Baofeng UV-5R: Good disposable radio to add to gear?

[gil]

Interesting Tinker, I didn't know you could leave the transmit frequency column blank.. Is there also a way to limit output power on selected frequencies? I just ordered a UV-5R+, so the more I know the better... Thanks.

Gil.

[Quietguy]

If you use CHIRP to program your UV5R+ you set the receive frequency, but there is a column for each channel called "Duplex".  You can set it for "None" (simplex), "-", "+", "Split" and "Off".  "Off" inhibits transmitting on that channel and should be set for all channels where you positively do not want to transmit - like public safety.

Edit (error correction):  "Split" allows you to enter a specific transmit frequency while "+" and "-" allow you to use offsets.

Edit to add:  There is a column where you set the transmit power to "High" or "Low", but I don't recall what those power levels are in watts.

I don't know how the Baofeng software handles programming, I didn't try it.

Wally

[gil]

Thanks Wally!
Gil.

[KC3AOL]

Another tip for CHIRP is that you can select multiple entries and then right click, select edit and you can modify all of the selected entries at once.

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[Archangel320420]

OK I bought one of these from AMAZON yesterday. You guys better be right  :)

[gil]

I hope to receive mine before the week-end...

Gil.

[Archangel320420]

I got my UV-5RA today. Bat was dead. After charging it booted up nicely. Female voice with asian accent KOOL. I got it working on 146.52 simplex and experimented with a UHF repeater pair. I am happy with it. Enough of it for tonight. Tomorrow is another "Baofeng" day.  :)

[recon_prepper]

The prices on the original uv5r have really dropped I picked up three of them for 29 dollars a piece on amazon. The first one I bought a year ago ran me 50 dollars. Good little radios.

[raysills]

I recently bought an Baofeng UV-5R... and the price has dropped to $32, delivered from a US vendor.  Clearly a radio made in China.  There likely is some cheap labor involved in it's manufacture, but I would guess that most of the work is done via robotic assembly devices.

Anyway, the little HT seems to work fine.. and although it is easier to program via a computer app (CHIRP), programming can be done manually.  The manufacturer's instruction book is not much help, but fortunately there is a nice on-line manual and a Yahoo group that supports it.

Hard to beat for the price... it really is a "disposable" HT.  Good for the 2M and 440 ham bands, and nearby frequencies.  You -can- program it for FRS/GMRS frequencies, but it's not legal for those services... at least not for transmitting. 

I'd say it's worth adding one or two to your stash of gear.

73 de Ray
K2ULR

[gil]

The first one I got had a bad microphone jack. It would only key the trasnmitter with an external mic. The second one works great. I am waiting for a third one for free, to replace the first one.. Yes, when you get a good one, they do work great.

Gil.

[KC3AOL]

I actually don't understand the issues people have with manually programming. I had to do it a few weeks ago on a friend's uv-5r and had no trouble doing it. I never read any instructions or anything. Other than accepting your choices, it seemed pretty intuitive to me. Once I figured out how to accept (on second try), it was a snap.

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[KK0G]

On the programming difficulty: I don't own a UV-5R but I did play with one a few weeks ago. A non-ham friend of mine is interested in getting licensed so he purchased one and showed it to me. After much button pushing, scrolling and deciphering of the cryptic menu I was finally able to successfully program in a local toned repeater without the benefit of any instructions. I've been an active ham for 14 years and in that time I've hand programmed lots of VHF/UHF handhelds and mobiles including Icom, Yaesu, Kenwood, Alinco, KDK, Standard, Radio Shack and several I've probably forgotten, programming the UV-5R was a pain in the ass by comparison. I'm sure if I were to play with it longer I would flatten the learning curve but it's definitely not as intuitive of most other radios I've used. That said, I don't think it's anywhere near the nightmare to program by hand that many on the internet make it out to be, after all I did it with no instructions, tutorials, Youtube videos, etc, I can definitely see how computer programming it would be much easier though,  the truth is closer to the middle of the two extremes.

[gil]

You can buy the programming cable for $10.. Mine was included in the sale. I don't understand why anyone would want to save ten bucks and waste time pressing tiny buttons.. I have maybe fifty entries in my memory.. My second UV5R took a minute to program since I already have the file. It's nice to have a backup.

Gil.

[KC3AOL]

You can buy the programming cable for $10.. Mine was included in the sale. I don't understand why anyone would want to save ten bucks and waste time pressing tiny buttons.. I have maybe fifty entries in my memory.. My second UV5R took a minute to program since I already have the file. It's nice to have a backup.

Gil.

I definitely agree. I have almost 100 channels set in my UV-B5. I certainly wouldn't want to manually program all that, but I wouldn't want to manually program that on ANY radio. It's just that some people seem to have the notion that it is completely indecipherable and there's no way anyone could possibly understand the programming menu. It's really not that bad.

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[White Tiger]

Hey - it's been quite awhile since I've posted (been a lot of changes at work), but as usual I see the topics are exactly what I'm thinking about!

I too have a UV-5R - so this thread is relevant to me. I'm not technically savvy, so I thought these struggles with my radio were JUST due to operator error. I have YET to even hit a local repeater near me!? If you are an experienced operator, or IT pro - and like low-priced gear - the problems are minor annoyances for you - but for a non-tech individual - the difficulty factor of working this little radio is also very high. I have not had much luck with it.

After reading about folks who LOVE this radio - I decided to give it another try. I recently ordered the programming cable and have rekindled an interest in figuring it out - glad there are others here I can bounce questions off when I get to the point of trying to program it for operation!

Additionally - I was recently induced into a subscription to CQ Magazine - mostly for the calendar (pics of vintage rigs and Hams in their shacks). I don't know if anyone gets this magazine - and if they do - ordered/saw the calendar? "Miss November" 2015 (tongue planted firmly in check)? It shows her operating digitally via an IC-80AD HT! She uses a laptop with a small sound card interface kit running  FLdigi and EasyPal software!!

I immediately began googling for a similar UV-5R setup, found it & bought it.

Then Ibasked my friend Luck, WA4STO who opened the door to digital/TNC - planning to run the UV-5R with a PakRatt data controller as well!

So - questions - A) anybody here actually do this? And B) what are your experiences?