Well, l'm gonna duck as I post this. Heh.
I have a beloved old Yaesu FT51R HT.
It still works great, and I have had it so many years.
The batteries I have (maybe 12 of them) are all mostly dead now.
And it seems like those FNB38 batteries are mostly not available, or darned expensive now.
I bought 4 on ebay a few years ago that someone posted, new off brand, and they were about half dead when I got them.
Found in a warehouse somewhere. Undoubtedly. I kept them and they are still dead. Heh.
So now I am at a crossroads. I love Yaesu, but it's expensive. Maybe time to change?
I see all these Chinese Baofeng (and other Chinese brands) radios for so cheap I might as well just order one.
But they were much maligned in the past for not sounding very good. Hard to program. Stuff like that.
Interesting that the BAOFENG BF-F8HP got lots of very good reviews on Amazon. It's been a while since I have looked at those.
There have been so many models over the years. I see ads now that say "new firmware".
So what I am asking is what about those, especially the model I mentioned. Do they work OK now, sound OK now?
Are some models where the past problems have been addressed, and work better than some other models?
I could order one for $25 or $30, but I would rather order a better model, if that's even possible.
Right now I am seeing
BaoFeng UV-5R 3rd. Gen.
BaoFeng BF-F8HP (UV-5R 3rd Gen) (Maybe same as above? I just don't know!)
Baofeng UV-5RE Plus
Mirkit BAOFENG UV-82 MK5
BTECH UV-5X3 Tri-Band Radio
Maybe there are some that have the Yaesu or Icom digital modes? That would be interesting.
Some at least are knockoffs, with no engineers to fix problems at the company.
I never thought I'd say this, but if there is actually A Baofeng company they might be more reliable?
Some that include some accessories including the programming cable.
I never had a programming cable for my Yaesu, I never thought I needed it.
I used to have an old Standard 2M radio and that thing the programming was so obscure I had to keep the manual handy.
Never did for the Yaesu.
So what's the deal with the Chinese dual (or even maybe triple) band HTs?
I see some other Chinese brands, are any of those OK?
Maybe made by actual Chinese hams who have some standards for quality?
If anyone can contrast the different available models, which to stay away from and why, I would appreciate the help.