so i just passed my technician exam last week and im trying to figure out what handheld to get as my first radio. ive been reading reviews for like three days straight and im more confused now than when i started honestly. everyone seems to have a different opinion and half the threads i find are from like 2015 so i dont know whats still relevant.

my main thing is i want to hit the local repeaters, maybe eventually do some APRS stuff if i can figure that out. budget is somewhere around $150-200 but i could stretch a bit if something is really worth it. i was looking at the Yaesu FT-65 and also the BaoFeng UV-5R which i know people have Opinions about, and somebody at the exam session mentioned the Kenwood TH-D74 but that seems like way overkill for where im at right now.

do i just start cheap and see if i stick with this hobby or is it worth spending more upfront? genuinely dont know how to think about this

congrats on the ticket. honestly the UV-5R debate never ends and both sides have valid points but here's how i think about it — if you're the kind of person who likes to tinker and figure stuff out you'll probably have fun with it, the price is low enough that if you brick it programming the thing it's not a big deal. but if you want something that just works out of the box without fighting the menus, the FT-65 is genuinely a nice little radio, good audio, decent receive, and Yaesu's build quality on that one is solid.

for your budget i'd probably lean toward the FT-65 or maybe look at the Wouxun KG-UV9D if you can find one on sale, that thing has great audio and the dual band coverage is nice. APRS on a budget gets more complicated — you'd either need a separate TNC setup or save up for something like a TH-D74 or even the Kenwood TH-D72 used which you can sometimes find for reasonable money. don't worry about APRS right away though, get comfortable with local repeaters first and see what pulls you in.

i was in the exact same spot about eight months ago lol. ended up getting the UV-5R first because it was only like $25 and figured worst case i lose $25. it worked fine for hitting repeaters but i did eventually upgrade to an FT-70D and the difference in receive audio alone was pretty noticeable. so i guess what im saying is both paths work, just depends how patient you are