And with the appearance of low cost Chinese brand radios, the equipment can be cheap for 2m, particularly.
The usual go-to for new hams is the Baofeng UV-5R and similar. The cost is about $20-30. It’s not the greatest radio and is kind of messy but for $20ish who cares if it gets you on the air.
Also Hamfests are a great place to pick up cheap used gear. For example I got an entry level 2m mobile rig (an old Radio Shack model) for $10 and antenna for similar.
If you want a new higher quality handheld transceiver (HT) there are options at $100 or less from Alinco and Yaesu. (Maybe Kenwood and Icom have budget options too idk)
Morse is no longer required-- yay!
And with the appearance of low cost Chinese brand radios, the equipment can be cheap for 2m, particularly.
The usual go-to for new hams is the Baofeng UV-5R and similar. The cost is about $20-30. It’s not the greatest radio and is kind of messy but for $20ish who cares if it gets you on the air.
Also Hamfests are a great place to pick up cheap used gear. For example I got an entry level 2m mobile rig (an old Radio Shack model) for $10 and antenna for similar.
If you want a new higher quality handheld transceiver (HT) there are options at $100 or less from Alinco and Yaesu. (Maybe Kenwood and Icom have budget options too idk)