| KA1VF |
Rating:  |
2017-09-28 | |
| it still won't duplex |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Apparently, I've got a defective Baofeng UV-3R+
because it still won't transmit in duplex mode.
I'd previously programmed my favorite Repeaters
with CHIRP and all of the parameters got saved.
It was suggested to me that maybe I've got the
Commercial chipset and not the Amateur chipset,
so if that were true then I should try factory
software. This afternoon I reprogrammed it with
latest "3R" factory software that I downloaded
from www.miklor.com, and it still won't duplex. |
|
| G0UOO |
Rating: |
2014-10-07 | |
| Good Value |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| For the money this radio is VERY good value. I've had no issues with it at all. Receive audio is very sharp and loud, and reports of the transmit audio are the same. I also have an FT-60, which I love, but the Baofeng is getting used the more as it's so much smaller and lighter. At the price, I look on it as a disposable radio. If I drop it in the mud or lose it it's less of a shock to replace than IKY rigs. |
|
| W2DI |
Rating: |
2014-06-09 | |
| Inexpensive, BUT! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
2 is being generous.
This radio has a lot of potential. I got one on Amazon, with the drop in charger for $28.xx plus shipping. I also got the programming cable and a 7" dual band antenna for another $12 or so.
Out of the box, Pros:
- Very inexpensive
- Good clear and punchy transmit and receive audio.
- Good range to nearby repeaters.
- Good battery life.
- Not difficult to program, manually or with downloaded software
Cons:
- Much, much too loud receive on the very lowest volume setting. Why?
- Plugging in software cable, the radio acts strangely. Followed procedures to the letter.
- Have to press the PTT very hard to transmit. It seemed to get more difficult the more I pressed.
- No alphanumerics. Okay, not a big deal for the price.
So then I did the resistor mod. Worked great! The volume was normal. Low to high. But - the PTT issue got worse and the 'function' button wouldn't work.
I took the resistor out, put it back, adjusted the case and tightened the screws - you name it, I tried it. Every time I opened the case and took out the unit, then replaced it and had it all back together, the PTT and function would work for a half dozen presses or so, then needed harder pressing, then quit. I must have done this, and other things 20 or more times.
Even the lapel mic was erratic, hanging up after being pressed and released.
So I gave up.
If you want a really nice 'mini' HT, get the YAESU VX-3R. But you'll spend too much for it. I had one, wish I had kept it.
If you want a bargain but good performing HT that will be too loud to listen to and may have other issues, take a chance on this one.
I wanted to like this radio, but it drove me nuts. |
|
| KC2MJT |
Rating: |
2014-04-18 | |
| Worth the price |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
It works. Relatively easy to program, even without the software. Antenna is marginal. The lowest volume is very loud, especially indoors. With all that said, it does xmt and rcv. I can hit the local repeaters with good reports. I can hit a repeater 40 miles away at what might be 2 watts at maximum output (the antenna at the repeater site is 5000' higher than my location)
For the price, it can't be beat. A radio you take with you when it's likely you'll either lose it or abuse it. |
|
| N5LXI |
Rating: |
2013-12-15 | |
| Small HT is ok |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I guess I am collecting cheap made in China HT's. I also have a Baofeng UV-5RE+ and a TYT TH-UV3R (the models numbers are confusing). I like the latter two better.
The Baofeng UV3+ is small, as is the TYT. It has a large LCD display but does NOT display Alpha tags. It is not too bad to program, but the CHIRP software works really great and I was able to transfer data from another radio with it. It does not really have dual watch. It will scan between a VFO entry and a Memory, not two programmed memory channels (which sucks). The duckie is not very good. The FM radio does not seem to work, if that matters. Anyway, The larger Baofeng UV-5RE Plus is much nicer and worth a few dollars more. The TYT TH-UV3R is the same size, has Alpha tags, a keypad (no DTMF) and a better user interface. That would be my choice in a small HT, although it seems to cost more. joel / N5LXI in Dallas |
|
| WA1UFO |
Rating: |
2013-12-02 | |
| Amazing! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I paid 29 dollars and change plus 6 dollars shipping and received mine last week. Programming it was a bear but after I learned the steps it is fast and simple. The transmit audio is every bit as good as my 200 dollar HT. The receive audio is excellent as well. I might have made the lowest setting more attenuated however. The antenna that comes with it is every bit as effective as the one on my 200 dollar HT. The construction quality seems very good. The case is plastic but very rugged. On a repeater which is about 40 air miles away, it hears better than my 200 dollar HT! Do not compare the UV3R Plus to the previous 2 versions because this little guy is decidedly better in every category. The little speaker mike seems to work very well. For 30 bux, if it lasts for 1 or two years, it won't owe me anything! |
|
| K7RFI |
Rating: |
2013-08-10 | |
| Great radio!! |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I really like the size of this radio works great good recieve and tx. I quit carring an ht because of weght i
carry this one everywhere. |
|
| KG6BRG |
Rating: |
2013-08-10 | |
| what a deal! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
This is more of an initial impression, as I have not had it long enough to have a solid opinion yet.
The manual IMO is adequate, if you take the time to read it. The information is all there and the Yahoo user group helps clarify things if needed. Programming is straight forward from the radio itself and with the software it's a breeze. I paid $31.00 shipped, from Amazon.
Pros:
1-long battery life.
2-inexspensive accessories.
3-very good TX/RX audio.
4-robust belt clip, metal attaching clip, that screws into the aluminum chassis and a steel spring.
5-build quality very good, as good as my Yaesu vx-150 and a bit better than my vx-1r in some respects.
6-shares accessories with Kenwood, spk mic works on the uv3r+ as does the programming cable.
7-lots of support via Yahoo user group.
8-drop in charger and li-on battery.
9-by virtue of the continuing updates of this current model, it appears that the builder is seriously trying to make a good product. I have no issues as reported with earlier versions.
10-Did I mention the price?
Cons:
1-I don't care for the mechanical lock on the multi purpose dial. It's a little clunky to use, I would much prefer a way of assigning a function as needed, such as volume or frequency and do away with the locking mechanism. I like to adjust the volume down quickly while the HT is on my belt. Hard to do with this HT.
Time will tell I suppose, but I think China on the whole, have realized as far as ham radios are concerned, American hams won't except mediocrity just for a cheap price and they are stepping up with some good products. I'm pretty sure the big three sub out some of their HT's, mics and transceivers to China to build for them now. It wasn't that long ago that "made in Japan" had a negative connotation and folks used to avoid products coming from there. Now they are regarded as some of the best quality products. Cheers. |
|
| OE3SGU |
Rating: |
2013-07-20 | |
| as cheap as ham radio can be |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
| I could not resist and ordered one of these on ebay, for less than € 30,-- including shipping. I did not really expect too much and was surprised. You have to get used to the menu system and the manual is quite useless, but there is enough information on the net already. The main drawback for me is the volume setting, which is still way too loud on the lowest level. Mine is mainly used for monitoring repeater traffic in the living room and/or kitschen and I often bring it along when riding the bike or when I go for a walk. As a previous reviewer said, programming the radio using the cable is very simple and effective. When comparing this kind of radio with e.g. a VX-3 etc. you should never forget the difference in price. |
|
| KD8BWG |
Rating: |
2013-06-27 | |
| for the cost, you can't go wrong |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I got this radio off Amazon. Radio, spare battery,earpiece mike, and speaker mike, $50.90 with shipping. Chose the uv-3r+ beacause I already own a Quansheng tg-uv2 and mikes and antennas are interchangeable. Yeah the manual is good comedy, but it gets you started. If you can figure out a vx-7r, this should be easy. Already owning the quansheng gave me a primer in how chinese radios worked. Manually programmed over 40 repeaters and 15 fm broadcast stations in about an hour. Love that the flashlight can be used with radio turned off. I get good reception/ transmit with stock antenna, ok with 2 inch stub, and outstanding with the bigger antenna off the quansheng. Here's some tricks I've learned: to scan, press F key and Menu key, to stop scanning, press Menu again. I have found scan mode TO on the menu setting works best for me. Wish you could lock out memory channels while scanning? Me too. Best way I found to do this is as follows: the menu settings allow you to change parameters for memory channels at any time. If you have channels you don't want to hear sometimes (like NWS frequencies) just tune to that channel, go to the menu under rx code and set it to any rx code, scan still stops briefly but no audio is heard. If you want to listen to the channel again, go back to the menu and turn the rx code off. With a little experimenting and intuition it is easy to get great performance in this rugged inexpensive radio. |
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