I have been thinking for a few years on and off about this. What I Would like is a handheld unit that I could use at home, road, camping.
what is a good brand/setup for someone that wants to get in to ham but not have to upgrade when I move up in class. Right now I'm looking for a good read to help me pass the Technician Class and General Class

At the top of the ham page theres a stickied thread.. Give it a good looking at.. About everything is covered right there.
If you want books...
For tech class: Technician study guide
For General Class: General study guide
Once you've gotten into the books you can take practice exams online.
http://www.qrz.com/hamtest/
You will need to create an account and the site will track your progress as you take successive tests.
NOTE use only the following tests! They're for the current exams.
2014 Technician Exam Practice Test
http://www.qrz.com/hamtest/?op=start&t=t2014
- and -
2015 General Exam Practice Test
http://www.qrz.com/hamtest/?op=start&t=g2015
This should get you well on your way!!
AND... of course, ask questions here.
Best luck & 73..FN..

The important threads sticky at the top has a bunch of great links to other threads on getting started, along with the post above mine.
As for radio(s), it depends on your wants -vs- reality -vs- cash.  We would love to spend your money. and were good at this.

So tell us your wants and money to work with. Someone will be along shortly after you post those to give you the reality of life.  
While you are doing this, get to studying. Its not that hard.

First, determine what the repeater activity is in your area. In some areas it's mostly on 2 Meters, while in others, both 2 Meters and 440 MHz are active. Regardless, if you're going to travel, a dual-bander is the way to go.

Icon, Yaesu, Kenwood, and Alinco are all good brands. Personally, I prefer ruggedness over a lot of bells and whistles.

For in-home use, an outside antenna will greatly increase range. There are several easy-to-make types if you're DIY inclined. Most hams are. Plans are available on the internet.

"Ham test prep" on google play helped me when i had some breaks at work.  I liked reading the gordon book which explains every question.   As for handheld that depends on your budget.  I have a uv-5r which works damn good for 30$ and a 15 year old yaesu which is still pretty amazing.  Go cheap on the handheld and buy a good mobile.  You can use the mobile in your car or home and have the power to make longer contacts to repeaters.    Good luck..

Prosise

You have the links, you have the study guide. Everyone will tell you that the General test isn't that much harder than the tech test, they are probably right. Read and start taking practice tests. When you can pass the tech one every time you take it go take your test. Don't wait, don't hesitate, just do it. Attempt the General at the same time, it doesn't cost any more.


Order a stupid Baofeng UV-5r right now off amazon. Find it for $30 or less. You will end up with one of them anyway if you get your ticket and $30 is a very low cost of entry. (My first HT was almost $300.) This way you have a new toy to help motivate you.

Get your Tech and then worry about the General.
Learn the 2 meter and 70cm repeaters then move up too HF with your Generals.

Thank you all for your input my cash i say around 5 to 600 at the high end

Hey, I podcast about Ham Radio, it's called Fo Time...since nobody has blown my horn, I'll do it..

You should listen!

Study Guides Show

Shopping List Show

Just start listening!  We're bound to have covered some of your questions!

You'll be surprised as to how many here have participated on the show!

Don't start spending too much now...but to fill the 'I gotta buy something' void go to Amazon.com and buy the Baofeng UV-B5  (it's the best cheap Ham Radio!)

Welcome-we're all here to help-Arfcom has the best Ham Forum on the whole internet, these guys are F'n Amazing!

As far as testing goes, I disagree.  The tests are so similar that the smart move is to study for General till you consistently get 90% or better on the practice test.  Then start taking Tech practice tests and studying the materials while continuing to study and take General related materials.

If, as is the case in many locales, there is little to no activity on VHF/UHF, not having access to HF is a good way to drive a new ham away from the hobby.

Besides, this is ARFCOM.  You must Get Both(TM)

what about this one what be the group input UV-6R vs UV-B5

The UVB5 is the best $30 HT you can buy...
http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_10_22/681700_What_s_the_best_Baofeng_to_buy_now_.html

The UV-B5 is the highest quality radio of the Baofungs.

The UV-5R has the most accessories, but the first accessory you'll need is a better antenna because the one that ships with it is garbage.

The link above goes to Brick 'o Lore's review of the B5.  He's pretty much your first stop for info on all the ChiComm radios.

Wouldn't that be moving down to HF?

In some aspects, hand helds are limiting but in others they perform extremely well. Like others said it may be worth trying to see what activity is in your area and what band it is usually on.

When I started out I bought a Yaesu FT-270 (3 years later I think I've only recharged it 4 times, in comparison I've only recharged my UV-5R once in almost the same amount to time) which was a great little single band HT. Roughly a month later I bought an FT-2900R (which got significant use) but I'd mainly only use them while traveling as 2m was pretty much dead locally and 70cm was where everyone played.

For you listed budget you could do one of several things. You could acquire a handheld (new) and look for an HF capable radio (probably used) if you plan on moving up to general. Or you could purchase a new handheld and mobile. From what I gathered here on the forum, the general consensus for a starting  HT is a Yaesu FT-60 (due to it's IP-65 rating and ease of use) but runs around $160 and the Kenwood TM-V71A  for a mobile which runs around $365 and is upgradeable with the D710 head for APRS use later on (or if you're looking for a secondary head for a secondary vehicle).

I never caught the HF bug. I'll get on friends' HF rigs when I feel like it but I really don't like the noise, feel its impractical when driving and am not overly fond of the quality of (mobile) antennas available for the lower bands. Everyone's mileage varies on the subject though so what works for me may not work for another and what works for others may not work for me.

My thing is digital commercial formats for both voice and data transfer…then again, that's also what I do for a living.

may have a change in plans i have looked over handheld but what about my car/truck use ? im still looking and thank full for your input so far
to the link for the radio show thanks

One more thing any one near louisville,ky

Mobile is very handy.  I picked up a dual band radio from craigslist ft-8800r on the cheap which works real well.  All i had before was a handheld and i could never make a good contact to a repeater with the lower power.  I added a nmo mount antenna with an adapter for the handheld which helped some.  Bottom line, in my area "dfw" the handheld is a last resort.  There are many threads on single band vs dual band mobiles.  I am really glad i picked up a dual bander as i do use the 440 a little.  If i was going to buy a 2m rig i would pick up the yaesu 2900..  Ham is a good skill to learn.  Find an Elmer!   You can go astray with google and youtube.  Try not to go and buy a bunch of stuff until you have a chance to talk to one of the more experienced hams..   older equipment works just as good as the new stuff if you learn the unit..

Prosise