Your First Amateur Radio

This is for the New Amateur Licensee. Typically, you have just received your Technician license. If you don't have a mentor (called an Elmer in Amateur Radio language) who is giving you his cast off radio*, then you have to decide on what radio you're going to buy.

The first radio is most often a handheld radio, called an HT in Amateur Radio. (Note: NEVER call it a walkie-talkie - that's an FRS radio.) They are self contained with the radio, battery and antenna all contained in one convenient package. At the present time, the most common entry level HT radio is a Baofeng UV-5R going for as little as $17. There are HTs which are more expensive with more features - longer lasting batteries, more radiated power, more memory storage, easier programming, etc. The old joke is true - you can have better, cheaper, or faster - pick any two.
I don't recommend any particular radio - you have to make your selection depending on how you will use the radio, what capabilities you will need or want, and how much you want or are able to spend. Any radio sold today will be a functional radio - that's market driven. I use Baofeng UV-82s (I have four) as my HT because a Baofeng UV-82 was my first radio, given to me by my son. It's still a functional radio after 7 years and after being run over with my truck (the battery tends to fall out), They do everything I need a HT to do and if anything happens to one, I'm not out a lot of money.

If you want to upgrade, I recommend starting with a better antenna. The typical antenna that comes with a HT is called a rubber ducky and is usually very inefficient. After market antennas available in many forms, sizes and prices. Do your research and ask other operators what they recommend. My first HT came with a telescoping whip antenna, so my upgrade was to build a copper pipe J-Pole antenna which I clamped to the corner of my patio and had a coax cable and adapter to connect to my Baofeng. Because the antenna had some gain and was higher, I had much better reception and I could be heard further and clearer.

My next upgrade was to upgrade to a mobile radio. Designed to be installed in a vehicle or a go-box, these radios need a power supply and an external antenna. The power supply can be a battery or a plug-in-the-wall power supply. The external antenna can be anything from a simple dipole, mag mount antenna on a cookie sheet, or a vertical on a mast or tower. You will need coax to connect the radio to the antenna. With this setup you will have more reach because you are operating with more power and a much improved antenna.

At this point, the sky is the limit! There are many options for improving your operating experience from microphones, headsets, amplifiers, SWR meters, different modes, sound cards, not to mention activities such as ragchewing, contesting, DXing and emergency communications.

*This can be both good and bad. It's good because you don't have to spend money. It's bad because it sorta locks you into whatever the said radio is capable of. Also, A WARNING - your first radio becomes the de facto radio you will use forever, if you turn in on. ARRL claims that 90% of all Amateur Radio licensees NEVER turn on a radio and use the Push-To-Talk button. And you may have to buy a power supply, coax and an antenna.