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Reviews For: Baofeng BFC2

Category: Transceivers: VHF/UHF+ Amateur Hand-held

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Review Summary For : Baofeng BFC2
Reviews: 1MSRP: 19.95 (4/11/2020)
Description:
UHF 400-470 MHz 16 Channels 5 Watts Tells you the channel in English or Chinese Time out timer Battery Saver Vox CTCSS/DCS USB Rapid Charge PC programmalbe with optional programming cable
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.randl.com/shop/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=74204
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0014
AB0RE Rating: 2020-04-11
Baofeng BFC2 vs BF-888s Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I picked up 8 BFC2 radios at R&L. I already had a couple BF-888s and was eager to determine the differences between the two. (R&L's page indicates to program the BFC2 with the BF888s software, suggesting the two radios are nearly identical).

Here are the differences:

1. Dimensions - The BFC2 is taller, slimmer, and more square than the BF888s. It has more of a "commercial radio" appearance vs. the BF888s having more of a FRS-type radio appearance. The antenna on the BFC2 is 5-7/8" vs the BF-888s antenna's 4-3/8" length, suggesting the BFC2 likely has a more efficient antenna. Both antennas are SMA female, mating to the SMA male connector on the radio.

2. Belt Clip - The BFC2 has a stationary belt clip, vs. a spring-loaded clip on the BF-888s. The stationary clip, whereas not as useful, allows the BFC2 to maintain a slimmer profile than the BF-888s (1-3/8" vs 1-7/8", respectively). The belt clip on the BFC2 attaches directly to the battery with an integrated plastic clip, whereas the BF-888s belt clip attaches to the body of the radio with screws.

3. Battery - The BFC2 has a 3.7V 1500mAh battery. The BF-888s also has a 3.7V 1500Mah battery. The two batteries are NOT interchangeable.

4. Features - The BF-888s has an additional button below the PTT which turns a white LED on the top of the unit on/off. The BFC2 does not have the LED "flashlight". Both radios have 16 channels and put out about 5 watts.

5. The knobs on the BFC2 are wider (better for sausage-fingers) and have a little dimple at the top to indicate their position. The dimples are a bit hard to see (i'll likely put a dab of white nail polish in the dimple). The knobs on the BF-888s are narrower but have a protruding ridge that extends down the entire length of the knob, making the knob's position more conspicuous.

6. Programming - The BFC2 was an absolute nightmare to program via Chirp. All kinds of error messages and channel 16 would always default back to its factory-programmed frequency of 468.950. I tried a couple other programs and the "Baofeng BF-888S (ZT-V68 2007)" program from Miklor's website was the winner... it fixed the "Channel 16 glitch" when using Chirp and it had no error messages.

Overall, I'd say the BFC2 looks more like a real radio and the extra antenna height is appreciated, but it comes at the expense of the BF-888S's better belt clip, LED flashlight, and easier programming. Either radio presents a tremendous value given its ~$20 price tag, so long as expectations are kept in check keeping the cost in mind.