/diy/ - Do It Yourself

Used VHF or VHF-UHF (or “dual-band”) handheld transceivers often are available for $100 or so, and the entrance of Chinese manufacturers into the ham radio market has resulted in a significant reduction in the price of some types of brand new gear.

Those interested in HF work can get in on the ground floor with a used, but serviceable, transceiver in the $200 to $500 range, and an excellent selection of new transceivers is available in the $500 to $1500 range. “Flea-power” CW (Morse code) transceivers covering single bands sell new for less than $100 in kit form; a new four-band CW transceiver manufactured in China and marketed by a US ham radio manufacturer is available for less than $300.
An HF antenna such as a simple backyard dipole suspended from
available trees is both inexpensive and effective.