so i just passed my tech exam last week (finally) and now im trying to figure out what handheld to get. ive been reading for like two weeks straight and honestly the more i read the more confused i get. everyone says baofeng and then someone else says dont get a baofeng and then theres all this stuff about chirp and programming cables and i just want something i can actually use on the local repeater without a huge headache.

my budget is probably somewhere around 100-150 dollars, maybe a little more if theres a really good reason. i dont know if dual band matters for me yet since i dont even know what i want to do with this hobby beyond just getting started. someone at my club meeting mentioned something about a yaesu ft-60 but i didnt catch all of it. is that still a good option or is there something newer i should be looking at? appreciate any advice from people who have actually used these things.

congrats on passing your tech, welcome to the hobby. okay so the baofeng debate is real but honestly for a first radio at your budget its not a bad starting point - the UV-5R or one of the slightly newer variants will get you on the repeater and let you figure out what you actually care about before spending more. the reason people say dont get one is mostly because the transmitter can be a little sloppy and theyre kind of a pain to program by hand, but with CHIRP and a cable its not that bad. that said if you can stretch to like 60-70 bucks the Baofeng UV-9R or similar gives you a bit better build quality.

the FT-60 your club guy mentioned is genuinely a solid radio though, been around forever and thats kind of a feature at this point because everyone knows how to help you with it. it takes more of a beating than most and the receiver is noticeably better than the cheap stuff. if you can find one used you might get it right in your budget. the newer Yaesu options like the FT-65 are fine too but some people feel like they cut a few corners compared to the 60.

honestly just get something and get on the air - you will figure out the rest as you go and your first HT probably wont be your last anyway.

I was in the exact same spot about a year ago and ended up going with a cheap baofeng just to get started. Did the job fine for hitting the local repeater, got me familiar with how stuff works. Eventually upgraded to a Kenwood TH-D74 but thats a totally different price range lol. For what you're describing I think any of the entry stuff works, just make sure you get the right programming cable because there are fake ones that cause all kinds of grief with CHIRP.