Ask an average amateur radio group/forum what the best radio under $50 is. In equal numbers, you will be flooded with suggestions by people who believe their own handheld within (or slightly above) that price point beats every other option, and other people who insist that any radio that inexpensive is “cheap Chinese garbage” and you have to spend upwards of $200 to get a decent starter radio.
Ask an average amateur radio group/forum what the best radio under $50 is. In equal numbers, you will be flooded with suggestions by people who believe their own handheld within (or slightly above) that price point beats every other option, and other people who insist that any radio that inexpensive is “cheap Chinese garbage” and you have to spend upwards of $200 to get a decent starter radio.