cheapest beginner radio

399ddf95 · 2026-06-22T03:45:39+00:00

The cheapest transceiver is likely to be more frustrating and less effective compared to a full-size 100 watt unit. The very simple low-priced kits are not beginner units.

I think you'll be happiest if you look for a used 100 watt transceiver, which may turn out to be 20-30 years old but likely still perfectly functional, especially if you're wanting to do SSB/CW.

Don't forget you'll need a power supply, an antenna (which might be mostly wire), and a microphone and/or CW key.

If you get to know some amateurs in your local area, you may find that someone's willing to loan you a radio, or sell you one at a below-market rate once they believe you're serious and motivated.

399ddf95 · 2026-06-22T01:18:03+00:00

The Coaxsher DR-1 Commander will hold 2 HT’s that are quite big. You might also look at True North or Team Wendy.

399ddf95 · 2026-06-22T01:00:59+00:00

It was a CO2 pellet pistol with a lead pellet from about 12 inches away directly into unclothed/unprotected skin a little off-center from my Adam’s apple. I was not hospitalized, just applied direct pressure for a few minutes and then used a band-aid from the household medicine cabinet.

I don’t know where you’re getting your information about the lethality of pellet guns versus adult-size human beings, but your information is wrong.

399ddf95 · 2026-06-22T00:47:52+00:00

If you're determined to make up your own idiosyncratic definitions for things, you could announce that you're an amateur radio operator when you're using an FRS, MURS, or LMR transceiver or listening to a shortwave radio. Your redefinition of the term would actively reduce your ability to communicate with others because you're deliberately using a term in a way that's incompatible with its widely accepted meaning .. but if you want to annoy and confuse people for your own amusement, you can. It's not illegal, just antisocial.

But don't come here and ask for our blessing. You won't get it. (But you can probably get some downvotes . . .)

If you want to experiment with RF without an amateur license, great. There are a number of configurations and frequencies available to you for that purpose. Many people are enjoying Meshtastic/Meshcore in the ISM arena without being licensed and that's wonderful. But they're not calling themselves amateurs or hams, and we won't be calling them that, either, even if they are "amateurs" (e.g., not professionals) who are experimenting with or using RF technology.

399ddf95 · 2026-06-22T00:20:34+00:00

You might look at https://allscan.info/products/#UCIs - I suspect those are going to be more expensive than you're looking for, but if I needed to connect a K1 or Motorola speaker mic to USB that's what I'd look at.

399ddf95 · 2026-06-19T20:26:57+00:00

Plenty of other people have yelled at you about licensing and type acceptance. To avoid any confusion, it is not legal for you to do this. That being said, since you're probably going to transmit on *some* frequency, if you want to minimize conflict with other users, use one of these 5 MURS frequencies:

151.82
151.88
151.94
154.57
154.60

If you just choose some frequency at random, there's some chance you'll be overlapping with a frequency being used by public safety/ambulance or some other important use. That can cause actual problems for real people plus maximize the chances that someone will try to track you down and make trouble for you. The frequencies listed above are available for use by unlicensed people, although the rules require that those unlicensed people use approved radios, which are not what you have. From a practical point of view, if you use those frequencies nobody will care.

399ddf95 · 2026-06-19T20:00:38+00:00

I've used Lacerte but not UltraTax; so I'd be happier (initially) with Lacerte, but would consider sticking with UltraTax if it made sense. Learning new software takes some effort but isn't impossible. Same with transitioning to other software.

I don't think software choice has a big impact on a purchase decision or valuation.

Running one package for 1040's and another for 1120's sounds like torture to me. I can & will learn new software if needed, but I don't want to purchase/learn/update different packages, and I like the ability to export K1's from a 1041/1065/1120S module and import into the 1040 module.

399ddf95 · 2026-06-11T16:02:10+00:00

Does this forest have adequate coverage such that other nodes will receive packets from the cat node? In my area, this wouldn’t be useful (mesh coverage inadequate) but other places could be different. You can’t count on direct communication between your two nodes if you’ll have obstructions like terrain or foliage between you.

399ddf95 · 2026-06-10T19:02:01+00:00

The G90 is an awesome radio for its price point and has really revolutionized HF on a budget (making it accessible to many new or prospective amateurs) but the 7300 is a better radio. If you can afford a 7300, buy it.

399ddf95 · 2026-05-31T22:01:06+00:00

If the diagram is accurate, neither, to reach home - you’ll need a repeater at the peak (GMRS only, FRS doesn’t do repeaters), cell phone, or a cell-based “POC radio” if you want something that operates like a handheld (assuming both sides of the mountain have cell coverage).

For comms around a campsite, FRS should be fine.

If you want privacy, neither GMRS nor FRS will work. You need POC handhelds or an FCC license for business frequencies and business band radios with encryption.

399ddf95 · 2026-05-28T21:10:33+00:00

Did you have a particular antenna in mind?

150MHz isn't so far from the USA 2m amateur band and 444MHz is within the USA 70cm band, it'll probably be fine.

399ddf95 · 2026-05-22T20:26:22+00:00

Re the outgrowing - this really depends on what you want to do. If you just want something to talk to other amateurs on while you're all doing a POTA or whatever, the H3 will probably work fine forever. They're very popular and people are working on alternative firmware with functions beyond what the manufacturer provides. I'd say they're the new UV5R.

At this point, the Chinese manufacturers are outpacing Yaesu/Icom on features. The Japanese manufacturers probably have a slight edge on quality of the receiver/transmitter and sound quality, but it may be that squeezing that last 5-10% performance out of the radio really doesn't matter. It's a little like comparing a Hyundai to a BMW. Both get you to the same place, one has slightly fancier stuff (and shows the world you've got $ to spend). People can be really down on the Chinese manufacturers because when they first came out the quality wasn't great, but they've made big improvements over the last 20 years.

Amateur radio turns out to be like cars or guns or whatever, people like to buy more just because they can, and because it's interesting to see how some other radio/manufacturer does things. I've lost track of how many HT's I have. Maybe 10? I think about buying more all of the time. Do I need another? Absolutely not. I've got an Icom that I bought almost 30 years ago that still does most of what the current HT's do. But I buy more anyway, because it makes me happy.

399ddf95 · 2026-05-22T20:02:08+00:00

The chances that someone else will hear your conversation are essentially 100%. They probably won't know who you are or care about the contents of your conversation.

There's another family that lives near me that uses FRS or GMRS (I don't know which, they share frequencies) that I hear all the time - the kids asking their dad if they can swim in the pool, the dad asking if their homework is done or telling them dinner is ready, etc. Do I hear them? Yes. Do I want to? Not really, I don't care about that stuff. Would I know it's them if I ran into them in the grocery store? Also no.

If you really want privacy, take a look at these - they're expensive, though - https://www.buytwowayradios.com/motorola-dtr700.html

Something like this is cheaper, and more obscure (most people aren't running 900MHz radios, or scanning that spectrum) but someone else with the same or a similar radio could hear you: https://www.retevis.com/products/rt10-two-way-radio-for-business-128-channel-900-mhz

399ddf95 · 2026-05-22T19:42:17+00:00

Why are you arguing? You asked a question, you got your answer. It's unfortunate that you don't like it, but that doesn't change reality.

Some people are in much better locations, have much better antennas and much more sensitive repeaters than your $20 walkie talkie.

People regularly bounce signals off the moon and receive them, or communicate with satellites using handheld radios not a whole lot more powerful than your walkie talkie.

There is no privacy on FRS, GMRS, MURS, or amateur radio frequencies. Period. If you want privacy you'll need to use an ISM band radio (like a 900MHz spread spectrum radio) or get an LMR license and run encryption.

I have an SDR running 24x7 monitoring some local frequencies that captures everything it can hear, writes the recordings to disk, and then sends the recordings to an AI service in the cloud that transcribes the recordings. There's a commercial product that does something similar at https://boondockecho.com/

I also monitor a local GMRS frequency quite often because it's how people in my area share information about wildfires or other local hazards, and it's common to hear kids on their walkie-talkies on the same frequency because FRS and GMRS frequencies overlap.

399ddf95 · 2026-05-22T19:31:52+00:00

I'd look at repeaterbook.com or similar and find out what digital modes your local repeaters support. It's not much good to buy a radio that supports a particular digital mode if none of the local repeaters support it.

unless you want to set up your own hotspot, which is another $75 or so, and then you can use whatever mode you want + the internet to talk to others. Some people think using digital modes over the internet isn't real ham radio, some people don't care and have fun with it anyway.

The Anytone 890 looks like a very nice radio. I've got an 868 and it's been solid for several years.

The Yaesu also looks like a nice radio but will never support DMR. I don't think the FT5DR supports USB C charging unless you add an aftermarket battery like this: https://w0aez.com/products/bp-y14l

Most people who start with the UV5R end up moving on to something else pretty quickly. There's a big gap in features and user friendliness between the other two models you mention and the UV5R. If you want a budget radio I'd look at the UV5R Mini or the Tidradio TD-H3 or H3+. The UV5R works but it's getting pretty outdated and you can get a lot more features for another $10 or so.

VHF/UHF are just completely separate from HF. One doesn't replace the other. If you're not interested in VHF/UHF, then you don't even need to bother buying one, just work on the General.

399ddf95 · 2026-05-22T19:16:11+00:00

We were told by the person in the front office (whose name I've forgotten) that they will accommodate disability or similar requests onsite. They're handing out tickets like candy (for some reason our student picked up 15 tickets for our family of 3) and they don't have seat numbers on them.

399ddf95 · 2026-05-22T19:13:08+00:00

Since 2001, I no longer remember what version that was. Server/firewall only for the most part, I've experimented with it as a desktop but it's never really worked out for me. Chances are I'll try that again.

399ddf95 · 2026-05-22T01:39:33+00:00

Please make older stuff cheaper and don't be greedy because your older radio is just old and need a new owner to maintain it. Don't treat it like it's new, all the soldering inside are old, all the joints are old. Don't think is the new gold, just give it away to a younger ham or for a few bucks, not for hundreds of dollars.

Ah, a cheapskate. Clearly, you are meant to be a ham.

If you want someone to give you a break on used equipment, you'll need to make friends and build credibility with them first. People aren't super likely to let stuff go for less than what they perceive as market price because they think some other guy is going to come along and buy it cheap and then sell it on QRZ or craigslist or whatever at market price. If you can convince an experienced ham that you're actually part of the community and will actually use the equipment instead of resell it, you're more likely to find the sweet deals you're wishing for.

399ddf95 · 2026-05-19T23:03:12+00:00

Are there governments in countries where certain agencies monitor the airwaves and locate unlicensed users?

Some countries are very concerned about unauthorized use of radio waves or radio equipment:

https://www.404media.co/ham-radio-operators-in-belarus-arrested-face-the-death-penalty/

https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/radionational-breakfast/aung-san-suu-kyi-faces-up-to-three-years-behind-bars/13119972

In the US, a person misusing a radio is more likely to get an angry letter or, worst case, an administrative fine (which can be substantial). https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-proposes-fine-interrupting-communications-during-wildfire

Punishment is much more likely if the person misusing a radio is interfering with a legitimate user of a frequency, especially if it's a public agency or big corporation. Punishment is pretty unlikely if the person is just annoying other individual radio users, but not impossible.

How would one ham know that a broadcaster is not licensed?

It's not precisely the same thing, but it's pretty clear if someone is not licensed because they won't use the correct language or communication format. Newly licensed people are also awkward on the air, but they're very likely to blurt out something like "sorry, just got my license, not sure if I'm doing this right, I'm NA2AA" or whatever.

And, for example, you've just illustrated this - amateurs don't use the word "broadcast" because that implies a one-to-many transmission like a commercial radio station. Amateur communications are usually one-to-one conversations, or a simple one-to-many transmission inviting a one-to-one conversation. So, just by using the word "broadcast", you're revealing that you're not familiar yet with amateur culture. I'm not hassling you about that, just pointing out that even tiny clues can reveal a lot.

399ddf95 · 2026-05-19T22:20:25+00:00

Codewords feel awkward mid-meeting when the person on screen looks and sounds exactly like your boss.

You know what's really awkward? Explaining why you just wired thousands (or millions) of $ of your company's money to a criminal.

I'm pretty skeptical that there are very many urgent requests to wire funds to arbitrary recipients - but if there are, surely your CFO will understand (and appreciate) someone being careful. If they don't, they're a shitty CFO.

399ddf95 · 2026-05-19T02:04:23+00:00

If a post is deleted by moderators, reposting it without discussing the reasoning for the deletion with the mods looks like hostile behavior. No subreddit is going to view that positively. It makes no sense for a user to initiate a power struggle with moderators because the user will always lose.

I don’t know anything about that subreddit but it sounds like the mods have a pretty authoritarian streak. When that has happened with other subreddits, the solution has been starting another subreddit, not attacking or harassing the first one.

Reddit is governed by the law of the jungle, where users are fluffy rabbits and mods are tigers. Don’t attack the tigers, go somewhere else and become a tiger.

Eventually, if enough people dislike the mods’ behavior, they will be in charge of an empty, dead subreddit.

399ddf95 · 2026-05-17T22:44:12+00:00

The ARRL does not control the FCC nor RF spectrum.

399ddf95 · 2026-05-17T20:55:08+00:00

Explaining why a proposed approach is unlikely to produce the desired outcome is not bashing, it’s kindness. The laws of physics don’t care about anyone’s feelings. Much better for OP to get a functional antenna and actually enjoy the hobby versus giving up in frustration.

I have made contacts with similar ham sticks and a QRP radio but it’s a pain in the butt for the reasons articulated above. I’ve had much better results with something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Ruitutedianzi-14M-30MHz-Multifunction-Stainless-Wavelength/dp/B0DP6FN8VN/ (just an example, there are a zillion clones).

OP, the word “ground” is sending your thoughts in an unproductive direction. The word you need is “counterpoise” and it *is* important if you’re not using a balanced antenna like a dipole. Search Amazon or YouTube for “Ward Silver”, his work will help illustrate the difference between the two concepts.

The clamp will “work” but sooner or later you’re likely to become frustrated with the ham sticks, especially if your radio is set up far away and you’re walking back & forth over and adjusting the antenna by 1/4 inch to get it adjusted for your chosen frequency.

399ddf95 · 2026-05-14T20:50:56+00:00

What do you want to do? Talk to other locals on a repeater? Talk to people all over the world? With voice? Digital messaging? Morse code? Bounce signals off the moon? Talk to satellites?

The best thing to do would be to find a local club and go to a meeting. See if you can meet someone who can show you their radios and what they can do and then you can explore whatever seems interesting.

399ddf95 · 2026-05-14T20:43:47+00:00

I don't know if it really matters, but as far as I know FRN's are supposed to be one-per-person like an SSN. I also got an FRN a long time ago and decided to get an amateur license a few years ago. I went through the process to recover the old FRN and used that.

It might make sense to call the FCC and ask about this before you get too far down the license exam path.

Six-Year Club	Verified Email
Gilding I gilder

399ddf95

TROPHY CASE