okay so i just passed my technician exam last week and im trying to figure out what handheld to buy. ive been reading reviews for like two days straight and i feel MORE confused than when i started. everyone seems to have a strong opinion and half of them contradict each other.

my main thing is i want to hit the local repeaters and maybe eventually do some simplex stuff. i dont really have a big budget, somewhere around $50-80 maybe stretching to $100 if it makes a big difference. i keep seeing the Baofeng UV-5R come up everywhere but then just as many people say to avoid it and get a Yaesu or Kenwood instead. i dont know if thats just brand snobbery or if there's actually a real difference for a beginner.

also someone at my club mentioned i should look at dual band, which i think means 2m and 70cm? is that worth it or should i just get something simpler to start. genuinely have no idea what im doing here and any help would be appreciated

welcome to the hobby, dont stress too much about this decision honestly. the UV-5R gets a bad rap from some folks but for hitting local repeaters as a new ham its totally fine. ive handed them to family members for emergency comms and they work. the programming can be a bit quirky and you'll probably want to use CHIRP software to load your local repeaters instead of trying to do it manually from the keypad, that part is genuinely a pain.

that said if you can stretch to like $120-130 range the Yaesu FT-65 or even the older FT-60 are noticeably better built and the receiver is cleaner — you'll notice less interference and the audio is just louder and clearer. for everyday repeater use the difference might not matter much but you'd probably keep a Yaesu for 10+ years and the Baofeng might become a drawer radio after a year or two. either way dual band is definitely worth it, 70cm opens up a lot of repeaters especially in more urban areas so dont skip that.

i was in the exact same spot about 8 months ago lol. ended up getting the UV-5R because i wasnt sure i'd even stick with the hobby and didnt want to drop real money on it. honestly no regrets for where i started, got me on the air same day basically. now that im more into it im saving up for a Kenwood TH-D74 which is a completely different world obviously but as a starter radio the baofeng did its job.

one thing nobody told me — get a better antenna for it right away. the rubber duck that comes with it is pretty mediocre and a nagoya NA-771 or similar is like $12 and makes a noticeable difference on weaker repeaters.