Anyone running Baofeng UV-5R for mobile (1 Viewer)

[Cruiserdrew]

So what you're saying is "results not typical". You need clear line of sight and a low noise floor (VHF nowadays is pretty noisy) and I've heard of some contacts like that (not quite 90 miles), in the high desert, with nothing in between but a valley. Those really are the perfect conditions but most of the country doesn't have those conditions and many new hams don't care to find out what the fine print is and why that may work when they're outdoors on top of a mountain in the desert but not when they're driving around suburbia in their Faraday cage on wheels.

In the case of many new hams, they buy these radios because like the op, they can't afford to do any better but they'd be $30 or $40 closer to getting "better" had they not blown it on something they will get very little day-to-day use out of. And making wild claims of 90 and 125 mile contacts doesn't help do anything but put unrealistic expectations in the mind of new hams. You posts kinda read like a bubblepack of FRS radios promising "33 mile range!"

I guess what I was trying to do is illustrate that these radios can do better than you think, not to say that's always typical. I think many new hams start with hand helds. I didn't, but I understand why. If the cheap radios get more folks on the trail away from the garbage of CB and becoming Hams, that's a big win.

I was very clear that a vehicle mounted mobile was the better choice. For the original poster here, he did things right. He is licensed, his transmissions won't be unauthorized. I'll bet he'll figure out right away that he wants a better radio. That's OK because he'll have some experience and can shop for what he wants, and he'll have a cheap hand held to lend to his buddy-who will then be impressed and become a Ham.

For off-roading the Baofengs have been great. They are cheap enough to hand out on group runs so folks without radios can at least hear what's ahead and other instructions. We used them extensively at Rubithon last year for just this purpose. I know with certainty that one of the guys I lent a radio to is now licensed-and he was motivated by the radio experience with the Baofeng.

Regarding the "Chi-com" aspect...I wish they were made somewhere else too, however if they were, they would cost $200. If you look on the back of a Yaesu 2900--guess where it's made? It isn't Japan like you might think. I think Kenwood is making their lower end in China now too.

I'll stop but I agree with JohnHeld. There is no downside to these radios. Most here are off-roaders first and use the radio to improve their offroad experience. They aren't necessarily radio guys for the sake of radio.

 

[Fast Eddy]

I do have an upgraded antenna on my UV5R, but it's still just a hand held.

Mine too. It's the Diamond SRJ77CA.

There is a high noise floor on VHF, it's a crappy band for use in urban areas and the vhf antennas on portables are highly inefficient. Try again, this time on 440 and let us know if you get a different result.

We have a plan to do so. I'll report back.

 

[ih88hi10]

I'll bet he'll figure out right away that he wants a better radio.

But most of the time the new Baofeng generation doesn't.
Again not to broadbrush but the folks I've talked to expect it to be like a cell phone. They expect body-worn, in-vehicle, in-building, crystal clear coverage and when they can't even put a respectable signal into a high site repeater 10 miles away and they don't hear much, they give up. Their expectations were set too high. They don't get a new radio, they just go do something else.

Regarding the "Chi-com" aspect...I wish they were made somewhere else too, however if they were, they would cost $200. If you look on the back of a Yaesu 2900--guess where it's made? It isn't Japan like you might think. I think Kenwood is making their lower end in China now too.

We call them Chicom radios, it's not so much to do with where they're made but instead the lines of inexpensive radios all using that same chip. They go under the names of Baofeng, Puxing, Wouxun, TYT, and there are many others including lesser known brands like Honglitong.
But once again, my reply has nothing to do with the brand or country of manufacture and everything to do with it being a portable inside of a vehicle.

I'll stop but I agree with JohnHeld. There is no downside to these radios. Most here are off-roaders first and use the radio to improve their offroad experience. They aren't necessarily radio guys for the sake of radio.

Gotcha. Well, all I'm saying is not to inflate expectations and also to the OP, your performance with a portable in this day and age will vary significantly from a mobile when trying to get into repeaters.
As for being/not being downside, we could probably talk about that for days in a different thread. I guess it depends on which hobby you're talking about.

 

[Prospector]

[For off-roading the Baofengs have been great. They are cheap enough to hand out on group runs so folks without radios can at least hear what's ahead and other instructions. We used them extensively at Rubithon last year for just this purpose. I know with certainty that one of the guys I lent a radio to is now licensed-and he was motivated by the radio experience with the Baofeng.]

My daughter and I also did Rubithon last year. We were with the Friday morning group. I had planned to use my Yeasu FT-2900(daughter was in charge of the CB)on the run and was designated as one of the radio guys to relay info and monitor the repeater for our group. Found out real fast 2meter was used primarily simplex. Repeater for the run was on 440. We ended up defaulting to our dual band handheld Wouxon which worked just fine for the entire run. I've since purchased a dual band mobile radio with crossband repeat(Anytone UV-888). For me I like the idea of having the added watts available if needed.

We probably crossed paths during Rubithon at some point. Spent a lot of time while at the Springs following my rock climbing daughter around. Fun times for sure!

Prospector

 

[Cruiserdrew]

My daughter and I also did Rubithon last year. We were with the Friday morning group. I had planned to use my Yeasu FT-2900(daughter was in charge of the CB��)on the run and was designated as one of the radio guys to relay info and monitor the repeater for our group. Found out real fast 2meter was used primarily simplex. Repeater for the run was on 440. We ended up defaulting to our dual band handheld Wouxon which worked just fine for the entire run. I've since purchased a dual band mobile radio with crossband repeat(Anytone UV-888). For me I like the idea of having the added watts available if needed.

We probably crossed paths during Rubithon at some point. Spent a lot of time while at the Springs following my rock climbing daughter around. Fun times for sure!

Prospector

Very cool. I lead the Wednesday Wagon Run and to be honest, we only used the radios on simplex. I have the Rubicon repeater programmed, but we didn't need it or use it. Worked well though, as we had a couple of guys break on the first day and we could maonitor them all the way back out to Loon, and then another guy (on this thread!) showed up an hour late and we could at least talk to him as he got caught on to the back of the group.

There is very good repeater coverage on the Rubicon with the dedicated Rubicon repeater at loon, and the 805 repeater which can be accessed virtaully anywhere on the trail.

 

[re_guderian]

...If the cheap radios get more folks on the trail away from the garbage of CB and becoming Hams, that's a big win...

bingo

....Most here are off-roaders first and use the radio to improve their offroad experience. They aren't necessarily radio guys for the sake of radio.

ding, ding, ding, winner!! I have no intention of sitting around my living room a Friday night chatting with random dude thousands of miles away. If I ever get that desire, I'd upgrade. Just like I'm never on the CB except for club runs. I just want something to talk to the wheeling group with, then it will likely sit unused for weeks or months.

 

[Fast Eddy]

and then another guy (on this thread!) showed up an hour late and we could at least talk to him as he got caught on to the back of the group.

I resemble that remark. I was also pleasantly surprised with the coverage and audio quality on that day.

 

[45Kevin]

I resemble that remark. I was also pleasantly surprised with the coverage and audio quality on that day.

^^^^^
Busted.

I also had a spare UV5 and loaned it to someone so that they could hear what was going on during the trail ride. And like stated above, I'll get a better radio if I decide to do HAM as a hobby rather than as a wheeling tool.

For the record, most HAM geeks have s***ty vehicles.

 

[spressomon]

I bought 3) UV5R to use on a recent elk & deer hunting trip...and had 2 of the units fail in the field...sometimes they'd TX and sometimes not (not distance/line of sight related...). They're going back (jeez I love Amazon!)...but has anyone else experienced TX/RX reliability problems with these?

 

[Mr Cimarron]

I bought one just for the hell of it to go along with my Yaesu FTM-400 that's mounted in the LC. Seems to work alright. Listened to a ham club meeting on a repeater that is a good hour drive from me. Also been using it to listen in on the school bus frequency in the mornings. For $40 it's worth it so far. Now I need to get the wife or one of our boys to take the tech class so we can test out the range.

 

[Zer0]

The BF-F8HP is the "newest" UV-5R. I'm posting this because figuring out what actually is an updated model for these things is INCREDIBLY difficult. There's dozens of "new look" models, a few minor revisions, and almost no solid facts about new electronics. This is a 8-watt model, up from 5-watts. If you look for the "USA Warranty" one on Amazon you can actually get a replacement if it dies

As far as getting something easy with a bit of a nightmare interface(use chrip!) these things can't be beat. It was my first ham radio after I got my license. Of course there are ~$120 VHF radios that are a ton better, especially if you're handy with the antenna install but I'm incredibly impressed with the Baofeng's and use them on my ATVs a lot.

 

[Pin_Head]

So Cal has a lot of repeaters and a lot of traffic, but BF HTs are about 25-30% of all units I hear on the air around here. you would think that if they didn't work, there wouldn't be that many people using them.

 

[woytovich]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Baofeng-Red...0-MHz-FM-Ham-Two-way-Radio-2014-/161474736499

 

[gahi]

http://amzn.com/B00FMIYEKW Newest Gen UV5R $33
http://amzn.com/B0045EQUBK Mag Mount Antenna $22
http://amzn.com/B00ATEDHXE Adapter $5

So for $60 you can have a very decent performing setup. I have a very similar setup, and I've had nearly 15 mi simplex around Moab. Handy for moving from vehicle to vehicle.

 

[gregnash]

Yup this is the little setup that I am looking at getting. Hopefully will be able to signup for one of the tests next year to grab my HAM license next year. Not that it will really get all the much usage, just when I am out wheeling or fishing in more remote areas.

 

[Fast Eddy]

http://amzn.com/B00FMIYEKW Newest Gen UV5R $33
http://amzn.com/B0045EQUBK Mag Mount Antenna $22
http://amzn.com/B00ATEDHXE Adapter $5

I can easily get into a repeater that is 30 miles from work with that setup and a shorter antenna.

 

[surfpig]

So, what is the best way to get one of these things programmed properly? I got one a couple of weeks ago and have been playing with it, I just got the cable today.

Got my ticket yesterday, won't be "official" for a week or so.

 

[Pin_Head]

Go here:
http://www.miklor.com/COM/UV_NewUser.php/

Download CHIRP software.
Use CHIRP to to download a file containing the parameters for your local repeaters.
Upload this info into your UV5R

 

[surfpig]

Go here:
http://www.miklor.com/COM/UV_NewUser.php/

Download CHIRP software.
Use CHIRP to to download a file containing the parameters for your local repeaters.
Upload this info into your UV5R

Nice. I may have bookmarked that one recently.

 

[Pin_Head]

Once you launch chirp, then:
Radio > Query data source > RepeaterBook

Then select the area closest to you. If you travel, you may also want to download the files for your destination and add the repeaters you want to your file.