$40 BaoFeng UV-5R Dual-Band Handhelds

[BigSwede]

Like the review stated. Get the cheaper radio and an $18 to $25 aftermarket antenna from Comet or Dimond and you'll be golden!

We had a trip a few weeks ago, a guy was running a standard UV-5R and a Tram 1185 antenna with excellent range. Whereas another guy running a UV-5R with the standard antenna could only transmit short distances from inside his vehicle. It was OK for chatting when we were in convoy but that was about it.

 

[BigSwede]

Can anyone tell me why my UV-5R is not audible? It was working when I first got it, but now when someone transmits nearby the LED lights up, indicating the radio is receiving, but I can't hear anything. I have pored over the highly useful manual but no joy. I have tried resetting the mods a couple of times but no success. There has got to be something simple I am missing.

 

[Herbie]

Volume knob?

Speaker working? Can you connect an external speaker to the jack?

 

[BigSwede]

Volume knob?

Heh, about the only thing the "troubleshooting guide" in the manual says is to make sure the volume is up. Duh.

Speaker working? Can you connect an external speaker to the jack?

Hmm, worth a try. I'll see if I have a speaker or headphones that will work for that.

 

[Vegas_Nick]

I just picked up the UV82HP during Amazon's prime day sale. Studying for my Technician's exam so it will be a bit before I can report back with a meaningful review but feels pretty solid at first glance and the majority of the reviews on Youtube were good ones.

I think that is their best yet. Couple it with a mag mount antenna and you have a perfect setup!

 

[prerunner1982]

Im sure this has been posted before but http://miklor.com/ has a lot of good info on these radios, for those that are new to the Baofengs/Pofungs.

 

[RobRed]

I've had 3 UV5R's - all have failed within months. I'm afraid I'm staying with Yaesu and ICOM. I'm glad you guys are having decent luck.

 

[Davev1954]

I have four and they are running strong - about 3 years now. One battery went bad- so I put a 12v adapter on it and use it only in the car. Very happy with them and use them a lot.

 

[ZMagic97]

I grabbed two: I have one for listening to in my truck until I get a license in the fall, and a spare in the box at home. They're rugged little units and a great item for the price. I have been using it for a week and the battery life is extremely impressive. I also ordered a 4ft firestik 2m antenna and adapter cable to use the CB's already installed hood lip mount with a quick disconnect and RG58 cable to pair to BaoFeng. Those items should arrive tomorrow.

 

[k9lestat]

I have to no problems yet. I am shocked at the battery life. It lasts much longer than my work radio did.

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[ZMagic97]

I have to no problems yet. I am shocked at the battery life. It lasts much longer than my radio did.

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A coworker of mine said his Icom had a much shorter battery life, and replacement batteries were much more expensive.

 

[prerunner1982]

With CHIRP you can now also lower/adjust the squelch sensitivity of some of the Baofengs. I found this to be quite useful when receiving APRS packets.

Though the radios have squelch levels you can select.. there wasn't really a lot of difference.

 

[urbex]

I've had 3 UV5R's - all have failed within months. I'm afraid I'm staying with Yaesu and ICOM. I'm glad you guys are having decent luck.

I had one topple from the back of my motorcycle down roughly two feet to land on top of my Igloo cooler. That was all she wrote, lol. After dealing with the squelch issue, horrible intermod issues, lack of a proper DC jack/other method of charging the batteries while mobile, I decided one was enough for me. Ended up picking up a used Kenwood TH-D7 for about twice what these Baofengs go for, and have been extremely happy with it. This Baofeng is also what made me realize the value of a quality radio, and made it easy to buy the Kenwood TM-D710 new for the truck, lol.

 

[RobRed]

Yeah the intermod on two out of three of mine was pretty bad. they all died from speaker or mic issues ultimately.

 

[k9lestat]

Dropped mine in a tub of water day before yesterday. I was a little up set at first then I realized I could replace it cheaper than filling up with gas. Threw it in some rice. Seems to work so far in spite of the water.

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