Yes the Baofeng is a very inexpensive radio and quality can be an issue but and yes range can be an issue but if you use them for short range situations there are very few other options that for the cost can compare. A few hundred dollars buys a lot of these HT's, use them for what they are and nothing more but given the choice it is far better to have something than nothing.
@@wetnoodle1 You must have some very favorable landscape and a lot of line of sight to be blessed with 8 miles, Are you using the factory antennas or an external?
As a respectful counterpoint I just bought a Baofeng UV-5R+ as I'd been idly surfing the internet and randomly stumbled across 'radio' as an interesting topic and then saw how incredibly cheap Baofengs were - and this particular model was the "entry level" device which seemed to have a lot of support. A safe starting point. I bought it completely on a whim, and then it turned up the next day from Amazon. My expectations were absolutely zero and I just considered it a new toy to play with. When it turned up, I was actually quite impressed (especially for the price). Everything you could want was in the box, seemed well screwed together, and I had a working radio to find out about. So having a new toy, and realizing I should probably do a bit of research before hitting all the buttons, I started googling. I've seen videos talking me through how to use the device, I've learnt about "relays", I've learnt how to pass an exam to allow broadcast - whole new world I was unaware of has now appeared. I don't for a moment think my UV-5R+ is a "good" radio - but I think it's an unbeatable "first" radio. You need to have something in your hand as a reference - and then from this, you can justify buying something better (more frequencies, faster scanning, less-hateful UI, more power, more accuracy etc etc).
Two reasons: first off‚ spurious emissions is a sign that your radio is not operating at its best‚ affecting its overall range and performance. 2nd‚ a dirty signal affects other nearby radio services which degrades everyones ability to communicate.
@@KB9VBRAntennas Yeah, but if there's huge chunks of turds hitting massive fans, I could give a frenchmans you-know-what, about everyone else and their signal purity (having said that, I'll have my Yaesu with me)
I bought 2 Baofeng radios 6 years ago. The batteries and radios still work great all these years later. The batteries hold a charge for an extremely long time. The NOAA weather and Emergency Bands are really helpful. The radios did serve my family and I well during our evacuation of two hurricanes in 2016. Maybe it's not a good everyday radio but, to say that they're not good at all for SHTF isn't completely true. Even if the radios are as bad as you say, you still have a basic walkie-talkie, flashlight, NOAA weather radio, and a police scanner. All things one should have in an emergency. Save up for the best you can afford but, anything is better than nothing. Baofengs are also great entry level platforms for people interested in learning more about ham radio.
It's true enough if the ARRL is paid off from Icom, Kenwood and Yaesu. Of COURSE qst magazine would crap on Baofengs. Yeah..some suck.. a lot... but some don't. My toughest radio was a BF F9 +. I had a Yaesu.VX5r that my dad.. n0zfv got me as my first radio. I loved the hell out of that rig... but one drop killed it.
Getting a BF was an inexpensive way to get started after I got my Technician License a few years back. Also, our various CERT groups put together to a list via the Chirp program for area repeaters for area repeaters & used frequencies on 2m & 70cm, assigning channels on the BF. Because we have been practicing a lot that channel list has been refined a lot (about once ever 6 months), and operators have learned about radio limitations of their BFs. I think only now am I comfortable enough to look at other radios. 2020 is the year I am looking to upgrade my license to General, figure out digital (packet radio) & get better at the antenna side of things.
I'll just address the out of band aspect of a Baofeng in a SHTF situation. The point isn't the ability to transmit, it's the ability to *RECEIVE* police/fire/EMS/etc transmissions. Also, the cost factor means you can have one for the entire family to communicate in an emergency. And, properly programmed for power, you can use legal, licence-free frequencies. You can also program NOAA weather radio frequencies. So, again, in a SHTF situation, you're not going to find anything better at $25 a pop. This kind of video is a clear example of FUD/FUDD thinking.
Nothing he said was wrong- some aren’t really relevant like the spurious emissions, but they’re not going to be able to talk very long ranges without repeaters and their signal rejection is pretty bad. That might not be an issue in SHTF if the grid is down, the noise floor will drop quite a bit. But there are no frequencies that you can use with a Baofeng without a license, the radio has to be type accepted for the service. Not saying I care if you use a Baofeng on FRS, but just know it’s not legal.
@@tylerdean980 Sorry to bust your bubble, but 12 year old Airsofters have been using the UV-5R for years without the FCC coming along saying "Freeze put the radio on the deck and step back.", No one gives a rats ass in a real SHTF situation. It's not illegal because the FCC rules & Regulations are not laws, they are Rules & Regulations (Which by the way state that you can use ANY radio or frequency during an emergency to protect life and property),
@@paulrotledge9276 Like I said, I don't care what you do with a radio, but don't lie to people and tell them what they're doing is legal. If you're a prepper then you should have a radio that's better than a baofeng, that's just a fact. It's not the price, it's the capability, the range. If all you need is really close range, then that's fine, but you would be served much better by a mobile with a decent antenna. Most of the people who sing the praises of the baofengs are going to find themselves in deep trouble when infrastructure is down and there are no repeaters, and they can only communicate a few miles.
@@tylerdean980 Wait did I miss something, we where not talking about mobiles, we where talking about HTs. If all things are the same a Baofeng UV-5R and a Yaesu VX-5r have the same range, except the Yaesu cost 5x more and is less capable because it can not transmit out of band. Also the purpose of an HT is to transmit not just to listen: If I just wanted to listen I can use SDR (software define radio) for 30 buck and any computer.
@@tylerdean980 Sorry to say no one gives a SHT if it's illegal. During an emergency anyone can use any radio to communicate according to the FCC. Also 12 year old airsofters have been using them without a license for years.
They're just fine, wow, what a wealth of bad information. I have used a uv5re for over 7 years and its still working just fine, no problems, not once, great battery life, no issues. Some ppl just can't stand it that there is an affordable unit on the market that works just fine and its not a name brand, and the brand boys get upset. Don't waste big money on a fm handy........
I have no problem with Baofeng radios for every day use. They are what they are: an inexpensive handheld that gets you on the air. But as I see a higher reliance on them for emergency communications‚ their limitations become more evident.
@@KB9VBRAntennas agreed, I like yourself don't see the need for all the other frequency access, but meh, it is what it is. Btw Mike in an unrelated note, I absoulty love the 2m copper slim-jim I got from you, thank you for making a quality product that does what it's suppose to.
I have two uv5r's both over 7 years old and I love them and both have been reliable so far. Very versatile with the wide set of frequencies the radio can operate on and just over all handy. For the price it's a great tool and shouldn't be overlooked.
Hmmm... Well now, uh... nonsense! Sorry, not trying to offend, but the Baofeng's of the last 2 years or so, are much higher quality than the originals. A lot of the naysayers are like the Tesla haters. Again, they HAD quality issues, I think most are corrected. You have some valid points, but respectfully, others are way off or not completely thought through! I can talk radio to radio (no repeater) on my UV-5R for at least 7 miles to my friend also on a Baofeng. Neither of us use the stock antenna, both are Nagoya 771's. You want regional, or DX? On our local repeater (battery & solar backed up) I can talk all over the Tucson area, around mountains, etc. Good repeater placement. The main repeater I use is 65 miles from my house! Outside I can use the Nagoya, or inside I hook it up to my Cushcraft AR-270B (pre-MFJ) & get full quieting. DX? While I don't yet have my Sat. Ant. Setup yet, I have a fellow club member friend who talks over AO-91/92 & SO-50 using his UV-5R & Arrow Sat. Ant. - are Seattle, L.A., Dallas from Tucson not far enough for you all? Short range? Ok, power down, in a SHTF situation, you don't want huge range to tip off the hoards! By the same survival strategy, using a digital mode gives at least some degree of privacy with those not equipped to receive it. Back to Baofeng, the wideband receiver allows monitoring of those FRS/GMRS & other important freqs., like weather, etc. even local news channels using business bands before they get it on the news! Cost! Cost! Cost! You can equip a whole 5 or 6 person family (with licenses) for less than the cost of 1 Kenwood, Icom or Yaesu! Batteries are cheaper as are accessories. Finally, take a cheap Baofeng, put it in a sealed metal box, protect it from Coronal Mass Ejections from the Sun or EMP... Your expensive mobile rig will be dead (uh, so will your vehicle)! I'll be communicating on a $30 radio! While driving a pre-electronic truck. Hmmm... nope, one more point, even if you have an expensive, great 10W HT or 50-100W mobile, that $30 Baofeng still makes a great backup. And as we all know from Field Day experience, carry 2 of everything! Be prepared!
You make some good points but without the repeaters your handheld communications will be quite limited. Satellite communications may be a viable option in a disaster; although their short window of operation may limit how much information you can pass.
@@KB9VBRAntennas you are correct Michael and thanks. Fortunately, our repeaters are pretty new & stout, and as I indicated, solar & generator backed up. Right about the short Sat. window too. But I think 5 to 9 min. would be enough time to yell 'help'! :) 73 - John
I was working out in NM and had the pleasure of using my Baofeng on their Megalink system. 37 repeaters reaching into 7 states. All from a $25 Chinese radio! Cheers KX4IG
Some of the worst signals I've ever seen on the air are from baofeng hooked up to large base station antennas and even worse yet is when people hook him up to a hundred watt amplifiers oh, nice things splatter the entire VHF and UHF bands with spurious emissions, but then again people interested in shtf aren't really interested in ham radio or technology, these are the same type of people who have no problem dumping their trash out on the side of the road. Because when you use a baofeng that's pretty much what you're doing dumping out garbage all over the VHF UHF band raising the noise floor and interfering with other people's communication. How do you say never even allowed into the United States boggles the mind.
I think 1-2 miles for a Baofeng UV-5R....is probably low-balling it a bit. With the stock antenna (in a coastal, semi-forested area), on High Power at only 10ft of elevation (about 2 miles inland), I regularly get 5-6 miles before transmissions become unintelligible.
Just bought mine for 25$. The choice was between a UV5R or no radio at all. I don't intend too use it but it's a great safety backup on fishing trips. I don't care about spectral accuracy or whatnot, I just want someone to hear me on 156.8 if I ever need to make a MAYDAY on PANPAN call. For the price I can't go wrong.
I think Baofeng is a good radio for prepping because of the versatility of the Baofeng. 1 if you have the BF-F8HP it uses the UV5R battery you can get use any accessories that have the two pin connector. I of course buy mine from BTech. I’m happy with mine . Of course availability of the of the Baofeng is everywhere.
While I can agree with you regarding the poor build qualities of the baofeng radios. I completely disagree with you regarding the usefulness of a HT radio in a grid down scenario. I have seen people with a HT and a quality antenna setup make contacts at 50 miles on 2m simplex. Also in such a scenario local comms are going to be a much more common and frequent act then having the reach out many miles to speak to other communities.
I keep three radios in my bugout bag. They're the Baofeng BF-H7s, and I don't plan to use them explicitly to communicate with people I don't know, but with people I do know and who are fellow-travelers. I expect to use them with fellow-travelers because if one is isolated, one doesn't necessarily want to make one's location known. This is to say, it might not be prudent in a situation where resources are extremely limited. And just as they most likely aren't going to want me knowing what goodies _they_ have, I sure as hell don't want them to know what _I_ have. The Baofeng H7s & 82HPs (9W & 7W respectively) are perfect for discretion and reconnaissance. And they have lower power settings to ensure discretion.
If it gets that bad I don't think any hand held is going to be the answer if the internet is down along with repeaters. That said I have both cheap Baofeng's and Japanese handhelds by the 3 big manufacturers. as far as hitting repeaters the cheaper Chinese radio hits them as well as the other 3 with a full quieting signal with clarity that is as good as my other 3 handhelds. Again if you are going to be doing simplex in an emergency situation none of my handhelds is going to be much better than my 5 watt GMRS handhelds.
Most people don't have a General license, so HF is out of the question for most preppers. The UV5R can be programmed and understood in a few hours for basic simplex and repeaters. To listen to other parts of the state or country get a Shortwave radio with SSB.
I disagree.. Broadcasting on police and fire, GMRS, FRS, MURS, etc is certainly worth a try in an emergency. Its not like its any heavier to include those frequencies into your programming and the Fcc allows u to broadcast on any available band in an emergency. With repeaters growing all the time (many of them on solar power) low wattage is usually not a big concern . Ive talked up to 8000 miles away using the win system and more than 20 miles from handheld to handheld using a 7 watt baofeng. That's certainly worth packing in my go bag and for the $30 what else could compare for communicating?
MRUS and GMRS are used in shelters may make these radios usefulish. My packed up radio is an Icom 706 mkII in a Pelican case is the radio a powersupply a voltage booster, an auto tuner and a 100 ft dipole and coax with a cable for a 12 volt battery.
Got me a baofeng 8w 2band . just for a rally . stay in contact with others that have one . got the telescopic antenna . easy to recharge . also my city still using analog so i get fire police . and weather . flash light . fm music radio. Just nice little transceiver . for close by communication . like the Virginia gun rally . i think the 2m band i read was the best though for a rally .
If it is truly a SHTF scenario, spectral purity, type-acceptance for a given freq-band and FCC legality would not be a priority or concern. They are cheap, they work just fine for close operations (local security/patrols, around the farm, etc) and you don't need the MARS mod to get non-ham freq access. Right out of the box, they will work on ham VHF/UHF bands, FRS, GMRS, MURS, Business band, etc. They are notorious for having a weak receiver, hence why reasonable preppers rely on them for VERY local simplex work only.
@@danielwiggins3747 Depending on terrain, simplex to simplex with a base station antenna, a 50 watt dual-band mobile with no significant propagation impediments (mountains, concrete/steel jungles, etc). Might also work with a car antenna in the right conditions. Hand-held radios would not work reliably, if at all. You could also try HF with an NVIS antenna, but you won't be walking around with it.
The little Baofeng Uv-5r served me fine during power outages and during the AT and T Nashville bombing during Christmas last year. It worked great on local repeaters and the MTEARS during that situation with no issues. I'm sure there is better HT's But I love mine and as the old saying goes it was better than nothing. 73's all KO4HPC :)
Baofeng is the Harbor Freight of radio's I just picked up a new UV5R on Amazon for $20.50 with free shipping, wohoo!! It looks nice beside the FT60. Sure is a lot smaller than I was anticipating! Fun lil rig, great to have in the range bag. "I'd rather hit with a .22 than miss with a .45"
A look at the concept from a little different angle... If we as a country or region experience some type of SHTF, I myself may not be interested in communicating with someone 100's or 1,000's of miles away, but someone within my group hundred's of yards away watching a perimeter... Granted a more durable radio, but from the same family might be the Baofeng GT-3WP, which is slightly more rugged and waterproof, would be more toward a true outdoor radio... As you look at most of the HAM radio's that you usually consider for outdoor use, how many of them can handle the rain, snow, and abuse of a compromised environment...? I have and use the Yaesu-VX6R which also has some benefits for field operations...( rugged and waterproof) Although not secure, sometimes the limitation of the signal is a lower graded of security for those in closer distances... The Vx-6R can transmit on 440, 2 meter, 220 and if unlocked transmit on 6 meters for very short distances... So distance is not always King for SHTF, but flexibility may also have it's place in this type of application... Either way the Baofeng may have a place on the list of things that can help in some situations... Besides if you find yourself fighting for your life those little handhelds in the hands of the right person just might save your skin... Just my take...
You get what you pay for and the do work as discribed. You could also ask your self if the big brands are really worth their money or do you pay just for the logo. If a small Chinese company cab make a profit on a radio for under 20 USD what would the profit be for the main brands?
Living in Hurricane country (Orlando), I have a generator and some solar panels and batteries. 146/440 mobiles AND Yaesu and Wouxon HTs and a couple of old Icoms which I think you really need if you are going to help with disaster communications in the local area. A 25-50W 2m/440 mobile and a gain mobile antenna work well as part of local and metro area net in a disaster and even better if you have even 15' high home antennas for that. I also have solid-state HF rigs up on wire and vertical antennas so the NVIS is covered. All masts are lowered to minimum heights before storms. I think VHF/UHF should be part of an integrated whole, depending on the individual ham's location and local circumstances, not summarily tossed in the crapper as useless. If all the commercial comm towers, cell systems and infrastructure are belly-up, 2m/440 mobile rigs with ground planes/collinears, etc, a length of coax and plug in supplies to set up comm links could be life savers. I can't see doing that with HF. HF for links to elsewhere, sure, but not to stitch together the locals and relief and shelters.
You make some very good points. I'm not saying that VHF/UHF is totally useless- but users of those radios need to understand their purpose and limitations and not expect that they will be able to communicate with far flung family members when the chips are down. Number one priority is to have a plan and it sounds like your's is pretty well though out.
I've never understood the SHTF justification to buy a Baofeng. You need to learn how to setup and operate any radio; waiting until SHTF to do that is way to late. I would recommend studying and getting your Technician License then when you have more knowledge make an informed purchase. If you choose a Baofeng then so be it, but at least you'll know what you're buying.
Hi, Micheal another good video and I do agree about the NVIS antenna I'm just putting one together for my Ubitx HF rig. In regards to the Baofengs. Last night I did manage to check in to our club net at a range of 25 miles with my Baofang UV 5x3, running a stock antenna, into the repeater portion of the net and simplex part. To do this did I did go onto the 14th-floor roof of the condo tower I was visiting at and our repeater is on top of a large mountain and only make contact with a few of the club members on Simplex. Ham radio is not just about the hardware one has to know how to use the gear way in advance of any zombie Apocolypse. Keep up the good videos hope you had a good Christmas.
Yes‚ you got it! Planning and training is very important. You understand the limitations of your equipment and work towards overcoming those limitations.
Setup a crossband repeater. Handhelds are far more common and able to be locally carried where they will be needed. You can't always run to your car or base station. Your car also might not be able to go anywhere.
I have a UV-5R I throw in my bag for work with an attached counterpoise. But you’re right a nice HF rig with NVIS capabilities is where it would be at. I want a 891 sooo bad. Keep up the great work sir. 73 de N4EJM.
OK, if your looking for long range( strategic) coms. and want to broadcast to everyone within a hundred miles of you then no, this little handheld is not going to even begin to cut it. But for inexpensive short range( tactical ) Coms. they are great. Combine these with a base/mobile base and you have a great local coms system. We use a GMRS set up at large ranch I worked at, they had a dozen mobile units, a mobile base set up in one of the jeeps, and a base station at the ranch house. Also these are great little units to start and learn with and begin your journey into armature radio and at $25.00 a pop I don't care if I drop one in the lake, forget it at a camp site, run over it etc. $25.00 and 2 days brings another to my door.
I agree! It's a very affordable radio to interest future hams. It's what got me involved. Those who don't pursue a license is out very little. However, in a shtf scenario although not the best, it is something, considering it's capable of receiving FM radio stations. Possibly a broadcast can help one get to safety. The limited range may be good to communicate in a close urban environment. Yet as you point out to really get out an upgrade is needed for those serious.
Totally agree. I have an icom 7100, tuner and 15AH LiFePO4 battery in a fat fifty ammo can. With a roll-up jpole and clothesline reel dipole I can cover local vhf to nvis to dx.
I subscribe to your channel because of the knowledge you put out there, but with all due respect I think your wrong concerning Baofeng as not a good SHTF radio. I Bought my 1st UV-5R, specifically for emergencies. I now own 8x UV-5R, 4x for everyday use (hiking/camping etc.) and 4x in Faraday cages. So 8x UV-5R + 10x 1800mah bats + 8x Nagoya 771 antennas cost me $434.67(free shipping,Amazon). So if i were to buy 2x Yeasu FT-65R + 2x 1950mah bats + 2x Nagoya 711 will cost you $459.95, HMMM which setup do you think works better for a SHTF situation. If I lose or break 1 Yeasu I have no comms with my family; I can lose/break 6x UV-5R and still have comms with my family. And not to be mean but 12 year old Airsofters have been using UV-5r's without a license for years.
Excellent points, Michael. One contribution from me, AB3ZI, AmRRON (the American Redoubt Radio Operators Network) does promote a "CH3" protocol/project which involves use and monitoring of FRS/GMRS, MURS, and CB channel 3 for disaster communications. Hams are encouraged to inter-operate on those channels in order to relay traffic to and from amateur radio allocations.
“Sure, you can coordinate with family members over a mile”, wouldn’t that be a main need in a SHTF? lol To be fair I get the longer distance side of things with better tech. However, how many people will not ever go there due to cost? I like the idea of maximizing what one COULD do with such a unit. Ok, maybe I’m rationalizing buying one but still haha
Baofengs (as with all radio's) have their pro's and con's. If a person can only afford $20-30 for a radio then by all means, get one and get on the air! In comparison, not everyone can afford a $500 Glock, so get a $120 High Point and learn to use it. The best radio you can have when you need it is just that, the one that you have.
I purchased an FRS radio last year for the same reasons why people buy cheap handhelds. The FRS radio does allow the user to get some real world experience. We've been studying for a technician license but the FRS radios we have do work and give us a real understanding of what the limits are. If you only read ads you'll think you can talk 30 miles with it. The Baofeng seems to have real issues and I don't think they are a prepper's dream, but I can understand the appeal.
The Baofengs have no issues, Here are there pluses, low price, rugged compared to Yaesu, they can be programed out of band (Mine are programed for, GMRS/MURS/Marine/NOAA/2m and 70cm area repeaters), let's see you do that with one Yaesu radio.
Well I agree , and I disagree. New to ham , long time prepper that has the philosophy " no one gun does it all , and therefore no one radio does it all " While I bought two decent handheld UHF/VHF's a Yaesu and a Motorola and will soon have a shack with quality equipment. I live in a quite rural area of Florida, two children and their families live within a mile and my close neighbors are good friends. Just last week I saw an Amazon deal for 5ea Baofeng BF-F8's for $ 139.00 and 5 ea. 3600 ma extra batteries for $ 45.00 so I purchased them . For less than $ 200.00 I will have the ability to communicate with family and friends in an emergency . I have already programed the radios and put them on screen lock on a almost never used channel for simplex . Having these will allow me to use my longer range equipment for news and notices and communicate it to 5 surrounding families , this will also give my wife and I great comfort knowing that if there are security or medical problems we can respond quickly " she is a nurse ". We have been through 5 Hurricanes since 2001 phones were either busy for days or cell antennas were knocked out each time . Twice we had pretty serious security problems and were unable to contact police or anyone else . So I think in this roll , yes , they have great value . Also I can't justify buying 5ea $350.00 handhelds when I'm trying to put together a shack . I think in a close nit suburban area they would be great for neighborhood security alerts also. "And always remember ! the best use for a pistol is to fight your way to your rifle "
Michael, while I truly consider you one of our community Elmers and leaders, in my opinion, you missed the mark with this video. Especially paired with one of your J-pole antennas, the BF's are certainly affordable and capable radios. Couldn't agree more with your points regarding training and practice however!
I use them for cross banding through the truck, and the house. Leave one in the center console of the truck in plain site. Who is going to steal it? lol! Also great for backup VHF marine radio, using on the MURS ect.
Careful.. the self appointed band police will report you for it.. then they'll unhook jumpers on theie HTs for MARS or CAP and ignore THEIR illegal act.
@@sethjenna2561 I do wish that the actual cross bander radio had automatic identifier on the cross banded frequency from the base to the HT. I don't turn on the auto id of the cross bander radio because I don''t want it ID'ing on repeaters every 10 minutes.
Where I find the Baofeng accel is in teaching my teams how to use radio with a less than ideal hardware set. They graduate to AES256 DMR. HF is terrible for any SHTF where you want security. Blasting any sensitive details over NVIS across hundreds of miles destroys opsec.
If you are getting a HT for you first amateur radio, I recommend a Yeosu FT60. It has a great receiver!! The Baofeng is a decent radio for the price. That said. If you have discovered that amateur radio might be something you are interested in exploring...I recommend a better radio.
For true grid down Comms where I want easy obtainable and cheap equipment for use in my local area, but far bigger than say a 2 Meter handheld, say county wide or even bigger, I will take Citizen's Band, and I am a ham and that's saying something. So many people have CB equipment it will be easy to get enough equipment together to do something. With 40 channels to chose from and each large neighborhood/region can have a channel as well as a wide area liaison channel. Mobile and portables and report to bases that cover a wide area.
The one use that you left out of this video was the use of a dual band handheld radio as part of a cross band repeater setup with a dual band mobile or base. I think this use definitely increases the value in an emergency of having a handheld radio. By the way I am speaking generally of the value of handheld radios, not defending Baofeng. I’ll hang on to my Icom ID-51. 73’s de WB9DX
I have owned 3 Baofeng radios a UV3R and 2 UV5s which I still own and am trying to sell I will never buy another radio from that company because quality control sucks my UV3 I had to do a factory reset at least 5 times in the 2 years I relied on it qnd both my UV5s the receive is terrible on both even with an aftermarket antenna so from now on if I had to get q Chinese radio I would get either a TYT Anytone or Wouxun and forget qbout any of the others
Interesting points. I can't say I agree with them all, but your points are well thought out. You're right about spectrum purity with the BaoFengs, but I don't think that is a deciding factor with SHTF.
Allow me to play devil's advocate - suppose someone with ulterior motives is trying to find you using foxhunting techniques. Do you want something putting out big spurs on the 2nd and 3rd harmonics? One foxhunt technique is to tune up to the 2nd or 3rd harmonic of the fox signal when you are close to attenuate the rec'd signal so you can pinpoint the location.
I've thought about the spectral purity issue quite a bit and I believe it is a big limitation to the capabilities of Baofeng radios. A well designed transceiver will have the filtering necessary to avoid front-end overload and produce a cleaner signal. Radios that conform to specifications are important as it assures the user the radio will play well with others on adjacent radio services. In an emergency situation that becomes critical. I've participated in disaster drills and the top most item brought up in the debrief is the proliferation of many radios in a small area hinders everyones ability to communicate. A non-conforming radio just makes it worse. I don't have a problem with cheap handhelds‚ but I believe it's time to move away from them. If we can't train with adequate equipment‚ what makes us believe the radio will work well in an actual disaster situation.
Thanks Michael! This has to be the best video any TH-cam Amateur radio license holder has ever made. I am at this time so disgusted with myself for buying hand held radios. I have some nice ones...expensive ones. I am also wondering why I even bought my two Yaesu mobile VHF/UHF radios. There are plenty of FM repeaters out there but no one answers a call on these repeaters. Disgusting! I am also finding the internet assisted modes of communicating actually boring. Honestly after purchasing my first HF radio for my ham shack I now want a mobile HF radio for my vehicle that I can move to the field and/or my UTV if I have to. I have been watching your field ready HF antenna videos. I am so amazed by the capability of a 100w HF radio and an EFHW antenna. I have talked to hams up to 1300 miles away on 30% power. I want to drive my UTV out into the middle of my section and setup a temporary station and see what I can do without all the electrical interference. So watching your park videos I do know what your recommendations are going to be but if you were going to start fresh like I am about to do with a portable rig for voice what would you do? Thanks! KAOKAE
Handheld radios certainly have their place and I use them all the time. If infrastructure is intact‚ they are quite useful. As for starting out with HF portable- I really like my Yaesu FT-891 for its size and capabilities. I don't recommend a QRP rig as your first HF portable as QRP can be a skill that takes a bit of mastery. But really- just about any of the budget HF rigs can be used portable. I used to take my Icom IC-718 out in the field and it worked great. I don't think a built in tuner is a necessity‚ a wide range manual tuner or budget auto tuner will give you a lot more flexibility; especially if you want to use end-fed antennas. I hope this gives you a good starting point for HF portable
People have the first UV-5Rs they ever bought plus multiple other 5Rs, and that was years ago, so I don't buy the durability issue. Of course the biggest problem might be a Carrington Event EMP attack, and that's going to take out even the best radios (and cars, telephones, televisions, air conditioning and heating systems). Even if you put your radio in a Faraday cage, chances are your radio pals don't. It's like cars. Even if you attach a chain to your car and protect it from the event, the highways are going up be clogged with thousands of other cars that _aren't_ protected. I just bought a couple of Baofeng BF-H7s. I honestly don't know how good they are. I just know they appeal to me a great deal. I also like the UV-82HPs. They sound great, even at greater distances.
I get 30km (about 20 miles) with a UV5r at 5watts. If I use a nagoya antenna, then I can I can get 40km. Using a Bf-F8HP (a cousing to the uv9r at 8 watts) I can get closer to 70km. I don't seem to see this same one mile issue unless I go inside the metal heater ducting.
If i remember, i think Michael had his antenna at an angle instead of being held vertical when he was testing. When I do that my range drops. If I try to hold it vertical, i seem to go farther.
Sometimes I don't like it when Chinese products don't meet American regulation such as claiming a UL listing while being deviously unsafe. At the same time it works the other way around sometimes so hey..
I didn't really hear anything in this video that proves these radios are insufficient for emergency communications. I own three that I keep in each vehicle along with the AA battery pack stuffed with Everready lithium batteries, a cigarette lighter plug and charger, and a longer Nagoya antenna and a mag mount. And they work fine. Please don't conflate "disaster preparation" with the capability of these radios.
My niece gave me a new Baofeng for a birthday gift, it can't hit any of the repeaters like my FT2DR nor can it work on APRS or the other systems my FT2 or VX8 or my FT817nd. Its good for short range and I use mine on the FRS or MURS. Problem is most people think they can talk on any band and as aa result thaat creates a issue with FCC who will go after the out of banders. Our clubs here in the Philippines many of the University kids who are licensed use them as a beginner class radio. They op on class D and Class c frequencies, Here in the Philippines our FRS is on 300 mhz. which makes buying a baofeng a good choice for portable and for camping trips
I have 5 UV-5R's and all of them came working right out of the box. But then again this has all been in the last two years. I have heard of quality control issues with them but personally haven't had one problem with any of my Baofeng radios. KX4IG
I've had my baofeng uv5r for about 2 years, it finally took a shit so I bought another one.. Definitely doesn't hurt because they're so cheap. $23 on amazon
You over paid...ain't no way I was paying full price. I just got my UV5R for $20.50 hihi! I even splurged and got the 2nd battery for $10 :) Cool lil radio! For $20 ya can't go wrong. 73's!
@@joshuarivera7630 Agreed! I had to give you a hard time. It was in my cart at $23 then one day it dropped, right place right time sorta thing. Fun lil rig! Getting a Feng (any of them) for $25 makes them a blast to use. I'll end up with a couple more 'just because' :) Have a great week as well! 73's!
All I want is a very reliable source of communication to my family during a disaster with a solid range. Why does no one have answers for this lol. I need solid reliable handheld transceivers. That have the ability to contact cb radios as well
SO I would like to invest in something I am a novice and I really need to know where to start. Your video is convincing but it would be nice to have showcased the alternative you suggest. Please help before i screw up.
My suggestion is to keep watching the channel. I have many videos that put the practice of HF portable communications to the test. Here's a couple you will want to check out. How the professionals do emergency communications: th-cam.com/video/FIc6Kp6CV0Y/w-d-xo.html I demonstrate portable operations, modifying antennas, and making contacts locally and across the US: th-cam.com/video/0A89Dd9dFXM/w-d-xo.html
In SHTF "zombie apocalypse" I'd say radio, any electronic for that matter is a luxury not necessity. Nice to have but shouldn't be a priority to spend $300+ or for HT or mobile and valuable space on unless all your other ducks are in a row as far as keeping your family kosher. Self reliance should be the first priority, I tend to agree about HF, even a 11m CB mobile or base stations would be much better than 2m/70cm simplex in my opinion. Interestingly as far as a small scale disasters go when a wildfire broke out I heard it on 27.185 first, not the club's repeater or FM broadcast radio VHF/UHF HTs may have a place in the same role as I used to have a GMRS/FRS radio with my go gear next to the spare magazines. Short range simplex comms between family/team members, not CQing outsiders.
Good pointers here. I use mine as a backup HT. Just give it a charge and test once in a while. Spend more time listening to the local repeaters with it. 73.
I have been a ham since 1988 these Beofeng are great with all their faults everyones got a way in to radio so ++++ Beofeng in 1988 to get this handheld type $400 plus
you just invalidated the radio choice of about 90% of the CERT teams in the US. While the Baofeng is inexpensive it is an affordable way to provide radio comms to disaster workers. Much better than FRS or GMRS
Baofeng handhelds have their place but I don't believe emergency communications is one of them. I think to be better prepared for disasters we need to be critical of these radios and move forward towards more robust radio methods and systems.
@@KB9VBRAntennas couldn't agree more..however with the declining funds to Emergency responders the Baofeng is a good choice for disaster scenes. There is no way a municipality is going to spend anymore money than they absolutely need to. Baofengs provide radio comms to the most people for the least amount of dollars
One problem with this quality control and out of spec emissions. I have(had) a fan in my backyard that has built in water misters. One day recently while fan was running(without the water on) I tested a new antenna for my baofeng uv 82 hp. O hit the talk button and my fan shut off. Turned it back on ( the gfi tripped). So i grab the Baofeng , and a sin as i keyed up again, fan shut off. Twice after this I reset the tripped gfi, and I would key up, poof, there goes the fan. I was going to try one more time, but the fan wouldn't turn back on. My guess, I fried something in the gfi. Now I'm watching on TH-cam a guy compare a cheaper Yaesu radio compared to a baofeng. The video interrupted, the video comes back and the guy said, i think i fried my camera with my baofeng. Just a word of caution. These emissions can have an effect on surrounding equipment electronics. Will I still use Baofeng? Yes, but not around sensitive electronics. I will use my anytone for that. I used that before the Baofeng and it didn't trip the fan. The baofeng has it pros, mostly cost. But a Mars modified quality radio would be my first choice. I have 8 Baofengs, a couple of Yaesu ft 60, and ft3dr. Also have anytone at-878uv.
I was actually surprised that it is $80 on amazon. I purchased my Ft-60 R for over $175 a few years back and don't find much more capabilities of that radio vs a UV-%R
Good starter radio to see if you want to go further in to the hobby once your in the hobby and want to continue then it becomes a radio in the collection... Not my choice but everyone has to work on a budget so good radio if you have other priorities ...Better than nothing
The inexpensive Chinese radios are a great introduction to the hobby as you don't have much invested in them. But as you grow and learn‚ and if you have an interest in emergency communications‚ I think you need to move away from them and into more robust radio systems.
Bottom line...EMERGENCY ONLY...How far will these go between each other in a major city? Cell phone towers down, tornado, hurricane, earthquake, etc. How far will they go? Just 1 mile?
Regardless of brand‚ a handheld radio with a rubber duck antenna will give you about a mile of distance point to point. In an urban area with buildings and obstructions‚ range will be less. For distances beyond that you need either higher power radios‚ external antennas‚ or repeater system. Case in point: our local fire department uses a portable repeater in their command vehicle so that fire fighters working in a building can get their signal out; and this is with high end Motorola equipment.
@@KB9VBRAntennas FYI, years ago while testing a pair of motorola 0.5 watt FRSA radios from Costco i saw about 0.75 miles range while i was sitting/driving in my car and family were in the house. I recently tested a BF-F8HP on 8 watt with stock rubber ducky and easily hit a repeater 15 miles away while laying in my bed on the far side of the house (granted old wood house). I think your range estimates are light.
@@NaturesChild topography and obstructions are everything, repeaters are almost always elevated. You can talk line of sight 100+ miles on a CB at 4 w or you can fail to reach someone 1/2 a mile away with the same rig depending on topography. You do have a license right?
ANY and EVERY type of radio is very useful in an SHTF situation. People will probably have different radios than you, so you need what they have to communicate. Prepping relies on having many kinds of skills, so no one skill or radio will handle everything.
As soon as Yeasu or ICOM makes a HT that does dual band (2m\70cm) or triband, GMRS |FRS, NOAA, that's not a splatmaster, I'll buy one. In SHTF I want a radio that can transmit and receive in as many bands as possible. That's where Baofeng shines. They don't give a shit about FCC rules, which is great for SHTF.
As far as I am concerned, if you want reliable 2 meter comms, you could do a lot worse if you went with a Kenwood TM281. Pair that w/ a Hustler SF-2 on a good mag mount and spend an afternoon wiring it up properly and you are in business for less than around $200. At least this way, you are supporting American companies which pay taxes here in America. I have no experience with Baofeng. I would say that, to find out how good they are, get with a local club. Our club relies on them to communicate at club functions. But, it is strictly simplex and in rural settings, so they work fine. I agree Michael, better to cough up some bucks and buy a well known rig. Penny-wise is dollar foolish, when you rely on junk in a life and death situation.
You have some good points and some misleading ones as well. Hand-held communications are but one tool of many for most disaster communications and it gives a means for the new hams to get involved. The fact that hand-helds work well with repeaters tells you that they can and do work point-to-point for several miles. It is all in the location and equipment being used at both ends. If you live in a mountainous state, you'll find countless situations where hand-helds have saved the day (or a life) with simplex communications; they do work. There are even VHF/UHF simplex contests with amazing results. That said, the Baofeng and simular cheap Chinese radios are worth less than many pays for them. but that doesn't stop them from being sold and showing up on the ham bands. Some have even been cross-mode into digital voice networks (ugly). But they are cheap and many hams prefer cheap over quality - sad but true.
Handheld radios certainly have their place and I use them all the time. If infrastructure is intact‚ they are quite useful. It's just a matter of picking the right tool for the job and not expecting that a $25 radio will let you talk around the world when the chips are down
@@KB9VBRAntennas But a $200 handheld isn't going to let you talk around the world either
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My use of these radios will be short range walki talki fir security team use . I’ll use my short wave radio to get info from around country. The people who stow these away for that day won’t know how to use them anyway. Like buying a seed vault as if your going to grow a garden without learning how first.
I think if we are in a SHTF scenario, this guy would be cowering behind his radio hoping someone comes to his aid. Hopefully he visits some real SHTF channels and learn how to survive.
I doubt it. Most preppers have an over emphasis on guns and ammo and neglect the thought that the reality of a disaster will rely on interpersonal communications.
@@KB9VBRAntennas I have worked as a security contractor in Mexico, the interpersonal communication that you are not looking at is the one between attacker and defender.
If this “salad” would really hit the fan.... do you seriously think i would give a damn that my cheap chinese radio might give a bad signal on the Spectrum?? 😂😂😂
I'm not shooting at you, I actually learn a lot from you. That being said I believe you are 100% wrong. 1) Who gives a sht about clean emissions in a SHFT situation. 2) I own three types of HT, the Yaesu VX-6r, the Baofeng UV-5R and the BF-F8HP (Here are there SNR(db) 11.6, 12.9, 13.1. The UV-5R out performs the Yaesu VX-5r). 3) Six UV-5Rs cost less than one Yaesu VX-5r (I have six UV-5Rs). Thats my two cents take it for what it is.
I completely agree. My advice to those just beginning is to invest just a little more and buy a Yaesu ft-65 or equivalent instead of the beofang. The difference is very notable and will not disappoint.
Baofeng is gateway drug.
The UV-5R is what got me on the road to getting my general and amateur extra class
Mine had puppies.
@@mikesimpson6757 knowing what you do now.. which entry level would you get?
@@okbis4941 I think I would get a Anytone DMR radio which also does analog FM. They seem well made with a long lasting battery.
Yes the Baofeng is a very inexpensive radio and quality can be an issue but and yes range can be an issue but if you use them for short range situations there are very few other options that for the cost can compare. A few hundred dollars buys a lot of these HT's, use them for what they are and nothing more but given the choice it is far better to have something than nothing.
Thank you- that is exactly what I was wondering..
Far better to have 5 of these than just 1 good quality one
They're also a great way to stack your prep. There's a place for long range and these relatively short range radios.
I have these radios and have used them as far out from my home 8 miles. Wife and I use them in our vehicles and they work really well.
@@wetnoodle1 You must have some very favorable landscape and a lot of line of sight to be blessed with 8 miles, Are you using the factory antennas or an external?
As a respectful counterpoint
I just bought a Baofeng UV-5R+ as I'd been idly surfing the internet and randomly stumbled across 'radio' as an interesting topic and then saw how incredibly cheap Baofengs were - and this particular model was the "entry level" device which seemed to have a lot of support. A safe starting point.
I bought it completely on a whim, and then it turned up the next day from Amazon. My expectations were absolutely zero and I just considered it a new toy to play with.
When it turned up, I was actually quite impressed (especially for the price). Everything you could want was in the box, seemed well screwed together, and I had a working radio to find out about.
So having a new toy, and realizing I should probably do a bit of research before hitting all the buttons, I started googling.
I've seen videos talking me through how to use the device, I've learnt about "relays", I've learnt how to pass an exam to allow broadcast - whole new world I was unaware of has now appeared.
I don't for a moment think my UV-5R+ is a "good" radio - but I think it's an unbeatable "first" radio.
You need to have something in your hand as a reference - and then from this, you can justify buying something better (more frequencies, faster scanning, less-hateful UI, more power, more accuracy etc etc).
I’m a fan of Baofeng and have had some for years that work fine. That said the only real benefit of this radios is price.
If the SHTF, why do I care about spurious emissions?
Two reasons: first off‚ spurious emissions is a sign that your radio is not operating at its best‚ affecting its overall range and performance. 2nd‚ a dirty signal affects other nearby radio services which degrades everyones ability to communicate.
@@KB9VBRAntennas Yeah, but if there's huge chunks of turds hitting massive fans, I could give a frenchmans you-know-what, about everyone else and their signal purity (having said that, I'll have my Yaesu with me)
I bought 2 Baofeng radios 6 years ago. The batteries and radios still work great all these years later. The batteries hold a charge for an extremely long time. The NOAA weather and Emergency Bands are really helpful. The radios did serve my family and I well during our evacuation of two hurricanes in 2016. Maybe it's not a good everyday radio but, to say that they're not good at all for SHTF isn't completely true. Even if the radios are as bad as you say, you still have a basic walkie-talkie, flashlight, NOAA weather radio, and a police scanner. All things one should have in an emergency. Save up for the best you can afford but, anything is better than nothing. Baofengs are also great entry level platforms for people interested in learning more about ham radio.
It's true enough if the ARRL is paid off from Icom, Kenwood and Yaesu. Of COURSE qst magazine would crap on Baofengs. Yeah..some suck.. a lot... but some don't. My toughest radio was a BF F9 +. I had a Yaesu.VX5r that my dad.. n0zfv got me as my first radio. I loved the hell out of that rig... but one drop killed it.
My UV5R has lasted me through 2 years of heavy use. I've talked 13 miles direct between hill tops. I use repeaters that are 60 miles away.
i've had my UV-5R for 4 years now. still going strong and i can easily get into repeaters 20 - 35 miles away
Getting a BF was an inexpensive way to get started after I got my Technician License a few years back. Also, our various CERT groups put together to a list via the Chirp program for area repeaters for area repeaters & used frequencies on 2m & 70cm, assigning channels on the BF. Because we have been practicing a lot that channel list has been refined a lot (about once ever 6 months), and operators have learned about radio limitations of their BFs. I think only now am I comfortable enough to look at other radios. 2020 is the year I am looking to upgrade my license to General, figure out digital (packet radio) & get better at the antenna side of things.
The UV-5R is what got me interested into getting my General and Amateur Extra class.
Mike Simpson Yes, it was the UV 5R that was my entrance into the hobby as well. I also purchased a UV 5R X3 to hit a local 220 repeater.
I'll just address the out of band aspect of a Baofeng in a SHTF situation. The point isn't the ability to transmit, it's the ability to *RECEIVE* police/fire/EMS/etc transmissions. Also, the cost factor means you can have one for the entire family to communicate in an emergency. And, properly programmed for power, you can use legal, licence-free frequencies. You can also program NOAA weather radio frequencies. So, again, in a SHTF situation, you're not going to find anything better at $25 a pop. This kind of video is a clear example of FUD/FUDD thinking.
Nothing he said was wrong- some aren’t really relevant like the spurious emissions, but they’re not going to be able to talk very long ranges without repeaters and their signal rejection is pretty bad. That might not be an issue in SHTF if the grid is down, the noise floor will drop quite a bit. But there are no frequencies that you can use with a Baofeng without a license, the radio has to be type accepted for the service. Not saying I care if you use a Baofeng on FRS, but just know it’s not legal.
@@tylerdean980 Sorry to bust your bubble, but 12 year old Airsofters have been using the UV-5R for years without the FCC coming along saying "Freeze put the radio on the deck and step back.", No one gives a rats ass in a real SHTF situation. It's not illegal because the FCC rules & Regulations are not laws, they are Rules & Regulations (Which by the way state that you can use ANY radio or frequency during an emergency to protect life and property),
@@paulrotledge9276 Like I said, I don't care what you do with a radio, but don't lie to people and tell them what they're doing is legal.
If you're a prepper then you should have a radio that's better than a baofeng, that's just a fact. It's not the price, it's the capability, the range. If all you need is really close range, then that's fine, but you would be served much better by a mobile with a decent antenna. Most of the people who sing the praises of the baofengs are going to find themselves in deep trouble when infrastructure is down and there are no repeaters, and they can only communicate a few miles.
@@tylerdean980 Wait did I miss something, we where not talking about mobiles, we where talking about HTs. If all things are the same a Baofeng UV-5R and a Yaesu VX-5r have the same range, except the Yaesu cost 5x more and is less capable because it can not transmit out of band. Also the purpose of an HT is to transmit not just to listen: If I just wanted to listen I can use SDR (software define radio) for 30 buck and any computer.
@@tylerdean980 Sorry to say no one gives a SHT if it's illegal. During an emergency anyone can use any radio to communicate according to the FCC. Also 12 year old airsofters have been using them without a license for years.
They're just fine, wow, what a wealth of bad information.
I have used a uv5re for over 7 years and its still working just fine, no problems, not once, great battery life, no issues.
Some ppl just can't stand it that there is an affordable unit on the market that works just fine and its not a name brand, and the brand boys get upset. Don't waste big money on a fm handy........
I have no problem with Baofeng radios for every day use. They are what they are: an inexpensive handheld that gets you on the air. But as I see a higher reliance on them for emergency communications‚ their limitations become more evident.
@@KB9VBRAntennas Maybe for a ham radio person, but not for everyday people.
@@KB9VBRAntennas agreed, I like yourself don't see the need for all the other frequency access, but meh, it is what it is.
Btw Mike in an unrelated note, I absoulty love the 2m copper slim-jim I got from you, thank you for making a quality product that does what it's suppose to.
I have two uv5r's both over 7 years old and I love them and both have been reliable so far. Very versatile with the wide set of frequencies the radio can operate on and just over all handy. For the price it's a great tool and shouldn't be overlooked.
Hmmm...
Well now, uh... nonsense!
Sorry, not trying to offend, but the Baofeng's of the last 2 years or so, are much higher quality than the originals. A lot of the naysayers are like the Tesla haters. Again, they HAD quality issues, I think most are corrected.
You have some valid points, but respectfully, others are way off or not completely thought through!
I can talk radio to radio (no repeater) on my UV-5R for at least 7 miles to my friend also on a Baofeng. Neither of us use the stock antenna, both are Nagoya 771's.
You want regional, or DX?
On our local repeater (battery & solar backed up) I can talk all over the Tucson area, around mountains, etc. Good repeater placement. The main repeater I use is 65 miles from my house! Outside I can use the Nagoya, or inside I hook it up to my Cushcraft AR-270B (pre-MFJ) & get full quieting.
DX? While I don't yet have my Sat. Ant. Setup yet, I have a fellow club member friend who talks over AO-91/92 & SO-50 using his UV-5R & Arrow Sat. Ant. - are Seattle, L.A., Dallas from Tucson not far enough for you all?
Short range? Ok, power down, in a SHTF situation, you don't want huge range to tip off the hoards! By the same survival strategy, using a digital mode gives at least some degree of privacy with those not equipped to receive it.
Back to Baofeng, the wideband receiver allows monitoring of those FRS/GMRS & other important freqs., like weather, etc. even local news channels using business bands before they get it on the news!
Cost! Cost! Cost!
You can equip a whole 5 or 6 person family (with licenses) for less than the cost of 1 Kenwood, Icom or Yaesu! Batteries are cheaper as are accessories.
Finally, take a cheap Baofeng, put it in a sealed metal box, protect it from Coronal Mass Ejections from the Sun or EMP... Your expensive mobile rig will be dead (uh, so will your vehicle)! I'll be communicating on a $30 radio! While driving a pre-electronic truck.
Hmmm... nope, one more point, even if you have an expensive, great 10W HT or 50-100W mobile, that $30 Baofeng still makes a great backup. And as we all know from Field Day experience, carry 2 of everything! Be prepared!
You make some good points but without the repeaters your handheld communications will be quite limited. Satellite communications may be a viable option in a disaster; although their short window of operation may limit how much information you can pass.
@@KB9VBRAntennas you are correct Michael and thanks. Fortunately, our repeaters are pretty new & stout, and as I indicated, solar & generator backed up. Right about the short Sat. window too. But I think 5 to 9 min. would be enough time to yell 'help'! :)
73 - John
I was working out in NM and had the pleasure of using my Baofeng on their Megalink system. 37 repeaters reaching into 7 states. All from a $25 Chinese radio! Cheers KX4IG
@@mikesimpson6757 Excellent!
Some of the worst signals I've ever seen on the air are from baofeng hooked up to large base station antennas and even worse yet is when people hook him up to a hundred watt amplifiers oh, nice things splatter the entire VHF and UHF bands with spurious emissions, but then again people interested in shtf aren't really interested in ham radio or technology, these are the same type of people who have no problem dumping their trash out on the side of the road. Because when you use a baofeng that's pretty much what you're doing dumping out garbage all over the VHF UHF band raising the noise floor and interfering with other people's communication. How do you say never even allowed into the United States boggles the mind.
I use a UV5R weekly. For $25, they are hard to beat. Yaseu FT-60 are much better, but for $25, you cant go wrong.
I think 1-2 miles for a Baofeng UV-5R....is probably low-balling it a bit. With the stock antenna (in a coastal, semi-forested area), on High Power at only 10ft of elevation (about 2 miles inland), I regularly get 5-6 miles before transmissions become unintelligible.
Just bought mine for 25$. The choice was between a UV5R or no radio at all. I don't intend too use it but it's a great safety backup on fishing trips. I don't care about spectral accuracy or whatnot, I just want someone to hear me on 156.8 if I ever need to make a MAYDAY on PANPAN call. For the price I can't go wrong.
I get the impression that this guy doesn’t like these radios to bad I think for the price they are excellent
I think Baofeng is a good radio for prepping because of the versatility of the Baofeng. 1 if you have the BF-F8HP it uses the UV5R battery you can get use any accessories that have the two pin connector.
I of course buy mine from BTech. I’m happy with mine . Of course availability of the of the Baofeng is everywhere.
While I can agree with you regarding the poor build qualities of the baofeng radios. I completely disagree with you regarding the usefulness of a HT radio in a grid down scenario. I have seen people with a HT and a quality antenna setup make contacts at 50 miles on 2m simplex. Also in such a scenario local comms are going to be a much more common and frequent act then having the reach out many miles to speak to other communities.
I keep three radios in my bugout bag. They're the Baofeng BF-H7s, and I don't plan to use them explicitly to communicate with people I don't know, but with people I do know and who are fellow-travelers. I expect to use them with fellow-travelers because if one is isolated, one doesn't necessarily want to make one's location known. This is to say, it might not be prudent in a situation where resources are extremely limited. And just as they most likely aren't going to want me knowing what goodies _they_ have, I sure as hell don't want them to know what _I_ have. The Baofeng H7s & 82HPs (9W & 7W respectively) are perfect for discretion and reconnaissance. And they have lower power settings to ensure discretion.
If it gets that bad I don't think any hand held is going to be the answer if the internet is down along with repeaters. That said I have both cheap Baofeng's and Japanese handhelds by the 3 big manufacturers. as far as hitting repeaters the cheaper Chinese radio hits them as well as the other 3 with a full quieting signal with clarity that is as good as my other 3 handhelds. Again if you are going to be doing simplex in an emergency situation none of my handhelds is going to be much better than my 5 watt GMRS handhelds.
Most people don't have a General license, so HF is out of the question for most preppers. The UV5R can be programmed and understood in a few hours for basic simplex and repeaters. To listen to other parts of the state or country get a Shortwave radio with SSB.
They're great for the price
I disagree.. Broadcasting on police and fire, GMRS, FRS, MURS, etc is certainly worth a try in an emergency. Its not like its any heavier to include those frequencies into your programming and the Fcc allows u to broadcast on any available band in an emergency. With repeaters growing all the time (many of them on solar power) low wattage is usually not a big concern . Ive talked up to 8000 miles away using the win system and more than 20 miles from handheld to handheld using a 7 watt baofeng. That's certainly worth packing in my go bag and for the $30 what else could compare for communicating?
MRUS and GMRS are used in shelters may make these radios usefulish. My packed up radio is an Icom 706 mkII in a Pelican case is the radio a powersupply a voltage booster, an auto tuner and a 100 ft dipole and coax with a cable for a 12 volt battery.
Got me a baofeng 8w 2band . just for a rally . stay in contact with others that have one . got the telescopic antenna . easy to recharge . also my city still using analog so i get fire police . and weather . flash light . fm music radio. Just nice little transceiver . for close by communication . like the Virginia gun rally . i think the 2m band i read was the best though for a rally .
If it is truly a SHTF scenario, spectral purity, type-acceptance for a given freq-band and FCC legality would not be a priority or concern. They are cheap, they work just fine for close operations (local security/patrols, around the farm, etc) and you don't need the MARS mod to get non-ham freq access. Right out of the box, they will work on ham VHF/UHF bands, FRS, GMRS, MURS, Business band, etc. They are notorious for having a weak receiver, hence why reasonable preppers rely on them for VERY local simplex work only.
So what radio would you recommend say up to 50 miles away so I can contact wife if need be thank you for your time
@@danielwiggins3747 Depending on terrain, simplex to simplex with a base station antenna, a 50 watt dual-band mobile with no significant propagation impediments (mountains, concrete/steel jungles, etc). Might also work with a car antenna in the right conditions. Hand-held radios would not work reliably, if at all. You could also try HF with an NVIS antenna, but you won't be walking around with it.
@@danielwiggins3747 for the price a B-TECH 50X2
The little Baofeng Uv-5r served me fine during power outages and during the AT and T Nashville bombing during Christmas last year. It worked great on local repeaters and the MTEARS during that situation with no issues. I'm sure there is better HT's But I love mine and as the old saying goes it was better than nothing. 73's all KO4HPC :)
Baofeng is the Harbor Freight of radio's
I just picked up a new UV5R on Amazon for $20.50 with free shipping, wohoo!! It looks nice beside the FT60. Sure is a lot smaller than I was anticipating! Fun lil rig, great to have in the range bag.
"I'd rather hit with a .22 than miss with a .45"
A look at the concept from a little different angle... If we as a country or region experience some type of SHTF, I myself may not be interested in communicating with someone 100's or 1,000's of miles away, but someone within my group hundred's of yards away watching a perimeter... Granted a more durable radio, but from the same family might be the Baofeng GT-3WP, which is slightly more rugged and waterproof, would be more toward a true outdoor radio... As you look at most of the HAM radio's that you usually consider for outdoor use, how many of them can handle the rain, snow, and abuse of a compromised environment...?
I have and use the Yaesu-VX6R which also has some benefits for field operations...( rugged and waterproof) Although not secure, sometimes the limitation of the signal is a lower graded of security for those in closer distances... The Vx-6R can transmit on 440, 2 meter, 220 and if unlocked transmit on 6 meters for very short distances... So distance is not always King for SHTF, but flexibility may also have it's place in this type of application...
Either way the Baofeng may have a place on the list of things that can help in some situations... Besides if you find yourself fighting for your life those little handhelds in the hands of the right person just might save your skin... Just my take...
You get what you pay for and the do work as discribed.
You could also ask your self if the big brands are really worth their money or do you pay just for the logo. If a small Chinese company cab make a profit on a radio for under 20 USD what would the profit be for the main brands?
Living in Hurricane country (Orlando), I have a generator and some solar panels and batteries. 146/440 mobiles AND Yaesu and Wouxon HTs and a couple of old Icoms which I think you really need if you are going to help with disaster communications in the local area. A 25-50W 2m/440 mobile and a gain mobile antenna work well as part of local and metro area net in a disaster and even better if you have even 15' high home antennas for that. I also have solid-state HF rigs up on wire and vertical antennas so the NVIS is covered. All masts are lowered to minimum heights before storms. I think VHF/UHF should be part of an integrated whole, depending on the individual ham's location and local circumstances, not summarily tossed in the crapper as useless. If all the commercial comm towers, cell systems and infrastructure are belly-up, 2m/440 mobile rigs with ground planes/collinears, etc, a length of coax and plug in supplies to set up comm links could be life savers. I can't see doing that with HF. HF for links to elsewhere, sure, but not to stitch together the locals and relief and shelters.
You make some very good points. I'm not saying that VHF/UHF is totally useless- but users of those radios need to understand their purpose and limitations and not expect that they will be able to communicate with far flung family members when the chips are down. Number one priority is to have a plan and it sounds like your's is pretty well though out.
I've never understood the SHTF justification to buy a Baofeng. You need to learn how to setup and operate any radio; waiting until SHTF to do that is way to late. I would recommend studying and getting your Technician License then when you have more knowledge make an informed purchase. If you choose a Baofeng then so be it, but at least you'll know what you're buying.
it gives you a feeling that you are prepared.
agreed the same people will spend thousands of dollars on their ar-15s and then cheap out on their comms. Bad idea.
Hi, Micheal another good video and I do agree about the NVIS antenna I'm just putting one together for my Ubitx HF rig. In regards to the Baofengs. Last night I did manage to check in to our club net at a range of 25 miles with my Baofang UV 5x3, running a stock antenna, into the repeater portion of the net and simplex part. To do this did I did go onto the 14th-floor roof of the condo tower I was visiting at and our repeater is on top of a large mountain and only make contact with a few of the club members on Simplex. Ham radio is not just about the hardware one has to know how to use the gear way in advance of any zombie Apocolypse. Keep up the good videos hope you had a good Christmas.
Yes‚ you got it! Planning and training is very important. You understand the limitations of your equipment and work towards overcoming those limitations.
So what is your go to recommendation for someone setting up new mobile set up and handheld today?
Wish there was an answer for this.
Setup a crossband repeater. Handhelds are far more common and able to be locally carried where they will be needed. You can't always run to your car or base station. Your car also might not be able to go anywhere.
The best thing about these is that they are affordable. They would make great trade items in SHTF
I have a UV-5R I throw in my bag for work with an attached counterpoise. But you’re right a nice HF rig with NVIS capabilities is where it would be at. I want a 891 sooo bad. Keep up the great work sir. 73 de N4EJM.
My backup comms so far is a peaked Stalker IX with a 5/8 ground plane powered by a car battery
OK, if your looking for long range( strategic) coms. and want to broadcast to everyone within a hundred miles of you then no, this little handheld is not going to even begin to cut it. But for inexpensive short range( tactical ) Coms. they are great.
Combine these with a base/mobile base and you have a great local coms system.
We use a GMRS set up at large ranch I worked at, they had a dozen mobile units, a mobile base set up in one of the jeeps, and a base station at the ranch house.
Also these are great little units to start and learn with and begin your journey into armature radio and at $25.00 a pop I don't care if I drop one in the lake, forget it at a camp site, run over it etc. $25.00 and 2 days brings another to my door.
I agree! It's a very affordable radio to interest future hams. It's what got me involved. Those who don't pursue a license is out very little. However, in a shtf scenario although not the best, it is something, considering it's capable of receiving FM radio stations. Possibly a broadcast can help one get to safety. The limited range may be good to communicate in a close urban environment. Yet as you point out to really get out an upgrade is needed for those serious.
There is no difference in range between a UV-5R and a Yaesu VX-5r.
Totally agree. I have an icom 7100, tuner and 15AH LiFePO4 battery in a fat fifty ammo can. With a roll-up jpole and clothesline reel dipole I can cover local vhf to nvis to dx.
That's a good setup that will serve you well
Simple...covers your bases...I'm not a personal fan of the 7100 but it's 160-440 and will get your message out.
I subscribe to your channel because of the knowledge you put out there, but with all due respect I think your wrong concerning Baofeng as not a good SHTF radio. I Bought my 1st UV-5R, specifically for emergencies. I now own 8x UV-5R, 4x for everyday use (hiking/camping etc.) and 4x in Faraday cages. So 8x UV-5R + 10x 1800mah bats + 8x Nagoya 771 antennas cost me $434.67(free shipping,Amazon). So if i were to buy 2x Yeasu FT-65R + 2x 1950mah bats + 2x Nagoya 711 will cost you $459.95, HMMM which setup do you think works better for a SHTF situation. If I lose or break 1 Yeasu I have no comms with my family; I can lose/break 6x UV-5R and still have comms with my family. And not to be mean but 12 year old Airsofters have been using UV-5r's without a license for years.
Excellent points, Michael. One contribution from me, AB3ZI, AmRRON (the American Redoubt Radio Operators Network) does promote a "CH3" protocol/project which involves use and monitoring of FRS/GMRS, MURS, and CB channel 3 for disaster communications. Hams are encouraged to inter-operate on those channels in order to relay traffic to and from amateur radio allocations.
That's a great idea‚ thanks for sharing
UV-5r just failed FCC spec testing by ARRL on 2m, but passed on 70cm. Better than nothing, but that is all.
“Sure, you can coordinate with family members over a mile”, wouldn’t that be a main need in a SHTF? lol To be fair I get the longer distance side of things with better tech. However, how many people will not ever go there due to cost? I like the idea of maximizing what one COULD do with such a unit. Ok, maybe I’m rationalizing buying one but still haha
Baofengs (as with all radio's) have their pro's and con's. If a person can only afford $20-30 for a radio then by all means, get one and get on the air!
In comparison, not everyone can afford a $500 Glock, so get a $120 High Point and learn to use it.
The best radio you can have when you need it is just that, the one that you have.
I purchased an FRS radio last year for the same reasons why people buy cheap handhelds. The FRS radio does allow the user to get some real world experience. We've been studying for a technician license but the FRS radios we have do work and give us a real understanding of what the limits are. If you only read ads you'll think you can talk 30 miles with it.
The Baofeng seems to have real issues and I don't think they are a prepper's dream, but I can understand the appeal.
The Baofengs have no issues, Here are there pluses, low price, rugged compared to Yaesu, they can be programed out of band (Mine are programed for, GMRS/MURS/Marine/NOAA/2m and 70cm area repeaters), let's see you do that with one Yaesu radio.
Well I agree , and I disagree. New to ham , long time prepper that has the philosophy " no one gun does it all , and therefore no one radio does it all " While I bought two decent handheld UHF/VHF's a Yaesu and a Motorola and will soon have a shack with quality equipment. I live in a quite rural area of Florida, two children and their families live within a mile and my close neighbors are good friends. Just last week I saw an Amazon deal for 5ea Baofeng BF-F8's for $ 139.00 and 5 ea. 3600 ma extra batteries for $ 45.00 so I purchased them . For less than $ 200.00 I will have the ability to communicate with family and friends in an emergency . I have already programed the radios and put them on screen lock on a almost never used channel for simplex . Having these will allow me to use my longer range equipment for news and notices and communicate it to 5 surrounding families , this will also give my wife and I great comfort knowing that if there are security or medical problems we can respond quickly " she is a nurse ". We have been through 5 Hurricanes since 2001 phones were either busy for days or cell antennas were knocked out each time . Twice we had pretty serious security problems and were unable to contact police or anyone else . So I think in this roll , yes , they have great value . Also I can't justify buying 5ea $350.00 handhelds when I'm trying to put together a shack . I think in a close nit suburban area they would be great for neighborhood security alerts also. "And always remember ! the best use for a pistol is to fight your way to your rifle "
Good planning make unplanned circumstances easier to deal with.
Michael, while I truly consider you one of our community Elmers and leaders, in my opinion, you missed the mark with this video. Especially paired with one of your J-pole antennas, the BF's are certainly affordable and capable radios. Couldn't agree more with your points regarding training and practice however!
I use them for cross banding through the truck, and the house. Leave one in the center console of the truck in plain site. Who is going to steal it? lol! Also great for backup VHF marine radio, using on the MURS ect.
Careful.. the self appointed band police will report you for it.. then they'll unhook jumpers on theie HTs for MARS or CAP and ignore THEIR illegal act.
@@sethjenna2561 I do wish that the actual cross bander radio had automatic identifier on the cross banded frequency from the base to the HT. I don't turn on the auto id of the cross bander radio because I don''t want it ID'ing on repeaters every 10 minutes.
Where I find the Baofeng accel is in teaching my teams how to use radio with a less than ideal hardware set. They graduate to AES256 DMR. HF is terrible for any SHTF where you want security. Blasting any sensitive details over NVIS across hundreds of miles destroys opsec.
If you are getting a HT for you first amateur radio, I recommend a Yeosu FT60. It has a great receiver!! The Baofeng is a decent radio for the price. That said. If you have discovered that amateur radio might be something you are interested in exploring...I recommend a better radio.
For true grid down Comms where I want easy obtainable and cheap equipment for use in my local area, but far bigger than say a 2 Meter handheld, say county wide or even bigger, I will take Citizen's Band, and I am a ham and that's saying something. So many people have CB equipment it will be easy to get enough equipment together to do something. With 40 channels to chose from and each large neighborhood/region can have a channel as well as a wide area liaison channel. Mobile and portables and report to bases that cover a wide area.
The one use that you left out of this video was the use of a dual band handheld radio as part of a cross band repeater setup with a dual band mobile or base. I think this use definitely increases the value in an emergency of having a handheld radio. By the way I am speaking generally of the value of handheld radios, not defending Baofeng. I’ll hang on to my Icom ID-51. 73’s de WB9DX
I have owned 3 Baofeng radios a UV3R and 2 UV5s which I still own and am trying to sell I will never buy another radio from that company because quality control sucks my UV3 I had to do a factory reset at least 5 times in the 2 years I relied on it qnd both my UV5s the receive is terrible on both even with an aftermarket antenna so from now on if I had to get q Chinese radio I would get either a TYT Anytone or Wouxun and forget qbout any of the others
Were these original Baofeng or clones tho?
Dale Erickson originals the UV3R was the mark 2 and the 5s were the latest versions as of 2 years ago when I bought them
I agree with your comments, people have unreasonable expectations with the cheap Chinese radios.
Add an external antenna, and uv5r can communicate Upto 20 miles, I've done it, you sound like a yaesu salesman.
Interesting points. I can't say I agree with them all, but your points are well thought out.
You're right about spectrum purity with the BaoFengs, but I don't think that is a deciding factor with SHTF.
Allow me to play devil's advocate - suppose someone with ulterior motives is trying to find you using foxhunting techniques. Do you want something putting out big spurs on the 2nd and 3rd harmonics? One foxhunt technique is to tune up to the 2nd or 3rd harmonic of the fox signal when you are close to attenuate the rec'd signal so you can pinpoint the location.
@@Gordofor12 Having signal purity in this case isn't going to stop someone from DFing you. Or really make you harder to find in your example.
I've thought about the spectral purity issue quite a bit and I believe it is a big limitation to the capabilities of Baofeng radios. A well designed transceiver will have the filtering necessary to avoid front-end overload and produce a cleaner signal. Radios that conform to specifications are important as it assures the user the radio will play well with others on adjacent radio services. In an emergency situation that becomes critical. I've participated in disaster drills and the top most item brought up in the debrief is the proliferation of many radios in a small area hinders everyones ability to communicate. A non-conforming radio just makes it worse. I don't have a problem with cheap handhelds‚ but I believe it's time to move away from them. If we can't train with adequate equipment‚ what makes us believe the radio will work well in an actual disaster situation.
If the only thing you have to worry about is "Spectrum Purity" during SHTF you are way better prepared than 99.9% of the population
@@Gordofor12If you are being DF'd , it doesn't matter one bit about Spectrum Purity.
Which radio(s) is recommended to do the following:
Allstar, IRLP, DMR
Keeps saying "stuff hits the fan".
It's shit. Shit is what hits the fan.
Shit is one of the youtube bad words
.
Glad you made this video
Glad I do have a BaoFeng
as an entry level radio
I understand a HF radio
will be my upgrade
...
Any thoughts on the Quansheng UV-R50?
Thanks Michael! This has to be the best video any TH-cam Amateur radio license holder has ever made.
I am at this time so disgusted with myself for buying hand held radios. I have some nice ones...expensive ones. I am also wondering why I even bought my two Yaesu mobile VHF/UHF radios. There are plenty of FM repeaters out there but no one answers a call on these repeaters. Disgusting! I am also finding the internet assisted modes of communicating actually boring.
Honestly after purchasing my first HF radio for my ham shack I now want a mobile HF radio for my vehicle that I can move to the field and/or my UTV if I have to. I have been watching your field ready HF antenna videos. I am so amazed by the capability of a 100w HF radio and an EFHW antenna. I have talked to hams up to 1300 miles away on 30% power. I want to drive my UTV out into the middle of my section and setup a temporary station and see what I can do without all the electrical interference.
So watching your park videos I do know what your recommendations are going to be but if you were going to start fresh like I am about to do with a portable rig for voice what would you do?
Thanks!
KAOKAE
Handheld radios certainly have their place and I use them all the time. If infrastructure is intact‚ they are quite useful.
As for starting out with HF portable- I really like my Yaesu FT-891 for its size and capabilities. I don't recommend a QRP rig as your first HF portable as QRP can be a skill that takes a bit of mastery. But really- just about any of the budget HF rigs can be used portable. I used to take my Icom IC-718 out in the field and it worked great. I don't think a built in tuner is a necessity‚ a wide range manual tuner or budget auto tuner will give you a lot more flexibility; especially if you want to use end-fed antennas. I hope this gives you a good starting point for HF portable
People have the first UV-5Rs they ever bought plus multiple other 5Rs, and that was years ago, so I don't buy the durability issue. Of course the biggest problem might be a Carrington Event EMP attack, and that's going to take out even the best radios (and cars, telephones, televisions, air conditioning and heating systems). Even if you put your radio in a Faraday cage, chances are your radio pals don't. It's like cars. Even if you attach a chain to your car and protect it from the event, the highways are going up be clogged with thousands of other cars that _aren't_ protected.
I just bought a couple of Baofeng BF-H7s. I honestly don't know how good they are. I just know they appeal to me a great deal. I also like the UV-82HPs. They sound great, even at greater distances.
UV5R + your iPhone, fitst best practice Theo Oskam communicate throughout the APRS globale system!
I get 10 km across town uv9r plus to another of the same with the shortest abbree tactical antenna,good unit and happy with it
I get 30km (about 20 miles) with a UV5r at 5watts. If I use a nagoya antenna, then I can I can get 40km. Using a Bf-F8HP (a cousing to the uv9r at 8 watts) I can get closer to 70km. I don't seem to see this same one mile issue unless I go inside the metal heater ducting.
@@gn02020202 must try that one day on a hill, mine was on the flats
If i remember, i think Michael had his antenna at an angle instead of being held vertical when he was testing. When I do that my range drops. If I try to hold it vertical, i seem to go farther.
Sometimes I don't like it when Chinese products don't meet American regulation such as claiming a UL listing while being deviously unsafe. At the same time it works the other way around sometimes so hey..
I didn't really hear anything in this video that proves these radios are insufficient for emergency communications. I own three that I keep in each vehicle along with the AA battery pack stuffed with Everready lithium batteries, a cigarette lighter plug and charger, and a longer Nagoya antenna and a mag mount. And they work fine. Please don't conflate "disaster preparation" with the capability of these radios.
How much was your portable kit?
My niece gave me a new Baofeng for a birthday gift, it can't hit any of the repeaters like my FT2DR nor can it work on APRS or the other systems my FT2 or VX8 or my FT817nd. Its good for short range and I use mine on the FRS or MURS. Problem is most people think they can talk on any band and as aa result thaat creates a issue with FCC who will go after the out of banders.
Our clubs here in the Philippines many of the University kids who are licensed use them as a beginner class radio. They op on class D and Class c frequencies, Here in the Philippines our FRS is on 300 mhz. which makes buying a baofeng a good choice for portable and for camping trips
Nice channel. Very informative. Do you have any thoughts on adding a counterpoise for a (don't hate me) UV5R? 73. KE8ITI
My radio has serious front end overload noise. It’s so bad it just sits on the bench.
I have 5 UV-5R's and all of them came working right out of the box. But then again this has all been in the last two years. I have heard of quality control issues with them but personally haven't had one problem with any of my Baofeng radios. KX4IG
Strange question, but why do I find no info when I search ur call sign? 🤔
I'm not sure where you are looking but if you google my callsign‚ tons of information comes up.
@@KB9VBRAntennas I was using the ARRL callsign lookup page. 🤔
This is really helpful, you have come to similar conclusions as me. HF Radio is the ONLY way to go, my issue is I need a good HF aerial.
I've had my baofeng uv5r for about 2 years, it finally took a shit so I bought another one.. Definitely doesn't hurt because they're so cheap. $23 on amazon
You over paid...ain't no way I was paying full price. I just got my UV5R for $20.50 hihi!
I even splurged and got the 2nd battery for $10 :) Cool lil radio! For $20 ya can't go wrong. 73's!
@@applejacks971 it's definitely a good radio for the price. $3 price difference doesn't bother me. Have a good week. 73
@@joshuarivera7630 Agreed! I had to give you a hard time. It was in my cart at $23 then one day it dropped, right place right time sorta thing. Fun lil rig! Getting a Feng (any of them) for $25 makes them a blast to use. I'll end up with a couple more 'just because' :) Have a great week as well! 73's!
All I want is a very reliable source of communication to my family during a disaster with a solid range. Why does no one have answers for this lol.
I need solid reliable handheld transceivers. That have the ability to contact cb radios as well
SO I would like to invest in something I am a novice and I really need to know where to start. Your video is convincing but it would be nice to have showcased the alternative you suggest. Please help before i screw up.
My suggestion is to keep watching the channel. I have many videos that put the practice of HF portable communications to the test. Here's a couple you will want to check out.
How the professionals do emergency communications: th-cam.com/video/FIc6Kp6CV0Y/w-d-xo.html
I demonstrate portable operations, modifying antennas, and making contacts locally and across the US: th-cam.com/video/0A89Dd9dFXM/w-d-xo.html
In SHTF "zombie apocalypse" I'd say radio, any electronic for that matter is a luxury not necessity. Nice to have but shouldn't be a priority to spend $300+ or for HT or mobile and valuable space on unless all your other ducks are in a row as far as keeping your family kosher. Self reliance should be the first priority,
I tend to agree about HF, even a 11m CB mobile or base stations would be much better than 2m/70cm simplex in my opinion.
Interestingly as far as a small scale disasters go when a wildfire broke out I heard it on 27.185 first, not the club's repeater or FM broadcast radio
VHF/UHF HTs may have a place in the same role as I used to have a GMRS/FRS radio with my go gear next to the spare magazines. Short range simplex comms between family/team members, not CQing outsiders.
Good pointers here. I use mine as a backup HT. Just give it a charge and test once in a while. Spend more time listening to the local repeaters with it.
73.
These little radios upset big ham operators it’s sad to think there better than the person starting out in the hobby.
I have been a ham since 1988 these Beofeng are great with all their faults everyones got a way in to radio so ++++ Beofeng in 1988 to get this handheld type $400 plus
Great video - thank you.
Michael from Canada
you just invalidated the radio choice of about 90% of the CERT teams in the US. While the Baofeng is inexpensive it is an affordable way to provide radio comms to disaster workers. Much better than FRS or GMRS
Baofeng handhelds have their place but I don't believe emergency communications is one of them. I think to be better prepared for disasters we need to be critical of these radios and move forward towards more robust radio methods and systems.
@@KB9VBRAntennas couldn't agree more..however with the declining funds to Emergency responders the Baofeng is a good choice for disaster scenes. There is no way a municipality is going to spend anymore money than they absolutely need to. Baofengs provide radio comms to the most people for the least amount of dollars
One problem with this quality control and out of spec emissions. I have(had) a fan in my backyard that has built in water misters. One day recently while fan was running(without the water on) I tested a new antenna for my baofeng uv 82 hp. O hit the talk button and my fan shut off. Turned it back on ( the gfi tripped). So i grab the Baofeng , and a sin as i keyed up again, fan shut off. Twice after this I reset the tripped gfi, and I would key up, poof, there goes the fan. I was going to try one more time, but the fan wouldn't turn back on. My guess, I fried something in the gfi. Now I'm watching on TH-cam a guy compare a cheaper Yaesu radio compared to a baofeng. The video interrupted, the video comes back and the guy said, i think i fried my camera with my baofeng. Just a word of caution. These emissions can have an effect on surrounding equipment electronics.
Will I still use Baofeng? Yes, but not around sensitive electronics. I will use my anytone for that. I used that before the Baofeng and it didn't trip the fan. The baofeng has it pros, mostly cost. But a Mars modified quality radio would be my first choice. I have 8 Baofengs, a couple of Yaesu ft 60, and ft3dr. Also have anytone at-878uv.
Your wrong, there great little radios, they work well.
baofeng rules!
Yaesu ft4xr is much more rugged and not much more expensive
I was actually surprised that it is $80 on amazon. I purchased my Ft-60 R for over $175 a few years back and don't find much more capabilities of that radio vs a UV-%R
@lit sci this video explains why they aren't the best option
@@mikesimpson6757 like $67 on gigaparts
Good starter radio to see if you want to go further in to the hobby once your in the hobby and want to continue then it becomes a radio in the collection... Not my choice but everyone has to work on a budget so good radio if you have other priorities ...Better than nothing
The inexpensive Chinese radios are a great introduction to the hobby as you don't have much invested in them. But as you grow and learn‚ and if you have an interest in emergency communications‚ I think you need to move away from them and into more robust radio systems.
Bottom line...EMERGENCY ONLY...How far will these go between each other in a major city?
Cell phone towers down, tornado, hurricane, earthquake, etc. How far will they go?
Just 1 mile?
Regardless of brand‚ a handheld radio with a rubber duck antenna will give you about a mile of distance point to point. In an urban area with buildings and obstructions‚ range will be less. For distances beyond that you need either higher power radios‚ external antennas‚ or repeater system. Case in point: our local fire department uses a portable repeater in their command vehicle so that fire fighters working in a building can get their signal out; and this is with high end Motorola equipment.
@@KB9VBRAntennas FYI, years ago while testing a pair of motorola 0.5 watt FRSA radios from Costco i saw about 0.75 miles range while i was sitting/driving in my car and family were in the house. I recently tested a BF-F8HP on 8 watt with stock rubber ducky and easily hit a repeater 15 miles away while laying in my bed on the far side of the house (granted old wood house). I think your range estimates are light.
@@NaturesChild topography and obstructions are everything, repeaters are almost always elevated.
You can talk line of sight 100+ miles on a CB at 4 w or you can fail to reach someone 1/2 a mile away with the same rig depending on topography.
You do have a license right?
ANY and EVERY type of radio is very useful in an SHTF situation.
People will probably have different radios than you, so you need what they have to communicate.
Prepping relies on having many kinds of skills, so no one skill or radio will handle everything.
The more I mess with the uv-5r that I own, the less I think it is truly capable of seeing you through a major disaster event.
From what I've seen, some of the BF's qualify AS a major disaster event.
Drop it a few times and get it wet, then let me know if feel the same.
@@rgconnergmail drop any radio a few times and get them wet, then tell me the difference, o, about $120.00 that's the difference.
As soon as Yeasu or ICOM makes a HT that does dual band (2m\70cm) or triband, GMRS |FRS, NOAA, that's not a splatmaster, I'll buy one. In SHTF I want a radio that can transmit and receive in as many bands as possible. That's where Baofeng shines. They don't give a shit about FCC rules, which is great for SHTF.
You're nuts...mine does everything it needs to do in any situation in the build quality as good as any other company out there.
As far as I am concerned, if you want reliable 2 meter comms, you could do a lot worse if you went with a Kenwood TM281. Pair that w/ a Hustler SF-2 on a good mag mount and spend an afternoon wiring it up properly and you are in business for less than around $200. At least this way, you are supporting American companies which pay taxes here in America. I have no experience with Baofeng. I would say that, to find out how good they are, get with a local club. Our club relies on them to communicate at club functions. But, it is strictly simplex and in rural settings, so they work fine. I agree Michael, better to cough up some bucks and buy a well known rig. Penny-wise is dollar foolish, when you rely on junk in a life and death situation.
You have some good points and some misleading ones as well. Hand-held communications are but one tool of many for most disaster communications and it gives a means for the new hams to get involved. The fact that hand-helds work well with repeaters tells you that they can and do work point-to-point for several miles. It is all in the location and equipment being used at both ends. If you live in a mountainous state, you'll find countless situations where hand-helds have saved the day (or a life) with simplex communications; they do work. There are even VHF/UHF simplex contests with amazing results. That said, the Baofeng and simular cheap Chinese radios are worth less than many pays for them. but that doesn't stop them from being sold and showing up on the ham bands. Some have even been cross-mode into digital voice networks (ugly). But they are cheap and many hams prefer cheap over quality - sad but true.
Handheld radios certainly have their place and I use them all the time. If infrastructure is intact‚ they are quite useful. It's just a matter of picking the right tool for the job and not expecting that a $25 radio will let you talk around the world when the chips are down
@@KB9VBRAntennas But a $200 handheld isn't going to let you talk around the world either
My use of these radios will be short range walki talki fir security team use . I’ll use my short wave radio to get info from around country. The people who stow these away for that day won’t know how to use them anyway. Like buying a seed vault as if your going to grow a garden without learning how first.
That's life, you get what you pay for..
You ALWAYS get what you pay for
Can I send Text messages with it?
I think if we are in a SHTF scenario, this guy would be cowering behind his radio hoping someone comes to his aid. Hopefully he visits some real SHTF channels and learn how to survive.
I doubt it. Most preppers have an over emphasis on guns and ammo and neglect the thought that the reality of a disaster will rely on interpersonal communications.
@@KB9VBRAntennas I have worked as a security contractor in Mexico, the interpersonal communication that you are not looking at is the one between attacker and defender.
If this “salad” would really hit the fan.... do you seriously think i would give a damn that my cheap chinese radio might give a bad signal on the Spectrum?? 😂😂😂
I'm not shooting at you, I actually learn a lot from you. That being said I believe you are 100% wrong. 1) Who gives a sht about clean emissions in a SHFT situation. 2) I own three types of HT, the Yaesu VX-6r, the Baofeng UV-5R and the BF-F8HP (Here are there SNR(db) 11.6, 12.9, 13.1. The UV-5R out performs the Yaesu VX-5r). 3) Six UV-5Rs cost less than one Yaesu VX-5r (I have six UV-5Rs). Thats my two cents take it for what it is.
I completely agree. My advice to those just beginning is to invest just a little more and buy a Yaesu ft-65 or equivalent instead of the beofang. The difference is very notable and will not disappoint.
BS