ok so i passed my technician exam about three weeks ago and im finally ready to actually buy something. ive been going back and forth on this for way too long. everyone keeps telling me different things and now im more confused than when i started lol.

basically i want something to hit the local repeaters and maybe take hiking. my budget is probably around $50-100 but i could stretch to like $150 if theres a really good reason. i looked at the baofeng UV-5R which everyone seems to have but then people say the chirp programming is annoying and the audio isnt great. then someone in my local club mentioned the Yaesu FT-65 and another guy said get the VX-6R if i want something waterproof for hiking but thats way more expensive.

do i really need waterproofing if im just doing day hikes? and does dual band actually matter this early or should i just not worry about it? honestly i just want something that works and doesnt fall apart. any thoughts appreciated

welcome to the hobby, you're going to have a blast. so honestly for where you're at right now the UV-5R gets a lot of hate but it really is fine for getting started and learning the ropes. the programming with CHIRP isnt that bad once you do it once, took me maybe 20 minutes the first time and now i can do it in my sleep. the audio on the speaker isnt hi-fi but its perfectly workable on a repeater.

that said if you can swing the FT-65 i do think its a noticeable step up in build quality and the menu system is less of a headache. i have an old UV-5R and an FT-65 and i pretty much always grab the yaesu now. for hiking i wouldnt stress too much about waterproofing unless you're doing long overnight trips in iffy weather, a cheap rain cover or just a ziplock bag gets you pretty far. dual band is nice because some areas have 70cm repeaters and you'll want access to them eventually, but its not make or break right away.

whatever you get just get something and get on the air, thats the main thing. you can always add gear later and trust me you will lol

i was in exactly the same spot about a year ago and went with the UV-5R just because it was cheap and figured if i hated the hobby id only be out like 25 bucks. ended up being fine and i used it for months before upgrading. now i have a VX-6R and yeah the difference is real but i dont regret starting cheap either. you kind of learn what features you actually care about by using a basic one first