Best Ham Radio for Beginners in 2026: Getting Licensed and Choosing a First Radio

The best first ham radio for most beginners is a dual-band handheld with a real antenna, and the right one depends on how much you want to spend and whether digital voice interests you. A Baofeng UV-5R or UV-5RM gets a brand new Technician on the air for the least money. The BTECH BF-F8HP PRO is the same idea with menus a person can read. A Yaesu FT-65R or FT-4XR is the step up if you can find one. The AnyTone AT-D878UVII Plus is the pick if your area has active DMR repeaters. For the truck or the kitchen counter, a 25 to 55 watt mobile like the AnyTone AT-778UV or Yaesu FTM-150R, a magnet-mount antenna and a 13.8 volt power supply will reach repeaters a handheld cannot. Before any of that, you need the license, and that part is easier than most people think.

Getting the Technician license first

Ham radio in the US runs under 47 CFR Part 97, and section 97.5 requires a licensed operator before a station transmits on any amateur frequency. The entry class is Technician. Per the ARRL, it is one 35 question multiple choice exam on radio theory, regulations and operating practice, there is no Morse code test (the FCC dropped code in 2007), and the license is good for 10 years. A Technician can use every amateur band above 30 MHz, which includes the 2 meter and 70 centimeter bands every radio on this page transmits on.

The questions come from a published pool, so you can study the actual questions. The current Technician pool runs from 2026 through 2030. HamStudy.org is free and tracks which questions you keep missing; the ARRL sells a study manual and runs practice exams. Most people pass after a couple of weeks of casual study. Exams are given by volunteer examiner teams at local clubs and online; the ARRL site has a session finder. Before the exam you need an FCC Registration Number (FRN) from the FCC's licensing system, and after you pass the FCC charges a small application fee. Your call sign shows up in the FCC database a few days later and you can transmit from that point.

In North Carolina the easy path is a local club test session. The Charlotte, Raleigh and Triad areas all have clubs that test monthly, and many also run repeaters you will want programmed into your first radio. You can buy and listen on any of these radios before the license arrives; only transmitting requires it.

What matters in a first radio

• Handheld or mobile. A handheld goes anywhere but puts out 5 to 10 watts into a short antenna. A mobile radio puts 25 to 55 watts into a roof antenna and will hit repeaters 30 or 40 miles out. Most hams end up with one of each.
• Analog FM or digital. Every radio here does analog FM, which is what most repeaters use. DMR adds digital voice and talkgroups that can link repeaters across the state through the internet, which is handy right up until the internet fails. If you do not know whether your area has DMR repeaters, start analog.
• Antenna. On a handheld, swap the stock antenna for a longer whip. On a mobile, a magnet mount on a steel roof works surprisingly well and needs no drilling.
• Power. A mobile radio wants 13.8 volts DC. In the truck that is the battery. In the house it is a regulated power supply, and during an outage it can be a deep-cycle battery or a battery power station.
• Programming. A USB cable and the free CHIRP software save hours of keypad entry on the Baofeng family. Yaesu and AnyTone have their own software.

Baofeng UV-5R

The UV-5R is the cheapest way to find out whether you like this hobby. Dual band, 128 channels, an 1800 mAh battery and a stock antenna you will replace within a week. The listing we link is locked to transmit only on 144 to 148 and 420 to 450 MHz, per the listing, which keeps a new operator inside the amateur bands and matches the FCC's 2018 guidance on these radios. It suits a new Technician who wants a spare or a glove box radio. Its receiver overloads near strong signals, the menus are numbers rather than words, and it has no USB charging without an aftermarket battery. We cover the cable, antenna and battery it needs in our UV-5R guide. The listing is from a third-party seller, so check the seller before you order.

Baofeng UV-5RM

The UV-5RM is the current refresh and the better buy if you are starting today. Per the listing it runs 10 watts on high, has a 2500 mAh battery with USB-C charging built into the pack, 999 channels, a color screen, NOAA weather and air band receive, and it ships with both a short antenna and a 15 inch 771-style whip. The USB-C port is the feature that matters in an outage, since it charges from any phone power bank. It suits someone who wants one handheld that is ready out of the box. The transmit range on the listing extends past the amateur bands, so staying inside your Technician privileges is on you. The keypad programming is the same Baofeng routine, and CHIRP supports it.

BTECH BF-F8HP PRO

If the Baofeng menus put you off, this is the fix. BTECH, Baofeng's US distributor, built the BF-F8HP PRO with plain English menus, 1,000 memories in ten named zones, tri-band amateur transmit on 2 meters, 1.25 meters and 70 centimeters, airband and NOAA receive, USB-C charging and firmware you can update, per the listing. It uses the same K1 accessory plug as the UV-5R, so cables and antennas carry over, and BTECH's own listing states that a valid amateur authorization is required to transmit. It suits a beginner who wants to learn on a radio that explains itself. It is analog only and costs more than two UV-5Rs.

Yaesu FT-65R and FT-4XR

These two are the handhelds most clubs recommend to a new ham who can spend a bit more. Yaesu's pages list the FT-65R at 5, 2.5 or 0.5 watts on 2 meters and 70 centimeters, a 1950 mAh battery good for over 9 hours, a 3.5 hour rapid charger, weather alert and a 3 year warranty. The FT-4XR is smaller, 5 watts with a 1750 mAh pack rated for up to 15 hours, and receives 136 to 174 and 400 to 480 MHz plus FM broadcast. Both have cleaner receivers than any Baofeng and loud 1 watt speakers. When we checked, the FT-4XR had no Amazon listing and the FT-65R was in short supply, so we have not placed a card for either; Yaesu's dealer locator and shops like Ham Radio Outlet and DX Engineering stock them. If you find one at a hamfest, buy it.

AnyTone AT-D878UVII Plus

This is the DMR handheld that most digital-voice beginners end up with. Per the listing it is dual band, 7 watts VHF and 6 watts UHF, does DMR and analog FM, has built-in GPS with APRS transmit and receive, Bluetooth push-to-talk, a 3100 mAh USB-C battery, and room for 4,000 channels and 500,000 digital contacts. It is FCC certified under Part 90 (FCC ID T4KD878UVII), and the listing notes a valid license is required. It suits a new Technician whose local club runs DMR repeaters or who wants to try APRS position reporting without buying a second radio. It does badly as a first radio for someone who just wants to talk on the local analog repeater, because setting up a DMR codeplug is a real project, and the radio is bigger and heavier than the Baofengs. Hesenate's listing includes the programming cable and a charging cradle; BridgeCom's listing bundles a codeplug and a training course if you want hand-holding.

AnyTone AT-778UV mobile

A compact dual-band mobile at 25, 15 or 5 watts, per the listing, with a rotatable display, a loud front speaker, a fused DC power lead and FCC ID T4K-778UV under Part 97. It is small enough to tuck under a dash or sit on a shelf, and 25 watts into a roof antenna will outreach any handheld on this page. It suits a beginner who wants the truck on the air or a cheap base radio at home. It needs a separate antenna, a power supply or battery for indoor use, and its programming software is a download from AnyTone's site rather than CHIRP. The listing we checked is from a third-party seller.

Yaesu FTM-150R ASP mobile

Yaesu's FTM-150R ASP is the current analog dual-band mobile in their lineup, listed on Yaesu's site at 55 watts on VHF and 50 watts on UHF, selectable down to 25 and 5 watts, with two receivers for true dual watch, a detachable front panel, a dot-matrix display and a total of 6 watts of audio between the panel and body speakers. The ASP audio processing and Super-DX receive mode help pull in weak repeaters. The FTM-500 people ask about no longer appears in Yaesu's current US catalog, which lists the digital FTM-510DR instead, and that one is more radio than a beginner needs. The 150R suits someone who wants a serious mobile or base rig that will last a decade. It costs several times what the AnyTone does, needs a power supply that can deliver its full current, and like all Yaesu mobiles wants Yaesu's own programming cable. Its Amazon listing was down to the last couple of units when we checked, so there is no card here; Yaesu dealers stock it.

Nagoya UT-72 magnet-mount antenna

For a mobile radio on a vehicle, the UT-72 is a 20 inch dual-band whip on a heavy magnetic base with a PL-259 connector, per the listing, and it includes an SMA adapter so it also works with a Baofeng handheld from inside the truck. It needs a metal roof or trunk lid as a ground plane, so it is not for fiberglass or aluminum bodies. It suits a beginner who wants to get a mobile radio working without drilling. For a permanent install, Nagoya's NMO-72 on a drilled NMO mount is the same antenna without the magnet, and for a house antenna the Diamond X50A on a pipe mast is the standard answer.

BTECH RPS-30PRO power supply

Any mobile radio used indoors needs a regulated 13.8 volt supply, and a 30 amp unit covers everything on this page with margin. The RPS-30PRO is adjustable from 9 to 15 volts, has screw terminals, snap-in terminals and a cigarette lighter socket, a noise offset adjustment to move switching noise off the frequency you are listening to, and overheat, short and surge protection, per the listing. It suits someone setting up a base station on a desk. In an outage it does nothing, which is why a deep-cycle battery with Anderson connectors is the companion purchase for storm season.

Radio or accessory	Type	Power	Battery or input	Best for
Baofeng UV-5R	Handheld, analog	4 to 5 W	1800 mAh	Cheapest start, spare radio
Baofeng UV-5RM	Handheld, analog	10 W	2500 mAh, USB-C	Starting fresh today
BTECH BF-F8HP PRO	Handheld, analog, tri-band	Not stated on the listing	USB-C	Readable menus
Yaesu FT-65R / FT-4XR	Handheld, analog	5 W	1950 / 1750 mAh	Step up, if you can find one
AnyTone AT-D878UVII Plus	Handheld, DMR and analog	7 W VHF, 6 W UHF	3100 mAh, USB-C	DMR repeaters, APRS
AnyTone AT-778UV	Mobile, analog	25 W	13.8 V DC	Cheap truck or base radio
Yaesu FTM-150R ASP	Mobile, analog	55 W VHF, 50 W UHF	13.8 V DC	Long-term base or mobile
Nagoya UT-72	Magnet-mount antenna	n/a	PL-259, SMA adapter	Vehicle install without drilling
BTECH RPS-30PRO	Power supply	30 A	120 V AC in, 13.8 V out	Base station on a desk

What we left off, and why

The Kenwood TH-D75A is a superb tri-band handheld with digital voice, APRS and Bluetooth, and it is too much radio for a first purchase: the price is several Baofengs, the manual is a book, and a beginner will use a tenth of it. Buy it in year two if you fall for APRS. We also skipped the Yaesu FT-60R, which is a fine radio that Amazon listed in short supply, and the whole class of HF radios, since a Technician has only a few HF slices and a handheld or mobile on 2 meters and 70 centimeters is where new hams actually talk. If what you want is a radio for family members who will never take the test, a GMRS set is the right answer; see our GMRS picks or, for text messaging with no license at all, the Meshtastic nodes in our off-grid comms section.

Questions new hams ask

Do I need a license before I buy a ham radio?

No. You can buy and listen without one. You need the Technician license before you transmit, per 47 CFR 97.5.

Is there a Morse code test?

No. The ARRL notes the FCC dropped the Morse requirement in 2007. The Technician exam is 35 multiple choice questions from a public pool.

How long does the license last?

Ten years, then you renew online. There is no retest for renewal.

Can I use a ham radio on GMRS channels?

No. GMRS and FRS require radios certified under Part 95, and none of the ham radios here are. Our GMRS vs FRS guide explains the services.

Should a beginner start with DMR?

Only if your local club already runs DMR repeaters and someone will share a codeplug. Otherwise start analog, which every repeater supports and every radio on this page does.

What is the one radio to buy if I only buy one?

The Baofeng UV-5RM for the money, or a Yaesu FT-65R if you can find one and want a radio that will last.

Our pick, and why

Pass the Technician exam using HamStudy, then buy a UV-5RM and a programming cable; if a year later you still use it every week, add an AT-778UV or FTM-150R with a UT-72 on the truck and you will have more reach than most people ever need in a storm.