Your first handheld
Buy small, buy cheap, and find out what you enjoy before you spend real money. Almost everyone's first radio is a handheld.
| Handheld | Mobile | Base station | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where it lives | In your pocket | In the car | On a desk at home |
| Typical power | 5 watts | 25 - 50 watts | 100 watts |
| Reaches | Local repeaters, a few miles direct | Repeaters much further out | Worldwide, with the right licence and antenna |
| Rough cost | The price of a night out | A few hundred dollars | Several hundred and up |
| Good first buy? | Yes | Later | Later |
Start with a handheld
A dual-band VHF/UHF handheld will get you onto local repeaters, into club nets, and out to events - which is where you learn to operate. Ask your club which models they recommend locally; they will also help you programme it, which is the fiddliest part of owning one.
The cheap upgrade nobody mentions
Swap the stubby antenna that comes with a handheld for a better one. It costs very little and it will make more difference to your range than anything else you can buy.
What else you need
- A spare battery or a charger for the car - handhelds run flat at the worst moment.
- A list of local repeaters, with their frequencies and tone settings. Your club will have one.
- Programming software and a cable if you would rather not enter channels by hand.
- A power supply, once you move up to a mobile or base radio at home.
Before you buy anything
Go to a club meeting. Members will let you try their radios, tell you what works in your area, and often have a good used radio going spare.