WOOT Deal Today on Baofeng UV-5R Dual Band HT - Stupid Cheap!

Hence my qualification of “at the beginning at least”, because the actual best way to learn involves hands-on experience, which is a lot harder to do without a license in hand.
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Bonus points for Harbor Freight DVM.

True enough, but for many the learning comes from doing and getting excited about the topic. And if they lose the interest the theory doesn't really matter anymore.
Ya know, I'd love to hear the "ultimately never Pushes To Talk" rate for each book, online drill site, and class.

Honestly though using the test regimen to learn stuff beyond basics (like band allocations, basic rules, etc) is a waste of time, I tell people to pass and then invest time in learning what suits their needs.
And yet for each of those License Manuals,
I learned 1-2 things I'd wondered about for decades,
and had never seen explained anywhere else before (or since).
 
And yet for each of those License Manuals,
I learned 1-2 things I'd wondered about for decades,
and had never seen explained anywhere else before (or since).

That’s why those manuals still make good reference books.... [laugh] I just think camping with the manual "to get in the door" is like the "unnecessarily slow moving dipping mechanism" way of getting a license. [laugh] I did it that way once, with one of those little gordon west books, which worked pretty well. (mainly because he tends to keep the verbiage short ) Then one of my close friends that got into ham radio, a couple years later, there was someone (texas A&M?) that had an online test generator. I got my friend set up with that and he just started grinding, a few weeks later he went to a session and got the ticket.

-Mike
 
I actually don't use computer software to program my rigs.
Among other things, it keeps me in practice with their UI in case I need to
add or change a memory during a public service event or emergency.

My late cousin's husband got one of these modren Chinese H/T's
and was frustrated that he couldn't figure out how to program it.
I said, "no sweat - let me read the manual".

The docs were so unintelligible that I told him to hunt up that friend of his with the cable.
No other electronics of any kind has stumped me like that.

If they've rewritten the manuals, fine.
If there's a web shrine (or readable commercial cheat sheet; gag), fine.

Otherwise, budget for that cable.


I have no respect for commercial cheat sheets,
because all the ones I've seen do nothing but parrot
the docs, with marginal improvements in readability.
No insights, and especially no hidden features.

(Did you know there's an undocumented way to
lock the controls on a Yaesu VX-5R into a turnkey mode?
You can only turn it on or off,
adjust the volume, select the memory, and push to talk.
Maybe light the display. Not sure about squelch even.
No VFO, no programming memories, no altering settings.
You can find that on a web shrine, but IIRC, not the cheat sheets).

Actually, the sheets aren't even improvements in readability, per se -
just rote procedures to follow that don't have explanations or rationale.

With anything but the Baofengs, just taking the time to RTFM works fine.
What is a "web shrine"?


Honestly, the best way to learn (at the beginning, at least) is to just grind through practice license exams. They’re readily available online.
Got a link?



Gotta love the "Engrish":

"one more 1800mAh UV5R Battery one Car Charge one Hand Mic. and one TIDRADIO NA-771 Antenna ham radio"
 
The docs were so unintelligible ... No other electronics of any kind has stumped me like that.
If they've rewritten the manuals, fine. If there's a web shrine ..., fine.
Otherwise, budget for that cable.
What is a "web shrine"?
Here is a web shrine for the Yaesu FT-817 QRP DC-to-purple (except 220MHz) portable rig.

It is such a comprehensive labor of love that it even documents
CAT digital programming interface protocol commands
for features known to be shared with the FT-857/FT-897 successor QRO rigs,
yet which I have never seen listed on any 857/897 site.

So since the three rigs share technology,
it is conceivable that the 817 web shrine is a Rosetta Stone
allowing 857/897 owners to change settings by using sekrit 817 commands.

(Or to brick their rig [shocked] ; I haven't tried, myself).

It's a safe bet that if there's a procedure for the 817
that you just can't figure out from Yaesu docs,
that web shrine will explain it for you.


Here is a web shrine for stripping/reassembly of Ruger Mk pistols.
Example: 22/45 Maintenance Procedures

There is almost no excuse for crying to Ruger Service that
you can't fit your pistol back together
if you rely upon that site when working on it.

If Ruger had merely bought those pages and
put them prominently on their own web site,
they might never have had to invest in developing
the Mk IV line w/ takedown button.


There must be some Baofeng shrines by now.
If so, enjoy using them to understand your Baofeng.
 
Haven't looked at these in quite a while.

What is the latest version of Baofeng now, and the best place to get them? What should one get with them, such as larger/second battery, larger/second antenna, charging base, programming cord, etc.

How does one know if it is real or counterfeit?

Is it still 5r, 8r, 9r, ?10r??
 
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