5 of The Best (CHEAP) Ham Radios in 2024!

Here is my listing of the top cheapest 5 ham radios you can buy to get you on the air as a beginner

(Amazon Affiliate Links)
💸As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases💸

0:00 My Top 5
0:16 Radio #5
1:50 Radio #4
4:30 Radio #3
5:54 Radio #2
7:40 Radio #1

⬇️ Exclusive Deals ⬇️

🚀 Support The Channel 🚀

#HamRadio #AmateurRadio #baofeng

Music:
YouTube Sound

[themagnushjort]

I got my Quansheng today which is my first radio.
Flashed it with egzumer within 10 minutes of taking it out of the box and I'm really excited to get some elevation to see if I can listen to some "local" repeaters and air band :)

[kjbathe]

I came here to recommend the Quansheng (but the uv-k6). But you correctly already had it at #1. Another benefit is its scan mode speed. Great HT.

[MikeNMAK]

I like how you included a mobile on the list. A nice thing about the GT5R (or any UV5R version) is how easy it is to get inexpensive accessories for it, like an extra battery, car charger, speaker mic, etc.

[DonzLockz]

It's not a bad mix of radios. The bad thing is that you never can stop at just one.

[robertmeyer]

That a nice list. got 3 of them .The newer Talkpod A36 plus is not as bad on harmonics . Mike K8MRD got a clean one. mine is pretty clean as well. well down the list is the QT 60. and with a Digi rig and Anytone cable set I got digital modes to work. Like FT8, JS8 call and SSTV . it heats up at 50-60 watts digital so I use a amp with radio power all the way down. runs hours FT8 just fine. was hard to set up. no ALC meter. once you get the settings you make lots of contacts 10 and 12 meters . I worked SSTV on Talkpod and UV-5R . Digi rig has cables for K1 port HT like A35 and UV-5R type. 73's

[hugovdz]

I own the Retevis95 and quansheng uv-k6 and like them very much.
Another I really like (not on your list) is the Retevis at89. A robust 2m/70cm handheld, 8 Watt, large battery, clean transmission, and the function to capture & copy the frequency and CTCSS / DCS tone of nearby devices works much better than with other devices (e.g. UV-K6)

[paulthelefty]

I have the Anytone 778 as well as the Quansheng. Good choices. My biggest nit for the quansheng is the tinny sounding speaker, makes it annoying for extended use.

[bettersaferadio]

If bang for the buck is the goal, then I'm surprised the Wouxun KG-UV9PX isn't on your list. It offers top-tier 2m/70cm TX and 7-band superhet dual-receive RX, a solid tried and true design that's a few years old now, and it's over $40 less than the Q10H. :)

[vkkyy]

No mention of the Baofeng DM-1701 Dual band FM / DMR OpenGD77 compatible radio, which seems to get cheaper and cheaper every day. These were sub $100 AUD last week, but seem to be around $110 AU today, Inc GST and shipping.
Some people got a real bargain last week, when some were being sold for < $75 AUD Inc GST and shipping !

[DaisyHollowBooks]

Thanks for this. I’ve just gotten started and looking for my first radio.

[charlesr]

Talkpod almost nailed it. Minus the emissions, it's a great radio with an excellent screen, chirp at launch, USB c battery charging, etc. Hopefully they'll release a clean xmit update.

[AndrewAbraham]

Here's the million dollar question. How good is the front end? I can transmit 50 watts from my base on UHF and my Motorola 7550 works perfectly. My UV5R gets totally desenced. And my Anytone 878 is almost as bad

[CCerwin]

At 8 min and 34 seconds you show a larger uvk5 please explain and where to buy please 🙏

[michaelgassman]

The new 8 watt version of the Talkpod A36plus does not have harmonic problems. However, I have not had any success getting their support people to resolve the issue with my 5 watt version. Up until that point, I would have said it was the best option, but until/unless they solve that for me, I would hesitate to recommend them.

The new challenger for number one on this list is the Tidradio TD-H3. It is an excellent radio with a super form factor, size and feel. And it has the best display configuration of any HT I have used.

[stag]

uv-k5 is super fun here (for the price and firmwares) as for me TU for your good videos 73 es best dx

[jumper]

Thanks. I just found your channel a few days ago. I have my Foundation and was going for my Advanced when the pandemic hit and living in Melbourne that was the end of that. I now plan to get my advanced License before the end of the year.
A few questions please?
What is your background and what do you day for a day job? I'm trying to get friends involved, but they use the excuse that know nothing about electronics, so I'm out looking for people that are hams, but not from that background.
Where do you get most of your gear from as I have discovered getting anything in Australia is quite limited and difficult?
Thanks again.

[pilotmedic]

Which firmware Upgrade the quansheng air band radio

[TheMetaldudeX]

Will you be checking out the tidradio h3?

[billisnice]

I had the Quansheng and the one I had the audio quality was so bad I sent back. Has the new ones improved audio?

[paul-iqe]

I'm guessing this review was made before the TidRadio H3 was out. Where would it fall on this list?