Which Radio To Buy
If you are pretty sure Ham Radio is for you, there are several great bands. Yaesu, Kenwood, and Icom. These are carried at Ham Radio Outlet (HRO) Their local address is: 10613 N 43rd Ave Phoenix, AZ www.hamradio.com . You can go there to ask questions and look at the radio.
Yaesu FT-60 Radio - About $158
The preferred starter radio. This has been around for 10+ years. One of the most popular HT's ever made. Bullet proof.
Radio Programming Software
There are two software options to use for programming radios that we are familiar with: Chirp and RT Systems. In order to program frequencies into your radio, you will need the specific programming cable for you radio's make and model.
CHIRP is a free, open-source tool for programming your amateur radio. It supports a large number of manufacturers and models, as well as provides a way to interface with multiple data sources and formats. It runs on Windows and Linux.
It is not perfect but it beats programming your radio's memory channels manually.
RT Systems provides ham radio programming software like Chirp, but you have to buy the software. The software interface isn't perfect but it is better than CHIRP. Their software addresses many features your specific radio has, unlike CHIRP.
You will need to use the programming cable from RT Systems. Each software programmer is designed for a specific radio model. You cannot use RT Systems software with your radio without using their programming cable for your radio's make and model.
Radio Programming Files
Here are some files to program a couple of different radios. There are Chirp files and RT System files. Chirp files do not work with RT Systems and RT Systems files do not work with Chirp.
RT Systems Files:
Chirp Files: