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Red River Valley Amateur Radio Club

Amateur Radio in and around the Red River Valley Area of Northeast Texas

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Home » General Ragchew » Chinese VHF/UHF radios: Yea or Nay? » Reply To: Chinese VHF/UHF radios: Yea or Nay?

Reply To: Chinese VHF/UHF radios: Yea or Nay?

August 2, 2021 at 4:29 pm #1810
Phillip BeallPhillip Beall
Keymaster

    Dan,

    Kathy and I bought some of the BaoFeng UV-5R UHF VHF Dual Band Two Way Radio Walkie Talkies a couple of years ago. They were quite the bargain and other than (I think) being a little hard to program without a cable they are quite capable.

    There was some noise about the FCC finding that particular radio to be non-compliant with their certification (see FCC Cites Baofeng Importer for Illegally Marketing Unauthorized RF Devices), but they are still going strong. Running about twice as much, the new and improved version, the the F8HP, is even more capable. Here (Baofeng BF-F8HP Radio Review) is a very nice review. Improvements between the UV-5R and the F8HP are a printed manual that is much better written than before (the former download only was clearly written by someone with poor English and grammar skills), an improved antenna and battery. But accessories are all backwards compatible.

    BaoFeng radios are not a Yaesu, a Kenwood or an ICOM, but they are just such a bargain that anyone looking for an analog FM handheld can get into the game quite economically. If someone wanted to order a box full of radios, program them the same and put one in the glove box of each car, their motorcycle saddlebag, their bugout bag, at their second home, etc.; for very little investment they could have a radio in place, programmed and ready to go, anywhere and everywhere. They would be familiar because they are all the same and in a sudden emergency regardless of where the person was, they would have emergency comms capability. And did I mention that they are TINY!  Wow!  Talk about a micro-radio.

    Buying several as suggested is feasible for many, whereas buying a box full of the others would break the bank for most.

    My two cents. 😉

    Phillip

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    Who We Are

    Red River Valley Amateur Radio Club (RRVARC) is a licensed FCC radio operator (WB5RDD) and an affiliate of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) – The National Association for Amateur Radio®.

    Club members – hams – are persons interested in amateur radio operations and public service. The Club and its members participate in public service events such as the Tour de Paris, Field Day and educational activities, as well as during emergency preparedness activations.

    Non-Profit Organization

    The RRVARC is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization.

    Where We Meet

    The Red River Valley Amateur Radio Club meets at Paris Municipal Court (2910 Clarksville St, Paris, TX 75460) usually on the 4th Saturday of each month.

    Note: Special events like Field Day and some November and December meetings are excepted.  Check the events calendar for special location, dates and time.

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