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Anyone concerned about a BaoFeng ban?

RLBreton said:
I've read recently (and watched a few YT vids) about the FCC "cracking down" on imported radios...according to the FCC Public Notice DA 18-980, (mostly Chinese) VHF/UHF transceivers such as the BaoFeng, the QYT, Puxing,and others may no longer be imported, sold, or operated due to lack of FCC equipment certification.

Anyone bought up a bunch for a rainy day?
Click to expand...

YES
 
Uzi2 said:
Where are you looking at these radios where there is any Chinese in the descriptions?

There are several versions because they have different batteries, different capabilities, different screens, single band, dual band, tri band, different size case, etc.

What is your comms needs?

If you want a basic dual band radio, the UV5R with a 3800mah battery will suffice. The battery will last for several days in recieve mode.
Put a three dollar speaker mic on it and you have a workable radio on two wide bands, plus FM broadcast listening capability.
Click to expand...

  1. There is no Chinese, it is just the translation is horrible.
  2. Communications needs? I have some cheap walkie talkies, and might like to move to something with more range and capability. So far, have only used for skiing and camping.
  3. Got an example of this "speaker mic"? I'd like to just get 2 or 3 sets of stuff on Amazon all at once.
  4. Thanks.
 
Coyote33 said:
  1. There is no Chinese, it is just the translation is horrible.
  2. Communications needs? I have some cheap walkie talkies, and might like to move to something with more range and capability. So far, have only used for skiing and camping.
  3. Got an example of this "speaker mic"? I'd like to just get 2 or 3 sets of stuff on Amazon all at once.
  4. Thanks.
Click to expand...

Amazon is not the place to be buying this stuff. Get on ebay.

You won't find many discounts buying one or two items. I buy in 10s and 20s at a time, thats where the prices come down per piece.
 
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I have no need for 10 or 20. Maybe this would be a good "group buy" thing. Let me know if that comes up, and I'd be in for 2/20.
 
RLBreton said:
many in the..."prepper" community are screaming to buy then NOW ahead of any sh!tstorm...
Click to expand...
Because when the SHTF, nothing says "stealth"
like a radio that transmits simultaneously
on all frequencies between DC and purple light
when you Push To Talk.

It's not much different than using this:
AN2cx-1454454460-embed-trekhelm_spacefun.jpg


Or Indian smoke signals.

That's totally not going to attract attention from government agencies,
competing tribes that spent real coin on their radios and are pissed off at the interference,
and roving bands of thugs just looking for people who have caches of food,
and skinflinted on radios (maybe they skinflinted on defensive weapons, too).

drgrant said:
I guess they do have a place though too, esp with children and other people who probably beat the piss out of things, if it breaks you just throw it away and issue them a new one.
Click to expand...
Give 'em an FRS radio. One will be about as useless as the other.

cockpitbob said:
8W? Meh. Power is one of the last features I look at in an HT. The diff between 5W and 8W is half an S-unit.
Click to expand...
(1/3rd of an S-unit!: (10 log (8/5))/6).
 
AHM said:
Because when the SHTF, nothing says "stealth"
like a radio that transmits simultaneously
on all frequencies between DC and purple light
when you Push To Talk.

It's not much different than using this:
AN2cx-1454454460-embed-trekhelm_spacefun.jpg


Or Indian smoke signals.

That's totally not going to attract attention from government agencies,
competing tribes that spent real coin on their radios and are pissed off at the interference,
and roving bands of thugs just looking for people who have caches of food,
and skinflinted on radios (maybe they skinflinted on defensive weapons, too).


Give 'em an FRS radio. One will be about as useless as the other.


(1/3rd of an S-unit!: (10 log (8/5))/6).
Click to expand...

Ya we get it.....you don't like Baofeng radios.

When TSHTF, I'll be sure to use my Motorola portables and mobiles instead.:rolleyes:
 
usp45ct said:
BaoFeng are the YEET CANONS of the radio world. They work ok until they don’t, then you get another.
Click to expand...

And there's nothing wrong with that.

Icom, Yaesu, Kenwood, Motorola, all work too until they don't......then you get to spend a couple to a few hundred dollars to get them fixed because you've got too much money tied up in them to just shitcan them.
 
Uzi2 said:
Ya we get it.....you don't like Baofeng radios.

When TSHTF, I'll be sure to use my Motorola portables and mobiles instead.:rolleyes:
Click to expand...
My regard for Baofengs is marginally higher
than my concern about whether sewer rat tastes like pumpkin pie,
because (as I told you last Thursday),
I may actually buy one to construct a portable APRS station some day.

But any "prepper" who stocks up on Baofengs may be "prepping" to fail.

 
AHM said:
My regard for Baofengs is marginally higher
than my concern about whether sewer rat tastes like pumpkin pie,
because (as I told you last Thursday),
I may actually buy one to construct a portable APRS station some day.

But any "prepper" who stocks up on Baofengs may be "prepping" to fail.

Click to expand...


Ok, lets stop being cryptic here.

What is the point of your Ramsey direction finder video.....to express that people can be DFed with an inexpensive kit? They'll DF any radio signal if its within the band of the radio that its hooked to.
A simple Yagi can do the same thing using the S meter on a radio.....they've been tracking animal beacon collars using Yagis for 60 years all over the world.
Those type of compass rose indicating, doppler direction finders have been out for almost forty plus years that I know of, just like the LOJACKs used by police departments. I've got two of them in a box here.

I stocked up on Baofengs because I use them all the time, in the woods, in the fields, around the house doing various things. If I leave one out somewhere or lose one, no big deal. If I didn't buy them now, they'll either vanish from the market or the price will climb.
Ever like a pair of boots or shoes and go back for another pair six months or a year later and they either don't make them anymore or the price is 50% higher? Happens all the time.
 
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I'm not sure what has caused more disruption within the HAM community over the past couple years ... FT8 or prepper adoption of Baofeng type (RDA1846 chipset) radios. :p

Oddly the Yaesu FT-4XR uses the RDA1846 chipset and adopted some of other Baofeng characteristics like a SMA-J (female) antenna ... only 3x the cost! I think that will be a short lived model.

I have a circa 2013 model ... it feels cheap in the hand but works perfectly OK. I have no idea if it suffers from spurious emissions. I prefer my VX-6R for whatever reasons.
 
No because they are junk. It's a complicated world, most police and interesting stuff is encrypted which the Baofengs cannot decode, there are so many other channels it's impossible to know what is better and they are all unlikely to be interesting, and very few people still do HAM any more. You can check on radioreference.com all the accounts and callsigns in a given town, even in municipalities of considerable size the number of licencees number in a few dozens and I've had a few of these radios for a month and have yet to hear anything on the HAM channels locally.

I've heard and read different things about HAM radio and to those who enjoy this hobby please correct me if I'm wrong, I don't mean any nastiness or offense by saying this but the verdict is that HAM radio is close to being dead. For better or worse the smartphone is better in every way and today's people who are into communicating with those far away use internet, not radio like we are now on this forum. Obviously it's not better for "Grid down" but the way the world works now these Baofengs are not really that powerful and the choice in number of channels so great it's unlikely they could be of any use save between friends and families and neighbors in a relatively close perimeter. Just make sure to have the AA adapter pack and buy tons of AA lithium batteries in case the power goes out and you cannot recharge.
 
CA139 said:
No because they are junk. It's a complicated world, most police and interesting stuff is encrypted which the Baofengs cannot decode, there are so many other channels it's impossible to know what is better and they are all unlikely to be interesting, and very few people still do HAM any more. You can check on radioreference.com all the accounts and callsigns in a given town, even in municipalities of considerable size the number of licencees number in a few dozens and I've had a few of these radios for a month and have yet to hear anything on the HAM channels locally.

I've heard and read different things about HAM radio and to those who enjoy this hobby please correct me if I'm wrong, I don't mean any nastiness or offense by saying this but the verdict is that HAM radio is close to being dead. For better or worse the smartphone is better in every way and today's people who are into communicating with those far away use internet, not radio like we are now on this forum. Obviously it's not better for "Grid down" but the way the world works now these Baofengs are not really that powerful and the choice in number of channels so great it's unlikely they could be of any use save between friends and families and neighbors in a relatively close perimeter. Just make sure to have the AA adapter pack and buy tons of AA lithium batteries in case the power goes out and you cannot recharge.
Click to expand...

I can't unscramble the rest of your post but the part I bolded is the usual reason many if not most own them.....myself included.
 
Uzi2 said:
I can't unscramble the rest of your post but the part I bolded is the usual reason many if not most own them.....myself included.
Click to expand...
Sorry, it's gramatically correct; please read carefully as I touched many salient points quickly. The long and short of it is that for anything other than very short range communications they are not useful because either the technology has progressed to the point where an analog radio like this cannot give useful intelligence, that there are too many channels to listen from, and HAM radio itself has very few participants and is sparsely used.

What is of concern is in a power down situation the "stock" rechargeable batteries would not be rechargeable any more. You'd either need a solar generator unit which tends to be pricey or to buy the aftermarket AA battery power packs which are available for sale and then store plenty of AA's because within a day or two of keeping these radios on you will deplete all their power.

Overall I am against most bans but practically speaking I don't think these radios are that useful or will be missed as they have many limitations. I am still searching for an ideal "SHTF" communication device that isn't smoke or a whistle.
 
CA139 said:
Sorry, it's gramatically correct; please read carefully as I touched many salient points quickly. The long and short of it is that for anything other than very short range communications they are not useful because either the technology has progressed to the point where an analog radio like this cannot give useful intelligence, that there are too many channels to listen from, and HAM radio itself has very few participants and is sparsely used.

What is of concern is in a power down situation the "stock" rechargeable batteries would not be rechargeable any more. You'd either need a solar generator unit which tends to be pricey or to buy the aftermarket AA battery power packs which are available for sale and then store plenty of AA's because within a day or two of keeping these radios on you will deplete all their power.

Overall I am against most bans but practically speaking I don't think these radios are that useful or will be missed as they have many limitations. I am still searching for an ideal "SHTF" communication device that isn't smoke or a whistle.
Click to expand...

So, you have no experience with them correct?


Just what type of communicating do you think you'll be doing in a SHTF?

Perimeter sentries? Short range comms are fine.....actually preferred.

Regional intel passing? Go HF.

Even an expensive portable will need it's batteries charged. There's no free lunch.
 
Uzi2 said:
So, you have no experience with them correct?


Just what type of communicating do you think you'll be doing in a SHTF?

Perimeter sentries? Short range comms are fine.....actually preferred.

Regional intel passing? Go HF.

Even an expensive portable will need it's batteries charged. There's no free lunch.
Click to expand...
I have about ~1 month experience fooling around with the F8HP 8 watt as well as the 6 pack of the "lesser" ones sold on amazon. Programmed them through my PC using CHIRP and radiocentral.com which I also used to research what kind of radio channels and activity are in the area.

I don't think I'll want to communicate much actually should S hit the F but wanted to explore the possibility if it were a good idea and useful, and if so how to do so efficiently and economically.

Just like everyone else thinking about perimeter sentry comms, agree these could be OK but the power is a perennial problem.

Regional intel I am not sure, was hoping for more. I don't think there is a good option although maybe a shortwave or even AM radio might suffice; that said news is 99% fake anyway. A $300 scanner might do but that's a lot of money and again the channels are so many following them all is impossible.
 
Uzi2 said:
Where are you looking at these radios where there is any Chinese in the descriptions?

There are several versions because they have different batteries, different capabilities, different screens, single band, dual band, tri band, different size case, etc.

What is your comms needs?

If you want a basic dual band radio, the UV5R with a 3800mah battery will suffice. The battery will last for several days in recieve mode.
Put a three dollar speaker mic on it and you have a workable radio on two wide bands, plus FM broadcast listening capability.
Click to expand...
Wasn't Chinese, but poorly translated.

Comms needs? Just basic/listening for now, but also for future undetermined needs. There are package deals, but I haven't looked lately.


Uzi2 said:
If any of mine broke, I'd mark it BAD, then toss it in a box for use as spare parts(case, knobs, antenna, battery, belt clip.
A 20-28 dollar radio is not worth spending ten minutes on trying to fix it and I don't think there's any user serviceable parts or even schematics to reference to even begin.
They are disposable......something that has great appeal to a lot of people including me.
Click to expand...
Great idea!
 
What about one of these? Can’t seem to find one for sale in the US tho😂😂

www.ebay.com

UV-S9 Plus Powerful Walkie Talkie CB Radio Transceiver 8W/10W 10km Long Range | eBay

2021 BaoFeng UV-S9 Plus Powerful Walkie Talkie CB Radio Transceiver 8W/10W 10km. We have compatible with S9 plus radio antenna ,speaker mic ,cable. Dual Watch/dual reception. Cross band reception. Larger Capacity Li-ion Battery Equipped with a 2800mAh Li-ion battery.
www.ebay.com
 

These two are upgrades to the UV-5R.​

​

BaoFeng UV-S9 Plus(Upgrade of UV-5R) 8-Watt 2200mAh Larger Battery with USB Charger Cable Rechargeable Long rang VHF UHF Dual Band Amateur Ham Two Way Radio(Black)​

Amazon product ASIN B08J495X6TView: https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-S9-Plus-Upgrade-Rechargeable/dp/B08J495X6T/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=BaoFeng+UV-S9+Plus%28Upgrade+of+UV-5R%29+8-Watt+2200mAh+Larger+Battery+with+USB+Charger+Cable+Rechargeable+Long+rang+VHF+UHF+Dual+Band+Amateur+Ham+Two+Way+Radio%28Black%29&qid=1610854521&sr=8-1



Airiton&BAOFENG UV-S9 Plus 8W/4W/1W Tri-Power Two Way Radio 2200mAh Battery Dual Band Ham Radio with USB Charger Cable (Black)​

Amazon product ASIN B08M5KBCZZView: https://www.amazon.com/Airiton-BAOFENG-Tri-Power-2200mAh-Battery/dp/B08M5KBCZZ/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=BaoFeng+UV-S9+Plus%28Upgrade+of+UV-5R%29+8-Watt+2200mAh+Larger+Battery+with+USB+Charger+Cable+Rechargeable+Long+rang+VHF+UHF+Dual+Band+Amateur+Ham+Two+Way+Radio%28Black%29&qid=1610854521&sr=8-2
 
I cant understand ( and really don't care ) why so many put down these radios, I get they are cheap in a sense but they work really well for the low cost of them and you can buy and store a bunch on a budget.
I am a call Vol FF in my town, I have a station issued Motorola that goes with me everywhere on the job. But I carry a Baofang as a back up, I have found they are more powerful hitting our tower in town, better at radio to radio and better at around town talk.

I live on the MA/CT line and the towns we respond to in CT for mutual aid run on a different freq than my Motorola, but the Baofeng being it can run several different bands I used that during the last snow storm on a fire call with them.
I have used them as a water hole command, a search and rescue in the woods, several brush fire's and two structure fire's on the outside. My Motorola will go in cause its designed around my gear and is water proof.

Most of us here are on a budget, if you can afford to outfit your family or group with a 6 ( or whatever number ) pack of Motorola's then good for you, I could but it takes money away from other things like ammo, food or whatever.
For under two hundred bucks, I have an 8 pack of UV82's. I will be getting a few more and they will be put away in a special place for a shtf and the old ones rotated out.

Buy what you want, I know they are low budget radios, but what you get in the end is a good deal and an easy way to outfit several like minded friends in my area. I know most of who is in my area have no comms outside of there phones or maybe some cheap wally world radios.
So in the end I have a leg up on who is around me.
 
So, the question is, which model, and which accessories/addons? I think they are up to $32 for the basic model.

Just curious about options about extra or bigger batteries vs. chargers, antennas, microphones, programming cords, etc.

Then there is whether to go to the newer UV-S9. What extra does that get you? Power? Longevity? More capabilities?
 
Here is the description on the Baofeng UV-S9:

About this item​


  • 【Function Upgrade】BaoFeng UV-S9 Plus is upgrade of UV-5R. High/ Mid/Low Power (8W/4W/1W),Dual band / dual display / dual standby,AUTO Keypad Lock.FCC ID: 2AU74UV-S9
  • 【Worry-free Charging】With optional methods to charge the battery.Multiple charging mode.We will send a USB Battery Charger Cable to you.
  • 【Product Features】Frequency Range: VHF: 136-174MHz (RX/TX), UHF: 400-520MHz (RX/TX), 65-108MHz (Only commercial FM radio reception). Channels:128 groups of storage channels,Broadband (Wide) 25khz / Narrowband (Narrow) 12.5khz Selectable
  • 【With 771 Antenna】771 Antenna,can increase the communication distance and make your conversation smoother
  • 【Special Service】Baofeng programming cable use PL2303 chip，compatible with Mac, Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1，Windows 10 system, also work fine with chirp software.A link to the special Baofeng UV-S9 Plus programming software and firmware can be provided free of charge according to your requirements.
 

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