BOPOH
Explorer
Was looking around amazon reading reviews and came up with this:
"1.0 out of 5 starsNot the best radio under $100
ByScott C Andersonon July 20, 2016
Size: BF-F9 V2+ Tri-Power|Color: Red|Verified Purchase
This radio is not a good radio. I wrote the company Baofeng Tech asking them where to download the software and they said they didn't support it. The claimed it was a knock-off of the BF-F8. I am not certain what that means, but I was finally able to get it to work with CHIRP software using the BF-F8 radio selection. So, in case you missed the countless posts about the battery not sticking.... The battery doesn't stick in the radio. Some people file the latch. I used super-glue gel. I would not recommend this as a purchase. There are other radios under $100 that seem to work well. Also, I would recommend buying from the official Baofeng Amazon page."
However, further research came up with some good results:
https://www.petris.net/2015/07/16/the-baofeng-mystery/
I guess the biggest thing is to make sure you watch who you are buying it from, especially on amazon! check this out: you think you are buying UV5RA which looks nice and cool specs(by Baofeng, but sold by KoCo-Go and fulfilled by Amazon - warranty issues?), however if you read at the bottom "What's in the Box?:" you're actually getting UV-82 (which is better according to THIS REVIEW)
Here is some info on amazon from Baofeng Tech comparing BF-F9 V2+ to BF-f8HP (video is pretty cool):
Whats different from the BF-F9 v2+? The BF-F9 v2+ has old firmware. We have rejected firmware - which will get put into different radios "clones" at lower prices. The BF-F9 v2+ is always imported by sea and not air - by the time it even hits the market - it is already MONTHS outdated. The BF-F9 v2+ does not include the high gain antenna. The BF-F9 v2+ has a small 1500mAh battery (our battery is 30% larger). It does not include the earpiece or the full in-depth user manual.
In conclusion(hopefully): you better off with UV-82 than higher wattage baofeng, here is why(opinion) and this particular part
"1.0 out of 5 starsNot the best radio under $100
ByScott C Andersonon July 20, 2016
Size: BF-F9 V2+ Tri-Power|Color: Red|Verified Purchase
This radio is not a good radio. I wrote the company Baofeng Tech asking them where to download the software and they said they didn't support it. The claimed it was a knock-off of the BF-F8. I am not certain what that means, but I was finally able to get it to work with CHIRP software using the BF-F8 radio selection. So, in case you missed the countless posts about the battery not sticking.... The battery doesn't stick in the radio. Some people file the latch. I used super-glue gel. I would not recommend this as a purchase. There are other radios under $100 that seem to work well. Also, I would recommend buying from the official Baofeng Amazon page."
However, further research came up with some good results:
https://www.petris.net/2015/07/16/the-baofeng-mystery/
I guess the biggest thing is to make sure you watch who you are buying it from, especially on amazon! check this out: you think you are buying UV5RA which looks nice and cool specs(by Baofeng, but sold by KoCo-Go and fulfilled by Amazon - warranty issues?), however if you read at the bottom "What's in the Box?:" you're actually getting UV-82 (which is better according to THIS REVIEW)
Here is some info on amazon from Baofeng Tech comparing BF-F9 V2+ to BF-f8HP (video is pretty cool):
Whats different from the BF-F9 v2+? The BF-F9 v2+ has old firmware. We have rejected firmware - which will get put into different radios "clones" at lower prices. The BF-F9 v2+ is always imported by sea and not air - by the time it even hits the market - it is already MONTHS outdated. The BF-F9 v2+ does not include the high gain antenna. The BF-F9 v2+ has a small 1500mAh battery (our battery is 30% larger). It does not include the earpiece or the full in-depth user manual.
In conclusion(hopefully): you better off with UV-82 than higher wattage baofeng, here is why(opinion) and this particular part
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Then a mobile of some sort (cross band repeater functional).