Categories
- Handheld (HT) — VHF/UHF FM, 5 W, $30 to $400. Local repeater work.
- Mobile — VHF/UHF, 25–50 W, for a vehicle or a desk supply. The single best value upgrade
- HF base transceiver — 100 W, all HF bands, usually 6 m and sometimes VHF/UHF. $600 used,
- QRP portable — 5–20 W, battery-friendly, for parks and summits.
- SDR — software-defined; either a $30 receive-only dongle or a full transceiver with a
from an HT.
$1,000–$1,500 new for a very capable one.
panadapter display.
Specifications that actually matter
- Receiver dynamic range / IMD — the ability to hear a weak signal next to a strong one. This
- Filters — narrow CW and SSB filtering, ideally DSP-based.
- Panadapter / waterfall — seeing the band is genuinely faster than tuning across it.
- Built-in USB sound card and CAT control — saves buying interfaces for
- Internal antenna tuner — convenient, but only matches a modest range; not a substitute for a
is what separates a $600 radio from a $6,000 one, and it matters most in contests and DX pileups.
resonant antenna.
Buying used
Amateur equipment holds value and lasts decades. Hamfests, club sales and the QRZ/eHam classifieds are full of well-cared-for radios at half the new price. Ask a club member to look at it with you.
What you also need
Power supply, coax, antenna, ground, and a way to key the radio for digital modes. Budget roughly the price of the radio again for everything around it.