Tell us why we should unexpectedly come to love your hobby.
I just can’t afford the equipment. I thought about it back in the analog days, but back then you had to learn Morse code and I just didn’t think I was up for it.
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)
Money is the biggest issue. I’ve had my general for years… have never been able to afford a radio to use those bands at home. Ive had a magnetic loop antenna all ready to use in my garage for several years but no radio to run it. The local 2m/70cm is just old guys complaining usually. Passing traffic is fun during hurricanes… Only so many times I can enjoy trying to hit satellites that are swamped with people.
