so i just passed my technician exam last week (finally) and now im trying to figure out what handheld to actually buy. ive been reading threads on here for like two hours and im more confused than when i started honestly. there's so many options and everyone seems to have a strong opinion.

my main use case is going to be hitting local repeaters and maybe doing some APRS stuff eventually. i also want something that wont fall apart if i drop it, which knowing me is going to happen. budget is probably around 100-150 bucks but i could go a little higher if it really makes sense.

ive seen a lot of people mention the baofeng UV-5R which is cheap but also ive seen people sort of roll their eyes at it. and then theres the yaesu FT-65 and some kenwood options. i just dont know where to start. any advice from people who have actually used these things day to day would be really appreciated.

congrats on the ticket. ok so the baofeng thing -- look, they work. i have one sitting in my go bag and it does what i need it to do. but the programming software is kind of a nightmare and the receive on them can be a bit broad which means you pick up all kinds of garbage on busy RF environments. for a first radio it's not the worst thing in the world but i personally think spending a little more is worth it.

the yaesu FT-65 is a solid choice in your price range, pretty rugged, straightforward to use. i also really like the Kenwood TH-D74 but thats way over your budget so ignore that. if you want APRS built in without a lot of fuss, look at the Yaesu FT3DR -- its a bit pricier but it does dual band, has a decent APRS implementation, and the build quality is noticeably better than the cheap stuff. might be worth stretching the budget for something youll actually want to use for years instead of replacing in six months.

whatever you get, grab CHIRP for programming. makes life so much easier once you figure it out.

I was in the exact same spot about a year ago and ended up going with the FT-65 after way too much research lol. Honestly really happy with it. Battery lasts forever and I've knocked it off my desk a few times with no issues. The menus are a little quirky but you get used to it. Only thing I'll say is if APRS is a real priority for you from the start, you might want to look at something with that built in because adding it externally is kind of a whole extra thing.