Feel free to contact me with questions. Check to see if you have a local group who manages a repeater. If there is a repeater, you can probably start with a cheapo Baofeng for around $40. I have a handful. great to have when doing work around the yard (call my wife on the radio asking for a tool or something), but better if you have a repeater where you can talk to others from further distances (because the repeater takes your signal and then boosts and sends out to a wider area). NOTE: to be legal, you need a license. Other hams might not like you if you transmit without a license. But it might be worth it just to meet others.