Newbie - Selecting handheld
Displaying 1-2 of 2
| Jan 20th 2020, 16:27 | |
dapanattoniTotal Topics: 0 Total Posts: 0 |
I'm a newbie licensed operator with a license and really, no idea what I want to do with it. My reasons for starting this hobby are: 1. Have a handheld in my survival kit in case of emergencies 2. I work in IT at a hospital. Maybe this would be helpful in creating a D/R plan at the hospital 3. It's been a goal since I was a kid, but no real reason other than my Dad and Grandpa were Hammers I know I can reach a repeater with a handheld as a friend brought over a used Baofeng GT-3TP radio over and we configured it and were able to listen to conversations. I could spend the $30 and get this radio, but it seems that you get what you pay for, so I was looking at some other radios, specifically the yaesu FT60r. Then I saw the TYT MD380. It seems that the more I read, the less I know what I want to do. I'd like to buy something that give me fun at the beginning, room to grow, but not so much that I regret the purchase.I do know that my wife isn't going to be happy if I have two dozen radios, one for this, one for that, one for whatever... So, any advice that you experienced operators can provide would be greatly appreciated. To DMR or not to DMR? Baofeng to play? Or Yaesu for real? Thanks in advance. |
| Jan 22nd 2020, 09:33 | |
WB1GCMSuper Moderator Total Topics: 0 Total Posts: 0 |
Greetings Newbie & welcome to Ham Radio! It would be best to purchase a decent handheld. The cheaper makes and models tend to not comply with FCC spurious/harmonic emission level requirements and can possibly interfere with other radio services. The cheaper models don't hear as well and are more prone to overload and interference. Yes, you do get what you pay for. I am not permitted to give specific advice as to what to purchase. Importantly, there is much more out there to listen to. A good investment is a software defined receiver. This, and wire antenna, will allow you to hear from 0 to 1 GHz (and more). You will find that AM broadcasting is not all talk shows, but has much to listen for; same goes with shortwave broadcasts. You can also listen to ham AND see their signals on the panadapter of the receiver. This will give you a more rounded view of the radio spectrum and will lead you on a new path of discovery. |
Displaying 1-2 of 2
