Baofeng Radio models

Cucamonga

Cucamonga

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Ok, I need a hobby so am considering buying 1-2 Baofeng radios and work to get a tech. license. As of now I know nothing so feel free to educate me.
There's a lot of chatter about model UV-5R but with the low price of these radios is there a better model, say the UV17R or another model? What about options, I see what looks like some nice packages.

Will the Ham radios also operate on the GMRS and family frequences?
 
Welcome to your new hobby! It only takes a decision to go forward, and you're there. I've been a ham since I was a teen.

One of the things you'll learn about amateur radio is that it's a VERY wide hobby, in terms of what can be done and what you might find interesting.
In that, it's a lot like a hobby of firearms.

Some firearms guys like to shade-tree gunsmith, others get more serious.
Some like to shoot 6.5 Creedmoor at extreme distances and others prefer plinking with a rimfire rifle.
Maybe you are a trap shooter and love your 34" BT-99, or maybe you've gone tactical and have a set of uppers and lowers for your AR.

All these have analogies to ham radio.

Given that, if there was someone new to firearms, what advice would you give them?

Get a Hi-Point 9mm and a CCW?

Well, to learn if the Baofeng radios (I have several I want to pass along to others, if you are interested, from an estate sale) are a good option for a first radio, for you, I would need to know what expectations you have for this new hobby.

What are you planning to do? Or, do you not have any plan yet? No plan can be a great plan because that means all the possibilities still lie ahead! You might be the next guy to get Honor Roll in 5 years, it could happen...

The truth is that the ham radio hobby is SO broad that trying to get involved in it by getting a handheld radio that is very low power, and operates on just two bands in one single mode might not give you the snapshot of what you could do.
You might get your license and the Baofeng and find that your interest lasts 90 minutes and part of that was charging up the battery.

The ham radio experience you get from the Baofeng is more akin to the Hi-Point shooting 9mm at an indoor range, and the Tech class license is like a NC CCW.
That pistol is not too expensive and does expose you to firearms, a little. But it's not necessarily a good first step nor indicative of the actual hobby in any way.

To answer your questions:

1. the chinese-made Baofeng isn't a particularly good radio, from an electronics standpoint. Plenty of other options exist, but not at the same price point. What's your budget, $15, or, $500?
2. just because a radio can access the modes and frequencies of other radio services does not make it legal to do so ... just saying.
The cheap Baofengs and similar can easily be made to operate on the FRS and GMRS frequencies
 
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For getting your feet wet and chatting on the local repeater a BF is perfectly workable. It's also true that if you spend 5x more, you can get a better radio (true of every type of purchase. Will a 5$ Harbor Freight wrench set and a $250 SnapOn set both loosen bolts? Yep)

That said, with either choice, about 1% of the ham radio hobby is 2 meter operation regardless of which radio you get.
 
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mostly22lately said:
Get a Hi-Point 9mm and a CCW?
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Excellent analogy.

mostly22lately said:
just because a radio can access the modes and frequencies of other radio services does not make it legal to do so ... just saying.
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The late Nick Szydlyk Sr told of one time listening to the sheriff’s channel on his Baofeng and, I forget what it was they were doing, but they had some information mixed up and wrong. Nick said he was really tempted to key down and give them a correction, but resisted.

@Cucamonga I would recommend seeing if there are any ham clubs near you. Chances are someone with a decent setup would be happy to show you the ropes so to speak and give you an introduction to some of the possibilities.

I would also recommend that if you go for the tech, study for the general too. It’s just about as easy as the tech and you can test for both at the same time for one fee. That will give you access to most of the HF band, where the real magic is.
 
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mostly22lately said:
The cheap Baofengs and similar can easily be made to operate on the FRS and GMRS frequencies
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but still not necessarily legally, because the 1W low power tx mode is still above the 0.5W limit half of FRS and GMRS.

then again, many of the cheap family walkietalkie packs you can buy from amazon and retail also transmit above the limit and on frequencies that are not approved for FRS or GMRS... so there's no real regulation going on other than words in the fed reg. sounds familiar...

yes, i've been doing a little reading and playing with CHIRP.
 
DrScaryGuy said:
but still not necessarily legally, because the 1W low power tx mode is still above the 0.5W limit half of FRS and GMRS.

then again, many of the cheap family walkietalkie packs you can buy from amazon and retail also transmit above the limit and on frequencies that are not approved for FRS or GMRS... so there's no real regulation going on other than words in the fed reg. sounds familiar...

yes, i've been doing a little reading and playing with CHIRP.
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Isn't the legality issue also surrounding the removable/upgradeable antenna?
 
Timfoilhat said:
Isn't the legality issue also surrounding the removable/upgradeable antenna?
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That's one of the issues. FRS/GMRS radios are not permitted to have replaceable antennas, where as HAM radios are.
There is also the legality issue of using a radio in a manner other than which is was approved, hence using a UV-5R on FRS/GMRS is using it in a non approved manner.
The third issue that I am aware of is transmitting outside of areas where one is permitted. Most Baofeng radios will transmit just about anywhere, even if it performs poorly.
 
Cucamonga said:
Ok, I need a hobby so am considering buying 1-2 Baofeng radios and work to get a tech. license.
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It's too bad you're so far away from me, I have some equipment that could be ideal for a first-time Tech class ham.

In the off chance that you plan to attend the nation's largest all-indoor hamfest on April 6th in Raleigh, I will be there at a flea market table.
 
At point I really don’t have clearly defined expectations of the hobby, to be honest, don’t have a clue. In the mid 1970’s I had a CB license, KLAJ3453 if memory serves me. In the 80’s it was a Bearcat scanner, really enjoyed monitoring local PD and Sheriff departments.

After a little thought I think I want to get the radio and play around programming, monitoring frequencies but not transmitting to get a feel if I like it.

My thoughts are for the cost of a Baofeng, if I find the hobby’s not for me, lose it in the woods, or drop it in the crapper for that matter, I’m only out a few bucks. If I do get further interested, a Baofeng maybe be the gateway drug.
 
Cucamonga said:
At point I really don’t have clearly defined expectations of the hobby, to be honest, don’t have a clue. In the mid 1970’s I had a CB license, KLAJ3453 if memory serves me. In the 80’s it was a Bearcat scanner, really enjoyed monitoring local PD and Sheriff departments.

After a little thought I think I want to get the radio and play around programming, monitoring frequencies but not transmitting to get a feel if I like it.

My thoughts are for the cost of a Baofeng, if I find the hobby’s not for me, lose it in the woods, or drop it in the crapper for that matter, I’m only out a few bucks. If I do get further interested, a Baofeng maybe be the gateway drug.
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It is handy for that
We use little walkie talkies at work. they're cheap junk, but they cost almost as much as a baofeng.
I set one of my baofengs to match frequency and found out i could hear them, but they couldn't hear me. I hooked up a work handset to CHIRP to download the squelch codes, programmed them into my baofeng, and made it work 2way. Then while I was in there i managed to set up the FRS and GMRS frequencies, a local NOAA weather radio frequency, some local ham repeater frequencies.

You don't need to hook up to a computer with a baofeng, but it makes life easier for sure.
 
Find a club in your area

Search for ARRL Affiliated Clubs

The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) is the national association for amateur radio, connecting hams around the U.S. with news, information and resources.
www.arrl.org www.arrl.org

Take practice exams here, btw study for the General class, pass your Tech and then take the General test at the club test session.

 
Cucamonga said:
After a little thought I think I want to get the radio and play around programming, monitoring frequencies but not transmitting to get a feel if I like it.

My thoughts are for the cost of a Baofeng, if I find the hobby’s not for me, lose it in the woods, or drop it in the crapper for that matter, I’m only out a few bucks. If I do get further interested, a Baofeng maybe be the gateway drug.
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Got it.

Keep in mind that the ham radio activity you can hear on the little Baofeng is, as described above, just 1% of the overall hobby.

You won't be able to hear (or do) stuff that you might like WAAAY more.

Experience teaches us that using a Tech class license and 2 bands of FM only at low power as the entry to ham radio causes us to lose more than 75% of new licensees before their license expires.

And that's only the radio part. Ham radio is a fraternal hobby. Lots of the value is based on long term association with like minded others, and, you just don't get too much of that on the repeaters, at least, not like it was back in the 70s and 80s..

That is what the seasoned hams here are trying to explain. The trouble is, how do you explain this in short text messages on a forum?

Put another way, if you just want to listen for a while and also hear MUCH MUCH MUCH MORE than the VHF/UHF handheld gives you access to, this is a far better choice:

www.hamradio.com

SDRplay SDRplay RSP1A

RSP1A - Radio Spectrum Processor 14 Bit SDR Receiver/includes SDR-UNO Software
www.hamradio.com
 
mostly22lately said:
Put another way, if you just want to listen for a while and also hear MUCH MUCH MUCH MORE than the VHF/UHF handheld gives you access to, this is a far better choice:
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Another good option: http://kiwisdr.com/public/

Play around with people's SDR HF receivers and listen in from around the world.
 
noway2 said:
Another good option: http://kiwisdr.com/public/

Play around with people's SDR HF receivers and listen in from around the world.
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And do shortwave direction finding

And receive slow scan TV images

And receive status reports from ships around the world

And listen to hams on voice and CW

And see how your transmitted signal sounds in South Africa or East Kiribati

etc


( I host a kiwi on the web ) :)
 
If you just want to listen, I’d start with an sdr receiver. You can sample a lot more of what the hobby has to offer than just listening on a dual band walkie talkie. There are several affordable sdr radios that you hook up to your computer and run an antenna outside, or you can use the web based sdrs like mentioned above. Most people find a steep learning curve when starting out in radio, there is so much to it. Good luck and we are all happy to answer questions. I also second checking out a local club, most are friendly and inviting. I know ours is.
 
JW1987 said:
Most people find a steep learning curve when starting out in radio, there is so much to it.
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This. It can't be emphasized enough, but if you think you're going to get a tech ticket, buy a couple of Baofeng radios to throw in your go bag, the only thing you'll be effective at is disappointment. You have to learn to use your equipment and practicing with it regularly is the way you're going to know it will be functional when you need it to be.
 
Also, you asked about gmrs. Baofeng has gmrs only radios. They are exactly the same as the ham versions, except they have firmware limiting them to only the gmrs channels. I don’t consider gmrs part of the hobby side of radio, it is for people who need to use radio to communicate with their group of people. I hear it described as a “bring your own contacts” type of thing. Although some areas have a more active gmrs scene, I don’t use it even though I have that license too. If you want to “play radio” then look toward getting your tech then general ham license. General lets you do about all you want to with a radio. Extra class gives you a little more room to operate on the hf bands over a general.
 
DrScaryGuy said:
It is handy for that
We use little walkie talkies at work. they're cheap junk, but they cost almost as much as a baofeng.
I set one of my baofengs to match frequency and found out i could hear them, but they couldn't hear me. I hooked up a work handset to CHIRP to download the squelch codes, programmed them into my baofeng, and made it work 2way. Then while I was in there i managed to set up the FRS and GMRS frequencies, a local NOAA weather radio frequency, some local ham repeater frequencies.

You don't need to hook up to a computer with a baofeng, but it makes life easier for sure.
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What model of Baofeng did you buy?
 
Cucamonga said:
What model of Baofeng did you buy?
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I bought a 2pk of uv5r after i decided i liked my uv5rtp.
the tp model came with the programming cable for only a couple bucks more, so it was a good deal and can tx at 2x the power as the normal uv5r
 
I will say also look at the quansheng uvk5 or uvk6, both are pretty much the same radio with minor differences. About the same as the baofeng in price and I think they are a better radio, they have all kinds of firmware updates for them. Just another low priced option to check out. They even have a tiny little board out that replaces the radio chip with a new one that will work down to 400khz, obviously to be used as a receiver on the low bands, but still cool to have that and still use it as a regular ht.
 
DrScaryGuy said:
It is handy for that
We use little walkie talkies at work. they're cheap junk, but they cost almost as much as a baofeng.
I set one of my baofengs to match frequency and found out i could hear them, but they couldn't hear me. I hooked up a work handset to CHIRP to download the squelch codes, programmed them into my baofeng, and made it work 2way. Then while I was in there i managed to set up the FRS and GMRS frequencies, a local NOAA weather radio frequency, some local ham repeater frequencies.

You don't need to hook up to a computer with a baofeng, but it makes life easier for sure.
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Setting up the FRS and GMRS frequencies. did this enable both receive and transmit?
 
Some come unlocked and can transmit from 130-170 and 400-520mhz. They will all receive on the entire frequency range. There is a simple way to unlock them if they are locked, hold like 3 buttons and power on. Plenty of YouTube vids on that. Unlock it and you can use ham 2m, murs, ham 70cm, frs, and gmrs.
 
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The Baofeng 17R Plus radio has a "new scrambler" feature, anyone know anything about how this works and what is does?

"Wireless Frequency Copy】The wireless frequency replication function allows you to clone the frequency of another walkie talkie without the need for computer programming. Long press the menu button to enter the“FQSCAN”interface. Press Menu again and the UV-17R will search for another radio transmission frequency and privacy code. Finally press the menu to store the frequency. Two walkie-talkies can communicate normally. Communication is unobstructed, and traditional writing frequency is rejected."
 
Cucamonga said:
Setting up the FRS and GMRS frequencies. did this enable both receive and transmit?
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Yes. You can also use CHIRP to set DCS/CTCSS if you are picking up other people's traffic.
wait, hold on...
This is what a uv5r and the cheap cloned baofeng 88 radios can be set up for in CHIRP
1711240402525.png

You can also set it up so that you CAN'T transmit over NOAA or other frequencies you shouldn't mess with, or set up a channel to be automatically duplexed with a repeater. That way you don't have to switch back and forth from one frequency to another just to transmit/receive, or do a programming session using the keypad on the front face of the radio.
 
DrScaryGuy said:
Yes. You can also use CHIRP to set DCS/CTCSS if you are picking up other people's traffic.
wait, hold on...
This is what a uv5r and the cheap cloned baofeng 88 radios can be set up for in CHIRP
View attachment 759364

You can also set it up so that you CAN'T transmit over NOAA or other frequencies you shouldn't mess with, or set up a channel to be automatically duplexed with a repeater. That way you don't have to switch back and forth from one frequency to another just to transmit/receive, or do a programming session using the keypad on the front face of the radio.
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Well, that's interesting. I did read that some Baofeng models were not FCC approved and have since been granted approval, I wonder if approval was based on preventing transmitting on FRS/GMRS.
 
That is correct. The new ones come locked and the older unlocked. There are ways around it, if you are into that.
 
Cucamonga said:
Well, that's interesting. I did read that some Baofeng models were not FCC approved and have since been granted approval, I wonder if approval was based on preventing transmitting on FRS/GMRS.
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Oh, a baofeng is easily illegal in more ways than just that. don't worry, we're not discussing laws here, just capabilities
 
DrScaryGuy said:
Oh, a baofeng is easily illegal in more ways than just that. don't worry, we're not discussing laws here, just capabilitie
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just keep in mind that the relationship between HAMS and the FCC is not nearly as toxic as between that and gun owners and the ATF.
 
noway2 said:
just keep in mind that the relationship between HAMS and the FCC is not nearly as toxic as between that and gun owners and the ATF.
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probably the thing that has been keeping me from learning all along. fudds in their ham shacks reee-ing about "it's been 10 minutes and 30 seconds since you identified yourself!" or some mess like that.
I know how i feel about laws...
At work people are shocked at some of the things they hear about me.... i just tell them that at work i am paid to follow the rules and make sure other people follow them too. when i'm not at work, i'm under no obligation to be the same guy i am at work.
 
DrScaryGuy said:
probably the thing that has been keeping me from learning all along. fudds in their ham shacks reee-ing about "it's been 10 minutes and 30 seconds since you identified yourself!" or some mess like that.
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It's really not that bad on the air, pretty sure the reddit narc nerds don't actually tx.
 
👆this, I hardly ever hear any of the internet crap on the air, occasionally someone telling a general they are out of band or constructively helping a newbie. Then every once in a while you get someone on their high horse, but that happens in everyday life too. I will say I am not the band police and I didn’t get into radio to be. I don’t get paid to correct any little mistake or infraction someone makes, that just doesn’t get me off. Just like any other rule, do whatever you want as long as you can handle the consequences. That’s how I treat it.
 
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Johnny said:
It's really not that bad on the air, pretty sure the reddit narc nerds don't actually tx.
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I always think it's funny how the people with the least operating experience have the most to say about what it's like to be on the air.

Earlier today I was listening to some contester running on 7030.

Now, skipping the part about gentlemen's agreements regarding bandplans and what ought to be on 7030 +/- ...

... I did admire his technique to keep his rate. One other guy called him and the reply mangled the caller's call. The caller corrected it by sending his call once in the over, and instead of the runner repeating it, he recognized the caller as a seasoned op (N1MM+ helps...) ... and then just paused momentarily, sent a single dit, finished the exchange, and resumed his run.

Great fist, smooth as silk.

THAT's ham radio. Technique, expertise, style.
 
mostly22lately said:
he recognized the caller as a seasoned op (N1MM+ helps...) ... and then just paused momentarily, sent a single dit, finished the exchange, and resumed his run.
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On a similar note, there really is something to throwing your call sign out there via CW and hearing it come back at you. The term, “oh, shit!” Is very appropriate at first. I got nervous, but thankfully had a grizzled old dude in AL who was very friendly. CW is kind of like driving a stick shift, you do better if you don’t think about it and just do it. He even mailed me a card.

On another note, I helped create an HF junkie. It was field day a few years ago, and I partnered up to help Lacey, KN4JOX who had both the XYL effect and the thick coastal (Wilmington) accent. Coupled with the fact that I tuned my HF radio to mid band voice power with a good microphone she broke through just about every pileup. It was comical to me, “station ending in JOX, please come back”, regularly.

Funny note, on field day, she made contact with N0FUK. I showed it to her, she turned red, giggled, and said “that’s what his wife says, oops, that wasn’t very lady like of me”. She also came across N2BJ who’ve I have heard once in a while.
mostly22lately said:
I always think it's funny how the people with the least operating experience have the most to say about what it's like to be on the air.
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Only one time did a friend, W4AYO and I encounter an “observer”. He claimed that Roger didn’t identify in over 30 minutes, which he sure as hell had. As a result, Roger got a 10 minute sand timer.
 
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JW1987 said:
I will say also look at the quansheng uvk5 or uvk6, both are pretty much the same radio with minor differences. About the same as the baofeng in price and I think they are a better radio, they have all kinds of firmware updates for them. Just another low priced option to check out. They even have a tiny little board out that replaces the radio chip with a new one that will work down to 400khz, obviously to be used as a receiver on the low bands, but still cool to have that and still use it as a regular ht.
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@JW1987
Assuming you own one of more of the Quansheng radios mentioned above. I've researched some on the UV-K5(8), please tell me more about why you like it over the Baofeng UV-R5 (8 watt, although some reports are that is BS.

I literally have 10+ hours on the net and YouTube looking at mostly Baofeng radios and the models I have been looking at UV-5R and UV-17R radios but with so many variations of these models they make it so difficult to compare. In fact, there are many models for sale that are not even listed on Baofeng's website. The I see where people have ordered Baofeng and later found they got knockoff radios, knockoffs of a low-end product!

Anyone Else.
Feel free to sell me on the Baofeng.

Help a guy out that's probably over thinking this and is ready to part with a little bit of his cash and order a couple of radios!
 
The menu layout between any of the baofengs and the quansheng are pretty much the same. The k5 k5(8) and k6 are all basically the same radio. The case and screen color are about all I can tell is different between them. I like the overall feel and layout of the quansheng over the uv5r. The uv17 is better than the quansheng in the quality department its menu is also about the same as the other baofengs. Mind you they are all cheap Chinese radios, so none are like super nice. I have an icom id51 with mars mod for when I want a real radio. It is leaps and bounds ahead of the Chinese ones. I agree with noway2, If you can swing it, get a real radio. The icom and yaesu have affordable dual band ht’s. I also never believe the power rating on any of the cheap Chinese radios.

You can also do the custom modded firmware on the quanshengs.
 
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