so i passed my tech exam about three weeks ago and ive been lurking here trying to figure out what handheld to buy first. everyone seems to have a different opinion and honestly the more i read the more confused i get. some people swear by the baofeng UV-5R because its cheap and you can program it with chirp, other people act like youre an idiot if you dont spend $200+ on a yaesu or kenwood right off the bat.

my plan is mostly to hit the local 2m and 70cm repeaters, maybe do some simplex if theres activity around here, and eventually get into APRS maybe. i dont really need anything crazy. budget is probably under $150 but i could stretch a little if it actually matters. anyone have thoughts on like the baofeng UV-9R pro vs the yaesu FT-65 or maybe the TYT stuff? im just trying to not make a stupid first purchase

Honestly for what you're describing, the FT-65 is hard to beat in that price range. It's around $80-90 usually and feels like an actual radio, not a toy. Battery life is solid, audio is clear on repeaters, and you wont constantly be wondering if the thing is transmitting on the right frequency or putting out garbage RF like some of the cheap Chinese stuff can do.

That said I dont want to be one of those guys who trashes baofengs constantly — plenty of people use them fine for years. My issue is more that when youre just starting out you dont always know if a weird problem is you or the radio, and with a Yaesu or Kenwood that variable goes away pretty much entirely. The FT-65 also does CHIRP fine so programming it isnt a headache. If APRS is actually something you want to do soon though you might look at the Yaesu FT5DR since it has built in APRS, though thats definitely more than $150.

i went through this same exact thing last year lol. ended up getting a baofeng to start and then bought a wouxun like four months later and honestly the difference was noticeable. not saying baofeng is useless but the audio on receive is just kind of muddy compared to even a mid tier radio. if you can swing $120 or so the wouxun KG-UV9D is worth a look, has a lot of bands, decent build quality. just my two cents, im still pretty new myself so take it for what its worth