so i just passed my technician exam last week and now im trying to figure out what handheld to get. ive been reading forums for like two weeks straight and somehow feel more confused than when i started lol

everyone seems to love the Baofeng UV-5R as a starter radio and yeah the price is hard to argue with but then other people say to just spend a bit more and get a Yaesu FT-65 or maybe the FT-60 (though that ones getting older now i think?). and then theres the whole Kenwood TH-D74 crowd which seems amazing but that's like way out of my budget for a first radio

i mainly want to hit local repeaters and maybe do some simplex with my brother who lives about 8 miles away, suburban area, we both have decent locations. nothing crazy. do i really need all the bells and whistles or should i just grab something cheap and see if i even like using it regularly before spending real money

also is APRS something i should care about right now or is that a later thing once i know what im doing

Congrats on the ticket. Honestly for what you're describing - local repeaters and simplex with your brother - almost any dual band HT will do the job fine. The UV-5R gets a lot of grief and some of it is deserved (the receive can be a bit deaf on weak signals, and programming it without the software is kind of a nightmare) but plenty of people have used one for years without issues.

That said if you can stretch to something like the Yaesu FT-65 you'll notice the difference in build quality right away. Feels more solid in hand, the menus are less cryptic, and Yaesu's actually a real ham radio company so support is better if something goes sideways. The FT-60 is old but its a tank, still works great, just doesnt have some of the newer features.

APRS is fun but id set it aside for now, theres a learning curve and you dont need it to get on the air. Get on the repeaters, make some contacts, figure out what you actually want to do with the hobby and then revisit. Lots of guys never bother with APRS and are perfectly happy. The TH-D74 is incredible for that stuff when you're ready though.

i was in the exact same spot about a year ago and ended up going with the FT-65, zero regrets. the UV-5R is fine but i borrowed a friends once and honestly the audio quality on the Yaesu is noticeably better especially through a repeater. plus the battery life on the baofeng kind of stinks if you're out all day

8 miles in the suburbs on simplex might be a stretch depending on terrain and what antenna you're both running but its doable, your mileage will vary literally haha. if there's a repeater in between you that covers both locations that might just be easier anyway