I just bought an Alinco DJ-500 2 meter HT last weekend. I looked at the Baofengs, but I'm a knob and meter guy and I ended up hating the Alinco less for some reason
. Played with it a few times and checked into an ARES net on Sunday. Don't really like it, but only because it's too small and too loaded with useless features and menus. Welcome to being a ham in 2017.....
First time back on the bands in a decade (call N2LCJ), and I hooked up my old Clegg FM-28 and tried to kerchunk the repeaters. Nothing. Drove myself crazy trying different antenna setups, etc and nothing. But dammit I could hear everyone!!
Then I found out about CTCSS. Well, hm. We didn't have that a decade ago. And since I abhor the thought of buying a new rig, I'm going to either adapt a board to add PL tones to it or abandon 2 meters entirely.
Currently, I'm studying for the General upgrade. Even though I was one of the last 5 WPM "technican plus" class licenses in 1990 (they did away with the code requirement in '91), you're only grandfathered to a General if you've held your license since '87. Got my Gonset GSB-100 tube transmitter ready to test out too