Getting licensed is the cheap part. The real decisions start once you’re staring down a catalog of radios, antennas, and accessories that all claim to be essential. This guide rounds up everything on QSO Journey that can help you spend well instead of just spending a lot.
Start Here
If you only read one post before buying anything, make it this one.
- My Recommended First Ham Radio Station — budget and mid-tier builds for new hams, whatever direction you want to go.
Complete Guides by Radio
- The Icom IC-7300 Mark II: The Complete Guide
- The Yaesu FTX-1: The Complete Guide
- The Yaesu FT-891: The Complete Guide
- The Xiegu G90: The Complete Guide
Radios Worth Buying
- Why the AnyTone AT-D878UV II Plus and AT-D890UV Are Still the Radios to Beat
- Icom IC-7300 vs IC-7300 Mark II, and How Both Compare to the G90 and FT-891
- Best HF Radios Under $1,000: A Buyer’s Comparison
- The Yaesu FTX-1: Field Radio, Base Station, or Both?
- Xiegu G90 for Portable Ops, and How It Stacks Up Against the FT-891
- Yaesu FT-891: One Radio for the Shack, the Truck, and the Field
- Icom IC-2730A Review: The Dual-Band Mobile I Regret Selling
- Six Handheld Radios Compared
- Baofeng UV-5R Review: The Radio Nearly Every Ham Owns At Least One Of
- The AnyTone AT-D578UV III Plus: Why I Own Three of Them
- Kenwood TH-D75A Review: My Go-To Travel and Wideband Receive Radio
- AnyTone AT-D890UV Review: The Radio That Never Leaves My Belt
- VGC VR-N76 / BTech UV-Pro Review: A Great Budget EDC Radio, With One Real Catch
- Ailunce HD2 Review: A Great EmComm Handout Radio, With a Warning
- Wouxun UV-9P Review: My Favorite Scanning Radio
- The Best Budget DMR Handheld? Why I Recommend the Anytone AT-D168UV
- My HF Radios: Four Radios, Four Very Different Jobs
- What Is an SDR Transceiver, and Why Does It Matter?
- Xiegu X6100 Review: A Touchscreen Portable Alternative to the G90
- Yaesu FT-710 AESS Review: A Compact Desktop SDR
- Yaesu FTM-300DR Review: A Compact Dual-Band Mobile Worth Considering
- Yaesu FTM-500D Review: A Compact Fusion Mobile
- Icom IC-705 vs Xiegu G90 vs FT-891: Which Portable Radio Fits You
Test Gear
- NanoVNA: The Budget Antenna Analyzer That Punches Above Its Price
- RigExpert Stick Pro Review
- SDRplay vs RTL-SDR vs Airspy: Choosing an SDR Receiver
Upgrades
- HT Antenna Upgrades: The Cheapest Performance Boost You Can Make
- The Heil PRO 7: Why It’s One of the Best Upgrades You Can Make
- Automatic vs Manual Antenna Tuners: Which Do You Actually Need
- The Comet CAT-300: My Favorite Manual Antenna Tuner
- The Astron RS-50M: A Linear Power Supply Workhorse
- Choosing a Laptop for Field Operating
- SignaLink USB: The Classic Sound Card Interface, Still Worth It?
Buying Smart
- Buying Used Ham Radio Gear: What to Check Before You Buy
- What I’d Buy Instead of the Chameleon MPAS 2.0
Where to Go Next
Once your gear plan is sorted, head to Start Here: A New Ham’s Guide to Getting on the Air for the licensing and basics roadmap, or straight to Building Your First Ham Radio Station for antenna projects and installs.