Part of our Handheld Radios (HTs) guide.
“Just get a Baofeng” is common advice for a new ham’s first HT, and it is not wrong exactly, but it skips over a decision that deserves a bit more thought than grabbing the cheapest radio on the shelf.
What a Budget Radio Actually Gets You
Radios like the Baofeng UV-5R are genuinely fine for learning the basics: programming, repeater offsets, simplex operation. They are cheap enough that losing or breaking one is not a real financial setback, which matters for a first radio you are still learning to handle carefully. The tradeoff is mediocre receiver performance, spurious emissions that can occasionally cause interference complaints, and build quality that will not survive much abuse.
When a Mid-Tier Radio Makes More Sense
If you already know you are staying in the hobby, a mid-tier radio from Anytone, Wouxun, or a similar established brand gets you meaningfully better receiver performance and build quality without jumping to flagship pricing. This is often the better starting point if you are not testing the waters but committing from day one.
If you want to see how radios like these actually stack up against each other and against a budget option, I put six handheld radios head to head, including a Kenwood, two Anytones, a Wouxun, and two budget picks, in Six Handheld Radios Compared.
Questions to Actually Ask Yourself
- Am I testing whether I like this hobby, or am I already committed? Testing favors cheap. Committed favors mid-tier.
- Do I care about digital voice modes like DMR or Fusion, or just analog FM? This changes which radios are even in consideration.
- Will this radio live in a truck, a backpack, or a drawer most of the time? Durability matters more for radios that travel rough.
- Do I want wideband receive to listen to more than ham frequencies? Not every budget radio offers this.
My Actual Recommendation
If you are brand new and unsure whether ham radio will stick, a cheap analog radio is a genuinely fine way to start without much financial risk. If you already know you are in, or you have specific goals like digital voice modes or serious durability needs, skip straight to a mid-tier radio and save yourself the frustration of outgrowing your first purchase within a few months. Once you have narrowed things down by budget tier, my full feature comparison of 34 handhelds is a good next stop for weighing specifics like APRS, GPS, and digital mode support against each other.
One more thing if that cheap radio is your first: get licensed before you transmit on it. I make the case in Where Are the Young Hams? Not at Your Club Meeting.