I have a lot of different radios. It comes down to what you are looking for. For real comms, an HF rig is preferable. They are expensive. But, we have had many outages where fiber is cut to our island and cellular, landline, internet, and 911 is all down. I can then use an HF rig, laptop or android, and software called winlink, and email anyone. I have done this multiple times over the last year since we have had so many outages. But again, it is very expensive. An HF rig can reach further than a little handheld. A handheld isnt much use unless you have repeaters in your area. So, the answer is complicated and hard to answer in a nostr response 😉
Discussion
No that’s a great start. Thank you. I’m going to dig into it a bit more when I get home and might come back with a specific question or two. Much respect 🫡
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.
Much appreciated.