The handheld catalog
Handheld Radios
75 handheld radios, 74 of them scored across value, features, portability, and more.
Podium
Top Picks
Baofeng BF-5RH PRO
$70.45
AnyTone AT-D878UV
$249.99
BTECH DMR-6X2 PRO
$249.89
The scores say what wins; the best handheld ham radios roundup explains why, with the tradeoffs on nine picks from budget to premium.
$70.45 · 10.00W · VHF/UHF/1.25m
$59.48 · 10.00W · VHF/UHF
Baofeng BF-F8HP
$45.00 · 8.00W · VHF/UHF
$96.85 · 10.00W · VHF/UHF
$139.99 · 5.00W · VHF/UHF
$25.99 · 10.00W · VHF/UHF/1.25m
Before you compare
Most of These Are More Alike Than They Look
A large share of the budget handheld market comes off the same few chassis, rebadged under different brands and model numbers. That is not a scandal, it is how the segment works, and it means the difference between two radios at the same price is usually smaller than the listing implies.
Of the 75 radios here, 60 are analog only and 25 carry an IP rating. The specs that genuinely separate them are a short list, so those are the ones the filters above expose and the ones our scores weigh.
| What to compare | Why it changes anything |
|---|---|
| Can CHIRP program it | Free software beats a five-button menu. 36 of 75 here support it, and it is per model rather than per brand. |
| Output power | 5 W versus 8 W is a small real difference. Antenna height and a better antenna both matter more. |
| Digital mode | Worth only as much as your local repeater coverage in that same mode. See the next section. |
| IP rating | Whether it survives rain and dust. 25 of 75 state one. |
| Battery capacity | The spec that decides whether it lasts a full day of activity, and the one most often overstated. |
Nearly everything in this catalog is dual-band VHF/UHF. If you want the short answer instead of the full list, the dual-band buying guide ranks our top five.
15 of 75 tracked
Three Digital Modes That Cannot Talk to Each Other
DMR, C4FM Fusion and D-STAR are mutually incompatible. A digital radio is worth exactly as much as your local repeater coverage in its own mode, so check what is on the air near you before paying for one. Everything else here is analog, which is the right answer more often than the marketing suggests.
| Radio | Mode | APRS | CHIRP | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BTECH DMR-6X2 PRO | DMR | Yes | No | $249.89 |
| AnyTone AT-D878UV | DMR | Yes | No | $249.99 |
| Baofeng DM-32UV Pro | DMR | Yes | No | $59.48 |
| Baofeng DM32 | DMR | Yes | Yes | $54.99 |
| Baofeng DM-32UV GPS APRS | DMR | Yes | No | $59.99 |
| Ailunce HD1 | DMR | Yes | No | $149.99 |
| Radtel RT-4D DMR | DMR | No | No | $49.99 |
| Retevis HD2 | DMR | Yes | No | $179.99 |
| Radioddity GD-168 | DMR | Yes | No | $139.99 |
| AnyTone AT-D168UV | DMR | Yes | No | $139.99 |
| Radioddity GD-88 | DMR | Yes | No | $176.99 |
| Baofeng DM-1701 | DMR | No | No | $64.99 |
| Yaesu FT-5DR | C4FM Fusion | Yes | No | $509.88 |
| Yaesu FT-70DR | C4FM Fusion | No | Yes | $309.88 |
| AnyTone AT-D890UV | DMR | No | No | $299.00 |
Our digital modes explainer covers what each system is good at.
Method
How We Score Handhelds
Five dimensions: features, value, beginner-friendliness, portability, and an internal reputation signal built from Amazon ratings weighted by how many there are. The overall score runs those through a curve rather than averaging them, so a radio has to be good at more than one thing to score well.
Value is computed as capability per dollar, which is why a $25 radio regularly outscores a $250 one. That is the honest answer for most buyers, and it is also why the filters let you sort by the dimension you actually care about instead of taking our weighting on trust.
Read the full methodology, put two radios side by side from the comparison hub, or start with the antenna catalog if you already own a radio, since that is the cheaper upgrade.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do so many of these radios look identical?
Because many of them are. A large share of the budget handheld market comes out of the same few factories on the same chassis, rebadged and relisted under different brands and model numbers. That is not a scandal, it is how the segment works, and it does mean the differences between two radios at the same price are often smaller than the marketing suggests. The specs worth comparing are output power, whether CHIRP can program it, whether it has an IP rating, and whether it speaks a digital mode you can actually use locally.
Do I need a digital radio?
Only if the people you want to talk to are using one, and only if they use the same system. DMR, C4FM Fusion and D-STAR cannot talk to each other at all, so the mode is worth exactly as much as your local repeater coverage in that mode. Most operators are well served by an analog radio, and the majority of what we track is analog only.
How much should a first handheld cost?
Under $40 is plenty. The cheapest radios here work, and the money you would spend moving up the range is better spent on an antenna, which does more for your range than any radio upgrade. Buy the licence, buy a cheap radio, buy a good antenna, and spend on a better radio only once you know what you are missing.
What does CHIRP support actually mean?
CHIRP is free software that programs channel memories from a computer, and on a radio with a small screen and a deep menu it is the difference between a five-minute job and an evening. Support is per model, not per brand, and it is not always where you would expect: a manufacturer can ship a radio its own software programs and CHIRP cannot. We record it per radio rather than assuming, because we have been wrong about it before.
Do handheld ham radios need FCC certification?
Not for amateur use. Part 97 licenses the operator rather than the equipment, and it permits amateurs to build and modify their own transmitters. Where you do need certification is GMRS, which is a different service under Part 95E, and a dual-band handheld sold for ham use is generally not certified for it. If you want a radio for family or off-road use on GMRS channels, buy from our GMRS catalog instead.