| N4LI |
Rating:  |
2012-03-17 | |
| Great Value |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Reading back over the previous comments, one thing is clear – the Baofeng is a radio that should essentially be graded on a curve. No, it’s not on-par with a Yaesu, Icom or Kenwood. This is a radio that is available for under $50 delivered. That puts it in another league entirely.
Still, the Baofeng is a competent radio. I must disagree with some of the posters who called the radio “flimsy.” It is, indeed, light. But it seems solid enough. What else do you expect from a $45 radio?
Sure. Output is just 2W. But some of its competitors have similar outputs. And, there are few times where 2W won’t suffice, but 5W would. I have had little trouble working repeaters on the Baofeng. In fact, I just got back from vacation where I used the radio to work into a repeater 50 miles away with just a dipole crudely mounted to a chair on the balcony. http://twitpic.com/8vhq76 Audio reports were quite good; a few stations were amazed it was a cheap Chinese HT. And, again, this is a $45 radio.
Yes. It is missing a few features that other, more expensive radios have. There is no DTMF or dual-watch. But, this is a $45 radio. But some of the shortcomings are offset by the addition of the cute flashlight and FM radio function (which puts out a lot of audio).
The Baofeng is more than worth its purchase price. Its affordability is really its main utility. Considering that it’s so cheap and replaceable, I am unafraid to take it places I might not take a more expensive radio – like the beach. It’s not perfect and could use a better antenna, but it’s everything it claims to be. Plus, it comes in cute colors – I got the blue one. Thus, grading on a curve, I’ll give it a “5.” For the price, it’s certainly recommended.
Peter, N4LI |
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| FORMER_K0PD |
Rating: |
2012-03-07 | |
| Could be better communications |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I've had the little UV3R for about three months. I had trouble at first understanding how to manually program it but got that done. Now the only receive i can get from vhf/ufh is to have the squelch set to zero.Squelch set at one no signals get through. I have set my icom to simplex and the uv3 and transmitted in the same room an unless i open the squelch to zero nothing gets through. FM radio no problem. I've sent two e mails to Baofeng about the problem and no responses. I guess for the price they figure if you have trouble with it just throw it away and try another one. Love to have some one help on this one problem. I have ordered the UV5r so hopefully it will be better. |
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| SV1HKD |
Rating: |
2012-03-07 | |
| GREAT FOR THE COST |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
It is very good and had exceptional audio.Also great battery and during on save mode.The only problem is with handsfree and ptt on 40cm.But the solution is simple, here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NskGWtg4VM0&feature=related
73 de SV1HKD... |
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| K3BEQ |
Rating: |
2012-03-06 | |
| Money Well Spent! |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
I think the Baofeng UV3R is great! Use it for cross band operation (440/2 meters) around the house, in the back yard etc. The transmit audio really surprised me. Crisp and clean. Receive audio is also very strong. For a very small HT it is more than one can ask for.I picked up 2 extra 1500ma batteries for $12 ea. Now that's a bargain. Rapid desk charger, free shipping from Hawaii, antenna. $65 well spent.
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Earlier 5-star review posted by K3BEQ on 2011-12-29
My UV-3R came with two (2) antennas. One is 4 1/2 inches and the other 6 1/2 inches. No markings on them. The distributor advised me that they are both dual band. However, when I asked him why the difference in size he insisted they were both dual band. My experience tells me that the smaller one should be UHF and the taller one VHF. Comments please.
Other than that the unit is great. Slip it in your shirt pocket with ease. $60 shipping free from Hawaii can't be beat. In my case I will be using it for cross band operation from my home so the 2 watts is sufficient, but I am hitting repeaters 5-10 miles away. Additional 1500Ma batteries are $12 each plus a few dollars shipping. I purchased two of them. Unbelievable prices.
73, Murray K3BEQ
Murray K3BEQ |
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| AA7BI |
Rating: |
2012-03-06 | |
| One of the Best, MKII |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
If my title shocks you, look at the meanderings of the reviews several notches away from mine....
I purchased mine on eBay from radioshop888.com and it arrived in the near-arctic of northern Canada only six business days later, expertly packed and shipped with the battery fully charged. The manual is well-written and not software-translated. I give it an A. But this radio is so simple to operate, only a serious literacy issue could impede anyone.
I immediately ordered two extra BP60 (Fuji compatible) lithium ion battery packs with current limiting-chip for $2.90 each shipped to my door(!). I have owned the Yaesu VX-1R and VX-2 and was pleased to see the Baofeng battery cover is even more robust than Yaesu. Yes, it has a battery cover latch that locks it down quite nicely, if one merely glances at the manual, it says so. The belt-clip is a gazillion times better than the VX-1R. The batteries last longer than the Yaesus. The battery may be charged externally in the stand or in the radio. The radio can be charged from any USB port. The audio is stronger and of higher quality than that of the Yaesu. Reports from other hams say audio is indistinguishable from the Yaesus. The supplied antenna is better than the Yaesu, and, in fact, improves the performance of the VX-1R. After that, the radios are more or less the same. Complaints of control knobs, menu selection, etc., are abject nonsense, since they function virtually the same as the Yaesus. In the final analysis, I seriously doubt this radio has any more faults than any other radio subjected to careful scrutiny!
The software loads easily and requires loading a few drivers for operation, which any competent human being can do. A small .ini file modification enables the alpha-numerical display. Programming is as easy as it gets, and cross-banding is simple in that context. Nothing is "flimsy", "rubbish", "clunky" or "awkward", nothing is "cheap" or "brittle", and the antenna SMA mount is solidly fused in heavy plastic. Further, to all the coffee shop philosophers out there, I am no more morally compromised by this radio than you are with your Chinese George Foreman or toaster. What a bunch of old women!
As for the elitist, big-guns with all the most expensive radios, go right on ahead and brag about what you can afford....your contribution to this hobby is limited to misinformation and QRM. For the many hams on fixed incomes, for the many hams who actually built their own radios, for the many Handi-Hams who can barely scrape by, this is the best radio in the world. If you can afford better, it's still pretty darn good!
Many thanks to those who provided the many fine objective reviews here.
73, de AA7BI/VE5
PS Check out the new Baofeng UV-5R
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|
| K7GLE |
Rating: |
2012-03-06 | |
| Meh. |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
I agree with most others: Cheaply made, but about what you'd expect for the price.
Handy to throw in the book bag to cart to and from work (and monitor the transit bus command channels during the commute). To reduce stress on the SMA connector I remove the antenna & cover the socket with a rubber cap like you'd use to cover the exposed end of a bolt. Available at ACE Hardware. They're color-coded - black ones are an exact fit.
Unit recently quit transmitting in VFO mode, worked in Memory mode only. Full reset did the trick, but wiped memories of course.
Be aware - this rig will transmit on any frequency it receives. |
|
| NC4A |
Rating: |
2012-03-04 | |
| Fun little radio |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Best fifty bucks I've spent in a long time. Picked mine up at the Orlando Hamfest last month. I can't recall having this much fun with a new radio in years. Of course it doesn't compare to my Icom/Kenwood or Motorola handhelds!
But it works great, is easy to use and goes everywhere I go! |
|
| KC7SBQ |
Rating:  |
2012-02-27 | |
| Cheap crap |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
The one thing that seems to be lost to the modern day consumer is caveat emptor or buyer beware. The radios are a rip off even at $50.00. I bought one for a back-up and it is pathetic. Save your money a buy a reputable radio.
The management software DOES NOT work with Vista nor Windows 7. As a matter of fact the software arrived on a burn to CD made by Verbatim. Nah, I cannot be convinced the Chinese know what they are doing when they knock off a Japanese radio. |
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| AB1D |
Rating: |
2012-02-25 | |
| Great performance at low price |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Excellent recieved and transmitted audio. Software works OK (not as good as Bob's) but still works. Accessories are very reasonably priced. I bought one locally, and one from HK. Both were OK. Brings the fun back to amateur radio. Better audio then the VX-2 I had. These radios are "the fast and furious" of ham radio.
Yaesu microphones are made in China so who cares. I will buy american first and foreign if a good deal. |
|
| KA8BYU |
Rating: |
2012-02-24 | |
| low cost value radio |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
nice little radio, not as many fetures as my vx-3r Yaesu but did'nt expect to have all that for the cost. battery life good, plug for the charging cradle does not fit(wont fully plug in) but no biggie. Good deal for a dual band handheld, plus nice having the flashlight feature available. Audio good, but agree about minimum volume level being just a bit too loud
Bought mine from a usa seller good deal and fast shipping. programmed 92 freqs. in by hand not a problem. manual ok but not great. |
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