The ubiquitous Baofeng UV-5r: First impressions

[Martinjmpr]

I know that here on ExPo we like to brag about the expensive "name brand" gear we use but I'll bet I'm not the only licensed Ham here with one of these cheap little Baofeng radios. After spending a few years turning up my nose at these "cheap Chinese radios" my curiousity finally got the best of me and I ordered one from Amazon. I mean, at $25, what did I have to lose? I'll spend twice that on a dinner with my wife at a chain restaurant, so why not?

I got it because I sold the old, decrepit Yaesu FT-50 that I bought probably 15 years ago. That Yaesu was complicated to use (IMO unnecessarily so) and I think the one I got had actually gotten damaged or something because the VFO knob didn't always work right. It was old, LONG out of production and not "user friendly" at all so I sold it, as-is, to a local Ham operator.

One of the reasons I got the Baofeng was because it IS so common. IMO there's a kind of "wisdom in the crowd" when it comes to tech stuff. IOW, if EVERYBODY is using something, then it must work OK, right?

But even more so, if a product has a lot of "users", then that means that there is a huge "knowledge base" of information that I can tap into, and that's the real reason I wanted to try the Baofeng.

I just got the radio on Friday and "unboxed" it Saturday. It seems like a nice, solid little unit. I immediately went to YouTube and started searching for UV-5r videos to watch and I wasn't disappointed. In less than 20 minutes I had figured out how to easily program frequencies into the radio, save channels and even save repeater frequencies with offsets and CTCSS tones (something I was never able to figure out on the Yaesu.)

So far it seems like the little radio can hit the repeaters in my area with no difficulty. I haven't (yet) gotten around to getting the CHIRP software for it but I'll get it eventually.

I think one of the best things about the Baofeng is the simple menu system. There is only one "level" of menu, with 40 different menu options. This is compared to the Yaesu which had multiple, "nested" menus (one menu for setting frequencies, another menu for offsets, another menu for DCS/CTCSS codes, etc.)

I've complained (in this forum and elsewhere) that modern Ham radios seem to be made for "enthusiasts" who want every feature, bell and whistle possible on their radio equipment, but that this desire often makes the radios very complicated to use for "non enthusiasts" who just want to communicate. Things like multi-function buttons (where one button has multiple functions depending on what other buttons you push) and "nested" menus (where there is not one menu but multiple menus for different operations) are the things that make a radio more difficult to use for a casual "user."

The Baofeng seems to address this concern by making the radio relatively simple to use. I really think there's a reason these radios have become so popular. It's not just the cost, it's the simplicity and ease of operation too.

 

[rgallant]

I have had one for years, here in BC the commercial freq and ham freq are separate and require different licenses and radios. I use it to call my KM on logging roads, so they know I am coming and call back, it works really well for that.

 

[craig333]

I've been using my AR-152? at half a dozen Ares events and its performed flawlessly. Yes, if I decide to go up on Mt.Vaca I'll bring the FT-60 as the Baofengs tend to have issues in high rf environments. I have a couple more as spares or loaners.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Many of the points you make are valid. Yaesu menus have long been confusing. That's an open secret. User interfaces are something engineers are terrible at doing and Yaesu is run by engineers and hams.

However, as you no doubt will expect, I'd argue that amateur radio was never intended to do what it's been expected for OHV users. It exists for enthusiasts, tinkers, experimenters. CB, FRS and GMRS were supposed to be for people who just want to push a button.

The reason for the dislike is these radios produce significant spurious emissions on transmit (this harms other users) and experience terrible intermod on receive (this is mainly just annoying to the operator).

If these terms are foreign to you then you should reconsider being a ham because you are responsible for verifying that your radio is in compliance with FCC guidelines and for being a courteous operator to other hams. There are no hardware tests a manufacturer must do to sell a ham radio. They can fill a box with old pinball parts and sell to you. It's buyer beware.

That's why the ARRL lab exists and other hams do tests, so that you don't have to do them necessarily. If you want first hand data I have a service monitor and have verified what the ARRL found. It's not a lie, on the air these radios are a problem. If amateur radio can continue to exist we have to police ourselves so the FCC leaves us to it. If that runs counter to what you expect from the hobby then you may consider moving to a GMRS license instead.

Article in QST on CCR's and compliance

Not trying to bash Chinese radios, this is finally a FACT BASED article on the poor performance of some popular low cost HTs. Bottom line: as amateurs we are solely responsible for the proper technical parameters of our stations. ETA: The referenced article no longer appears on the NI4CE web...

forums.radioreference.com

GMRS and the other services are set up so that the manufacturer is responsible for the radio meeting FCC rules. Many times the reason Baofeng radios aren't seen outside ham circles is they do not pass acceptance tests.

Edit to add the mentioned ARRL PDF on Radio Reference from NI4CE's now gone website.

 

[Ozarker]

Buttons are too small, I'm old, so it's complicated. Poor speaker, it's difficult to hear clearly, especially by the hard of hearing. The best thing about this cheap radio is that it is cheap!

 

[vintageracer]

"User interfaces are something engineers are terrible at doing and Yaesu is run by engineers and hams."

For those of us not that interested in being a "Ham" is why this Beofeng radio is so appealing!

 

[DaveInDenver]

For those of us not that interested in being a "Ham" is why this Beofeng radio is so appealing!

You are not forced to be a ham. Next renewal you might consider spending $35 on GMRS instead of spending it on a ham license. It wouldn't be a contentious point if Baofeng just cleaned up their transmitters. But then it couldn't still hit the price point. From what I've seen they can be tamed but it takes some time on the bench. As it is it's a crap-shoot, some happen to be fine, some noise makers. So it seems that Baofeng puts them straight into the box without any tuning or QC. Alinco is re-badging some of these radios but they must tweak firmware and do final checks so the price is higher.

 

[MotoDave]

I find it worth having this type of cheap small handheld around, even when I have a mobile 2m installed in my truck. Can hand it to spotters, others in your group that don't have their own radio, or a group heading out on a hike.

I found good performance improvements from a better antenna () and I got the larger battery that lets you charge off of USB, to be able to charge in the car.

 

[craig333]

Buttons are too small, I'm old, so it's complicated. Poor speaker, it's difficult to hear clearly, especially by the hard of hearing. The best thing about this cheap radio is that it is cheap!

That's what I like about the 152, big screen, big buttons, big battery. Plus I can use it as a club if necessary. Can't do that with my Yaesu