Just upgraded to a uv5r triband after carrying my first uv5r for 4 years . It works like the day I got it and I used it like crazy. I just wanted a triband. I think I made I good choice after this . Go Fang ! Lol !
Signal Sticks, and Abbree's, are my go to antenna's for my HT's. And yes the Baofeng BF-F8HP is a 8 watt radio, on one frequency. Remember the lower your SWR's are the more power you will transmit. Stay safe. 73's
I never even thought of that! I have been looking into a cheap radio to get to see how active things are in my area while studying for my tech, I knew the gt5r was cleaner but didn't think about that also improving power to the desired freq.
I'm absolutely new at all of this man, but man does it bring joy and life to see this type of content. What drew me to this is that i'm looking to use a radio with ear pieces for coaching and i want the kids to have fun while i can communicate with them directly without screaming. Liked and subscribed, and hope to learn wayyyy more on radios not only by myself, but through you.
I'm looking to buy a baofeng so it brought me here. Also would love to know what to do to not interrupt anybody else's signal. Don't want to cause anybody an inconvenience.
I wish you had a Baofeng AR-5RM when doing this comparison. I just ordered one as an upgrade from my BF-F8HP. It transmits at 10 watts and is unlocked on frequencies. I believe it is a pretty new model.
Josh... Among these radios, the power choices were the UV-5R for 4W, or the BF-F8HP for up to 8W. But, I now see (on Amazon) that there is a new generation of the UV-5R... the BAOFENG UV-5R 8W that is also suppose to have an upgraded chipset as well, and 3 different output levels (1W/4W/8W). I don't see anyone talking about this new more powerful UV-5R. I'm wondering what you, or anyone, thinks about it. And given the new power for the UV-5R, is it worth the extra money for the 8W BF-F8HP? Thanks.
I was shocked yesterday by my baofeng uv82 max power and I was able to recieve and transmit 31 miles (in the country side in WY not in a city). I don't have a stock antenna but still I was amazed
Baofeng uv5r is a good radio why do people always putting this radio down because is made in China 🇨🇳 like everything is made in China .for 25 to 35 dollars I would buy 4 to 8 for my hunting buddies to keep in touch then spending over 100 to 200 dollars. Just saying
@HamRadioCrashCourse - Can we see a GT-5R / Yaesu FT-4X head-to-head send & receive, best-vhf/uhf antenna test on 2m/70cm next? I am curious how the Baofeng and Yaesu perform under different antennas in direct comparison. (Side note: I have a BF-F11 which claims to be 10w, and is a variant of the bf-a58s tri-band'er. The speaker on that is much clearer, then the UV5r, which i also have. - If you get a chance to test one, please share the results with the rest of us!)
Lacking a test for rx desense, these results while informative and appreciated do not illustrate a susceptibility that's been frequently reported for CCRs and is very impactful to the user experience. I was surprised by the higher numbers from the non-Japanese radios.
Many people talk about the great clean transmitter on the GT-5R but unfortunately it does not "receive" near as good as the UV-5R5 in the ham band. I own many different baofengs and the GT-5R has the worse receiver in them inside the ham band. I own 2 GT-5R's and I would not recommend buying that radio. I am not talking about out of band as the GT-5R won't do that anyway. I am talking about inside the ham bands.
The Baofeng's problem isn't the transmission (they have 5W or more), but they have a very bad reception (0.25uV at 12dB SINAD, a good radio can receive at 0.12uV). They suck to listen to far repeaters (or simplex) and they will be deaf in a place with busy VHF signals (like a city), and don't forget about the Baofeng's spurious, it's just a garbage radio.
Hey Josh. I want to do a test like this. I have an SDR running SDRSharp on my laptop. I have the audio piped to Auacity to capture as a sound file. How do i capture the SNR value? Thanks and keep up the great work!
Can you PLEASE do a video on how you have the station at home configured to TX when you send it DTMF commands? I would love to implement that to my shack for range testing of my own 73 KO4YQU
@@HamRadioCrashCourse Thank you so much! I had been eagerly waiting since the first comparison video. With such a cryptic title I didn’t even realize that was the long-awaited video
UV-5R vs BF-F8HP. Most of the review videos I watch comparing these two radios is over my head. I want to pick one for listening to VHF and UHF. Not planning to talk on one. The BAOFENG BF-F8HP appears to have wider frequency spectrum than the UV-5R. VHF: 136-174 MHz(Rx/Tx). UHF: 400-520 1000 channels vs VHF 144-148MHz, UHF 420-450MHz 128 channels. The videos I have watched don’t seem to speak about that. Can you help me understand if my reasoning is correct for my intended use.
Could you do a test of home made "half wave flower pot antenna" and a tape measure hand held Yagi vs original antenna? Attached to UV-5R and BF-F8HP? Sorry I don't know if you have already done this.
By “SNR” do you really mean Carrier-to-Noise ratio? (a RF measurement) Maybe just me, but when I think of SNR, I’m thinking about an analog audio measurement.
I had to drill a hole (didn't drill big enough so I got to drill bigger than the original port) in the mic port and going to have to do the same on the speaker mic.
Hello. I am very new to the amateur radio hobby, and after watching your videos as well as those from Notarubicon and Ham Radio 2.0, I purchased a UV5R. It was defective and I had to return it and for $4 more I got a UV82. I don't see all that much info on this model, but I was informed they are very similar to the UV5R. Any information on them or a video would be great. Stay safe and vigilant.
it is no way to connect PC to program this BF-F8HP, can't make PC programming works for this item. same-time i purchased a BaoFeng UV-82HP it works ok for PC programming.
The Baofeng's problem isn't the transmission (they have 5W or more), but they have a very bad reception (0.25uV at 12dB SINAD, a good radio can receive at 0.12uV). They suck to listen to far repeaters (or simplex) and they will be deaf in a place with busy VHF signals (like a city), and don't forget about the Baofeng's spurious, it's just a garbage radio.
My Baofeng BF-F9 V2N are not doing anything but acting as paper weights. I wanted them to use as walkie talkies. I programed them as a scanner using CHIRP. I searched for my local frequencies and loaded them. I clearly dont have a clue what I am doing. They scan but you never hear nothing. All they do is scan. I cant find any video's on how to program them properly to use as walking talkies. I followed all instructions to program as a scanner about 1000 times and they dont pick up anything. I have had a scanner for years and these are not that. All I wanted them for was the walkie talking function but they are useless. I want to use them but all this radio jargon and tech specs are confusing for someone not in the game. I'm about to throw them in the trash and just buy some others that are idiot proof. I've used walkie talkies for many years and these things literally dont do anything. Its probably me but I wouldn't know because I feel like I'm doing all the right stuff. I need someone who knows more about them to tell me what I am doing one.
Did a SOTA activation yesterday in CO. Had a guy 80 miles away on a UV5R with rubber duck... 57 received from him. I was blown away, he was definitely getting his $24 worth. Non-typical situation, but dang...
I once got into a uhf repeater 112 miles away, it was not on a mountain, antenna height was about 800ft, my handheld was on the second floor of a two story house. Absolutely crazy.
@@drewbrown9678 146.52 he was running 5w on the Feng and I had 8w on a Kenwood with an arrow yagi. The yagi was an advantage on my end, but still. A good Feng can get things done.
@@josephhacker6508 I enjoy radio for that very reason. Some days 100w won't get things done, but some days 5w will. So many variables, keeps it interesting. I was super happy for dude & his Feng.
I’ve been able to transmit 33.25 miles with my BF-F8HP and a NA771 antenna. From Castaic CA down to Pasadena, CA... and the people on the repeater said I was perfectly clear, rated me a 5 out of 5 for transmit clarity.
My 146.52MHz handheld to handheld record was about 60+ miles from Phoenix to the mountains to the north. I don’t know where he was exactly (other than the name of the peak) and there was a pileup after we finished. Imagine a pileup on .52 simplex.
@@yourface3154 you ask them what there location is then use a mapping service find your location then there location use a measuring tool draw a straight line from you to them then look at distance by which the crow flies meaning from air not on the ground like Google maps
My $150 Wouxun HT's do not sound any better than my $30 TP 8 Plus (aka UV13 Pro) and $40 BFH7 Baofengs. I have to go to my $300 Anytone 878 UV II Plus before I notice a big difference, and that just in sound quality buyt no differnec in Tx range. I would rather buy cheap and throw away if it breaks unless there is a real reason to spend more.
Request to bring along a UV-82HP next time. That's my preferred form factor of the Feng HTs. BTech also has GMRS and MURS versions in the same form factor so the spare batteries, etc., are all swappable. Dual watch and an option of either single PTT or dual A-B PTT.
@@HamRadioCrashCourse Yes, but if you want to be (Radio) Project Farm you have to test everything to destructions. Makes me cry when he does that to Snap-On’s and the like. 🤣🤣
There seems to be a significant difference between my uv5r and ft-60r in Rx and TX. I have compared the 2 on the repeaters in my area and the uv5r can be almost useless on some of them that the ft60 can operate on no problem.
The more vids i watch on this the more confused i get. The only thing ive actually learned from hours of video watching is radio guys are HORRIBLE teachers for newbies!
Even though my FT3DR is a better radio, I often take my GT5R when I'm traveling. It works well enough, and it's cheap enough that I won't be super upset if it gets damaged or lost.
i have my tech licence for several years now, but i still know nothing of armature radio and have never been on the air, so a lot of this goes over my head, but i like this channel because you make these things somewhat understandable for me, and youre not snobbish about equipment. keep up the great content.
@@lomgshorts3 it was no trouble at all. just took the test. its mostly basic safety and electronics that i already know. there are so few radio related questions you could get them all wrong and still pass. spending hundreds of dollars on equipment, otoh, is difficult.
@@502detha uv-5r is roughly $25 and you can grab a better antenna for $20 or so. Then find out if there's a local club and when they have their net. For example here the club has a repeater and has a net on Sunday nights. So I can tune in on Sunday nights and listen in and get the feel for the etiquette.
@@billtheunjust i live in the middle of bumfuck nowhere. i have a uv5r, there is NO traffic within receiving range. even tried to build a few antennas and hook them to it. the nearest "local" club is 45 min away. i feel if i want to do anything useful im going to need to buy a whole hf setup.
@@502deth well, I guess plan b would be to grab a mag mount and your uv-5r and drive into repeater range when they have their scheduled net. I know it's not something you'd want to do often, but it would at least let you get a feel for hew a net works.
Which is the best radio/antenna combo to get anywhere between 15 and 20 miles in range? I can’t seem to find any information to those specifications. Hope you can help.
My old UV5R TP (Tri Power) had reports of low TX audio. There's foreign instructions on how to add an SMD capacitor between the mic socket trace etc which boosted it. I also drilled the mic hole which helped a little. So compare your old and other Baofengs nearby your SDR and see if talking closer/louder to the mic helps that one. Is it really a TX power/distance issue or the mic? Or try an external mic. Also try swapping over the battery. I tried talking at various distances from the mic and I think 2.5 to 5cm was best on my SDR stick. Of course, counting the distance in cm on the radio affected things as 'five' is louder, so you'd need to say the same thing. Trying a power meter on them would be good for another video too. Maybe even hook up a bench power supply and decrease volts/current to show what happens when using an old battery. Also finding a tool to measure your old battery capacities in mah would be neat. Then make a PSA video on when to replace them.
I have a GT-5R that I got for the soul purpose of listening to rocket launch repeaters. They Tx on 2-meter. The GT-5R is equipped with a Signal Stick. I've found that, in order to receive, I almost HAVE to have a ground plane. I have tried leaving the radio attached to my backpack as I am listening to the launch broadcast, but it is frustratingly bad. If I take the radio and set it on my aluminum tonneau cover on my truck, it receives like a champ. The bad thing is, I am not always next to my truck when I am trying to listen. Admittedly, I know nothing of HAM yet, just how to program frequencies on the GT-5R. I am wondering if there is anything I can do, to mimic a ground plane when the radio is in my hand, vs. sitting on my tonneau.
I tested mine last night on an HP 8920A RF test set (using a Baofeng 3800 mAh extended battery fully charged) and found high power at 146.52 only produced 5.57 watts (with .12 uV sensitivity on receive), 446.00 produced 5.27 watts (also with .12 uV sensitivity on receive).
I tested both my TD-F9GP 8W versions with fresh battery's into dum dum load. Both 6.7W on same sweet spot freq. Not a powerhouse but better than my old 5W Baofeng that only saw 3.9W on high. That 3W difference means something on a fringe signal. The stock antenna's are junk and the built-in mic's are weak compared to a good hand mic but still hard to beat em for the price.
The Baofeng is THE radio that has brought SO MANY folks into HAM radio, it is the undisputed champ and best entry level radio. Stop your BS complaints of the UV-5r and give thanks for then number of folks that started here. HAM radio was dying until this radio came along. Yes there are better HT's and all of us who started with the UV-5FR and mostly moved one but we still have our UV-5R's and we love them.
What I’d love to see is the FT-5D and ID-52 up against the best of the cheapies. It would be interesting to see if there is any RF performance benefit for the much higher price, or just screen and features? You could even add in some strong local signals, and for RX, attenuate the sending radio at home, as I’d like to think selectivity as well as sensitivity and lack of front end overload is what your money gets you…..
Josh, is there an economical tool (meter) that effectively measures the SWR of HTs? The Surecom meters don't seem to work, even with a paw around the HT acting as a ground plane. One Surecom even came with a steel plate to act as a ground plane, but it 1) greatly added to the cost of production and 2) really didn't work. They're super for mobile or base station use, but not HT use, unfortunately. Thnx!
I recently bought a Baofeng BF-S5plus It's a tri bander 70cm 1.25m 2m handheld. I can't find an owners manual download for this rig. Anyone know of one?
My first radio was a BF-F8HP that I had an extended bat and a telescopic 771 antenna on it. Forgot I put it on the roof of my car one day, realized what happened when I heard it fly off the car going 70mph on the interstate.
Uv5r, uv8hp and ft5r here. The Yaesu ft5r is so clear without the static of the baofengs that actual performance comes second to understanding what is coming over.
I have an older uv5r that I Carry on the farm. I have a ham neighbor that has told me on a couple occasions that it sounds better than my yaesu. Thank you for the work you put into all your videos.
I like to see a test on the baofeng uv53.. using this radio people have said my audio is worse when i use the cig lighter compare to when run from the stock battery that came with it.
Bought a UV5R from Amazon after watching this one a while ago. Passed my Technician exam tonight. Thanks for all the great content.
How much time did you take studying before testing?
Josh you're becoming the Paul Harrell of HT testing.
WOW! That is a compliment! I would never have expect someone to say that about me. Paul is a legend!
Yesssssss agreed for sure
“Is this antenna better than that antenna? You be the judge.”
Well now I have to subscribe
@@HamRadioCrashCourse Now you'll have to put up with my speech impediment.
I love my BF-F8-HP! Thanks for your signal stick rec! I now have three in orange, pink and brown! Great antenna!!
Just upgraded to a uv5r triband after carrying my first uv5r for 4 years . It works like the day I got it and I used it like crazy. I just wanted a triband. I think I made I good choice after this . Go Fang ! Lol !
The extra band transmits almost zero watts. 200 mhz when tested on several Baofeng tribands I bought sent out a whopping 1mw.
@@realtyrocks1969 holy.. really? I always thought they were trash
Signal Sticks, and Abbree's, are my go to antenna's for my HT's. And yes the Baofeng BF-F8HP is a 8 watt radio, on one frequency. Remember the lower your SWR's are the more power you will transmit. Stay safe. 73's
The GT5R may have the best SNR due to sending out more power on the desired frequency rather than splitting it between those harmonics
I never even thought of that! I have been looking into a cheap radio to get to see how active things are in my area while studying for my tech, I knew the gt5r was cleaner but didn't think about that also improving power to the desired freq.
I'm absolutely new at all of this man, but man does it bring joy and life to see this type of content. What drew me to this is that i'm looking to use a radio with ear pieces for coaching and i want the kids to have fun while i can communicate with them directly without screaming. Liked and subscribed, and hope to learn wayyyy more on radios not only by myself, but through you.
I'm looking to buy a baofeng so it brought me here. Also would love to know what to do to not interrupt anybody else's signal. Don't want to cause anybody an inconvenience.
Thanks for watching! I have links to my preferred Baofeng in the description.
I bought a GT-5R. After watching most of the videos on it I was under the impression that it can reach the GMRS frequencies?
I wish you had a Baofeng AR-5RM when doing this comparison. I just ordered one as an upgrade from my BF-F8HP. It transmits at 10 watts and is unlocked on frequencies. I believe it is a pretty new model.
A radio is better than no radio.
Indeed and the feng works pretty decent ly
I have two UV-5R Pros that perform very well on 2m and 70cm. Sounds pretty good.
Josh... Among these radios, the power choices were the UV-5R for 4W, or the BF-F8HP for up to 8W. But, I now see (on Amazon) that there is a new generation of the UV-5R... the BAOFENG UV-5R 8W that is also suppose to have an upgraded chipset as well, and 3 different output levels (1W/4W/8W). I don't see anyone talking about this new more powerful UV-5R. I'm wondering what you, or anyone, thinks about it. And given the new power for the UV-5R, is it worth the extra money for the 8W BF-F8HP? Thanks.
I also saw that... was wondring if they would send the 5w and make it a hassle to get the 8w---- if that is actually a thing.
I was shocked yesterday by my baofeng uv82 max power and I was able to recieve and transmit 31 miles (in the country side in WY not in a city). I don't have a stock antenna but still I was amazed
how dangerous was the shock?
Baofeng uv5r is a good radio why do people always putting this radio down because is made in China 🇨🇳 like everything is made in China .for 25 to 35 dollars I would buy 4 to 8 for my hunting buddies to keep in touch then spending over 100 to 200 dollars. Just saying
@HamRadioCrashCourse - Can we see a GT-5R / Yaesu FT-4X head-to-head send & receive, best-vhf/uhf antenna test on 2m/70cm next?
I am curious how the Baofeng and Yaesu perform under different antennas in direct comparison.
(Side note: I have a BF-F11 which claims to be 10w, and is a variant of the bf-a58s tri-band'er. The speaker on that is much clearer, then the UV5r, which i also have. - If you get a chance to test one, please share the results with the rest of us!)
Lacking a test for rx desense, these results while informative and appreciated do not illustrate a susceptibility that's been frequently reported for CCRs and is very impactful to the user experience. I was surprised by the higher numbers from the non-Japanese radios.
Keep on forward. You are doing it very well. 73'S from WP3MD. Newark NJ.
How do you feel about Retevis RT85 or RT87 versus Baofengs, which one would be better?
Can you do a review on the Boating UV 13 pro air band? I have one.
think you should include the tri band baofeng
Many people talk about the great clean transmitter on the GT-5R but unfortunately it does not "receive" near as good as the UV-5R5 in the ham band. I own many different baofengs and the GT-5R has the worse receiver in them inside the ham band. I own 2 GT-5R's and I would not recommend buying that radio. I am not talking about out of band as the GT-5R won't do that anyway. I am talking about inside the ham bands.
The Baofeng's problem isn't the transmission (they have 5W or more), but they have a very bad reception (0.25uV at 12dB SINAD, a good radio can receive at 0.12uV). They suck to listen to far repeaters (or simplex) and they will be deaf in a place with busy VHF signals (like a city), and don't forget about the Baofeng's spurious, it's just a garbage radio.
Thank you so much for the test video
Hey Josh. I want to do a test like this. I have an SDR running SDRSharp on my laptop. I have the audio piped to Auacity to capture as a sound file. How do i capture the SNR value? Thanks and keep up the great work!
Idk. I don’t use SDRSharp.
@@HamRadioCrashCourse What SDR software are you using?
Now do the UV-82HP! That's supposed to be the highest quality Baofeng.
Can you PLEASE do a video on how you have the station at home configured to TX when you send it DTMF commands? I would love to implement that to my shack for range testing of my own
73 KO4YQU
The Most Hated Box In Ham Radio
th-cam.com/video/nrkAqWEB7rs/w-d-xo.html
@@HamRadioCrashCourse Thank you so much! I had been eagerly waiting since the first comparison video. With such a cryptic title I didn’t even realize that was the long-awaited video
Thanks!
UV-5R vs BF-F8HP. Most of the review videos I watch comparing these two radios is over my head. I want to pick one for listening to VHF and UHF. Not planning to talk on one. The BAOFENG BF-F8HP appears to have wider frequency spectrum than the UV-5R. VHF: 136-174 MHz(Rx/Tx). UHF: 400-520 1000 channels vs VHF 144-148MHz, UHF 420-450MHz 128 channels. The videos I have watched don’t seem to speak about that. Can you help me understand if my reasoning is correct for my intended use.
I like how you have all that gear sitting on a park picnic table in an area that chains their picnic tables to trees😂
It’s so people don’t move the tables. Not steal them. 🤣
Could you do a test of home made "half wave flower pot antenna" and a tape measure hand held Yagi vs original antenna? Attached to UV-5R and BF-F8HP? Sorry I don't know if you have already done this.
Thanks for another video!
Informative and interesting test.
By “SNR” do you really mean Carrier-to-Noise ratio? (a RF measurement) Maybe just me, but when I think of SNR, I’m thinking about an analog audio measurement.
Is the uv-5RA that bad or is it just because this one in particular is older. I just bought one on Amazon for 30% off
The GT-5R does not have S E spurattic emissions this was the radio that fixed the UV-5R and always use a speaker mic
*Most* are spurious emissions free. Much better than the UV-5R though.
I had to drill a hole (didn't drill big enough so I got to drill bigger than the original port) in the mic port and going to have to do the same on the speaker mic.
Love your videos, but still confused as to why a public park has a metal picnic table chain to a tree is stuff that bad in California
lol. So people don’t move them for large parties.
Hello. I am very new to the amateur radio hobby, and after watching your videos as well as those from Notarubicon and Ham Radio 2.0, I purchased a UV5R. It was defective and I had to return it and for $4 more I got a UV82. I don't see all that much info on this model, but I was informed they are very similar to the UV5R. Any information on them or a video would be great. Stay safe and vigilant.
For all intents and purposes, they are the same. You can program the same as well.
@@HamRadioCrashCourse Nice. Thankyou
Uv 5r are my favourite
What exact signal stick do I order if looking to start with a GT-5R?
SMA-F? Dual band ?
Yes, SMA-F dual band
That park must be in a sketchy neighborhood needing to chain down the trees to keep people from stealing them.😝
Maybe it's time for an "Eagle Feng" shirt?
I have the F8HP in my tornado shelter.
That sounds so fun.
Ok stupid question I want a signal stick antenna, but I can't figure out the connector I need for my anytone 878 I keep getting confused
If the 878 has a hole in the very center you need an sma male antenna. If your 878 has a small pin in the middle you need an sma female.
@@HamRadioCrashCourse thank you
@@HamRadioCrashCourse That's what she said!
It' s really tough to reach out to them.
What is the tone frequency that you were sending it sounds very low.
I think it was C flat something or other off one of my synths. I just needed a consistent tone.
Release the tree!
Lol
Test the Kenwood TH6A :)
Planning more hits?
Why tell me?
What?
baofeng bf-f9 v2n any good?
Bro do you live in a rough hood that they have to chain the benches to the trees? Who tf would steal a picnic table? Hahahaha
It’s to keep the table at the tree. Versus being moved to another table for a larger party. 🤣
this is normal everywhere I have been, even a mile down the trail they get chained. way of life these days
I see you wearing an icom shirt, where's the test for an icom handheld? And why not a top of the line radio like Motorola?
Be patient.
Be reasonable here.
The ultimate question is, Is the picnic table chained to the tree, Or is the tree chained to the picnic table. 73's.
The table is changed so people don’t move them all together for one big family party.
@@HamRadioCrashCourse I know it the county does the same thing in Florida also was trying to get a smirk out of you! Keep up the good work
😅
very interesting 😉👍🇱🇹❤️
None of them easy , or user friendly .
it is no way to connect PC to program this BF-F8HP, can't make PC programming works for this item. same-time i purchased a BaoFeng UV-82HP it works ok for PC programming.
Try programing is at a UV-5R
#Fenggang
Overpricing of products.
Can't reach 8watt output, not even a half.
Up to 8watts...hahaha
Their customer service seems to have a problem speaking English.
The Baofeng's problem isn't the transmission (they have 5W or more), but they have a very bad reception (0.25uV at 12dB SINAD, a good radio can receive at 0.12uV). They suck to listen to far repeaters (or simplex) and they will be deaf in a place with busy VHF signals (like a city), and don't forget about the Baofeng's spurious, it's just a garbage radio.
Baofengs are not perfect, BUT are they good enough?
These radio are crape.
My Baofeng BF-F9 V2N are not doing anything but acting as paper weights. I wanted them to use as walkie talkies. I programed them as a scanner using CHIRP. I searched for my local frequencies and loaded them. I clearly dont have a clue what I am doing. They scan but you never hear nothing. All they do is scan. I cant find any video's on how to program them properly to use as walking talkies. I followed all instructions to program as a scanner about 1000 times and they dont pick up anything. I have had a scanner for years and these are not that. All I wanted them for was the walkie talking function but they are useless. I want to use them but all this radio jargon and tech specs are confusing for someone not in the game. I'm about to throw them in the trash and just buy some others that are idiot proof. I've used walkie talkies for many years and these things literally dont do anything. Its probably me but I wouldn't know because I feel like I'm doing all the right stuff. I need someone who knows more about them to tell me what I am doing one.
Throw them in the trash right now & don't look back!
I love me some Boo-fwangs. How many fars do yours get? Sorry, though I was on Randy's channel for a minute.
Did a SOTA activation yesterday in CO. Had a guy 80 miles away on a UV5R with rubber duck... 57 received from him. I was blown away, he was definitely getting his $24 worth. Non-typical situation, but dang...
As someone that is only GMRS licensed, what frequency range were you making contact with that Rubber Duck uv-5r
I once got into a uhf repeater 112 miles away, it was not on a mountain, antenna height was about 800ft, my handheld was on the second floor of a two story house. Absolutely crazy.
@@drewbrown9678 146.52 he was running 5w on the Feng and I had 8w on a Kenwood with an arrow yagi. The yagi was an advantage on my end, but still. A good Feng can get things done.
@@josephhacker6508 I enjoy radio for that very reason. Some days 100w won't get things done, but some days 5w will. So many variables, keeps it interesting. I was super happy for dude & his Feng.
I’ve been able to transmit 33.25 miles with my BF-F8HP and a NA771 antenna. From Castaic CA down to Pasadena, CA... and the people on the repeater said I was perfectly clear, rated me a 5 out of 5 for transmit clarity.
Hello from Riverside! Just bought my first ham units- f8-hp and president Lincoln II+. 🍻
How far can you receive with your bf f8 hp?
My 146.52MHz handheld to handheld record was about 60+ miles from Phoenix to the mountains to the north. I don’t know where he was exactly (other than the name of the peak) and there was a pileup after we finished. Imagine a pileup on .52 simplex.
How do you know how far they are?
@@yourface3154 you ask them what there location is then use a mapping service find your location then there location use a measuring tool draw a straight line from you to them then look at distance by which the crow flies meaning from air not on the ground like Google maps
I got a bag of Baofengs for my wife. It’s the best trade I’ve ever made! 😃👍
(Standing ovation)
My $150 Wouxun HT's do not sound any better than my $30 TP 8 Plus (aka UV13 Pro) and $40 BFH7 Baofengs. I have to go to my $300 Anytone 878 UV II Plus before I notice a big difference, and that just in sound quality buyt no differnec in Tx range. I would rather buy cheap and throw away if it breaks unless there is a real reason to spend more.
I have the BF-F8HP. Your testing only convinces me it's a decent radio, if not the very best Baofeng. Glad I bought it.
Request to bring along a UV-82HP next time. That's my preferred form factor of the Feng HTs. BTech also has GMRS and MURS versions in the same form factor so the spare batteries, etc., are all swappable. Dual watch and an option of either single PTT or dual A-B PTT.
Digging the Ham Radio meets Project Farm style videos Josh! Thank you!
Thank you!!
@@HamRadioCrashCourse Yes, but if you want to be (Radio) Project Farm you have to test everything to destructions. Makes me cry when he does that to Snap-On’s and the like. 🤣🤣
@Ammocraft I wanna see just what it would take to 'destroy' a test radio. 😅
I'd Like to see RX tests on these radios on the fringes/desensing, I have a feeling that's where the JA HTs will shine
There seems to be a significant difference between my uv5r and ft-60r in Rx and TX. I have compared the 2 on the repeaters in my area and the uv5r can be almost useless on some of them that the ft60 can operate on no problem.
The more vids i watch on this the more confused i get. The only thing ive actually learned from hours of video watching is radio guys are HORRIBLE teachers for newbies!
Even though my FT3DR is a better radio, I often take my GT5R when I'm traveling. It works well enough, and it's cheap enough that I won't be super upset if it gets damaged or lost.
I'd be upset... Getting lost is your fault, accidents happen. If you lost a twenty from your pocket you'd be mad
Teach ppl how to talk on hams, when comms go down and grid down, and all repeaters down !!!
What did they do to fix the GT-5R? is their any way to modify a UV-5R to make it spectrally pure?
Cool to see, but my dude the amount of midroll adds. Huuuuuuuuuu
Great test. Thanks. I would suggest testing the UV S9 Plus. I compared it to my BF F8HP and was pleasantly surprised.
Lol, chinese "junk" seems to take the cake. 🤣😂
i have my tech licence for several years now, but i still know nothing of armature radio and have never been on the air, so a lot of this goes over my head, but i like this channel because you make these things somewhat understandable for me, and youre not snobbish about equipment. keep up the great content.
You went through all the trouble of getting your Ham Radio license, why not use it???
@@lomgshorts3 it was no trouble at all. just took the test. its mostly basic safety and electronics that i already know. there are so few radio related questions you could get them all wrong and still pass.
spending hundreds of dollars on equipment, otoh, is difficult.
@@502detha uv-5r is roughly $25 and you can grab a better antenna for $20 or so. Then find out if there's a local club and when they have their net. For example here the club has a repeater and has a net on Sunday nights. So I can tune in on Sunday nights and listen in and get the feel for the etiquette.
@@billtheunjust i live in the middle of bumfuck nowhere. i have a uv5r, there is NO traffic within receiving range. even tried to build a few antennas and hook them to it. the nearest "local" club is 45 min away. i feel if i want to do anything useful im going to need to buy a whole hf setup.
@@502deth well, I guess plan b would be to grab a mag mount and your uv-5r and drive into repeater range when they have their scheduled net. I know it's not something you'd want to do often, but it would at least let you get a feel for hew a net works.
Which is the best radio/antenna combo to get anywhere between 15 and 20 miles in range? I can’t seem to find any information to those specifications. Hope you can help.
My old UV5R TP (Tri Power) had reports of low TX audio. There's foreign instructions on how to add an SMD capacitor between the mic socket trace etc which boosted it. I also drilled the mic hole which helped a little.
So compare your old and other Baofengs nearby your SDR and see if talking closer/louder to the mic helps that one. Is it really a TX power/distance issue or the mic? Or try an external mic. Also try swapping over the battery.
I tried talking at various distances from the mic and I think 2.5 to 5cm was best on my SDR stick. Of course, counting the distance in cm on the radio affected things as 'five' is louder, so you'd need to say the same thing.
Trying a power meter on them would be good for another video too. Maybe even hook up a bench power supply and decrease volts/current to show what happens when using an old battery.
Also finding a tool to measure your old battery capacities in mah would be neat. Then make a PSA video on when to replace them.
I have a GT-5R that I got for the soul purpose of listening to rocket launch repeaters. They Tx on 2-meter. The GT-5R is equipped with a Signal Stick. I've found that, in order to receive, I almost HAVE to have a ground plane. I have tried leaving the radio attached to my backpack as I am listening to the launch broadcast, but it is frustratingly bad. If I take the radio and set it on my aluminum tonneau cover on my truck, it receives like a champ. The bad thing is, I am not always next to my truck when I am trying to listen. Admittedly, I know nothing of HAM yet, just how to program frequencies on the GT-5R. I am wondering if there is anything I can do, to mimic a ground plane when the radio is in my hand, vs. sitting on my tonneau.
Counterpoise?
@@shoersa yes, thank you. That's the word I was looking for, lol
I tested mine last night on an HP 8920A RF test set (using a Baofeng 3800 mAh extended battery fully charged) and found high power at 146.52 only produced 5.57 watts (with .12 uV sensitivity on receive), 446.00 produced 5.27 watts (also with .12 uV sensitivity on receive).
No UV 82’s? I have the dual and tri Chanel x-3’s and think they perform better than the radios you tested.
Good one! I have two tri-band BFngs and they work great with the Nagoya.
My first and only Baofeng, bwoof-wang, bo-feng is the GT-3WP. It does what I need it to do, which is get on the air. Thanks for sharing.
I bought years ago heavily used Knwd TH-F7E and never doubt it was good choice. Never regret… no way for any chinese craps. 😉
Could the gt5r slightly better ability be related to the fixed spurious emmisions , sending power to where it’s supposed to go?
Baofeng 8W actually outputs at 6.5W according to my meter...
I recall a bunch of tests or videos saying the same
Up to 8W...hahaha
I tested both my TD-F9GP 8W versions with fresh battery's into dum dum load. Both 6.7W on same sweet spot freq. Not a powerhouse but better than my old 5W Baofeng that only saw 3.9W on high. That 3W difference means something on a fringe signal.
The stock antenna's are junk and the built-in mic's are weak compared to a good hand mic but still hard to beat em for the price.
The Baofeng is THE radio that has brought SO MANY folks into HAM radio, it is the undisputed champ and best entry level radio. Stop your BS complaints of the UV-5r and give thanks for then number of folks that started here. HAM radio was dying until this radio came along. Yes there are better HT's and all of us who started with the UV-5FR and mostly moved one but we still have our UV-5R's and we love them.
What I’d love to see is the FT-5D and ID-52 up against the best of the cheapies. It would be interesting to see if there is any RF performance benefit for the much higher price, or just screen and features? You could even add in some strong local signals, and for RX, attenuate the sending radio at home, as I’d like to think selectivity as well as sensitivity and lack of front end overload is what your money gets you…..
You're likely correct across the board. I will do a different test for selectibility.
Josh, is there an economical tool (meter) that effectively measures the SWR of HTs? The Surecom meters don't seem to work, even with a paw around the HT acting as a ground plane. One Surecom even came with a steel plate to act as a ground plane, but it 1) greatly added to the cost of production and 2) really didn't work. They're super for mobile or base station use, but not HT use, unfortunately. Thnx!
I recently bought a Baofeng BF-S5plus
It's a tri bander 70cm 1.25m 2m handheld. I can't find an owners manual download for this rig. Anyone know of one?
As well as a couple of UV-5Rs, I have a UV-82 which seems to have a much better speaker than the UV-5Rs.
Good enough for govt work. Seems like the uv5R is the budget winner
My first radio was a BF-F8HP that I had an extended bat and a telescopic 771 antenna on it. Forgot I put it on the roof of my car one day, realized what happened when I heard it fly off the car going 70mph on the interstate.
Uv5r, uv8hp and ft5r here. The Yaesu ft5r is so clear without the static of the baofengs that actual performance comes second to understanding what is coming over.
I have an older uv5r that I Carry on the farm. I have a ham neighbor that has told me on a couple occasions that it sounds better than my yaesu.
Thank you for the work you put into all your videos.
What ever happened to the hype about the UV-5R being illegal in USA, don't use them you'll get in trouble?
Have a great day
I like to see a test on the baofeng uv53.. using this radio people have said my audio is worse when i use the cig lighter compare to when run from the stock battery that came with it.
Would you also do a similar test of some Wouxun and Anytone radios?