Pages: [1] 2 3   Go Down

Author Topic: Baofeng to replace my aging Yaesu  (Read 1121 times)

AG6LQ

  • Member
  • Posts: 39
Baofeng to replace my aging Yaesu
« on: November 15, 2021, 07:46:47 AM »

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.
« Last Edit: November 15, 2021, 07:50:55 AM by AG6LQ »
Logged

K1KIM

  • Member
  • Posts: 1556
    • HomeURL
Re: Baofeng to replace my aging Yaesu
« Reply #1 on: November 15, 2021, 08:07:29 AM »

I have 4 Baofeng HT's. A UV-5R, UV-B6, UV-9R and a RD-5R (for DMR) along with my compliment of quality radios for VHF/UHF and HF.

The UV-5R is the radio that sits on my home office desk connected to an Ed Fong roll-up J-Pole hanging from the 14' ceiling. It hits the local repeater 10 miles away with full quieting at 1w.

The major negative to the radio is the internal microphone. It's worthless. All the drilling and opening in the case is futile in my opinion. The way around this is to buy an external speaker/mic. The best I have found is the 2 pin Commountain on Amazon.

The positives are readily available spare batteries, both hi-cap and standard, AND price. They are essentially a disposable radio at $20-$30. I have had mine several years with no issues.
The RD-5R I use solely through my hotspot for DMR.

The is also a company called PRYME radio products in CA that makes a BT module that plugs into the 2 pin socket and will communicate with BT gaming headsets. The headset I use when hiking is the COMEXION which I have found best of those I've tested. PRYME also makes a nifty little PTT button that can be worn on a finger to transmit.

All said the best cheap HT I have found is the UV-5R. Get the COMMOUNTAIN speaker/mic at the very least and the CHIRP programming cable and I think you will be happy.

BUT.....It's not a Kenwood TH-d74a
Logged
So Many Toys.......So Little Time!

AG6LQ

  • Member
  • Posts: 39
Re: Baofeng to replace my aging Yaesu
« Reply #2 on: November 15, 2021, 08:20:36 AM »

Thanks!

I wonder what the deal is with the
BaoFeng BF-F8HP (UV-5R 3rd Gen)
Supposedly a new version. Is the one you have the old or new version, if it matters?
All the models and all the negative chatter over the years has me a little confused.

That's interesting about the Mic is worthless. They never fixed that? Maybe on the BaoFeng BF-F8HP (UV-5R 3rd Gen)
I just don't know.

I just looked on Wish. (I know, I know)
They now have a BaoFeng BF-F9HP supposedly a 5th generation of the UV-5R for $48 shipped.
It says 10W! Geez.

I just wonder. The problem with the Chinese stuff on Wish is there are so many knockoffs.
Baofeng was at least trying to establish a name for themselves, which I sort of respect.
If they were not they'd have been cloning Yaesu and Icom.
But then it seems pretty likely that there are knockoffs of BaoFeng now coming out of Red China.

You don't really know what you will get or what problems a knockoff has.
Oh, heck, now there's a UV-10R, it says 60W.
Impossible of course. I have to wonder if that's even made by the same company.
« Last Edit: November 15, 2021, 08:43:43 AM by AG6LQ »
Logged

K1KIM

  • Member
  • Posts: 1556
    • HomeURL
Re: Baofeng to replace my aging Yaesu
« Reply #3 on: November 15, 2021, 08:30:45 AM »

Thanks!

I wonder what the deal is with the
BaoFeng BF-F8HP (UV-5R 3rd Gen)
Supposedly a new version. Is the one you have the old or new version, if it matters?
All the models and all the negative chatter over the years has me a little confused.

That's interesting about the Mic is worthless. They never fixed that? Maybe on the BaoFeng BF-F8HP (UV-5R 3rd Gen)
I just don't know.

I doubt it's 3rd Gen based on age.

You can google the mic issues or go on You-Tube. Some of the mics were even hot glued away from the hole on the case. Don't even mess, just buy the external sp/mic. The Baofeng sp/mics are bootlegged all over the world. Some are equally as bad as the one in the radio.

$20 for the radio and $20 or so for the mic. How wrong can you go?

The programming cables are also knocked off with bad chips in them. Buy a cable from a known seller.
Logged
So Many Toys.......So Little Time!

W4KYR

  • Member
  • Posts: 1928
Re: Baofeng to replace my aging Yaesu
« Reply #4 on: November 15, 2021, 08:31:33 AM »

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?

What about a AA battery tray for it? Maybe there is a used AA battery tray on eBay or elsewhere .

« Last Edit: November 15, 2021, 08:34:10 AM by W4KYR »
Logged
The internet and cellphone networks are great until they go down, what then? Find out here. 
https://www.eham.net/ehamforum/smf/index.php/topic,111948.0.html

Using Windows 98 For Packet...

AG6LQ

  • Member
  • Posts: 39
Re: Baofeng to replace my aging Yaesu
« Reply #5 on: November 15, 2021, 08:35:50 AM »

Now that's an idea. I have to look. None on ebay right now.
« Last Edit: November 15, 2021, 08:38:54 AM by AG6LQ »
Logged

K5LXP

  • Member
  • Posts: 6823
    • homeURL
Re: Baofeng to replace my aging Yaesu
« Reply #6 on: November 15, 2021, 08:45:55 AM »

There's reasons to own bo-fangs, I've got a few myself.  But I would never consider them the equivalent of a YaeComWood radio.  Yes, you pay a premium for the brand, and the accessories.  But with that you get features and amenities the bo-fang's don't have.  Like decent TX and RX audio, multi level scanning, true dual band (depending on models), and the list goes on not the least of which is useability.  So if the FT-51 checked the box for you, going backwards to a cheep chinese radio is a formula for disappointment.  No law that says you can't have both, you have your "nice" radio for doing some things, and a few throw away radios for noncritical operating.

Mark K5LXP
Albuquerque, NM
Logged

W4KYR

  • Member
  • Posts: 1928
Re: Baofeng to replace my aging Yaesu
« Reply #7 on: November 15, 2021, 08:46:13 AM »

Now that's an idea. I have to look. None on ebay right now.

The model you want is Yaesu FBA-14. (4 X AA Battery Holder)


 I see one over in the U.K., they want £15.00 for it. By the time you pay for shipping, it might be cheaper getting a Baofeng

https://www.radioworld.co.uk/second-hand-yaesu-fba-14-battery-case-for-ft-11-ft-41-ft-51
Logged
The internet and cellphone networks are great until they go down, what then? Find out here. 
https://www.eham.net/ehamforum/smf/index.php/topic,111948.0.html

Using Windows 98 For Packet...

WD4TOM

  • Posts: 2
    • HomeURL
Re: Baofeng to replace my aging Yaesu
« Reply #8 on: November 15, 2021, 09:27:32 AM »

There's reasons to own bo-fangs, I've got a few myself.  But I would never consider them the equivalent of a YaeComWood radio.  Yes, you pay a premium for the brand, and the accessories.  But with that you get features and amenities the bo-fang's don't have.  Like decent TX and RX audio, multi level scanning, true dual band (depending on models), and the list goes on not the least of which is useability.  So if the FT-51 checked the box for you, going backwards to a cheep chinese radio is a formula for disappointment.  No law that says you can't have both, you have your "nice" radio for doing some things, and a few throw away radios for noncritical operating.

Mark K5LXP
Albuquerque, NM

Precisely. 

I have a couple of baofengs, along with a couple of yaesus.  I only use the 'fengs for situations that I consider hazardous to the radio, usually somewhere that if I drop it it will be unrepairable.  I have a shiny new 'feng tribander in the box for when my teenager passes his tech test so I don't get all in my feelings when (not if) he breaks it.

The attractive thing about the 'fengs is how cheap the accessories are, but you do get what you pay for.  At one point the UV5R batteries were $5 each and fit a bunch of models. 

I tried to manually program mine once, and almost used it for target practice, so chirp and a cable are an absolute must.  As someone else said, most of the cables use knock off chips and will require an older driver that windows update occasionally updates that you'll have to reinstall the old driver.  I don't know if this has been tested with Windows 11, so that may be an additional issue.
Logged

GRUMPY2021

  • Posts: 280
    • HomeURL
Re: Baofeng to replace my aging Yaesu
« Reply #9 on: November 15, 2021, 09:41:09 AM »

Just go with the Yaesu FT-4XR or FT-65R.  Miles better performance and reliability than the bow-junk.   Reasonable price on both those models.   
Logged

G8FXC

  • Member
  • Posts: 533
Re: Baofeng to replace my aging Yaesu
« Reply #10 on: November 15, 2021, 02:46:55 PM »

My wife and I use a pair of UV5Rs for short range communications around the marina and there is nothing wrong with the microphone or transmit audio. I talk to her face to face many times per day, so I know exactly what her voice sounds like - and the audio coming out of the UV5R is very recognizable her.

Martin G8FXC
Logged

K1KIM

  • Member
  • Posts: 1556
    • HomeURL
Re: Baofeng to replace my aging Yaesu
« Reply #11 on: November 15, 2021, 02:52:36 PM »

My wife and I use a pair of UV5Rs for short range communications around the marina and there is nothing wrong with the microphone or transmit audio. I talk to her face to face many times per day, so I know exactly what her voice sounds like - and the audio coming out of the UV5R is very recognizable her.

Martin G8FXC

You are the lucky 1 in 100.  In some the mic is not even under the hole in the plastic radio housing.
QC is the problem.
Logged
So Many Toys.......So Little Time!

N7EKU

  • Member
  • Posts: 1471
Re: Baofeng to replace my aging Yaesu
« Reply #12 on: November 15, 2021, 03:34:25 PM »

Hmm,

Comparing the Baofeng model you are interested in the to one of the new Yaesu models listed it's only a $20 saving -- and then if the mic isn't great, it's another $20 for that Commountain mic -- so you save nothing.  And the Yeasu's have IP54 weatherproofing too.  To me there's nothing even to think about there!

Yeah, you can get one of the cheapest possible Baofeng's, but then it could be the same thing.  Need a new mic, another thing to carry around?  I've got a Baofeng someone gave me -- it's got a defect in the battery mounting so I had to fiddle around with some plastic bits to get it to make a good battery connection again.  Not sure how long it took that problem to develop.  If it comes that way off Amazon, then you can send it back and it goes to that big waste pile in the sky (well actually a big waste pile on Earth somewhere).

I'd go for something quality that you can keep for a long time and enjoy it's performance.  If you look at the Yeasu's price compared to what a dual bander cost you in the 70-80's it's a huge bargain!

73.
Logged
Mark -- N7EKU/VE3

W4KYR

  • Member
  • Posts: 1928
Re: Baofeng to replace my aging Yaesu
« Reply #13 on: November 15, 2021, 05:30:11 PM »


 In the early 1990's the least expensive dual band HT you could buy was the Alinco DJ 580t for $400.
 
 If you wanted an Icom or Yaesu dual band with accessories, you could expect to spend upwards of $500 to $600 (or higher)

 Whatever radio you decide on, get an AA Battery tray for it.
Logged
The internet and cellphone networks are great until they go down, what then? Find out here. 
https://www.eham.net/ehamforum/smf/index.php/topic,111948.0.html

Using Windows 98 For Packet...

G8FXC

  • Member
  • Posts: 533
Re: Baofeng to replace my aging Yaesu
« Reply #14 on: November 16, 2021, 12:55:01 AM »


...

 Whatever radio you decide on, get an AA Battery tray for it.
I'm not convinced by the AA battery trays - in all the examples I've come across, the radio cuts the output power heavily on AA cells and the battery life expectancy is poor. On my FT-1D, the power available is reduced to 0.8W maximum.

Martin (G8FXC)
Logged
Pages: [1] 2 3   Go Up