Starter Radio Questions

[Anianna]

I'd like to know if I should have any preference between Baofengradio and Baofengtech if I decide to go Baofeng.  As I understand it, the hardware is made by the same manufacturer, but the firmware differs between the two.  I've gotten some recommendations to go with tech rather than radio over on Reddit, so I thought I'd check with you guys.  

What I'm looking for is my inexpensive (preferably not more than $60ish) gateway drug radio to fidget with and learn from as I work towards a license.  I know not to transmit before getting a license, but I used to listen to CB traffic when I was a kid and would like to do some lurking around and listening again, maybe sitting in on nets to get an understanding of how things work.  Also, I live near an airport and am interested in their chatter.  Of course, I want NOAA.

Eventually, I'd like to be able to chatter with my kids on the other side of the state, which I don't expect my starter radio to accomplish.  I'll get to that in time.

I know the generally popular entry-level model is the Baofeng UV-5RM and I've been looking at the 10W. I've been recommended a couple of other models from Baofengtech like the BF-F8HP-PRO, but I don't know enough yet to know what makes them better or worse for my use case than the UV-5RM and they are at a higher price point (I could get two 5RMs for about the same price as the other models).  

Also, I have the The Baofeng Radio Bible: The Comprehensive and Easy-to-Follow Guerrilla's Guide to Become a Pro with Your Baofeng Radio in No Time and Stay Connected When It Matters Most book, so I have some level of comfort within the Baofeng ecosystem.  Are there other brands that have readily available publications about how to use specifically their models?

So, 

1. If getting a Baofeng, Baofengradio or Baofengtech?
2. UV-5RM, BF-F8HP-PRO, or a different model?
2. If not Baofeng, what?

[airballrad]

As someone who was just about exactly where you were in the process of learning about radios two years ago, I'm going to give you my suggestion based on what I have been using. Of course, there are other radios out there that are nicer, and certainly many with which I have no experience.

I'm also probably going to oversimplify some things, so I apologize in advance; but don't know where you are in the process of learning, so I'm not going to assume.

VHF/UHF radios, which are the ones you're asking about, only go about 20 miles, best-case. Usually much less with a 5-10 watt HT (handheld). If there is a repeater close enough for you to use that could go up to about a 50 mile radius from the repeater, but again depends on several variables. To go a greater distance you are looking at an HF radio, which tend to be much more expensive and require larger antennas.

With all of that out of the way, a UV-5RM would work just fine for your described needs. I started with a UV-5R myself. I like the Tidradio TD-H3 more personally, which is only a few dollars more than the Baofeng. The Pro model seems to be overkill for where you are at first glance. Having multiple inexpensive HTs means you have spares, and you get to try them all to see which features you like. Pretty much all radios at this level will receive NOAA channels as well as broadcast FM radio stations, which is handy in an emergency. USB charging is also a nice feature that is becoming widespread.

The concepts in your books will apply to pretty much all inexpensive Chinese radios; even the menus tend to be pretty similar.

BaofengTech, or BTech, has some radios that are just Baofengs with better support. They also have some products that are not Baofengs at all, but they are supported by BTech and may have some custom firmware.

So perhaps a bit long-winded, but if I had to buy my first radio today it would be the Tidradio TD-H3. I like the form factor and features a bit more than the entry-level Baofengs, including USB-C or Bluetooth programming. Pretty nice for $30 on Amazon.

Welcome to the world of ham radio! I have cheap/free study resources I'd be happy to gush about if you are interested.

[Rednex]

Just marking this. I got a pair of Baofeng GMRS Radio GM21 ( fancy walkie talkies) as my gateway into radio. We used them to talk to each other on the drive when we moved.

[airballrad]

GMRS is a bit of a different ball of wax, as that is a different service with different licensing rules. However, many (most?) GMRS radios can also listen to VHF and UHF ham frequencies too. If there is a GMRS repeater within range of your location and you have permission to use it you could potentially cover much of a metro area with one.

Just marking this. I got a pair of Baofeng GMRS Radio GM21 ( fancy walkie talkies) as my gateway into radio. We used them to talk to each other on the drive when we moved.

[EBuff75]

And if you're planning to use CHIRP to program your radio, make sure that it's a supported radio first!

https://chirpmyradio.com/projects/chirp/wiki/Supported_Radios 

[Skidjit]

While I'm generally a "Buy Once, Cry Once" kind of guy, when it comes handheld radios; buy 'em all and let experience sort it out. I started my HAM career with the BF-8HP back in 2014; used it both as an HT and a mobile radio. Eventually gave that away to a new HAM. The cheap HTs are a great way to test the waters with what you need to learn the basics of radio use and etiquette.

But if you want the whole family to start communicating right away for cheap; grab that GMRS license and a few BFs or Raddiodity HTs and start the learning there. Radio is radio and what you learn in GMRS is applicable to HAM.

[Anianna]

And if you're planning to use CHIRP to program your radio, make sure that it's a supported radio first!

https://chirpmyradio.com/projects/chirp/wiki/Supported_Radios

I have the vague understanding that I do want this capability, I just don't know enough about it yet to know why beyond that it makes the radio programmable in ways it couldn't be without it.  I think.

[EBuff75]

And if you're planning to use CHIRP to program your radio, make sure that it's a supported radio first!

https://chirpmyradio.com/projects/chirp/wiki/Supported_Radios

I have the vague understanding that I do want this capability, I just don't know enough about it yet to know why beyond that it makes the radio programmable in ways it couldn't be without it.  I think.

For a handheld, programming in channels, names, settings, etc. is really annoying to do using the keypad, especially if you have a lot of channels that you want to program.  It's a LOT easier to do all that in CHIRP and then just load it into the radio.  

For our CERT, our radio guy put together the whole program on his own radio.  Then he could copy it into templates for different radios as people brought them in for programming.  Once they were all done, everyone had the same channels and names all ready to go.  This is for dedicated radios for a specific group, but the same thing holds for doing just one radio. It also gives you a backup of the channels / setup, so that if you have to wipe the radio, you can just reprogram it again later.

[airballrad]

If you can use a spreadsheet program you already have most of the skillset you need to program a radio with CHIRP. And if you have more than one CHIRP-compatible radio then you can mostly just copy and paste between files for the different radios.

Programming a channel at the keypad is a good skill to learn too, but it's a lot slower.

I have the vague understanding that I do want this capability, I just don't know enough about it yet to know why beyond that it makes the radio programmable in ways it couldn't be without it.  I think.

[airballrad]

Big plus one to this. For family comms, it is a great option at $35 for ten years to cover the while family. It's not ham, but there is no knowledge test. No one else in my family is a ham, but with some inexpensive HTs and a local GMRS repeater antenna that is 250' up on a tower, we can talk across a wide area even if cell and internet are out. Incidentally, many GMRS radios can listen in on ham VHF and UHF frequencies.

But if you want the whole family to start communicating right away for cheap; grab that GMRS license and a few BFs or Raddiodity HTs and start the learning there. Radio is radio and what you learn in GMRS is applicable to HAM.