Guides
Which service fits what you want to do, what the licence involves, the first radio and antenna for each, and what to do the week it arrives.
Ham radio
Choosing your first ham handheld
Bands, power, batteries and charging, analog vs DMR, what certification means for where you can transmit, the antenna upgrade that matters more than the radio, and the three mistakes first-time buyers make.
Getting your Technician licence: the exam, the fee, and what it lets you do
The 35-question exam and its published question pool, the $35 FCC fee and the FRN you need first, remote and in-person sessions, the ten-year term, and the bands a Technician can use.
Repeaters and antennas: the first week on the air
How a repeater works, the standard offsets and tones, where to find yours, the simplex calling frequency, what SWR means and when to worry, and the antenna that turns a handheld into a real radio.
Personal radio
Scanner or SDR: listening to what's on the air before you transmit
What a USB SDR dongle does for the price of lunch, what a digital scanner does that it can't, how to find out what your county's police and fire use, and why a month of listening is the right way to start.
The radio half of a hurricane kit: weather alerts, news and talking to family
What Ready.gov says to have, how a SAME weather radio works and how to program it, the crank radio for after the storm, and the GMRS pair that keeps a household in touch when the cell network is down.
Which radio do I need? Ham, GMRS, FRS, MURS, CB and weather radio, explained once
The six things sold as 'a radio', what each is for, which licence each needs (and which need none), what the rules allow, and the first radio to buy for each, with the FCC rule behind every claim.