Just poppin in to say hey. New ham licensee in SE Washington state. Trying to find a handheld that'll work for me. Something easy to program. Tried the Baofang Made me crazy.
Congratulations on getting a license!
Concerning the Baofeng, do yourself a favor:
Download the VIP and the Chirp software
Buy a programming cable , the one from BFTECH PC03 using the FTDI chipset for about $22. (just don't compare the cost of the cable to the cost of a Baofeng, compare it to the cost of a new japanese HT for about $300 to $600 and you'll feel better about it ! )
Programming the Baofeng either from the keyboard or using software is nothing compared to trying to program one of the radios that include either "delaygital" or "distorgital modes" , usually referred to as "digital".
Each radio has it's programming idiosyncracies. Some are more "compatible" with our own expectations.