great hand held radio for the money

[foxhunter]

BaoFeng *UV-5R Plus* Two-Way Radio, 136-174/400-520MHz, including Earphone.
check out this radio on line. It has 128 channels.
My wife's search and rescue group went with this radio. It contains all the GMRS, FRS, plus 70 cm and 2 meter band frequencies for ham radio as well. We tested it and found we could communicate clearly between the inside of a car and the inside of my house out to just over 7 miles, which is pretty remarkable. It puts out 5 watts, regardless of channel.
Where the GMRS/ FRS channels are marked 1 through 18 on typical GMRS radios,on these you have to put in the actual frequency for each of those channels . However, we uploaded a software program that automatically assigns the channels 1-18 to those frequencies on the radio and we also assign the MURS 1 and 2 channels and all the local police and emergency bands for our area. you can listen to two channels simultaneously, it has weather channels at the push of a button , also functions as an fm radio if you want and has a flashlight on the end. the small rechargeable battery that comes with it is good for 17 hours continuous use, but you can order an optional battery that will last 24-48 hours. They are not water proof.
They run about $37.

For traveling in groups in vehicles, these work far better than CB, and you can listen on the 2 meter and 70 cm bands even if you don't have a licence.

 

[Frdmskr]

Make sure you follow GMRS and FRS rules. GMRS requires licesnde


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[gary in ohio]

but not legal on FRS, GMRS or MURs.

 

[tgreening]

I fear the glut of these cheap Chi-com radios is going to have HAM going the way of the 11 mtr band....

 

[AlbanyTom]

I don't want one myself, but I know a lot of local hams that have those that love them. And I like the idea...lets people use FRS and GMRS and doesn't tempt unlicensed people to use the ham bands as much. Yeah, technically not legal on those bands, but I don't believe that's enforced in the US.

For S&R use, suggest everybody carry a spare charged battery. One of the biggest problems w/ public service events and portable responses is people with dead batteries.

 

[robgendreau]

but not legal on FRS, GMRS or MURs.

To elaborate, you cannot use this radio to transmit on the FRS, MURS or GMRS frequencies. And I believe that's the case even with a GMRS license. It is a Part 90 certified radio, not Part 95. Basically the kind that say a warehouse would buy and get a license for so they could hand them out to employees to use, but only on an assigned frequency (that isn't FRS, etc).

 

[dwh]

https://www.google.com/search?clien...pell=1&ei=sKlXVdXvA4KayASmzIDIAQ&ved=0CBEQvwU

 

[gary in ohio]

To elaborate, you cannot use this radio to transmit on the FRS, MURS or GMRS frequencies. And I believe that's the case even with a GMRS license. It is a Part 90 certified radio, not Part 95. Basically the kind that say a warehouse would buy and get a license for so they could hand them out to employees to use, but only on an assigned frequency (that isn't FRS, etc).

The only certifications that radio has is part 15 so the only legal band would be the ham bands.

 

[4x4junkie]

I fear the glut of these cheap Chi-com radios is going to have HAM going the way of the 11 mtr band....

You say that like as if that's a bad thing. lol

For one thing, there is no so-called "skip" on the frequency bands that these radios operate on... So even if 2M and/or 70cm did get handed over to the general populace, there'd be very little of the type of power use you see (hear) on 11M simply because there's no long-range propagation conditions/noise to encourage it.

What I find funny is how so many people always feel they have to jump out of the woodwork here just to post solely about the illegalities of particular uses of these radios. It's as if these little 5-watt walkie-talkies are going to cause the world to cease to exist or something.

 

[tgreening]

You say that like as if that's a bad thing. lol

For one thing, there is no so-called "skip" on the frequency bands that these radios operate on... So even if 2M and/or 70cm did get handed over to the general populace, there'd be very little of the type of power use you see (hear) on 11M simply because there's no long-range propagation conditions/noise to encourage it.

What I find funny is how so many people always feel they have to jump out of the woodwork here just to post solely about the illegalities of particular uses of these radios. It's as if these little 5-watt walkie-talkies are going to cause the world to cease to exist or something.

It is a bad thing, and has little to do with people wanting to talk skip, and everything to do with the far more common "local" user of the cb freqs and how they conduct themselves. Just jump on the highway and pick a channel. Without stretching too far its generally a cesspool of foul language and bad attitudes. Ham in comparison has been largely spared the fate. IMO due at least in part by the cost of admission and the attitude of the average user willing to spend the money.

Now anybody with $40 to blow can hop on and breaker-breaker to their hearts content.

 

[troyboy162]

The only certifications that radio has is part 15 so the only legal band would be the ham bands.

Its gotten part 90 certified at some point.

http://www.gordonwestradioschool.com/attachments/FCC_Part_90_Certification_Baofeng_UV5R.pdf

https://apps.fcc.gov/oetcf/tcb/repo...b_code=&application_id=774656&fcc_id=ZP5UV-B5

 

[AlbanyTom]

It is a bad thing, and has little to do with people wanting to talk skip, and everything to do with the far more common "local" user of the cb freqs and how they conduct themselves. Just jump on the highway and pick a channel. Without stretching too far its generally a cesspool of foul language and bad attitudes. Ham in comparison has been largely spared the fate. IMO due at least in part by the cost of admission and the attitude of the average user willing to spend the money.

Now anybody with $40 to blow can hop on and breaker-breaker to their hearts content.

I genuinely mean no offense here. But to me the left turn this thread has taken is inappropriate. It's as if someone were to post about their new SUV, all happy and proud about it, and someone were to complain that all of these things are contributing to the destruction of our planet with the really bad gas mileage. Or to start questioning if driving it off-road is legal in all places.

I also don't like the implication that cheaper radios = lower barrier to entry = poorer people = worse behavior...because I really don't believe it's accurate. Yes, cb has some bad characters, and cb radios are inexpensive. But 75m is no brain trust. Way worse behavior, from people with a serious investment in equipment, compared to 2m/440 around here. Maybe it's true that people with more disposable income are more responsible, but I'm not so sure...and am sure that it's a social/political discussion, not one about communications.

 

[EMrider]

I genuinely mean no offense here. But to me the left turn this thread has taken is inappropriate. It's as if someone were to post about their new SUV, all happy and proud about it, and someone were to complain that all of these things are contributing to the destruction of our planet with the really bad gas mileage. Or to start questioning if driving it off-road is legal in all places.

I also don't like the implication that cheaper radios = lower barrier to entry = poorer people = worse behavior...because I really don't believe it's accurate. Yes, cb has some bad characters, and cb radios are inexpensive. But 75m is no brain trust. Way worse behavior, from people with a serious investment in equipment, compared to 2m/440 around here. Maybe it's true that people with more disposable income are more responsible, but I'm not so sure...and am sure that it's a social/political discussion, not one about communications.

This pattern of responses inevitably shows up on all Baofeng threads.

Meanwhile, these radios continue to sell like crazy.

They are a great value and mine have worked flawlessly.

R

 

[PetitFrereArmada]

I think it is time I look into buying one of these and also getting my own license to use it. It truly seems to be a great way of keeping in touch offroading.

 

[photo nomad]

Almost everyone I know that got into Ham started with a cheap little Baofeng because the initial investment was minimal. All of them have their license, but would probably never have considered Ham had they had to fork out $500-1000 to get started. I think it's a great option for people new to Ham! It's also going to be my entry into Ham.


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