so i just passed my technician exam last week and i'm trying to figure out what handheld to actually buy. everyone keeps telling me different things and i'm kind of overwhelmed. some people say get the baofeng uv-5r because its cheap and fine to learn on, other people act like i just insulted their family by suggesting it. then theres the yaesu ft-60r which seems popular but its like three times the price and i cant really tell what you're actually getting for that extra money.

i mostly want to hit the local repeaters and maybe do some simplex with a buddy of mine who lives like 8 miles away. not doing anything fancy. do i really need to spend $150+ or is the cheap route genuinely okay for just getting started

honest answer — the baofeng will work fine for hitting repeaters and learning the basics. the interface is a little clunky and programming it without chirp is kind of a nightmare, but once you get it set up its totally usable. i started on one and made plenty of contacts. the build quality is not great but for 25-30 bucks if you drop it in a parking lot you're not crying about it.

that said if you think this hobby is gonna stick and you want something that just works without fussing around, the ft-60r really is noticeably better. the receiver is cleaner, the audio is louder, the buttons make sense. i've had mine for like 6 years and it still works exactly the same as day one. for 8 miles simplex you'll probably be fine either way depending on terrain but the yaesu will give you a little more confidence in the link.

honestly just get the baofeng first, see if you even use it, and upgrade later if you want to. thats what most people end up doing anyway.

i went through this exact same thing a few months ago lol. ended up getting the uv-5r because i wasnt sure if i'd stick with it and now im kind of wishing i just got something better from the start because i definitely got hooked. the baofeng works but i find myself annoyed at it pretty regularly. the squelch tail is weird and once i was trying to listen to a weak signal on a distant repeater and it was just kind of marginal the whole time. might just be me though