from the other two. You should carefully consider the feature set of each radio and ask yourself if you could ever anticipate wanting/needing that feature. For example, I have the Kenwood TH-F6A because it will receive the HF ham bands (SSB or CW). Though I’m sure I’ll never use it as my primary HF receiver (my HF rig is a Kenwood TS-590), I think that it’s good to have a second radio around so I can listen to the 590’s signal when necessary. On the other hand, someone else might consider HF receive to be just about the most superfluous feature of a VHF/UHF handheld. To each his own.
The Kenwood TH-D72A has a built-in TNC and APRS, as well as Echolink. If the digital modes intrigue you then this radio is a good candidate.
The Yaesu VX-8DR is probably the most feature-rich of the bunch. It has APRS. It has GPS. It can operate on 6 Meters (which none of the others can do). It has the widest array of accessories.
Somewhere in the Middle
In the middle between the Baofeng UV3R and the Yaesu VX-8DR sits a bunch of radios. They all pretty much share the same core features but each has its own wrinkle. For example, the Yaesu FT-1DR supports GSM. This is the point at which Rule #3 comes in to play. Look at each one and ask yourself, “Can I operate this radio on the side of the road without the manual to call for help after not even touching it for six months?”
In that regard, it’s tough to do better than the Yaesu FT-60R. It’s been around a long time and so it’s pretty much bug-free and has stood the test of time. It’s also pretty inexpensive (under $150). I know people working satellites with it. I also like it because it has two knobs on top controlling volume, squelch, and frequency, which are the three things you are going to be changing the most.