Connunications update following Polls:

[OpSecRadio]

Thanks for all your responses and info - all good stuff and all very welcome.

There is no one size fits all solution. My plan is to have a wide range of options as cheaply as possible.

Already have a marine radio - had it years from when I used to go sailing before wife had a stroke.
Already have an old CB - had it about 20 years but it still works ok.
Already have 4 PMR446 sets from when we used to take the kids walking and camping
Already have a Baofeng Dual Band transceiver (VHF/UHF) - cost me £30 off ebay a couple of weeks ago
Want to have a go at building a HF set for CW/morse eventually. I've been told that a functional set can be built at little cost.

Getting the Ham license gives me the opportunity to learn more about radio comms and the option to practise using the Baofeng and eventually the CW/morse without incurring the wrath of Ofcom etc. I know that I still have a lot to learn

This is a good thread with lots of useful info - thanks for all the hard work you guys have put into it. I'll keep reading and hope to learn as much as possible.

Cheers
Gary