Baofeng BF-T1 V BF- 888s Review and real life range tests
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ส.ค. 2024
- Is a £10 Baofeng radio usable as a PMR. In this test we put the tiny Baofeng T1 against the Baofeng 888s. Tested on the 446 Mhz PMR band.
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I think the audio on the 888s is much stronger which is prob due to the extra transmit power and longer antenna. The PLUS model has a slightly longer antenna so it will be interesting to do some testing between that and the standard 888s.
fredintheshed1 hi, i just purchased the baofeng bf888s plus, and i want to pair the frequency with my baofeng bf888s, can you help me with the frequencies list of the baofeng bf888s plus and software for it...
Thx before...
You need CHIRP software. chirp.danplanet.com/projects/chirp/wiki/Home
Then if you want legal PMR freq's cut and paste them into CHIRP and save. Bit of a learning curve but ok if you read up. Look on TH-cam for Chirp "how to" guides. Freq's are here (not digital). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PMR446
I know this is an old comment so you may have already figured this out but the 888s and the 888s+ are identical internally, the only differences are cosmetic. The volume pot and channel selector are cheaper feeling. The belt clip is inferior and the batteries are more expensive and harder to find. The antenna is slightly longer but that is only the plastic casing. The coil antenna is exactly the same length. And speaking of antennas, you cant use after market antennas like nagoya without modifying the radio case. It's a common thing to see with products coming from China. They make you think you are getting a better product when in reality you are getting a more expensive, more limited one.
Nvm I just found your comparison video, and you figured out most of it.
Finally a more realistic BF-T1 video. I got two of the T1 as well and I got about 500m out of it. Beyond 500m talking will be impossible. I removed the flashlight and mounted a SMA adapter where the flash light was. With a 16cm antenna I now get 1000m range on the T1.
Great little film, thanks Fred
last year in Switzerland on the shankara festival I was able to get ~3.2KM (mainstage to caravan parking, ~30minutes of walk) with the BF-T1 🤯 had to hold the squelch open though..
You made a great job of this one Fred the 888 deffo has the edge over the T-1 performance wise but I like the display and love the way the scan feature works on the T-1. The T-1 is ideal for keeping in touch at radio rally's and similar events where it can b noisy. Really good video mate well done.
Cheers Gary. Also the small palm size of the T1 is a great feature. It will do 400 meters no problem which as you say is ideal when your mate goes to the bar at an event and they have run out of your fav beer.
May i know,how to use the scan feature, because i tried but failed to scan, please advise!
It would be highly interesting to see how the T1 compares to the similar sized Retevis RT22/WLN KD-C1 since these radios are far more convenient for daily carry on holiday or hiking/mountainbiking applications.
I just bought a t1 on ebay, and the seller programmed it for me for free. It was only £12 as well, cheapest I could find outside of China
Yea man same seller called rugby lol got mine other day lol
The 3rd range test on the BF-888S was very clear compared to the tiny radio.
field test 11:08
Thanks!
Thanks! Big help!
Another great video, thanks. I am still getting my head around the price of these things, I remember spending more than that on just batteries for my CB handhelds back in the day. Actually I'd love to see a Baofeng CB handheld, can't imagine it happening though.
I know Matt they seem to be just getting cheaper and actually work pretty well.
Hi Fred, I buy 4 unit of BF-T1 today. I am excited to test it when it arrive. I think the battery plays a big part on the signal, so I suggest to test it if the type of batteries matters.
Not sure if there are any other type of battery available other than the one supplied with the radio.
Thank you!
I have same mini radio, Baofeng T1...and we have also a simplex repeater (output appr. 2W). . Distance in town between repeater and this little radio almost 4km, and work well. This radio can listen 2 meter, but short distance ( for example 2m duplex repeater appr. 1-3km in town).
I believe if you retrofit a proper vhf antenna, you can reach much further with this one. harmonics would be pretty terrible though so you may as well need a low pass filter
Good hand held Fred mark from loughbrough Leicestershire ct2674
Great vid! Have you ever tested a 5 cm antenna (I think it is called the SRH805S) on the 888?
Just brought 4 of the 888’s off Wish for really silly money - mind you hand to wait a few weeks for delivery.
I am however blown away with their range and audio quality. Mine were advertised as 5watts. CT2842
Reckon you could get 3 miles out of them?
Nice vid you earned a sub road to 10 k
Thanks
No prop
I’d really like to see a range test between one of these cheap radios and something like a Motorola XT420.
So, for the audio test the experts tell us microphone technique is everything. One is supposed to speak across the HT mic about an inch from the face, at least that's the advice in North America. It's inconvenient but the sound quality is better because the small phonemes can be picked up. For studio work you have different mics with their own approaches.
Watch this after 2 years I'm late...I like when you say nagola instead of Nagoya😊
Hi Fred I got three beafung uv5r foot radio good video Fred Mark Frome loughbrough Leicestershire thanks Fred ct2674
If less than £20 is too much to stump up for a UV-5R, there's not much point in getting into radio!
I bought two 888 for £16!!! Dirt cheap..both came with the same frequencys programed, good little radio for fun or for the kids to play with. Fred can the frequency programmed by the key pad on the T1!? Or is a PC required.. Good video
Hi mate. The T1 is pure PC programming.
Good video Fred was thinking of getting some of the 888s radios at some point how easy are they to program for pmr and how many pmr channels are there that can be used in the UK? I have an old Motarola TA 200 & a Binitone GPMR116 with 8 channels.at moment
I used CHIRP to program the 888. I copied and pasted the PMR freqs from the T1. You can program a max of 16 channels on the 888s.
@@CB-RADIO-UK and if you leave ch 16 blank, it acts as a scanner for the other 15, quite a neat function and worth losing a channel
Enjoyed the video Fred. I have 3 of the BF-888s and prefer them over all the rest for audio quality.
Hi Joel. I was impressed by the mic gain on the 888s. I was prob talking too close to the radio as they are very loud.
Great video. What about the battery and the test was betwen two radios or betwen a radio and a antena? Saludos 🇲🇽
The T1 sounds perfect for PMR frequencies then due to its lower range if you don't have a license? Going to be close to 0.5w equiv coverage in real terms with that small aerial even though it's 'supposed' to be a 1w...
Sounded like you said trouble I and 21 ! Had to put on the subtitles or read below to find out what you were talking about !
U sounds like an Avomance, minecraft guys who's got his own channel on YT. So similar voice :) Anyway, thanks for great review.
Cheers. I always like Yogcasts Minecraft channel.
I have tsame radio and the same video of range... God bless
Please review baofeng bf-t1 vs bf-t1 pro (t1 pro
Triple 8 seems stronger more robust. Great video Fred. Art
Thanks Art.
Purchased two T1's to use as a scanners. After about a month of being plugged in and operating nonstop they fail. They each lasted about a month or so and stopped charging. Would love to get a few more just can't use them nonstop or rely as a survival radio
one of mine sometimes failing to turn on after charging, if I remove the battery for a second, it gets back to work.
btw a Much better scanner would be an rtl-sdr. just saying..
Hi! I live in a big village and we plan to use this to communicate with other neighbors.
If say we attach an very large antenna to the BF-888s, can this have an effective range of 3 or more kilometers?
We are thinking of antennas that can be mounted on the roof of our houses.
Portability (or the lack of it) will not be an issue anymore
In theory with a base station antenna 3 KM is possible. I am not sure if it will be reliable for quality comm. CB might be better
@@CB-RADIO-UK I tried raising the stock antenna 10 meters higher (on a tree) with an SMA extension wire and the signal became worse.
@@lethaldriver Prob threw out the SWR. CB would be better.
Replying to antennas that can be put atop of houses, maybe building a 1/4 groundplane might go. HEHE 73's
I saw some rubber coverings of what looks like an earpiece adapter. Does that use a standard Kenwood plug?
Yes on the 888's but no on the T1.
I don't like the 888's because it is so easy to bump the channel knob and be on the wrong frequency and not know it. this happened to me several times using it on a job. It is nice to have a display to see what frequency your on.
when are gonna do your next Geicko commercial?
LOL. We dont get the Geicko here in the UK but ive had loads of comments about the little devil. Cheers Bryan. :-)
Ahhhhhh, yes you did....
Lol, it's true
Pleasant speaking voice thogh
Hi Fred. Have you tested the range on the UV5 R on 446 Freq. ? If so where the vid mate. Ive looked but can't find it in your vids.
Hi Mark. i dont think i ever range tested the UV5R as i used it as the receiving radio. Sorry bud.
I'll keep my eye out for it if you decide to make one. Hint hint.
@@Roadshome I might do some updating on 446 stuff in the summer as there are a few new radios out. The UV5R will have a good range prob better than a 888. :-)
without obstacles....
D=K*(√ht+√hr)
K (baofeng uv5r + antenna rh901s)=2.57
D=distance (km)
ht = altitude transmitter (m)
hr = altitude receiver (m)
noise (QRM) can limit the distance.
K(baofeng 888s original antenna) = 2.25
Great radios, would you suggest using BFT1 interiorly in a shop of 80 square meters size with two roms for comunicating with each other employees? Thanks
It should handle that no problem.
Thanks for your help! in that case if i'm not mistaken i should program with pc each 6 units before i use them right?
Yes you should program them to the 8 or 16 legal 446 Mhz PMR band. If you use the freqs supplied your well off band and ilegal.
th-cam.com/video/FPYzKNCW4S8/w-d-xo.html
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PMR446
Few range difference. The 888 have a 1/4 wave antenna and more power. PY1 HP.
I have a Baofeng T1 radio, I restored it from the factory. my problem is to reset and when I use the softweare and the usb cable I give it either on the screen control + R or control + W it shows me 00 666.666 I do it with the up and down arrow and it does not show me the 16 or 19 or 20 frequencies it should have. What am I doing wrong or what am I missing?
great little radios I bought two uv-5r delivered £19 one for me and one for Doreen the [wife] and two Nagoya antennas 18 inch antenna for £15 and when she is walking sit in the car as can not walk to far and we keep in touch mined there both 5w and on chan 1 pmr great radios
The UV5R is still the best buy. Cheers
I am looking at getting either a walkie-talkie or radio but I wasn't sure what would be best. I don't want to have to get a licence for the radio itself I was looking at the baofeng BF-T1 mini the
BF888s and the uv-5r which do you recommend would be the best? Only really want to be able to transmit maybe 5mile at max?
The UV5R is the best radio. You cannot beat its value. None of the radios are type approved though. Also there a loads of Baofeng fakes on ebay and Amazon so buy carefully and read feedback / reviews etc.
I want to pair baofeng bf888s and baofeng bf t1, can you help to fix it?
What is the difference between the T1 vs. something like the Midland - LXT630VP3, 36 Channel FRS Two-Way Radio - Up to 30 Mile Range Walkie Talkie, 121 Privacy Codes, NOAA Weather Scan + Alert (Pair Pack)? I would just use either one to communicate up to 3 miles in a suburban area. Like from my home to say the grocery store about 2 or 3 miles away.
Cant say about the midland radio but the T1 in a suburban built up area is prob around only 1/2 miles tops in very good conditions.
Does the bft 1 handsfree are capable of being microphone apart from the handsfree operation? Thanks
Hi. Sorry i was unable to test my hands free earpiece as there was a connection break in the wire.
fredintheshed1 oh i see. No wories though ill find the solution
Hi Fred. My daughter does horseriding - if I bought two T1s and plugged the earphones into them, would we be able to speak to each other as she rides around the Horse Arena, (using VOX as she wouldn't be able to PTT as she is riding)? I only need a range of 100m, in direct line of sight.
There are some Two-Way comms units out there especially aimed at the Horse Training market that use Bluetooth, and I believe the quality is crystal clear and they are full duplex, but the prices are £150+ so out of my range (no pun intended...)
Any advise would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
100 m line of site is no problem for either radio. The larger 888 can use a range of Kenwood earpieces which are very cheap on ebay. The smaller T1 uses a different connection so iam not sure. The one supplied with mine did not work.
Thx @@CB-RADIO-UK I like the idea of a small unit, but the 888 is tried and tested (and roughly the same price) I think I'll go for that! Cheers.
Fred, the headset/mic aren't voice activated. As my daughter will be riding her horse,she won't be able to take her hands off the reins to press a button to talk. Do you know of any products that are fully hands free? The one that a lot of horsey folk use is the CeeCoach Duo, but it is £200! Both the rider and Coach can talk to each other without pressing buttons, which is what we need. Thank you.
You need to look for a radio with a "VOX" function which allows voice active comm. Have a look at a Baofeng UV5R which has this feature.
Thanks@@CB-RADIO-UK!
888s will work in vhf also use bf888 software from micklor
nagasai nath hey man, does bf-888s come with vox function? If yes, can you tell me how to use vox on bf 888s?
888s work not good at urban area.. too sad .. it signal only long at 450meters ..
@SilverStone XAdvanced ,buying antenna or modify from VHF to UHF which is best choice ?
How can the 888s change to vhf? It beeps when I go to the modified channel
Hi ya Fred I thought you could use these radios right out of the box?
Well they will work but they are programmed with all sorts of add test freq and most illegal.
I'm lookinh for 888 vs uv5r for use indoor only. 4 storey building. Which would u suggest?
UV5R has more power so indoor use i would go for that.
Have you ever tried the baofeng on narrowband to see if it increases the range kind of like sideband I haven't had a chance to test that yet didn't realize they did that but I'm thinking the range will be a little bit better
I think by default its FM narrow. Not tried it though.
@@CB-RADIO-UK tha default setting on my uv5r radios are wide band you have to go in and switch it to narrow makes me wonder if narrowband would get out farther kind of like sideband CB
Would you recommend the T1 in like an urban environment? With lots of tall buildings?
Only if the distance is not too far. Prob max 300 meters.
fredintheshed1 thanks for the reply. Too bad I cant buy one of these. Thru a bit of research I found out. I would actually need to get a License to use one of these in my country. 😭
Will the baofeng BF-T1 scan, the book says press and hold the light button, no scan function for me. I have 2 of these and both won't scan, whats wrong?
It needs to be activated in the software. I think there is a tick box.
I have these 2 radios. I know nothing about them but I need them to communicate with each other. I don't have the programming cable. Can you help me?
You can only program these radios with a USB cable. Chirp is a free program which works well.
If I was to go and stand on a flyover and talk would I be able to talk to someone who I don't know ( like CB) or will it only work with a like radio. When people ( you included) do these tests they do a range test but not a test to other uses
Hi. Its an open band radio so you could talk to many people all on the same channel. Some areas run PMR nets or groups. Sadly not near me.
hi there, would like to ask if let say I get 6 of these, if one speaks, can the other 5 of them hear?
and als can we use a british charger for this
Hi Yes if all radios are tuned to the same frequency. Best thing would be to program all radios with the 446 PMR channels and then they would all be the same.
fredintheshed1 hey! Can we also use a British charger for it too?
Hello I need some advice please, if I want to use a radio to be used from upstairs to downstairs in a house to aid a disabled relative who can not shout if need anything would you suggest using this radio as the price is £20 for 2 which is good, also would I need to program them just to talk between each other? It would only be like to signal need help to get up to the bathroom or to bring a drink up etc. Please someone reply
Hi. The Baofeng 888 radios would be fine and work well. If you are not going to use them outside the house then you prob do not need to reprogramme a matched pair (bought at the same time). However programming the radios is very easy with a computer and Baofeng connection lead using a free program called CHIRP. The 888 radios program without a problem. My latest video briefly covers Chirp programming. I will add the link video below. Good luck Fred.
Re-programming Baofengs. th-cam.com/video/rt5rdMw0yWs/w-d-xo.html
Fred in the Shed thanks Fred that’s really helped 😃keep up good work mate 👍
@@86Smally Anytime
which is better BF-777S or BF-C1?
Hi, if I brought one the T1s living in the uk would I need a licence or something? Just to get into a hobby?
Hi. You can buy these radios without a license although they are not type approved for use on the PMR 446 Mhz band in the UK. If you intend to transmit on any of the HAM radio freqs you will need a licence.
@@CB-RADIO-UK thank you what about the 888s? I'm thinking of getting them
888s pretty good for price
But if we use a external antenna for one of theme i think he will works good..what you think??????
An external antenna on the 888 would work well.
@@CB-RADIO-UK Thank you for you're answer.. Can you give me you're gmail..... If you don't this my gmail send me messege to talk to you
aitbouchouireda@gmail.com
Please I need yor help to . I need walkie talkies for cruise ship with my family which model you recommend me .thank you
I would say stick to legal good quality 446 Mhz radios. Problem with using Baofengs is that they are not legal and come programmed with freq which could interfere with Ship comms. Its not worth upsetting the holiday. Some thing like the Motorola TLKR T92 would be a good choice.
Do I need to program these radios or can they just work out of the box? What's with all the programming?
Yes you must program these radios if you want to use them as walkie talkies. They come with random test freqs programmed and you could end up in trouble using them .
Slap a Nagoya 771G on that 888s and you'll be real happy
Tests like this only show the transmit side of things, who's saying the radio can still receive at the same range it is able to transmit? A BF-T1+ BF-T1 vs. BF-888 + BF-888 pair comparison would simulate a real world scenario where two of these are used as pairs
Yes that would be a good test. At the moment its just me doing the videos so there going to be one way iam afraid.
fredintheshed1 It's not only you - all these "radio guys" on youtube are doing this which is a bit odd. Don't you have a friend who can take the second radio for a real world two way test? If I was a geek like you I'd test it the right way!
Yes ive been thinking of doing a video with a radio guy for a while now. Its just logistics. My day off / his day off need to sync etc.
I am using it on vhf
De~VU3JVW
What the T1 ?
I want to know about baofeng bf888s is it need to use license? Cause here my country they not aloud send from China to thailand
Depends on the country. Here they are not approved for PMR 446 Mhz use.
@@CB-RADIO-UK so is that not OK with 400-470mhz?
If using for airsoft and camping is it no problem?
If you use on the 2 meter band you need a licence. Most use on the 446 Mhz PMR band although they are not legal.
But here they see this brand have guilty for using not for Thailand here big problem is here
my bf t1 cant recieve from my uv 5r..what should i do?
Check that they are both programmed to the same frequency.
Hi can you listen to aviation on this scanner please
No sorry. Aircraft band is up around the 130 Mhz AM. These radios wont tune to that freq.
Is it necessary to program them?
You should really. You dont know what freqs they are programmed with.
@@CB-RADIO-UK The listing says Frequency Range UHF 400-470MHz and the seller has got a chart saying factory frequency
Shouldn't the receiver Baofeng been set to NFM?
Not sure if it needs to be on narrow or not. seems to work ok on the default.
@@CB-RADIO-UK Okay. All I know is that you get better signal to noise ratio on the receiver if it's set to narrow band. And PMR channels should be set to narrow band. Good video!
just brought myself a quad pack of the BF-888s for £1.00 on wish. yes £1.00. I never owned any of these radios. I wanted some more professional and better quality radios I only got bubble pack and box pack cheap/ expensive mid/low range PMR radios. I wanted them as they look like business/ security type radios.
£1 each is just crazy if they work even if they are fake. The Olywiz radio ive just reviewed is of better quality.
Did they arrived tho?
Hello is it legal to use the 888s in prm?
Hi. No its got a remove antenna
But what if I just want to use it as a walkie talkie with my wife, do I still need to program it? I dont want or care about the rest. I just want a Good walkie talkie with Good clear range , may I ask?
Yes you will need to program the radios. If your looking for a basic radio for local com you might be best looking at legal 446 PMR radios.
@@CB-RADIO-UK I dont know what that is, its all double Dutch to me lol but thanks for the reply. Im in the Philippines by the way : )
Need a few walkie talkies for a cruise for a family vacation. You think the T1 would work?
I would say yes for short range. A UV5R would be better for longer range. Either way you would just need to make sure they were re programmed for PMR 446 freqs as not interfere with ships comm.
fredintheshed1
That is a great point. Thank you!
Sounded like you said 21 and trouble I
What is it, feng, fang or fung?
Iam going with feng.
i c chirp work for just like i say on fb to you :)
Yes thanks for that. it was very easy to use and worked a treat.
your welcome mate normaly you know more then atleast about cb radio (Y)
what is the mile range on the smaller one?
Less than a mile unless in the open on high ground.
Do I need a license to use this walkie talkie radio
No as theywork on the 446 MHZ PMR band which is not a HAM band. You do need to program them to the 446 band however before you can use them. Also they are not UK legal as the transmit too much power. But everyone uses them.
fredintheshed1 yes you need a driver licence hahaha are you kidding??everybody can use gun walkie talkie !!
Ok i just bought 4 of these and a cable . Wont even pass across 4 suburban low rise streets and a school oval .06 of a km away. Waste of time and money. Buckets with holes might cost 50 cents but still pretty useless. I can shout as far as this works, which is to the end of my very short street lol.
There a re a lot of fake Baofengs on ebay. I bought a 888's
@@CB-RADIO-UK mine all have orange lanyards should i try to get a refund ? other than that and the small cutout inside to fit the battery connection propperly without pinching the wire they look identical.
Its really hard to prove fake radios as the fakes are very good. If your not happy with performance then just start a Ebay return claim. A good seller will be ok with that.
@@CB-RADIO-UK Thanks for that advice, i think i will because its just not doing anything close to what i expected. .6 of a kilometer as the crow flies didnt seem an unreasonable expectation from the reviews ive seen on youtube for it.
Cheap as Chips Fun...
What the best hand held radio for doomday license free dont want a cheep one
Iam not sure what a doomday license is. If you want a high quality radio on the same band check out. Yaesu FT-65E VHF/UHF 2m/70cm
Ww3 lol i get in to
0.5 WATT PMR FREE SPACE HAVE LONGER RANGE THEN ALL THREE OF THIS.
How do you enter scan mode on the Baofeng 588 ?
You will need to set the scan option in the software. Then when you set the channel selector to channel 16 drop the squelch it will begin scanning. On channel 16, Press and Hold the PTT and MONI buttons while switching ON the transceiver to turn the Scanning ON or OFF.
From the manual.
SCANNING
Scanning is used for hands off monitoring of your favorite frequencies. When the transceiver options are set to SCAN (via software), setting the channel selector to channel 16 directs the radio to scan the selected channels from 1-16.
1. Transceiver stops scanning when a signal is detected and continues when signal is gone.
2. If there are less than 2 channels, it cannot scan. (Go figure)
3. On channel 16, Press and Hold the PTT and MONI buttons while switching ON the transceiver to turn the Scanning ON or OFF.
4. If FM Radio function is activated via software, the radio will not scan. Note: There is no actual FM Radio function in this radio, so this option should always remain deactivated in software.
i have the 888 and i can get up to 2 miles
Does your 888s is at vhf or uhf frequency range ?
Can conek to bf 888s
Connect ?
Ok i to bay tank
Aha
Buy a Midland, alinco, erc and the audio is loud. Buy a Baofeng and the audio is very low.
Ami burst pop mopi 089 up 0pm😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😃😃🌚🌚
t1 sucks.. 1/4 mile max
In a built up area. You will get more out in the open but it has a small antenna.
At that range you can fly a paper airplane with a written message
I hit repeaters 60+ miles away with bf888s
Thank you!