Why I Love My Baofeng UV-5R
I now have a small fleet of three of these excellent little radios. People seem to love them or hate them. There doesn't seem to be an in-between.
They're not the highest quality HT out there, and they're not even the highest quality HT that I own. I've quickly developed a fondness for the maligned little sucker, though.
Pros:
- the price! $24 will get you a fully functional radio, complete with earpiece, charger, and, most importantly, a wrist strap! They make a great first-time radio for a new Ham.
- rugged. I've dropped mine several times, and they're still ticking. (Maybe ticking isn't what you want in a radio.)
- size. It's small enough to throw anywhere (a bag, backpack, the door pocket of a vehicle)
- several upgrades and accessories available
- VERY popular, so lots of tutorials and support out there
- supposedly waterproof. I haven't tested this yet.
- stress-free. You can "brick" it, break it, or lose it, and you're only out $24.
- they have to be worthwhile; the Russian military is reportedly using them.
Cons:
- range. Definitely get an after-market antenna.
- manual is terrible. Seriously. Is localization so expensive that a company can't find someone, anyone, that can speak English? Supposedly, there are more Chinese English-speakers than American English-speakers.
- spurious radio signals (reportedly)
- "radio on a chip" has less-than-optimal sensitivity/selection (not super-heterodyne)
- they're not "cool"
Given the price and the full functionality of these splendid little entry-level radios, I decided I couldn't be without a handful of them! I also love gifting them to a new (or even a not-so-new) Ham.
Packet Radio Front-End
One of the uses I've found for the UV-5R is as a radio front-end for my TNC packet radio system. In fact, this was the first Baofeng HT I purchased, and it was for this express purpose. It sits permanently in its charger, with the squelch off (the TNC internal "software squelch" selectivity is just fine), connected to a ladder-line j-pole (my first radio project).
The range isn't terribly impressive. The nice thing about the Minnesota packet network, though, is that I only have to see one other node to get onto the network. In my case, I can "see" the ICARES node, and from there, I can see down to the MPLSDN node, and get almost anywhere from there.
I've been operating for almost a year in this configuration. If you're on the network, feel free to hop from:
MPLSDN->ICARES->KF0DEK-1
GMRS/FRS and MURS on the UV-5R
Yes, you read that correctly! You can transmit/receive on GMRS (FRS) and MURS using the Baofeng UV-5R. Well, according to the FCC, you aren't allowed to transmit on those frequencies, but you can certainly monitor them.
To accomplish this, there's a hardware reset technique to activate it:
-
- turn off radio
- press the MON, PTT, VFO/MR buttons (simultaneously) while turning on (this is a tricky dexterity exercise!)
- the radio will display "FACTORY", then turn on
- done
That's it! Test by setting the radio to one of the GMRS or MURS frequencies. If you can set it, it worked. Even GMRS repeaters can be set, unlike some of the cheaper GMRS/FRS "blister pack" radio sets.
Just another reason I love the UV-5R!
1.25m (219MHz- 225MHz) Band on the UV-5R
Whaaaaaa??
Yep, you can transmit/receive on the 1.25m band on your Baofeng UV-5R after unlocking it. Here's a [YouTube] video describing the process.
Basically, there's a generic programming application for the UV-5R that has an option to open up the entire band. He has a link to the application in his comments. It's really generic... the menus are in Chinese even. One of the menu options translates it to English. You read from the radio to the application, switch the frequency range, and write it back to the radio.
I've done the steps on my radios, and it works great. What does the 1.25m band buy you? Not sure yet. I'll have to do some research on the uses of the band, and how effective it'd be.
If you're going to use this band, you'll likely need a tri-band antenna. I have yet to find one that's (A) cheap, and (B) effective. I found an inexpensive one on Amazon, but one of the commenters stated that on 1.25m and 70cm, the SWR was decent, but on 2m (where you'd likely spend the majority of your time) the SWR was 4:1!