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Posted: 11/22/2020 10:05:02 PM EDT
[#1]
I've had one go completely FUBAR on me - it dies half a second after it is turned on. Radio was basically new. My 8W and a few other 5W Baofengs are having major interference/squelch issues and are constantly receiving weird stuff to the point that the radios are basically worthless. I have never had a single issue with my iCom or Yaesu radios. Baofengs have their place but are quickly becoming "not worth the trouble" category for me.
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Posted: 11/22/2020 10:09:39 PM EDT
[#2]
I have several Baofeng HT's and have not noticed any major deficiency in their operation duplex or simplex. Their performance is in line with their cost. I've been using a triband BTech regularly for about a year. You can buy much better radios starting at about 3 times the cost and going up to 10 times.
An additional $20 spent on a better antenna is usually money well spent as an upgrade; the antenna they come with is crap. Think about it, you are not going to get a $20 antenna on a $30 radio. They are not a bad entry level radio in areas with a lot of radio traffic and good repeater coverage. If you are farther out, you need to start with the $125 and up HT's and the $50 and up antennas. |
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Posted: 11/22/2020 10:10:41 PM EDT
[#3]
I have 8 or so that I use for various things. Usually GMRS at hunting camp, etc.
I’ve had a couple just refuse to power on. .... but, that’s why they’re a $30 radio. |
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Posted: 11/22/2020 10:20:33 PM EDT
[#4]
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Posted: 11/22/2020 10:32:37 PM EDT
[#5]
I have 6 UV3+ they are doo-doo (wide open front end, won't work with APRS)
I have 5 GT3 for my wife and kids, they were ok, boys use them for airsoft I have gifted numerous UVB5 and those are still going I have never owned a UV5r #truestory My 8 y/o Wouxun UV1D is still going strong with only a hint of an LED failure the TYT UV380 that we recently bought seem to be GTG the Kenwood THk-20 has been rock solid. |
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Posted: 11/22/2020 10:36:23 PM EDT
[#6]
Quote Historylmao, yup. They're good at being cheap. They're not good radios. I bought one because $30, and everyone online says they're great. What I've realized is that very few people on the internet (or irl) know/understand radio, or have ever used a decent portable. Played with it for a bit, enough to know how it works. Put it across my bird... yeah, not even close to rated output power. Put it across my spec an... shits all over the band. It lives in a ziploc baggie in a tote in my storage room. I bring it out for demos/workshops every now and then, mostly as a "See this? This is a chinese ham radio. If you're not a ham, don't have interest in getting licensed or using amateur services, don't buy one of these." Motorolas, however... I've seen many of these take some serious abuse (mostly falling from towers) and just keep working. Even after they hit the ice bridge and blow apart into a few pieces.  
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Posted: 11/22/2020 10:36:42 PM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryHAHA! I really like good receiver performance. And to prove I am not just a fanboy...Icom IC-V8 excellent with piss poor tiny display. Icom T70A epic. Icom V86...great loud audio...powerful 7 watts of RF out. Useless on a good base antenna as it overloads and detonates into images and intermod galore. Hell, even with the stock duck some intermod trash is apparent. Less sensitive than the old V8 and T70A as well. Overpriced toy. I blame the popularity of the chinesium shit and Icom's greed for this. I consider the Baotrash toys as well but if you have no money and live in an area that is not RF intense, they will work fine. I also say FUCK china so there is that. And yes, if you search you will find the emissions from them...chock full of harmonics. |
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Posted: 11/22/2020 10:37:33 PM EDT
[#8]
Someone here (I forget who), put one in a bucket of water to see if it was waterproof.
It wasn't. 
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Posted: 11/22/2020 11:11:39 PM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryQuoted: HAHA! I really like good receiver performance. And to prove I am not just a fanboy...Icom IC-V8 excellent with piss poor tiny display. Icom T70A epic. Icom V86...great loud audio...powerful 7 watts of RF out. Useless on a good base antenna as it overloads and detonates into images and intermod galore. Hell, even with the stock duck some intermod trash is apparent. Less sensitive than the old V8 and T70A as well. Overpriced toy. I blame the popularity of the chinesium shit and Icom's greed for this. I consider the Baotrash toys as well but if you have no money and live in an area that is not RF intense, they will work fine. I also say FUCK china so there is that. And yes, if you search you will find the emissions from them...chock full of harmonics. I've used the UV-B5 quite a bit including in some high RF environments with pretty reasonable results. The front end was almost as good as some Part 90 radios I compared it with. It's a vastly better radio than the UV-5R that everyone buys. It even did reasonably well at the Hamvention which is crazy for front end overload/intermod generally. |
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Posted: 11/23/2020 12:11:38 AM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I've used the UV-B5 quite a bit including in some high RF environments with pretty reasonable results. The front end was almost as good as some Part 90 radios I compared it with. It's a vastly better radio than the UV-5R that everyone buys. It even did reasonably well at the Hamvention which is crazy for front end overload/intermod generally. Impressive. |
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Posted: 11/23/2020 12:46:34 AM EDT
[#11]
Quote HistoryHell, you'd turn down a liberator pistol too. 
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Posted: 11/23/2020 12:49:14 AM EDT
[#12]
Quote HistoryQuoted: lmao, yup. They're good at being cheap. They're not good radios. I bought one because $30, and everyone online says they're great. What I've realized is that very few people on the internet (or irl) know/understand radio, or have ever used a decent portable. Played with it for a bit, enough to know how it works. Put it across my bird... yeah, not even close to rated output power. Put it across my spec an... shits all over the band. It lives in a ziploc baggie in a tote in my storage room. I bring it out for demos/workshops every now and then, mostly as a "See this? This is a chinese ham radio. If you're not a ham, don't have interest in getting licensed or using amateur services, don't buy one of these." Motorolas, however... I've seen many of these take some serious abuse (mostly falling from towers) and just keep working. Even after they hit the ice bridge and blow apart into a few pieces. https://photos.smugmug.com/Radios/i-vM4LNHW/0/9a23a419/M/i-vM4LNHW-M.jpg I bought 5 of these, 1 for me, the rest as gifts. I prefer my yaesu ht. |
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Posted: 11/23/2020 1:32:07 PM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I have several Baofeng HT's and have not noticed any major deficiency in their operation duplex or simplex. Their performance is in line with their cost. I've been using a triband BTech regularly for about a year. You can buy much better radios starting at about 3 times the cost and going up to 10 times. An additional $20 spent on a better antenna is usually money well spent as an upgrade; the antenna they come with is crap. Think about it, you are not going to get a $20 antenna on a $30 radio. They are not a bad entry level radio in areas with a lot of radio traffic and good repeater coverage. If you are farther out, you need to start with the $125 and up HT's and the $50 and up antennas. Antenna didn't matter - all of the radios had quality diamond antennas attached. Distance was about 6 miles away. Keep in mind my 9700 puts out 100 watts. IMO, based on actual real world testing - they are crap. They only work for close quarter's operations, and I won't trust any of them to anything other than distances within 1 mile of each other. |
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Posted: 11/23/2020 1:34:33 PM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Antenna didn't matter - all of the radios had quality diamond antennas attached. Distance was about 6 miles away. Keep in mind my 9700 puts out 100 watts. IMO, based on actual real world testing - they are crap. They only work for close quarter's operations, and I won't trust any of them to anything other than distances within 1 mile of each other.  No HT is going to do appreciably better. 6 miles? Might as well be trying to hit targets with an AR at 6 miles. |
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Posted: 11/23/2020 2:53:40 PM EDT
[#15]
I suspect those 8w radios aren't putting out 8w, and baos are a little deaf compared to decent amateur radio equipment. But the Baos couldn't hear the 9700 putting out 50wVHF/40wUHF from a 45' high, gainful antenna just 6 miles away? Baos aint that deaf, and RF aint that weak.
Open squelch on the baos, (static isn't that bad on the ears) and run your tests again before you discard the gear. Maybe even reset the Baos to clear out any programming and test with just a frequency input via the front panel, no tone squelch or programming, before throwing in the towel on them. |
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Posted: 11/23/2020 3:55:02 PM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryQuoted: No HT is going to do appreciably better. 6 miles? Might as well be trying to hit targets with an AR at 6 miles. You do realize how line of site works, don't ya boss? My antenna on my base station was high enough to hit them. That's how repeaters work....
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Posted: 11/23/2020 4:16:39 PM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryQuoted: You do realize how line of site works, don't ya boss? My antenna on my base station was high enough to hit them. That's how repeaters work.... Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: No HT is going to do appreciably better. 6 miles? Might as well be trying to hit targets with an AR at 6 miles. You do realize how line of site works, don't ya boss? My antenna on my base station was high enough to hit them. That's how repeaters work.... I know exactly how radios work. Your post said "within 1 mile of each other". HT to HT range is unlikely to be much more than that regardless of radio brand or type. If you have a base station antenna 45 feet up and your radios can't hear it 6 miles away over reasonable terrain you have problems other than what brand of HT you have. Unless they're in a high RF environment that's overloading the front ends or something. |
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Posted: 11/23/2020 6:04:33 PM EDT
[#18]
Had a couple but could never stand to use them enough to have problems with any. Seemed to work about as well as most, but felt cheap, sounded cheap, etc.
Love the IC-V8 comments above. Don't see many any more, and also kind of cheap-feeling in some ways, but that was an extremely reliable radio. |
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Posted: 11/23/2020 7:09:34 PM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Hell, you'd turn down a liberator pistol too. @TxLewis No, I'd load it up with 230gr and shoot it with a big smile on my face. 
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Posted: 11/23/2020 7:29:40 PM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryQuoted: @TxLewis No, I'd load it up with 230gr and shoot it with a big smile on my face. https://i.imgur.com/utQaqNL.jpg Quite possibly the most beautiful back yard I've ever seen. You're landscaper is a genius and deserves a raise. |
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Posted: 11/23/2020 9:31:06 PM EDT
[#21]
They work for me and I don't treat them nicely but I've got a few commercial surplus Motorola Handhelds (Jedi series) that are much better. They're heavier/bulkier but I could beat someone to death with them if needed and they would still work just fine.
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Posted: 11/23/2020 11:50:24 PM EDT
[#22]
A friend's daughter left a Baofeng UV-82, outside in a drink holder on their 4 wheeler. It rained and filled the drink holder full of water and the radio was almost completely submerged in water for a week. He removed the battery and left the radio to dry out in the sun. Once dry, the radio worked just fine. He still uses it 6 months later.
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Posted: 11/26/2020 1:38:43 AM EDT
[#23]
Well that's encouraging. Got a couple UV82s, one is an hp.
They're decent, for what they are. One of 'em has gotten used alot over the last 6 months, time will tell. Done a fair amount of IMTing and training with it on, ain't broke yet. I do my best to protect it, it rides in a covered (magazine) pouch. Will be upgrading to something tougher soon, radio-wise. Mostly repeaters, but a fair amount of simplex too. I talk on repeaters 20 miles away regularly with them. 45 miles with a slim jim. Gotten plenty of good signal reports. They're okay for what they are. The paces? Who knows, I'm still at it. We'll see if it survives the winter. But so far, so good. I figure, don't drop it too hard, don't get it too wet, you're good. |
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Posted: 11/26/2020 1:59:42 AM EDT
[#24]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Had a couple but could never stand to use them enough to have problems with any. Seemed to work about as well as most, but felt cheap, sounded cheap, etc. Love the IC-V8 comments above. Don't see many any more, and also kind of cheap-feeling in some ways, but that was an extremely reliable radio. The IC-V8 was the first handheld I bought after my property got hit by a supercell. I bought it specifically for emergency use and was pleased with how it performed on my base antenna. Friends could not tell it from my base on the air and it has a great receiver. My main SHTF handheld is the T-70A. It has slightly better receiver specs than my base which is a Icom 2730A. It has a nice display and scans fast too. A great HT for when the power is out. Both have AA cell packs stuffed with eneloops. And the T-70A has a nice lithium battery as well. It sucks it was discontinued. |
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Posted: 11/29/2020 10:17:14 AM EDT
[#25]
Yes. And now I am looking for a better HT...
They good for toys or simple experiments, but I am probably buying a Kenwood or Icom next |
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Posted: 11/29/2020 11:52:44 PM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Antenna didn't matter - all of the radios had quality diamond antennas attached. Distance was about 6 miles away. Keep in mind my 9700 puts out 100 watts. IMO, based on actual real world testing - they are crap. They only work for close quarter's operations, and I won't trust any of them to anything other than distances within 1 mile of each other. So, when using my BTech to hit a repeater 22 miles away its just my imagination? (Just confirmed the distance with Google Earth) |
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Posted: 11/30/2020 12:29:24 AM EDT
[#27]
Quote HistoryQuoted: @TxLewis No, I'd load it up with 230gr and shoot it with a big smile on my face. https://i.imgur.com/utQaqNL.jpg Is that you Hickok45? 
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Posted: 11/30/2020 10:16:37 AM EDT
[#28]
Started out with three.
Worked well for me. Used mostly for marathon emergency communications and caravanning. Had one hooked up to magnetic antenna on car and got good results with repeaters. A few years later decided to upgrade to Icom and Kenwood radios. Got a few Icom 70A because they run on AA batteries so now independent from proprietary battery packs. Gat a few Icom 51A to be able to use D-Star digital. Overall favorite HT Got a Kenwood 72 to use APRS Then got a Kenwood 74 to do all, D-Star, analog and APRS. Rarely us as the Icom 51A is much easier to use than the Kenwood. Still have the Baofengs but only carry as a backup when doing emergency communications events. |
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Posted: 11/30/2020 11:17:48 AM EDT
[#29]
All my HTs were Yaesu, and for shits I bought a UV-5R. Programmed it, Nagoya'ed it, and it works great.
I bought 2 more to toss in the glove box of each car with a battery delete, and its easy to play with them on a whim. My main HT is the FT3D. Its the best HT on planet earth.  
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Posted: 12/2/2020 2:55:28 PM EDT
[#30]
I use my UV-5R for APRS and hit digipeaters 35 miles away with the rubber duck. Testing side by side with my Yaesu VX-6R doesn't show an appreciable amount of difference in receive sensitivity. The Baofeng's audio is actually slightly better. Haven't tested front end overload so I'm not sure how they fare against each other.
Now, that said, I have tweaked my squelch settings for the UV-5R in Chirp, and anyone who uses one should do the same. The stock squelch settings are retarded. I have had good luck with the following (In Chirp, Settings->Service Settings): For VHF and UHF: Squelch 0: 0 Squelch 1: 2 Squelch 2: 20 Squelch 3: 30 Squelch 4: 50 Squelch 5: 65 Squelch 6: 75 Squelch 7: 85 Squelch 8: 95 Squelch 9: 105 Use the monitor button to test whether the Baofeng is receiving but not opening squelch. |
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Posted: 12/2/2020 2:57:53 PM EDT
[#31]
I tried the original version, UV-5R when they first came out.
That one gagged and died, so I sent it back, 2 days after receiving it, they sent another victim. It died too, so back it went after 12 hours, and----they sent me another. When that one died, I executed it with a 5.56 round at 100 yards. That was the best $30 I ever spent! |
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Posted: 12/2/2020 7:30:06 PM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryQuoted: So, when using my BTech to hit a repeater 22 miles away its just my imagination? (Just confirmed the distance with Google Earth) Yes, it's your imagination. You're in a dream. Time to wake up. |
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Posted: 12/3/2020 10:52:30 AM EDT
[#33]
I would add that all the "step one: throw the rubber duck in the trash it's garbage" comments I see puzzle me.
Mine are relatively recently manufactured, and have the newer style V85 antenna. Maybe they've recently improved the quality of the antennas, because I get good performance out of them. The Nagoya NA24-j I've got on one isn't all that much better than stock, mainly shines when the radio is close to me. But I'm surprised at how well they work. I'm talking on high repeaters 15-20 miles away with the stock antennas. |
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Posted: 12/3/2020 11:45:26 AM EDT
[#34]
I listen to the repeater that is 25 miles away from me.
I should step outside my stone building and see if I can hit it. |
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Posted: 12/3/2020 12:47:39 PM EDT
[#35]
All you guys that can hit repeaters should try simplex. If all you bought it for was repeater access that's great - works great for that (mine does too). Doesn't work worth of shit for simplex though. No one really tests that....but again, if that's not in your comms plan that's your prerogative.
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Posted: 12/4/2020 5:24:53 AM EDT
[#36]
Quote HistoryQuoted: All you guys that can hit repeaters should try simplex. If all you bought it for was repeater access that's great - works great for that (mine does too). Doesn't work worth of shit for simplex though. No one really tests that....but again, if that's not in your comms plan that's your prerogative. why do you think a Baofeng doesnt work well with simplex? How is simplex different from a repeater. Hitting a repeater is simplex with the repeater in one direction. A signal is a signal. It makes no difference if you transmit on one freq and receive on another compared to transmit and receive on the same freq. All that matters is line of sight and effective radiated power |
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Posted: 12/4/2020 9:27:06 AM EDT
[#37]
Quote HistoryQuoted: HAHA! I really like good receiver performance. And to prove I am not just a fanboy...Icom IC-V8 excellent with piss poor tiny display. Icom T70A epic. Icom V86...great loud audio...powerful 7 watts of RF out. Useless on a good base antenna as it overloads and detonates into images and intermod galore. Hell, even with the stock duck some intermod trash is apparent. Less sensitive than the old V8 and T70A as well. Overpriced toy. I blame the popularity of the chinesium shit and Icom's greed for this. I consider the Baotrash toys as well but if you have no money and live in an area that is not RF intense, they will work fine. I also say FUCK china so there is that. And yes, if you search you will find the emissions from them...chock full of harmonics. I have two Icom T70A radios. Bought the spot model that runs on AA batteries. My favorite analog radio. Have three baofeng radios that now gather dust. I sometimes will bring them as a backup radio. Usually use an Icom 51A for D-Star capability. |
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Posted: 12/4/2020 1:06:57 PM EDT
[#38]
I did some torture testing on the GT-1s
 Baofeng GT-3 torture test and tear down  Baofeng GT-3 torture test (dunk) |
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Posted: 12/4/2020 7:38:11 PM EDT
[#39]
Quote HistoryQuoted: why do you think a Baofeng doesnt work well with simplex? How is simplex different from a repeater. Hitting a repeater is simplex with the repeater in one direction. A signal is a signal. It makes no difference if you transmit on one freq and receive on another compared to transmit and receive on the same freq. All that matters is line of sight and effective radiated power Agreed - which is why it doesn't make sense, but I've tested at least 6 of these damn things. The only thing I can think of is sensitivity / filtering. The repeater signals, coming from repeaters that may be at 200+ feet may just be brute forcing their way to break the squelch since the towers are so tall, whereas the simplex signals may not be as strong due the antenna being only being at 85 feet or so. Even with the squelch set to basically 1 - they still don't break squelch on simplex. |
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Posted: 12/4/2020 8:04:27 PM EDT
[#40]
Quote HistoryQuoted: ' Agreed - which is why it doesn't make sense, but I've tested at least 6 of these damn things. The only thing I can think of is sensitivity / filtering. The repeater signals, coming from repeaters that may be at 200+ feet may just be brute forcing their way to break the squelch since the towers are so tall, whereas the simplex signals may not be as strong due the antenna being only being at 85 feet or so. Even with the squelch set to basically 1 - they still don't break squelch on simplex. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: why do you think a Baofeng doesnt work well with simplex? How is simplex different from a repeater. Hitting a repeater is simplex with the repeater in one direction. A signal is a signal. It makes no difference if you transmit on one freq and receive on another compared to transmit and receive on the same freq. All that matters is line of sight and effective radiated power Agreed - which is why it doesn't make sense, but I've tested at least 6 of these damn things. The only thing I can think of is sensitivity / filtering. The repeater signals, coming from repeaters that may be at 200+ feet may just be brute forcing their way to break the squelch since the towers are so tall, whereas the simplex signals may not be as strong due the antenna being only being at 85 feet or so. Even with the squelch set to basically 1 - they still don't break squelch on simplex. It could just be the stock antenna sucks. I have put a better antenna on one of mine and a better antenna on a TYT and it makes a huge difference ( with the right antenna ) in both transmit and receive. How far are you trying to go simplex? How is an antenna for simplex at 85 feet? are you using an external antenna connected with coax? What exactly are you comparing? Height above ground and line of sight makes all the difference. You can't compare a repeater transmission to a simplex transmission unless they are at the same height and the same power and the same distance even the same spot unless you are over completely flat terrain. |
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Posted: 12/4/2020 9:30:17 PM EDT
[#41]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I use my UV-5R for APRS and hit digipeaters 35 miles away with the rubber duck. Testing side by side with my Yaesu VX-6R doesn't show an appreciable amount of difference in receive sensitivity. The Baofeng's audio is actually slightly better. Haven't tested front end overload so I'm not sure how they fare against each other. Now, that said, I have tweaked my squelch settings for the UV-5R in Chirp, and anyone who uses one should do the same. The stock squelch settings are retarded. I have had good luck with the following (In Chirp, Settings->Service Settings): For VHF and UHF: Squelch 0: 0 Squelch 1: 2 Squelch 2: 20 Squelch 3: 30 Squelch 4: 50 Squelch 5: 65 Squelch 6: 75 Squelch 7: 85 Squelch 8: 95 Squelch 9: 105 Use the monitor button to test whether the Baofeng is receiving but not opening squelch. I just checked the settings in chirp for my UV-82. They range from Squelch 0: 0 to Squelch 9: 23 UHF 28 VHF. There is a lot of difference between your settings and mine. I realize that we have different models of radios, but you said the the default settings were retarded so maybe mine are as well. Any thoughts? |
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Posted: 12/5/2020 7:31:32 AM EDT
[#42]
I've had a UV-5R since March '13 and never once have I wish I'd have spent more and got a better handheld. It's done everything I expected of it.
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Posted: 12/5/2020 12:15:45 PM EDT
[#43]
Quote HistoryQuoted: It could just be the stock antenna sucks. I have put a better antenna on one of mine and a better antenna on a TYT and it makes a huge difference ( with the right antenna ) in both transmit and receive. How far are you trying to go simplex? How is an antenna for simplex at 85 feet? are you using an external antenna connected with coax? What exactly are you comparing? Height above ground and line of sight makes all the difference. You can't compare a repeater transmission to a simplex transmission unless they are at the same height and the same power and the same distance even the same spot unless you are over completely flat terrain. First test was 5 miles. The HT's were all upgraded to Diamond dual band antennas. The base station is an IC-9700, with a Diamond X510 at 85 feet in the air. At 5 miles the only HT's that would break squelch were my Kenwood and the Yaesu. None of the Baofengs would break squelch. Second test is with everyone else at their QTH, which is about 20 miles from my location. No baofengs would break squelch, again Yaesu did no problem. Regardless of which HT was used, I could hear them all with my IC-9700 (even at 20 miles). |
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Posted: 12/5/2020 2:34:49 PM EDT
[#44]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I use my UV-5R for APRS and hit digipeaters 35 miles away with the rubber duck. Testing side by side with my Yaesu VX-6R doesn't show an appreciable amount of difference in receive sensitivity. The Baofeng's audio is actually slightly better. Haven't tested front end overload so I'm not sure how they fare against each other. Now, that said, I have tweaked my squelch settings for the UV-5R in Chirp, and anyone who uses one should do the same. The stock squelch settings are retarded. I have had good luck with the following (In Chirp, Settings->Service Settings): For VHF and UHF: Squelch 0: 0 Squelch 1: 2 Squelch 2: 20 Squelch 3: 30 Squelch 4: 50 Squelch 5: 65 Squelch 6: 75 Squelch 7: 85 Squelch 8: 95 Squelch 9: 105 Use the monitor button to test whether the Baofeng is receiving but not opening squelch. I did this adjustment on my 2 radios this morning and heard traffic from the ISS ham repeater for the first time about an hour ago. |
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Posted: 12/5/2020 3:23:47 PM EDT
[#45]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I did some torture testing on the GT-1s  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPfI7MNIEmQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxlDVLwCFKUI like your style. I did the same thing years ago with a tacpoint red dot(thread is probably long gone). Beat the ever loving shit out of it and it always came back for more. 5 years rolling around in the locked trunk of a car finally killed it lol. Well the can of paint that exploded on it probably didn't help
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Posted: 12/5/2020 5:38:26 PM EDT
[#46]
For 2 Baofeng uv82s, w/ stock antennas, we have confirmed so far a good simplex range of 2.1 miles, with trees and 2 story houses in the path, flat ground, on 430ish MHz. 144ish was good but predictably a bit staticy due to the foliage and buildings in the path.
I suspect they'll go a little farther on 70cm, will see soon. I know they'll go alot farther on 2m, if one of us is elevated. |
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Posted: 12/6/2020 1:07:35 AM EDT
[#47]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I just checked the settings in chirp for my UV-82. They range from Squelch 0: 0 to Squelch 9: 23 UHF 28 VHF. There is a lot of difference between your settings and mine. I realize that we have different models of radios, but you said the the default settings were retarded so maybe mine are as well. Any thoughts? Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: I use my UV-5R for APRS and hit digipeaters 35 miles away with the rubber duck. Testing side by side with my Yaesu VX-6R doesn't show an appreciable amount of difference in receive sensitivity. The Baofeng's audio is actually slightly better. Haven't tested front end overload so I'm not sure how they fare against each other. Now, that said, I have tweaked my squelch settings for the UV-5R in Chirp, and anyone who uses one should do the same. The stock squelch settings are retarded. I have had good luck with the following (In Chirp, Settings->Service Settings): For VHF and UHF: Squelch 0: 0 Squelch 1: 2 Squelch 2: 20 Squelch 3: 30 Squelch 4: 50 Squelch 5: 65 Squelch 6: 75 Squelch 7: 85 Squelch 8: 95 Squelch 9: 105 Use the monitor button to test whether the Baofeng is receiving but not opening squelch. I just checked the settings in chirp for my UV-82. They range from Squelch 0: 0 to Squelch 9: 23 UHF 28 VHF. There is a lot of difference between your settings and mine. I realize that we have different models of radios, but you said the the default settings were retarded so maybe mine are as well. Any thoughts? I don't know much about the UV82, but it won't hurt to try! You can always revert to old settings if you save them first 
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Posted: 12/6/2020 2:15:15 AM EDT
[#48]
Quote HistoryQuoted: lmao, yup. They're good at being cheap. They're not good radios. I bought one because $30, and everyone online says they're great. What I've realized is that very few people on the internet (or irl) know/understand radio, or have ever used a decent portable. Played with it for a bit, enough to know how it works. Put it across my bird... yeah, not even close to rated output power. Put it across my spec an... shits all over the band. It lives in a ziploc baggie in a tote in my storage room. I bring it out for demos/workshops every now and then, mostly as a "See this? This is a chinese ham radio. If you're not a ham, don't have interest in getting licensed or using amateur services, don't buy one of these." Motorolas, however... I've seen many of these take some serious abuse (mostly falling from towers) and just keep working. Even after they hit the ice bridge and blow apart into a few pieces. https://photos.smugmug.com/Radios/i-vM4LNHW/0/9a23a419/M/i-vM4LNHW-M.jpg Quote HistoryQuoted: lmao, yup. They're good at being cheap. They're not good radios. I bought one because $30, and everyone online says they're great. What I've realized is that very few people on the internet (or irl) know/understand radio, or have ever used a decent portable. Played with it for a bit, enough to know how it works. Put it across my bird... yeah, not even close to rated output power. Put it across my spec an... shits all over the band. It lives in a ziploc baggie in a tote in my storage room. I bring it out for demos/workshops every now and then, mostly as a "See this? This is a chinese ham radio. If you're not a ham, don't have interest in getting licensed or using amateur services, don't buy one of these." Motorolas, however... I've seen many of these take some serious abuse (mostly falling from towers) and just keep working. Even after they hit the ice bridge and blow apart into a few pieces. https://photos.smugmug.com/Radios/i-vM4LNHW/0/9a23a419/M/i-vM4LNHW-M.jpg Hah reminds me of my XPR7550 I left on my Jeep hood when leaving a repeater site. I was at about 50 MPH when I noticed it slowly vibrating toward the front of the vehicle. What do I do...!?!?!? If I slow down too fast it will slide off onto the road and get ran over. I very slightly decelerated by letting off the gas slowly until I was about 10 MPH then steered to the right slowly and one pointed at the ditch I locked the brakes to send it into the grass and not run over it. It worked but took a hell of a launch into that ditch and had not damage. |
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Posted: 12/6/2020 8:24:17 PM EDT
[#49]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I like your style. I did the same thing years ago with a tacpoint red dot(thread is probably long gone). Beat the ever loving shit out of it and it always came back for more. 5 years rolling around in the locked trunk of a car finally killed it lol. Well the can of paint that exploded on it probably didn't help Folks hate on things...that's just life. Don't get into the argument. |
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Posted: 12/11/2020 9:08:30 PM EDT
[#50]
Update, we got 3.4 miles range out of the same uv82s, stock antennas, same area...flat, trees, and buildings.
Got nothing on 2m, just fine on 70cm. Forgot to add, also got signal in and had a quick QSO on a repeater a map- measured 45 miles away, VHF, 5 watts, stock antenna. I was in a flat, urban area, repeater is on a peak, 2,700ft. I'm surprised at what these cheap things can do sometimes. |
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