It might be fun to play with but there are much cheaper ways to test the waters. The shield is $90 USD and only puts out a 1/4 watt. I just picked up at the Orlando Hamcation, a Baofeng UV-82 dual band handie-talkie for $40. It's bigger than the UV-5R+ and fits my hand very nicely. Even does broadcast FM receive so I can listen to my favorite radio station.