| KF6HCD |
Rating:  |
2012-12-07 | |
| Junk |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Update to my earlier review:
The buttons, including the PTT, have quit working. I've thrown the radio in the recycle bin.
I shan't buy another. |
|
| W3FIS |
Rating:  |
2012-11-14 | |
| Great little radio |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| I have owned two of them for over a year now. Perfect radio for travel. In metropolitan areas, it even works well with a "stubby" antenna, though 1/4 wave whip is a better bet. I have also programmed it with local police/fire frequencies, and the NOAA weather channels. Programming with the software or manually is a cinch. |
|
| KA3RCS |
Rating: |
2012-11-10 | |
| Surprisingly good performance and fun to use |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I've been hearing more and more talk about these and similar radios for a while, but never really had any interest as I already have a variety of good handhelds.
That changed a few weeks ago when a friend brought one to the local radio club's weekly dinner. I had seen plenty of Wouxuns and others, which were as big as my flagship VX-7s, but this thing was intriguingly small. Of course, the form factor is virtually identical to that of the VX-3, but that radio never grabbed my attention due to its price and lack of features. The UV-3R struck a chord with its combination of very small size and very low price, so I decided to give one a try. It turns out that he had ordered extras to resell locally, so I grabbed one (and later a second).
I began to research this model as soon as I got one, and was quite surprised to learn that it is actually based on a rather advanced single-chip SDR platform. I have the Mark II version, which apparently corrects a few of the issues with the original. It obviously doesn't receive as well as a radio with helicals in the front end in a high RF environment, but then, neither do many much larger and more expensive Japanese radios.
Pros:
- Incredibly small size
- Staggeringly low price for a dual-band HT
- Rather good RX and TX audio quality
- Good RX sensitivity
- Good choice of high power level (2 watts is almost indistinguishable from 4 or 5 watts on the other end, but results in much less heat and better battery life)
- Flashlight mode is handy, though obviously not comparable to my EDC Fenix or Surefire lights (which cost more and 3+ times more than the whole radio each, respectively!)
- USB charging cable is very convenient
- Free programming software (official and third party, including Linux support)
- Narrowband support (RX as well as TX)
- PL and DPL support
- Semi-standard Li-ion battery (similar to some camera batteries), rather than totally proprietary
- Proper gender of antenna connector, unlike most Chinese radios of this sort (which are incompatible with the vast array of male SMA HT antennas which I have accumulated)
Cons:
- Lowest volume level is too high (can cure with resistor mod, no big deal)
- No channel lockout in scan
- Very slow scan speed (not sure if this is due to the lockup time of the SDR or just poor firmware coding, but annoying either way)
- No memory banks or select scan
- No memory tune mode (any change while in memory mode immediately committed to memory...annoying to say the least)
- No memory to VFO transfer function
- No indication of whether memory to be written is empty or not
- No ability to delete memories from radio UI
- No alpha tags for memories
- Low power level is too high (and erratic according to some reviews); really needs more settings, including ~50 mW and ~500 mW
- Limited receive frequency range and no AM mode (understandable due to design targets of SDR chip)
- Could have been compatible with standard Yaesu 4-pin speaker/mics and programming cables, but isn't
On the subject of programming, it is possible to program the radio from its UI, but much easier to do so from a computer. My source did not have any extra programming cables, so I decided to see what I could do with what I already had. Some research showed that, unlike virtually every other handheld (and some mobiles) in the real world which use TX and RX data on the same line, this one splits them into two lines. So, the cables I already had which work for numerous Yaesu transceivers and receivers, the Alinco DJ-G29T, and the Icom IC-2720H would not work with the UV-3R. However, I found that the TTL2USB CT-2 which I got with a used VX-7 has a jumper which can be set for separate RX and TX. I built a 3-pin to 4-pin 3.5 mm cable and changed the jumper, and it programs the UV-3R perfectly both with the official software and with Chirp. Additionally, as it uses the superior FTDI chipset, there are none of the driver issues caused by the Prolific (and knockoff) chips used in the various cables sold for these radios.
One of the first things I did with the main UV-3R was to install the Maldol Active Hunter antenna (currently known as the MH-209SMA) which I have had for many years. The performance of that antenna is surprisingly good for its small size. It is a perfect match for this radio, yielding an overall package even smaller (and easier to carry) than that with the stock antenna.
Had this radio cost $300-500+, as many of mine have over the years, I would have given it a much lower rating. However, the whole package costs less than a single OEM battery for the VX-7 (or a single tank of gasoline...). The ridiculously low price point (along with the tiny, convenient, and fun form factor) offsets its limitations such that I believe 4 is a fair rating. It could never begin to replace the VX-7, but it is so small that I can truly carry it everywhere. I like it more than I expected to, honestly. It will be interesting to see how it holds up in the long term.
|
|
| KF7HCZ |
Rating: |
2012-11-04 | |
| Don't waste you money... |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
The happiest day was when I gave it away. It is junk, pure and simple. Save your $$$ and get a Yaesu, Icom, or Kenwood.
----------------------
Earlier 1-star review posted by KF7HCZ on 2012-04-22
Had for a day and already won't take a charge. Will say that it is easy to program, but that is why I gave it a 1. I know it is only $50, but that is still $50 wasted dollars. If you are considering it, think twice. It is a crap shoot....no it is just crap. |
|
| KB0ULA |
Rating: |
2012-10-06 | |
| Convenient little radio |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
| For what you pay, this is an awesome little radio. It does not have all the bells and whistles of a Japanese rig, but again, for what you pay, it's great. I use it a LOT in situations that I wouldn't use my Yaesu Vx5R. The Yaesu has a lot going for it with great features like alpha-naming, barometer, ARTS, etc. But quite honestly it sits in the drawer -- for two reasons. First, it's almost TOO well made. It's cast aluminum. That means, it's kinda heavy. I wear my pants kind of loose so they can fit over my rotund middle in a moment of vanity. Problem with the heavier radio -- it pulls my pants down. Not the little Baofeng. I hardly know it's there. Second reason the Yaesu sits in the drawer? It's EXPENSIVE and I don't want to lose it. What if it came off my belt and I didn't notice? Hundreds of dollars lost. Lose the Baofeng and while it's still a "DOH!" moment, you can grab a new one for under $50. Translation -- the Baofeng gets used and makes me more "into" ham radio and PS monitoring, because I actually USE it every day. |
|
| AI4HO |
Rating: |
2012-09-20 | |
| A pocketful of Fun! |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
I have had my Baofeng UV-3R for around 8-9 months now. I would say that the programming software was crap, never could get it to work on my old Toshiba laptop, unfortunately my Toshiba laptop died a horribly agonizing, slow death..not really, it just up and quit on me one day. Now I have this Dell laptop, which is just freakin incredible moshine. I did get the programming software to work on this laptop, not that I really need it..,this thing is just way to easy to program by hand. Yes..it is a tad time consuming, but it isn't that hard to do, if you've a mind to do it.
What I like about this little rig..is the fact that I can drop it in my shirt pocket and go, or my vest pocket, 2.5 watts I'm talking all over the county, on low power I can sit in my living room and hit the main county repeater which from my house is about 10 miles away. Like I said..a pocketful of fun, cause thats what it is..you can have a lot of fun with this puppy, and the price is right..if it dies..trash can it..get another one just like it. If you feel like a risk taker, when you order a new one, get it in a different color;-}
73 de Mark
AI4HO |
|
| W7CAR |
Rating: |
2012-09-20 | |
| Very Dissapointed |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I won this rig in a raffle at our Clubb meeting a few weeks ago. Too complicated for me, so I ordered programing software on eBay. The software came yesterday but was only a Blank CD with no files on it at all. I eMailed the seller, and they sent a download link right away. I dowloaded the software and it seemed to be OK but it will NOT commmunicate with the radio at all via the supplied USB cable. When I click on Help in the software Nothing comes up at all, and the original owners manual has nothing on computer programing the radio. The Baofeng website has zero help for owners also. Bottom line I cannot use the radio at all, and would be best thrown in the trash. |
|
| KF7RNL |
Rating: |
2012-09-04 | |
| Great little Radio |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
| Not sure where some of the bad comments came from, but this is a great little radio. Will it destroy the Jap market? No. Does it cost 50 bucks, run for a WEEK on a cell battery, take about 2 minutes to program and the size of a pack of cigarettes? YES! This radio, is by far the best bang for the buck and its not going to break the bank or require 3 hours to program with complicated menu features. Every month, there are more and more radios that are coming from China to the European and American markets. The audio on mine is loud, but the person on the other end, cant tell if I am on a Kenwood, Yaesu or Icom. |
|
| VE5EDE |
Rating: |
2012-08-17 | |
| Don't compare apples to oranges... |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
I've had mine about six months now and take it everywhere. It arrived from China after only six days for the grand sum of $42.80. Extra batteries cost $2.90 on E-bay. The manual is concise and perfectly clear. Anyone who was properly examined and licensed will understand it.
I'm continually fascinated how some reviewers love to change the subject in order to promote their own rubric. This is a $43 radio that more than justifies itself in terms of superlative, real-life performance. I heartily recommend this radio to anyone who wants a reliable, crisp and clean sounding shirtpocket rig for daily use. Let the insecure braggarts delude themselves into spending their vast discretionary income for the privilege creating more meaningless QRM...
73 de Bob VE5EDE |
|
| KJ4ZVQ |
Rating: |
2012-07-31 | |
| Amazing little package! |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
| The first piece of equipment i can call my own. Its small, light weight, but still has power. i use it mainly for VFD scanning, but in the ham band, its a killer. as with the other reviews, the volume is loud, even at next-to-mute level. recently, the pin in the SMA connector on the antenna broke off into the mount, but no big deal(truth be told, they should give the radios to me to do abuse tests). No drop in charger for the radio, but it does have a drop in charger for the spare battery. Battery life in standby mode is excellent. I haven't TX on it all week and its still going after 6 days of no charging. Great radio, and definately worth the $$$! |
|
