In this Months Ham Radio Boot Camp we will be tackling one of the hardest decisions new Hams make when they first get started in amateur radio. Selecting the right equipment can be incredibly daunting as most new hams don’t know where to start and are limited on experience. Money is also a big factor in choosing a radio. It is hard for people to justify a large investment into a new hobby. Don’t worry. We are going to break it all down. We will discuss all the variables and how those are all dependent on the individual circumstances and limitations each person will bring into the equation.

The first step is the most important. We will need to determine our limiting factors and station requirements.  What is your budget? Where will you be spending your time operating, house/car/portable? Do you have an HOA? Is your spouse against having a mast or tower in the yard?  Do you have an issue with drilling a hole in the roof of your truck? Are you looking to make new acquaintances or do you have a group of Hams in mind? Do they operate digital or analog?  These are a few important questions that will need to be answered before we begin to look at equipment. These types of questions are of the utmost importance and should not be rushed. Later you may have to negotiate/change one or more of your responses here. There is no such thing as the perfect station, rather we are trying to optimize the station based on our limiting factors and the station requirements.

Most new hams assume that hand-held radios are the best option, then a mobile, and finally a base station.  For some, this may be the case.  But, all too often this is not the case at all. Hand-held radios have a lot going for them. They are light, portable, and some are affordable.  However, all the features that make them appealing also have some hard hitting downsides.  Hand-held radios are low power at 4-8 watts.  Their antennas are compromised for portability. and they rely on battery power.  This means that you will struggle talking to stations more than a few miles away and will be reliant on repeaters for longer distances. Going back to those limits and requirements…  Who are you trying to talk to?  Are they close to you? Do they use a repeater? Can you hit that repeater with your radio?

Mobile Radios are a big improvement in performance compared to the hand-held. They are normally 50 watts and can run off of batteries, alternator, or a power supply for home use. These radios can also handle a longer duty cycle for extended use. They require an external power source, feed-line, and external antenna.  Mobile antennas also offer a big improvement compared to a hand-held.  Lets throw some wild numbers out there and say a hand-held has a range in town of 2-7 miles.  A mobile radio in a car with a 40″ antenna will have a range of 7-14 miles. Taking it a step further, A mobile radio used in a home base station with a 30′ mast and a middle of the road base antenna would roughly double that range again at 14-30 miles. you can start to see how a basic base station is far superior to a hand-held in performance. furthermore, when you look at maximizing the performance of these 3 types of stations, it is possible to double all these numbers for each type of station with the right equipment if you don’t run into limitations.

Now, lets look at the cost of these radio stations.  Hand-held radios can be had as cheap as $30. If this is what you are looking for or all you can afford, i would suggest throwing in an upgraded antenna right from the start. It will bring that $30 price tag up to $50 for a very basic dual band radio.  If you are looking for a higher quality radio they range in price from $75-$250. Adding features like APRS, System Fusion, D-STAR, DMR, or dual receivers can raise the price even more with radios ranging from $250-$800 for some full featured hand-helds. The Anytone AT-D878UV is a full featured radio with dual receivers, GPS/APRS/DMR/ with a price just over $200 making it a very affordable choice in a full featured hand-held.