You can spend as much for ham radio as you like.
Get a Technician License training manual for a few dollars. Study. I used https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/amateur-radio-exam-prep-technician/id297951496?mt=8 using an iTunes gift card someone gave me.
Take the test. Find an ARRL affiliate club near you, they offer tests often. Check http://www.arrl.org for details. Test costs something like $15.
Get a radio. A Baofeng handheld is $31 at Amazon http://smile.amazon.com/Baofeng-UV5RA-136-174-Dual-Band-Transceiver/dp/B009MAKWC0/ref=carldonath?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1424958756&sr=1-1&keywords=radio+baofeng (I used my Amazon credit card “points” to get it free.)
Total entry cost for me: $15.
Ok, someone please explain to me-—totally clueless-—if the gubment can regulate everything else, why wouldn’t they also clamp down on ham licenses and/or usage? How can they control hams? Just asking the questions going in.
Of all the seemingly adolescent threads I’ve started ... you guys have made it (IMO) the most important ... especially considering the time we live in ... thank you
With a hand held ... do you REALLY need to go through all the licensing ?