There are many different types of ham radio equipment. The specific radios, etc. that you'll need vary between the different licenses.

Most technicians get a HT (handie talkie) when they get their license. This is because they pack so many features. HTs can be taken anywhere, some are almost the size of a cassette tape. They have memory which allows you to program in whatever frequency you want, with some having enough space to hold forty! They will put out anywhere from one to ten watts of power.

Mobile transceivers are also nice. They run off a car battery and most put out fifty watts of power. The disadvantage is, of course, that you can't carry it with you. However, the advantage of power makes up for this.

The third kind is a base unit. These plug into house current and put out even more power (sometimes as high as a hundred watts!). Of course these radios are not portable at all. However, they give the best performance.

These are only a few examples, there are many more kinds of radios. We have only talked about radios on the VHF and some of the UHF bands. There are many more types of radios that a technician can use.

If you are going to get the technician license, we suggest that you start with a HT, depending on what you want to do. If you live in a area where the nearest repeater is several miles away, you'll want to get a mobile unit or a base. If you drive in your car a lot, you'll most likely want a mobile. And if you want to be able to walk and talk at the same time, you want a HT. All three can do packet, the only factors are price, power output, and portability.

Novices most likely will want an inexpensive HF (high frequency) radio to start with, since they can't do any VHF or UHF except for the 220 band. While people with the novice license are allowed to use two hundred watts on the HF bands, we suggest that you start with a one hundred watt model. With one of these, you're still fully capable of talking (or beeping) to the world.

More expensive HF rigs like the one pictured above, have a lot more power output as well as circuits which allow you to hear better.

A novice can also get a 220 HT radio. However, there aren't very many people on this band in most areas. A 220 radio can use packet.

For novices, a one hundred watt transceiver will allow you to do HF packet, Morse code, and voice around the world.