First and foremost buying a Ham Radio depends on your budget. Can you afford a $600 dollar new Ham Radio or a $5000 dollar new Ham Radio ? In my opinion, if you can afford the $5000 Ham Radio, I say go for it. Obviously there will be more bells and whistles with the $5000 dollar radio. You will find that Kenwood, Icom and Yaesu all have various Ham Radios in that price category. I myself have my Kenwood TS-2000 Ham Radio and I love it.
Now if you can't afford that much money for a Ham Radio, then look at the lower end of the spectrum. In other words there are Ham Radios like the Icom IC-718 that do an excellent job. If your preference happens to be a Yaesu Ham Radio, then I would be looking at the Yaesu Original FT-450D HF/50MHz Compact Amateur Base Transceiver - 100 Watts, IF DSP Technology. It is one nice Ham Radio that does an excellent job. Some hams are using these as a mobile radio. Now if you like the Kenwood Ham Radios, then I would check out the Kenwood TS-480HX HF/50 MHz Amateur Base Transceiver 200 Watts version. All of these are excellent radios and have their own little perks.
If your budget is still a little lower, then the used category would be the next way to go. If you are looking to spend less, then this would put you in the Ebay Used Ham Radios section. There is nothing wrong with purchasing a used Ham Radio. You will find that many hams take good care of their equipment. I still would check out the sellers ratings and reviews. It is always a buyer beware world on Ebay due to many crooks trying to take your money.
