Your First Ham Radio

As a newly licensed ham radio operator it is easy to become overwhelmed with all 
the jargon, lingo, and options of your new hobby. It won’t take long to see that 
everyone has an opinion and oftentimes those opinions significantly differ from 
one another. This leads to even more confusion. One of the most hotly debated 
topics is: What should I get for my first radio? This article will specifically 
answer that question for you. But, before you embark on the task of choosing 
your first radio you must specifically determine the use and purpose for this 
radio. The premise for this article is that your radio is for emergency 
communications. An emergency can be a short or long term situation that ranges 
from a natural disaster to an act of terrorism. It can be a local crisis or a 
national incident. For an emergency radio you should look for one that is small, 
portable, easy to operate, and works with multiple power sources. Being that the 
focus is emergency communications you should choose a radio that ham radio 
operators call a “handy talkie” (HT) which is a small portable radio similar to 
a walkie talkie. Its small size means that it is easy to carry yet is very 
functional. 
 
Radio Recommendation 
 
The radio that I recommend is the Yaesu FT-60R Dual Band Handheld 5W VHF/UHF 
amateur radio transceiver.  The FT-60R is a small, portable, high quality radio 
that will meet your needs during a crisis. It is a relatively simple radio to 
operate and learn how to use. This radio has been around for a while and has 
proven itself time and time again. Many Community Emergency Response Teams 
(CERT) and Search and Rescue (SAR) teams throughout the country rely on this 
radio. This radio is not the newest radio on the market and it definitely lacks 
a lot of the bell-and-whistles of the newer radio but I find this to actually be 
an advantage. Keep in mind that a radio with a lot of features also makes 
learning how to use the radio more difficult. For new ham radio operators it is 
best to keep it as simple as possible yet still meet your emergency 
communications needs. As you become more experienced you can purchase a radio 
that has more functions. 

Aspects of the FT-60R that I like: 
 
+ 5 Watts of Power – 5 watts does not seem like a lot of power but it works surprisingly well. With 
the use of a repeater I have been able to clearly talk with someone over 60 
miles away. The quality was a good as a cell phone. Some HT’s come with less 
than 5 watts and I recommend that you stay away from these radios. 
 
+ 1000 Memory Channels - These may seem like a lot of memory and it is. The benefit of all of 
these memory channels is that you can store repeater frequencies for your state 
and surrounding states. This is a very beneficial feature if you literally need 
to bug out and travel a long distance. It is always better to have too many 
memory channels than not enough. 
 
+ Dual band VHF/UHF for 2M and 70cm bands - These bands are very popular and good for emergency 
communications 
 
+ NOAA Weather Alerts - Very useful for weather related emergencies 
 
+ User manual is well written 
 
+ High quality; durable product 
 
+ Decent battery life (the battery is good for approximately 300 charges) 
 
+ Sound clarity is very good 
 
+ Lots of accessories are available 
 
+ The radio has a lot of options and functions to change different settings to 
your preference 
 
+ Easy to program although I do recommend using Yaesu ADMS-1J Programming 
Software which is simple, fast, and effective to program all of your frequencies 
 
+ With a cloning cable it is easy to clone another FT-60R to transfer all of 
your frequencies. This is especially useful if you are part of a “network” where 
all members utilize the same radio. 
 
Caveat - If you are not using WIRES (and you probably will not) then turn it off 
otherwise you will have a delay when pressing the PTT which can cut off what you 
are saying. Press the "0" (zero) button to disable WIRES. 
 
Recommendations: 
 
1. I recommend upgrading the antenna. I am using a Diamond SRH77CA and notice a 
significant difference in performance compared to the standard rubber duck 
antenna. Additionally, it is always good to have a backup antenna. 
 
2. I also recommend getting the Vertex Standard Alkaline Battery Case (FBA-25) 
which will allow you to use 6 AA alkaline batteries for power should your NiMH 
battery lose its power. Keep in mind that AA batteries will not provide the same 
output or last as long as the original NiMH battery. I recommend carrying a 
minimum of 12 AA batteries which will provide you with an emergency power 
supply. Yaesu claims that you should only use alkaline batteries although I know 
people that use rechargeable batteries. While it is small and easy to carry you 
also need to protect it from getting damaged by wrapping it well or putting it 
in some type of protective case such as a small Pelican case. 
 
3. Get the Yaesu EDC-5B cigarette lighter plug. 
 
Overall Assessment 
 
While this radio doesn't have all of the latest and greatest gadgetry such as 
GPS the FT-60R is a very popular radio that has been around for quite some time 
and has a proven track record. Many experienced ham operators own one and this 
is a great first radio. Keep in mind that during a crisis such as 9/11 and the 
Boston Marathon bombing cell phone service failed yet ham radio operators where 
still able to communicate with ease! 
 
Radio performance has a lot of different variables that will affect how well the 
radio performs. Your location, type of antenna, battery level, radio settings, 
etc. can influence radio performance. I am in an area with a lot of repeaters. 
Using repeaters I have communicated with "nets" from Arizona to California and 
even Mexico covering hundreds of miles.  

Yaesu is a well-known brand in the amateur radio world. They make solid reliable 
radios that will perform well and last for years. I did a lot of research before 
purchasing this radio and I have no regrets at all. I would buy this radio 
again. If you are new to ham radio and don't want to spend a lot of money to get 
into this hobby the FT-60R is a great radio at a solid price. Whether you are 
looking for a handy talkie (HT) for a hobby, emergency communications (EMCOMM), 
or for those times when cell phone service is not reliable the FT-60R is an 
excellent choice. At 5 watts it is also a good option when hiking, backpacking, 
or camping. 
 
Pricing at Ham Radio Outlet: http://www.hamradio.com/
 
Must Have: 
 
Yaesu FT-60: $142.95 
Diamond SRH77CA: $22.95 
6 AA Battery Case: $18.95 
Cigarette Lighter Plug: $27.95 
 
Optional:
 
Cloning Cable: $14.95 
FT-60R Programming Software: $38.95 
7.2v NiMH Battery: $35.95 – The reason I put this in the optional category is 
because you can use AA batteries with the battery case. 
 
Costs: 
 
Must haves: $212.80 
Optional: 89.85  

Total cost of “must haves” and “optional” items: $302.65 
 
Word of Warning about Baofeng Radios 
 
Currently there are a lot of people touting radios by Baofeng. Baofeng radios 
are made in China and are very inexpensive typically under $50. You do get a lot 
of bang for your buck but beware of these radios. I have purchased three of 
them: UV-5R plus, UV-B5, and UV-B6. Each radio that I have purchased has quality 
control problems. Some of the buttons do not work well or the dial does not turn 
good. Additionally, programming these radios is an absolute nightmare unless you 
use a free programming software called Chirp. To use Chirp you need a quality 
programming cable and unfortunately many of the cables flooding the market are 
counterfeit and do not work. If you buy a cable I recommend getting the Kenwood 
2-Pin USB Radio Programming Cable FTDI Chipset KPG-22 which costs about $22.95. 
This cable is real and works great. If you look at the reviews on Amazon.com of 
the Baofeng radios it seems that a great many of the reviewers are ranking the 
radio as a 5 star radio based solely on the price and not the functionality or 
quality of the radio. This is deceiving because the Baofeng radios are not 5 
star radios. If they fixed their quality control issues these would absolutely 
be great radios. 
 
Having stated that there are numerous quality control issues with the Baofeng 
radio I am not saying that you should not get one. I am saying that it should 
NOT be your first or primary ham radio. It should only be purchased as a backup 
to a quality radio such as the Yaesu FT-60R. I realize that the FT-60R is about 
3 times the cost of a Baofeng but it is worth every cent. I have compared my 
FT-60R against all three of the Baofeng’s that I own and the Yaesu clearly out 
performs all of the Baofeng radios. The Baofeng does have a lot of accessories 
that are very reasonable priced but again only get one of these radios after you 
have a quality radio. 
 
Bottom Line
 
The bottom line for your first amateur radio is to purchase a high quality handy 
talkie along with an improved antenna, AA battery case, and a car charger. For 
$212.80 you can have an excellent emergency communications set up with the Yaesu 
FT-60R with the mandatory options previously discussed. For $302.65 you can have 
a complete setup with all the options. I realize that money is very tight these 
days, unemployment rates are high, and the economy remains in terrible 
condition. Consider this radio an investment in your family’s personal safety. 

//TC

(C) 2013