Worthy radios for new folks

[GMRSJohn]

Hello y’all. I’m John. An absolute and utter new guy to the radio world. Having recently received my GMRS license, (because it’s the easiest to obtain and I’m studying for the technician ham license) I’m in the search for a good radio for each.

 Now for GMRS, because I’m legal to use them now, I was looking at the Tidradios, which seem mostly ok and yet, just didn’t have the factors to pull me into buying. I’ve kind of ruled them out. But not totally.. depending on what other radios I find.

So, I’m looking at the Baofeng uv-5 plus and the Talkpod A36Plus GMRS Handheld Radio. 

I’m kind of curious what y’all’s thoughts are? 
 

monitoring…

[OffRoaderX]

6 minutes ago, GMRSJohn said:

I’m in the search for a good radio

maybe if you tell us how you define "good" we can help.  What is important to you in a radio?

[GMRSJohn]

Yeah.. “good” is a broad term. 
 

I need something that’s entry level but will grow with me. Has acceptable range and is easily programmable. I think chirp support would be helpful.

and basically a radio that isn’t a piece of junk. Durable and reliable.

[OffRoaderX]

All of the hand-held GMRS radios have virtually the exact same range.  "easily programmable" is a subjective term, and really can't be quantified (easy for me might be much confusing for you), and most of the sub $100 radios are, in one way or another going to be considered 'junk' by someone..  

Here is what I recommend: Pick & purchase a radio that does not cost too much, that has what you THINK you want, and see how it feels.. then, after a while, if you think it is lacking for your needs after using it, you can grow into something else..

What i am saying to you is, nobody here is going to be able to tel you which radio is best for you.. Best case scenario is they just regurgitate what is or is not best for THEM.. Worst case they, go off on a tangent about how "every one of brand-X radios i have ever had is junk and everybody i know returned theirs" or "if you link your GMRS repeaters the FCC will come after you because I have secret inside information that I dream up in my overly-active imagination" ..

[Socalgmrs]

Yea good is a Broad term.  Some people swear by $1000 hand helds. Some people find a $20 is more than enough.  They all run 4-5ish  watts for hand helds.  They all transmit the same distance if all things are the same.    They all do just about the same things. Some are waterproof at $30 some are waterproof at $50-$3000 plus.  
It’s  really about how much you want to spend.  
 

inhave a fleet of uv9rpro radios. We use them for ranch work on horses and quads. They get dropped and left out in rain and snow and 120deg heat and dropped in streams and stopped on by horses and run over by quads. For $30 bucks they are cheap enough that get lost or grow legs it’s no big deal.    We also have several Motorolas xts series radios and woxouns.  They are big and heavy and expensive.  They stay home most days.  No one has any clue what radio I’m using on any of the local repeaters. If you really research many brands that are supposed to be better are just as bad or worse then cheaper brands with many software issues.   You’ll get as many opinions as there are radios. 

[GMRSJohn]

9 minutes ago, OffRoaderX said:

All of the hand-held GMRS radios have virtually the exact same range.  "easily programmable" is a subjective term, and really can't be quantified (easy for me might be much confusing for you), and most of the sub $100 radios are, in one way or another going to be considered 'junk' by someone..  

Here is what I recommend: Pick & purchase a radio that does not cost too much, that has what you THINK you want, and see how it feels.. then, after a while, if you think it is lacking for your needs after using it, you can grow into something else..

What i am saying to you is, nobody here is going to be able to tel you which radio is best for you.. Best case scenario is they just regurgitate what is or is not best for THEM.. Worst case they, go off on a tangent about how "every one of brand-X radios i have ever had is junk and everybody i know returned theirs" or "if you link your GMRS repeaters the FCC will come after you because I have secret inside information that I dream up in my overly-active imagination" ..

I’m just listening for suggestions and why people like certain radios. It’s funny how certain radios get rave reviews on Amazon and when I research them other places they are spoken of like garbage. But that’s kind of how I learn things by listening to every aspect of the item. 
 

Thanks for sharing your input!

[GMRSJohn]

11 minutes ago, Socalgmrs said:

Yea good is a Broad term.  Some people swear by $1000 hand helds. Some people find a $20 is more than enough.  They all run 4-5ish  watts for hand helds.  They all transmit the same distance if all things are the same.    They all do just about the same things. Some are waterproof at $30 some are waterproof at $50-$3000 plus.  
It’s  really about how much you want to spend.  
 

inhave a fleet of uv9rpro radios. We use them for ranch work on horses and quads. They get dropped and left out in rain and snow and 120deg heat and dropped in streams and stopped on by horses and run over by quads. For $30 bucks they are cheap enough that get lost or grow legs it’s no big deal.    We also have several Motorolas xts series radios and woxouns.  They are big and heavy and expensive.  They stay home most days.  No one has any clue what radio I’m using on any of the local repeaters. If you really research many brands that are supposed to be better are just as bad or worse then cheaper brands with many software issues.   You’ll get as many opinions as there are radios. 

Opinions are many for sure. But it’s interesting to hear them. 

I think Baofeng is the “Fender Stratocaster” of radios.. seems everyone has one and they’re neither good nor bad. And I find their prices vs performance acceptable for the most part. I’m thinking the uv-5 plus is going to be my radio of choice. Compact enough for carry and seems like the durability and wow factor that keeps me coming back. Slightly more advanced than my novice knowledge is right now but not so much that I can’t figure it out and be proficient with.

[OffRoaderX]

17 minutes ago, GMRSJohn said:

It’s funny how certain radios get rave reviews on Amazon and when I research them other places they are spoken of like garbage

Bear in mind that the majority of Amazon reviews are from regular people, whereas if you look in online radio forums, youtube reviews by "radio experts", etc, they will have very different views, based on stuff that normal people never think about/don't care about.

[WRQI663]

Hey, I have 4 Fender Stratocasters, and all of them blow away any baofeng (or moto)

 

[GMRSJohn]

7 minutes ago, WRQI663 said:

Hey, I have 4 Fender Stratocasters, and all of them blow away any baofeng (or moto)

 

Strats are nice, don’t get me wrong. I’m a LP guy myself. 

[WRYZ926]

The Baofeng GMRS radios are fine, especially for starting out with until you figure out what you want in a hand held radio. No they aren't the best quality and are susceptible to front end overload, but they work and are fairly easy for most to program through the radio or with CHIRP. Or you could step up to the Wouxun KG-935G Plus which is a very good radio. Only you can decide what radio is best for you.

And I will never recommend a commercial grade radio such as Motorola to someone new. Yes they are top of the line but they are not user friendly to people new to radios in general. 

Plenty of people have started out with Baofeng hand held radios for GMRS and/or amateur radio use.

[GMRSJohn]

1 minute ago, WRYZ926 said:

The Baofeng GMRS radios are fine, especially for starting out with until you figure out what you want in a hand held radio. No they aren't the best quality and are susceptible to front end overload, but they work and are fairly easy for most to program through the radio or with CHIRP. Or you could step up to the Wouxun KG-935G Plus which is a very good radio. Only you can decide what radio is best for you.

And I will never recommend a commercial grade radio such as Motorola to someone new. Yes they are top of the line but they are not user friendly to people new to radios in general. 

Plenty of people have started out with Baofeng hand held radios for GMRS and/or amateur radio use.

I’m coming to understand that pretty well! In my infancy of radio, I’m just looking for something stable to cut my teeth on. The beofeng uv-5 plus seems to be the way for me to go. Though I have looked at that Wouxun! Which piques my interest as well. 
 

I don’t know how far I’ll delve into this. A ham club in my area has a disaster emergency response team that seems great. It’d be awesome to help people and I feel like I’d have to up my game and be proficient rather than feel like it’s a hobby.

[WRYZ926]

25 minutes ago, GMRSJohn said:

I’m coming to understand that pretty well! In my infancy of radio, I’m just looking for something stable to cut my teeth on. The beofeng uv-5 plus seems to be the way for me to go. Though I have looked at that Wouxun! Which piques my interest as well. 

I would start with a Baofeng radio then. Make sure it is one of the GMRS versions for GMRS use only. This keeps you within FCC regulations and also keeps the curmudgeons off your back.

Once you get the familiar with the Baofeng and radio in general, then you can always upgrade to a better hand held. I can recommend the Wouxun KG-935G based on personal experience. Again the final decision on what radio to use is yours to make.

25 minutes ago, GMRSJohn said:

I don’t know how far I’ll delve into this. A ham club in my area has a disaster emergency response team that seems great. It’d be awesome to help people and I feel like I’d have to up my game and be proficient rather than feel like it’s a hobby.

Remember that under normal circumstances, you will need an amateur radio license to use the amateur radio bands such as 2m and 70cm. Nothing is stopping you from listening without a license, you just can't legally transmit on those bands with a GMRS license.

I will say that different types of communication is important in emergencies as the recent hurricanes have proven.

[BoxCar]

38 minutes ago, WRQI663 said:

Hey, I have 4 Fender Stratocasters, and all of them blow away any baofeng (or moto)

 

 

30 minutes ago, GMRSJohn said:

Strats are nice, don’t get me wrong. I’m a LP guy myself. 

I like Gretsch

[WRXB215]

23 minutes ago, WRYZ926 said:

Plenty of people have started out with Baofeng hand held radios for GMRS and/or amateur radio use.

I'm still on Baofeng and based on my current economic projections, I'm going to be here a long time. 

[GMRSJohn]

6 minutes ago, WRYZ926 said:

Remember that under normal circumstances, you will need an amateur radio license to use the amateur radio bands such as 2m and 70cm. Nothing is stopping you from listening without a license, you just can't legally transmit on those bands with a GMRS license.

I will say that the importance of different types of communication is important in emergencies as the recent hurricanes have proven.

I’m studying for the ham test right now. I wouldn’t try anything to get in trouble. They probably wouldn’t let me be on the team until they knew I was proficient and licensed.

[GMRSJohn]

3 minutes ago, WRXB215 said:

I'm still on Baofeng and based on my current economic projections, I'm going to be here a long time. 

Amen 

[WRYZ926]

Again nothing wrong with Baofeng radios, especially for someone starting out or on a very limited budget. In fact that is what I started out using. I ran a GT-5R attached to a mag mount antenna in my vehicle for a while until I decided what mobile radio I wanted. And I keep the GT-5R and the two UV-5R GMRS radios around. It never hurts to have extra radios on hand.

With that said, I do find myself using my Wouxun KG-935G and Wouxun quad band KG-Q10H most of the time when I need a hand held radio. Everyone will have their favorite brand/model. Go with what works for you.

[GMRSJohn]

8 minutes ago, WRYZ926 said:

Again nothing wrong with Baofeng radios, especially for someone starting out or on a very limited budget. In fact that is what I started out using. I ran a GT-5R attached to a mag mount antenna in my vehicle for a while until I decided what mobile radio I wanted. And I keep the GT-5R and the two UV-5R GMRS radios around. It never hurts to have extra radios on hand.

With that said, I do find myself using my Wouxun KG-935G and Wouxun quad band KG-Q10H most of the time when I need a hand held radio. Everyone will have their favorite brand/model. Go with what works for you.

I really appreciate the Wouxun recommendation. 
 

I feel drawn to the uv-5 plus. Seems a fair radio. Beofeng kind of gets the win unless I see something else.

[WRYZ926]

The UV-5 Plus will suit you just fine until you figure out exactly what you want in a radio.

[AdmiralCochrane]

44 minutes ago, GMRSJohn said:

I really appreciate the Wouxun recommendation. 
 

I feel drawn to the uv-5 plus. Seems a fair radio. Beofeng kind of gets the win unless I see something else.

Both are good radios for their price.  UV-5 is the best place to start and decide whether you want to spend any more money

[GMRSJohn]

2 hours ago, AdmiralCochrane said:

Both are good radios for their price.  UV-5 is the best place to start and decide whether you want to spend any more money

I was a little torn between the uv-5, the pro and plus. I believe I’ve decided on the plus. Good reviews and seems to fit, chirp support, range seems good, I tend to like the dual station thing. The only thing I dislike yet it seems to be more radios aren’t than are are water proof. 

[GMRSJohn]

I’ve been looking at the Retevis RB17P GMRS Handheld Radio. Seems like a good radio. From what I understand, the antenna isn’t removable. Not a deal breaker but makes me wonder if a permanent antenna could be troublesome if maybe I need something with more reach on it?

[OffRoaderX]

54 minutes ago, GMRSJohn said:

makes me wonder if a permanent antenna could be troublesome

99.9% of all GMRS hand-held radios have removable antennas - if you are even thinking/wondering/considering ever wanting to replace/attach another antenna, then a radio with a permanent antenna is probably not a good choice.

[GMRSJohn]

Well yeah…..