Manager


Manager - NA4M
Manager Notes

Reviews For: Baofeng/Pofung UV3R

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

eMail Subscription

Registered users are allowed to subscribe to specific review topics and receive eMail notifications when new reviews are posted.
Review Summary For : Baofeng/Pofung UV3R
Reviews: 127MSRP: 55
Description:
Tiny dual band radio like the Yaesu VX3R.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.verotelecom.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
001273.9
ON9CC Rating: 2011-07-19
Chinese 'quality' product ... Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
After a number of negative experiences with other Chinese products, I wanted to give it one more try and decided to buy one of these cheap transceivers.
Bought one direct in China via eBay, which was delivered fast.
After opening the box, I was not impressed by the looks of what was inside. Everything was cheap plastic, but OK, the price is low too ... then, after playing for half an hour with the TRX, I decided to sell it again.

Reasons:
1. the volume setting is very coarse. The difference between volume 0 and 1 is much to big! It is not possible to set the volume low.
2. the turning know on top is very unstable (might be the wrong wording) and cheap-feeling ... guess this will not last long ...
3. I bought a TRX and not a hand torch ... why the LED on top and button on the side? The developers had better spent more time on what this thing should really do instead of adding useless features.

Initially I wanted to give it a rating 0, but as said, when comparing to the price I give it the benefit of the doubt and therefore rating 1.
KB8JNE Rating: 2011-07-18
Overall, about what I expected, maybe a little more. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
My version of the radio arrived mid July 2011 and came in the now normal brightly colored box from China. Had the usual parts, dual antennas, radio, battery, cheesy lanyard, belt clip, charging base, AC wall wart, software and manual on a sealed generic CD-ROM. Some have reported getting a single dual band antenna but these must be a modified "kit" from some resellers?

My radio came as advertised direct from China. Others also report variations on the charging stand. Early models had dual sockets on the bottom of the charging stand and a second small jumper cable to loop from the charging base to the radio. None of these chargers are drop-in types. The battery must either be removed or charge the radio direct with the provided AC/DC adapter.

I own a Kenwood TH-F6a and love it. This is NOT going to replace that radio, ever. I bought this one for my father who is interested in radio again since he retired. I told him I would buy his first radio for him and let him have it to listen in on the local repeaters until he got his ticket. If he gets it before Christmas, he keeps the radio, if not I get it back to pass on to another prospective Amateur.

There are several caveats about this radio (depending on the version) and note that spurious emissions may well be outside the legal limits. I have not tested mine as I don't have access to the proper gear and don't really plan on TX with it anyway. Mostly, it's a $48 delivered (slow) VHF, UHF (including NOAA WX/Marine/FRS/GMRS/MURS/LMRS) scanner. Works great for that.

There is a Yahoo group for this radio. Lots of info, mods for the loud audio and a way to trim the spurs to a legal limit. Check here for a lot more info including diagrams, test results of antennas, etc. I find my supplied antennas work just fine, as do many others. The group is at this link:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/UV-3R/?yguid=73147693

These things vary greatly. Early versions which may still be on shelves at various suppliers had lesser menus and some did not have s-meters. Mine has the meter and the 18 menu items so it seems to be current as of this date. So far, I like having a tiny receiver with me almost everywhere I go. Long term testing with a non-Ham is next.

Programming without the cable is pretty easy, just not totally intuitive based on different labels on the buttons and functions that we as users might have chosen. One great example is this, there is a function in the menus called "RELAYM". That one seems to be a total mystery to ever ham who has one of these. It may have something to do with killing the sound of squelch tails from repeaters but they already have an STE or Squelch Tail Elimination setting, we just aren't actually sure. : )

Overall, it has it's useful spot but one should not flock to this as a daily driver radio. It's cheap, flimsy and light. They will get lost, sat on, forgotten, lost, broken and abused, easily. It is what it is.

Sean
KB8JNE
NR7J Rating: 2011-06-30
Great little radio Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
It's a great little radio for the money.
Great sensitivity. Great RX and TX audio.

In reply to other comments.

RX CTCSS Does work for me and my radio has an S meter.


only CON No DTMF
KA4POL Rating: 2011-06-27
Illegal emissions Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
During the Hamradio Convention 2011 at Friedrichshafen some of the UV3 radios have been measured at the booth of the Bundesnetzagentur (German FCC). The first harmonic of mine on 2m was down only 22 dB which is illegal (§97.307 Emission standards demands 40 dB). 70cm was fine at 57 dB. The results are cause for an official investigation. Mine was returned to the dealer for a full refund.
What you pay is what you get.
DJ0ABR Rating: 2011-06-25
better quality than expected Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I used it during the ham radio fair, in a hall full of transmitters, and was able to do an successful QSO to a repeater (40km distance). No problem with overloaded RX.
I can receive and transmit without any problems and get some other addons (ctcss...).
Thats what I expect from a 25 Eur handheld and thats why i give 5 of 5 points.
The few insignificant problems are simply uninteresting in this price range.
I'm very happy with this tiny little rig.
G7IGB Rating: 2011-06-21
Good for the price tag Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I’ve been testing a BAOFENG UV-3R and the first thing I noticed is how loud the sound is from the speaker, even with the volume on the lowest setting it’s still VERY loud. Using the supplied earpiece microphone corrects this problem, but it could annoy someone who prefers to listen to the sound from the handy. The receiver seems very sensitive but you have to swap between the VHF and UHF aerials, which is a bit of a pain when scanning 2/70 memory channels. These are minor problems for me, but the one thing I miss is the S-meter and I can’t understand why the designers didn’t incorporate this basic feature.

On the plus side its VERY easy to use and surprisingly well made for the budget price tag, even the supplied earpiece / microphone works well. A 3.7V lithium ion (Li-on) high capacity 1500 mAh battery is included along with a wall charger, which can also be used with the supplied desktop charger come stand. The battery has to be removed to use this option, but it’s ideal if you have an extra battery pack and want to charge it outside the transceiver. A standard SMA connector is used for the aerial and not one of these ‘back to front’ connectors which require an adaptor to use with the popular 2/70 SMA type aerials.

PROS:
Budget price tag (£25 - £30 new)
Easy to use with a large display
Sensitive receiver on 2m & 70cm
CTCSS for repeater access
High capacity 3.7V Li-on battery
Earpiece / microphone included
Desk charger / stand included
Dual watch feature on RX
Standard SMA fitting for aerials
Broadcast FM (88-108 MHz) RX
99 memory channels for 2m & 70cm


CONS:
No S-meter display
Very loud on low volume setting
1750 Hz tone burst does not work
Separate aerials for 2m & 70cm
Very basic user manual

PD0RTL Rating: 2011-06-15
that price.... Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
- : 2 antennas
- : To load audio on lowest setting.
- : When using earpiece, device CAN get TX locked.
tipping the antenna once, and it goes back to RX.
- : RX CTCSS doesnt work ¿?

+ : exelent price.
+ : FAST shipping (prox 8 days)
+ : complete.
+ : Manual in correct english
PY1MV Rating: 2011-06-12
You get what you paid for... Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
NEGATIVE:
# In a crowded RF area the Rx is overloaded, meaning no Rx of weak signal.

# I think the sensibity is good, but poor selectivity comparing with my IC-Q7.

# Volume level to high at lowest setting.

# When operating in a repeater, looks like the switching time between Tx and Rx is too slow, openning the squelch when the Tx goes off in a split mode (600Khz).

# In high power setting it generates noise turning off my TV.hihihihi

POSITIVE:
# The really low price for a dual band!Try it!

# Low noise from the circuit.
PD0AC Rating: 2011-06-06
A bit more than what you pay for Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The Baofeng UV-3R has been my HT of choice for about a month now. For a bit less than $50, you get a heck of a deal, but I won't give it 5 out of 5.

Let's start with the good news. Reception and sensitivity are great, RX audio is very clear. The DSP really works; when a signal is weak, it will automatically remove most of the noise. TX audio is loud and crystal clear, and most stations agree that they can't think of something sounding better than the UV-3R. Not bad!

The bad news:
1) The UV-3R has some problems handling strong signals emitting from commercial radio towers. Not as bad as my Alinco DJ-40, but you might run into trouble when using the Baofeng in a rural area.

2) The standard version of the UV-3R is shipped with two antennas: one for UHF, one for VHF. This limits the usability considerably, and I consider buying a good dual-band antenna as a must.

3) The minimum RX audio level is way too loud, unless (like me) you only use the HT outside. There's a mod for this problem though, which only involves replacing one resistor.

4) The desktop charger doesn't contain any type of electronics, no led's, no nothing -- just 2 wires. This raises the question whether it is safe to use or not. For now, I don't trust it at all, until proven otherwise.

5) There are some concerns regarding harmonic suppression after my friend PA2TSL fired up his spectrum analyzer. When transmitting on high power (2 Watts) it's ok, about 60dB down. On low power (500mW), the second harmonics is about as strong as the frequency you're using. Strange, very strange. We're about to test other copies in order to find out whether the problem is limited to just that one sample or not.

Bottom line:
The Baofeng UV-3R is 'work in progress'. Updated versions pop up on a regular basis, and this HT gets better and better. At the time of writing I give it 4 out of 5, mainly because the price is so unbelievable low. If the price had been higher, 3 out of 5 would have been be more appropriate.
G4IPZ Rating: 2011-06-04
Incredible value for money Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I wanted and cheap and cheerful rig for putting in the glove box of the car instead of my Alinco DJ596 so I ordered the UV3R from Ebay. It arrived in 8 days and at £38 inc p&p it's absolutely faultless. The rig, 2 antennae, 2 batteries, charging base, mains charger, neck strap and belt clip all for the price of a battery for my Alinco!
Performance wise it also knocks the Alinco cold.
I have no doubt that before long it will be on the 'legit' market at twice the price so I'd advise getting one now before the big boy bandits find something else to rip we hams off for.