@bcrypt very much depends on your goals - do you want HF capabilities? portability?

@bcrypt If all you need is line of sight to others or to local repeaters, you can get handheld VHF transceivers for very cheap. Baofeng UV-5R runs around $25.

@bcrypt if you want modes other than FM, or bands other than VHF/UHF, you'll need to spend more and think about your priorities because there are lots of options with different tradeoffs.