# Baofeng Radios



## Fish (Jun 27, 2016)

Thoughts on Baofeng Radios? Looking at the 8 watt to put up for just in case they would be needed in an emergency.


----------



## PrepperLite (May 8, 2013)

Fish said:


> Thoughts on Baofeng Radios? Looking at the 8 watt to put up for just in case they would be needed in an emergency.


I would say the use of a Baofeng for reliable communication during an emergency would be dependent on so many factors. You get what you pay for. Source: There is a Baofeng UV-5R sitting on my desk right now.

If you are truly interested in learning about emergency communication or HAM radio I would get your tech license (not hard, I crammed for 24 hours and $15 later I had my license) and look around. The world of emergency communications is vast and crazy!


----------



## dwight55 (Nov 9, 2012)

PrepperLite said:


> I would say the use of a Baofeng for reliable communication during an emergency would be dependent on so many factors. You get what you pay for. Source: There is a Baofeng UV-5R sitting on my desk right now.
> 
> If you are truly interested in learning about emergency communication or HAM radio I would get your tech license (not hard, I crammed for 24 hours and $15 later I had my license) and look around. The world of emergency communications is vast and crazy!


Can you give the rest of us a quick "This is what you do" lesson: what, . . . where, . . . how, . . .??

Thanks, may God bless,
Dwight


----------



## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

dwight55 said:


> Can you give the rest of us a quick "This is what you do" lesson: what, . . . where, . . . how, . . .??
> 
> Thanks, may God bless,
> Dwight


Handheld radios are dependent on repeaters being up to get any distance. 8 watts isn't bad, there are a couple of repeaters near me I can hit on 5 watts. The real issue is the antenna. And that applies to all radios. The antenna is the pick up and delivery mechanism. Handhelds have small antenna's and the are hard to get into a repeater. Some use a handheld in their car with a magnetic mobile antenna which works better with the handheld.

I own a Baofeng along with a Kenwood and several Motorola's. I rarely use a handheld simply because of the issue of getting out.


----------



## Medic33 (Mar 29, 2015)

not sure how it all works but I was always told it is about a mile per watt so 8 watts =about 8 miles on a flat clear day possible mor on a cloudy one or maybe shooting skip or something on sideban.


----------



## dwight55 (Nov 9, 2012)

Back when CB was beginning to be the rage, . . . licenses were "required", . . . then that went by the wayside. Too many people using it, . . . to monitor it.

Have they figured out some new way to keep a lid on these frequencies?

Or will it become the next CB band??

May God bless,
Dwight


----------



## Salt-N-Pepper (Aug 18, 2014)

dwight55 said:


> Back when CB was beginning to be the rage, . . . licenses were "required", . . . then that went by the wayside. Too many people using it, . . . to monitor it.
> 
> Have they figured out some new way to keep a lid on these frequencies?
> 
> ...


Not on the HAM frequencies, seriously, HAM operators are serious "rules guys" for the most part. Not only will they hunt non-licensed users down (via triangulation) they will nark you out to the FCC.

I am a member of a radio club, and trust me, they will nark.

For no more expense and hassle than it is to get legal, I recommend getting 100 percent legal on this stuff. If the SHTF it may not matter, but why not get legal and use the radio all the time?


----------



## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

Salt-N-Pepper said:


> Not on the HAM frequencies, seriously, HAM operators are serious "rules guys" for the most part. Not only will they hunt non-licensed users down (via triangulation) they will nark you out to the FCC.
> 
> I am a member of a radio club, and trust me, they will nark.
> 
> *For no more expense and hassle than it is to get legal, I recommend getting 100 percent legal on this stuff. If the SHTF it may not matter, but why not get legal and use the radio all the time?*


Yup, trying to use equipment you know little to nothing about can be tough at it's easiest and it's possible to fry components.

It's kinda like buying a car but waiting to learn to drive until you have an emergency.


----------



## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

As a Technician Class instructor, I can tell you it is well worth the few bucks to get your license. 
Once you are licensed you can get a lot of advice from hams in your area. They are obviously
not going to talk with someone who isn't licensed. You can find a ham club in the area for even 
more help. The little Baofengs are reasonable for beginners and preppers who want to put one 
away for SHTF. BUT it is only going to transmit a short distance with the shorty rubber duck 
that comes with it. The class or book will help you understand the ins and outs of antenna.
*Long* distance communications will cost you some hefty change and if that's what you're 
looking for for, I'd say get your Technician and General class licenses so you understand what 
you're doing. Here's a link to Amazon for the Tech. book I use and have had good luck with.
Some of my students have found it so good they have dropped out of class and taken their FCC
exam after a few weeks.

If you get it, PM me so I can give you some important tips to the book to make it easier and
I can email you a Power Point Presentation that I use in the class. Not necessary to take the 
test for the FCC but helps with understanding.

http://www.amazon.com/Technician-20...F8&qid=1457110881&sr=8-1&keywords=gordon+west


----------



## Brettny (Apr 26, 2017)

I had a 5w uv5r5 version. Then went to the 4w uv5r. With that little power your not going to notice a few watts. Just get the 4w version or two for the price they are. I believe i paid $46 for two.
They will get the job done but have many many options built in the radio. I suggest you learn how to use the radio before you actualy need it. Buying it just to put it away isnt going to work out so well.

If your looking for more range you will need to step up to a mobile radio.


----------



## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

Brettny said:


> They will get the job done but have many many options built in the radio.


It's the other options that caused me to buy one. :tango_face_grin:


----------



## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

Brettny said:


> ........ I suggest you learn how to use the radio before you actualy need it............


Just don't expect to read the manual................... because there isn't one these days. You'll need to do an innernets search and spend some time on YouBoob to learn about it.


----------



## PrepperLite (May 8, 2013)

dwight55 said:


> Can you give the rest of us a quick "This is what you do" lesson: what, . . . where, . . . how, . . .??
> 
> Thanks, may God bless,
> Dwight


To get your license? I used a mobile phone app to study, Ham boss Technician. The question pool for technician is about 426 question, and the test is 35 of those. It lets you look at all the test questions by category and take practice tests. After I was passing the practice tests 90%+ every time I felt I was ready to take the test. Testing locations can be found here. It is $15 to take the test so that's about what I had in Ham radio to get started.

After that a google search of "Ham radio clubs in (insert your area here)" should find you a local club where you can go to meetings and learn more / find someone willing to help you along.

Like others have said, while licenses wont really matter in true SHTF event, it costs you next to nothing to get licensed and allows you to legally practice using the radio. Buying SHTF equipment just to set on a shelf instead of being familiar / proficient in it will just leave you ill prepared.


----------



## Brettny (Apr 26, 2017)

Yes the manual is prety useless for most things. I learned how to use it via the internet. Thats why i say learn how to use it before you actualy need it.


----------



## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

Brettny said:


> Yes the manual is prety useless for most things. I learned how to use it via the internet. Thats why i say learn how to use it before you actualy need it.


The manuals for name brand stuff can get pretty confusing too. There is still a lot of trial and error. Plus you need to understand how to set the offsets and tones for each repeater.

Most people confuse ham radio with CB. CB's are a lot easier to use but you can still fry the innards if you have no idea what you're doing.


----------



## Hemi45 (May 5, 2014)

Is this model a good deal or a waste of money?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MAULSOK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


----------



## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

Hemi45 said:


> Is this model a good deal or a waste of money?
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MAULSOK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


That link is not working for me. It goes to Amazon CA and is not available. "We're sorry. The Web address you've entered is not a functioning page on our site."

What you have to keep in mind is you get what you pay for. Baofeng has it's uses. I own one and may buy another. Get your license and learn how to use the equipment before you need it. Practice with it. Learn how it operates. Get familiar with it. That's the main reoccurring theme here.


----------



## khaotic (Jan 16, 2017)

You should go with the 5-watt version. You will not notice any difference in the performance of the radio and you will save a lot of money. I would go this route and have 2 one for you and another for someone else in your group.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/slredirect/picassoRedirect.html/ref=dp_sp_detail_2?ie=UTF8&adId=A09846612BUPTIKB8QINH&qualifier=1504106851&id=1244542098417222&widgetName=sp_detail&url=%2Fdp%2FB01HICB5M4%3Fpsc%3D1


----------



## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

IF you want a Baofeng and IF you want to be able to use all the features designed for the radio then you need to buy it from China. The FCC has put some restrictions on the features allowed to be sold by US companies.


----------



## AquaHull (Jun 10, 2012)

This blogger is on this forum with same user name
beofeng banned Archives - The Quiet Survivalist


----------

