Ham radio from scratch: how to get started in 2026

Amateur radio is one of the few technical hobbies where someone starting from nothing can learn the physics of radio waves, electronics and communication protocols, and then actually get on the air and talk to an operator on the other side of the country — or even the planet. This article is a map for those just setting out: from the very first question, "where do I even begin?", to an informed choice of equipment and your first QSOs.

Amateur radio vs licence-free radios: what's the difference

The first question every beginner asks is: "Why bother getting a licence at all? Just buy a radio and use it." That's fair for the so-called licence-free bands — LPD, PMR and CB. They are available without any permits and are fine for simple everyday tasks: chatting while hunting or on a construction site, communication around an office, or trucking. For more on the permitted power levels and channels of each band, see the article LPD/PMR: frequency and channel table.

However, licence-free radios have strict power limits, and for all their ease of entry the communication options stay narrow: short range, a limited number of channels, no repeaters and no networks. Amateur radio opens up a different world: dozens of bands from shortwave to microwave, power levels of tens of watts, repeaters, satellites, digital modes — and, above all, an international community of operators. For more on what the law permits and forbids in each case, read the section on frequencies and regulations.

Do you need a callsign: licence classes and the exam

To work legally on the amateur bands you must pass a qualification exam and obtain a callsign. In Russia there is a system of licence classes — they determine which bands and how much power are available to the operator. Beginners are usually granted the first (entry) class, with a simplified exam syllabus and a limited set of bands; with experience you can take the exam for the next class and expand your privileges.

The exam is administered by the regional branches of the Amateur Radio Union of Russia and the territorial offices of the Main Radio Frequency Centre. We have covered the specific questions, the application procedure and the particulars of each class in separate Knowledge base articles: amateur radio licence classes and how to get a callsign. Don't try to memorise all the regulatory details from general sources — they often go out of date; rely on the current documents from the GRFC and the SRR.

The main bands to start with

Most beginners start on the VHF/UHF bands: 2 metres (144 MHz) and 70 centimetres (430–440 MHz). The reasons are simple: handheld radios for these bands are cheap, city repeaters operate here, and wave propagation is predictable. The shortwave (HF) bands open up long-distance contacts, but they require antennas, amplifiers and deeper knowledge.

Digital modes — DMR, D-STAR, C4FM/Fusion — also live mostly on 2 m and 70 cm. A comparison of these standards is covered in the article DMR, D-STAR, C4FM, NXDN: which to choose.

Your first equipment: where to begin

The classic advice from the community is: don't rush to buy an expensive radio right away. The logic goes like this:

• Step 1 — a budget analog radio (a Baofeng UV-5R or similar): inexpensive, programmable, and great for getting acquainted with VHF/UHF and repeaters. Programming is done with CHIRP — see the article CHIRP: programming radios for details.
• Step 2 — a digital DMR radio: when the analog options start to feel limiting. Popular models to start with are covered in the article choosing your first radio.
• Step 3 — a hotspot: a small device that turns an apartment or garage into your own personal "repeater" with access to the internet-linked DMR networks. More on this below.

A detailed breakdown of specific models and selection criteria is in the article best DMR radios.

Analog or digital: which to choose as a beginner

This is one of the most common debates in the community. In short: analog is simpler to start with, digital opens up new horizons. An analog radio switches on and works with no codec setup; the audio is intelligible and troubleshooting is easy. Digital DMR delivers clean audio with no hiss, two time slots on a single frequency (TDMA), encryption, addressed call delivery and integration with networks over the internet.

The main upside of DMR for a beginner with no repeater nearby is the ability to operate through a hotspot: a small MMDVM-based device connects to your home internet and creates a personal entry point into the network. That means the absence of a repeater in your town is no obstacle. An in-depth comparison of the standards is in the article digital vs analog radio.

Where to get on the air: repeaters, networks, hotspots

The traditional route is to find a local analog or digital repeater, enter its frequencies into your radio and call on the local calling frequency. Repeaters boost the signal and let you work over greater distances. We cover the map of repeaters in Russia and the particulars of registering them in the article DMR repeaters in Russia.

But a repeater is far from available everywhere. This is where the hotspot comes in — a personal gateway into the internet-linked DMR networks. The article which hotspot to choose will help you pick and build one. Through a hotspot a radio reaches global talkgroups and private networks.

One such network is DMRhub — a private Russian DMR network with its own DMR IDs, talkgroups, private calls and SMS. If you are just getting acquainted with digital radio and want hands-on experience right away without hunting for a public repeater, DMRhub lets you:

• register and receive a personal DMR ID through the registration procedure;
• connect a RadioStar hotspot based on MMDVM via the devices page;
• operate without any radio at all — through the Android app (DMR without a radio), which turns a smartphone into a full-fledged station on the network.

First steps and common beginner mistakes

Drawing on the community's experience, here are the most common mistakes made by those just starting out:

• Buying a radio before getting a callsign. Technically a radio sitting on your desk is not a violation, but you can't transmit without a licence. It's better to pass the exam first.
• Programming a radio "by eye" without checking the local band plan. Use CHIRP and up-to-date club files.
• Ignoring QSO procedure. Amateur radio has an established etiquette: callsign, signal report, over to you. A glossary of terms is in the article DMR glossary.
• Confusing simplex and duplex. A repeater works in duplex (different receive and transmit frequencies), while direct contact is simplex. More on this: simplex and duplex.
• Not understanding talkgroups. In DMR networks a call is addressed to a specific group, not to "everyone on the air". How talkgroups work is covered in the article static and dynamic talkgroups.
• Waiting for a repeater in your town. A hotspot solves this problem completely and costs incomparably less than fixed station equipment.

A roadmap: what to study next

Amateur radio is a deep hobby, and the DMRhub Knowledge base unfolds its layers one by one. Here's a suggested route to follow:

• Get to grips with the basics of DMR: DMR: protocol basics and DMR Tier levels.
• Learn GPS tracking together with your radio: APRS and GPS in DMR.
• Find out how to listen to DMR traffic online before buying a radio: listen to DMR online.
• Explore PoC stations — Android push-to-talk smartphone radios: PoC stations.
• Understand why you'd want a private network instead of open systems: why a private network.

Each of these topics is a world of its own, but the journey begins with one simple step: getting on the air. Modern tools — hotspots, apps and private networks — have made that step achievable even without experience or expensive equipment.