so i just passed my technician exam last week and im starting to look at handheld radios and honestly the amount of choices is kind of paralyzing. ive been reading threads here and elsewhere and everyone seems to have a strong opinion lol

my main interest is just getting on the local repeaters and maybe doing some simplex with my brother who also just got licensed. budget is probably under $100 to start, maybe up to $150 if something is really worth it. i keep seeing the baofeng UV-5R come up constantly but then some people say the programming is a nightmare, and others mention the Yaesu FT-65 or the Wouxun radios but im not sure what the actual differences are beyond price

does chirp work well with all these or is that something i have to figure out separately? and what does dual band actually get me in practice as a new tech? sorry if these are dumb questions

not dumb questions at all, everyone starts here. the UV-5R gets recommended a lot because it's cheap and it works, but you're right that the stock programming interface is pretty rough. CHIRP handles it fine though — you download the software, get a programming cable (make sure it's the right one, some are garbage clones that cause headaches), and you can have all your local repeaters loaded in about 20 minutes. just google your region's repeater directory and you're set.

that said if budget allows i'd honestly nudge you toward the Yaesu FT-65 or even the FT-4XR. the build quality is noticeably better, the receiver is cleaner, and Yaesu's menu system is just less weird to navigate. dual band means you get both 2 meters and 70 centimeters, which matters because some repeaters are on 440 and some are on 146 — having both means you're not locked out of anything in your area. for simplex with your brother you'll mostly be on 2m anyway.

for $150 you can get a solid radio that wont frustrate you every time you try to change a setting. the few extra dollars over a UV-5R is worth it imo, especially starting out when you're already learning everything else at once

i went through this exact same thing a few months ago. ended up getting a baofeng to start just because i wasnt sure if i'd stick with the hobby and didnt want to spend more. chirp does work with it, that part is fine. honestly my only complaint is the battery feels a little cheap and the squelch knob is kind of stiff

but it got me on the air and on my local club's net and that was the point. if you end up really getting into it you'll probably want something better eventually anyway so maybe just start cheap and see where it goes