# Baofeng Questions



## MaterielGeneral (Jan 27, 2015)

I want to get a police/EMS scanner and the BaoFeng's radios popped up in my search. I am going to look on YouTube for reviews but I wanted to hear from people that I know. I am looking at the UV5R and the BaoFeng UV-5RA right now. $5.00 difference between them. 

I need to know if you own them are they good or bad and why. Other helpful information would be helpful also. What accessories are not worth it? What accessories are defiantly worth it?

Is there a different model you would rather have? Keep in mind these radios are $20.00-$25.00 and I am not going to go pay $500.00 for a radio when I don't have the money and if I did then I probably still wouldn't.

My original search was as a scanner but if I get Ham in the mix then why not.


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## soyer38301 (Jul 27, 2017)

I picked up the gt3..the one with the three power setting. Still playing with it but seems like a solid unit.

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk


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## 1skrewsloose (Jun 3, 2013)

I wait for more responses, wanted a scanner for forever. The right hand should know what the left hand is doing.


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## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

Many Baofengs can be set to a scan mode, but that's all it can do. You're stuck with one squelch setting, and you must scan through _all _your programmed frequencies. If there's one you don't want to pick up, you must delete it first. A dedicated scanner is far more useful and convenient.


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

If you want to invest in the programming cable, the unrealistic squelch dB sitting can be adjusted. 
My factory setting started at 23 dB at #1 and went up to 33 dB at #9. I have reset to 1,2,3,4,5,8,
11,16, and 22 dB at #9. I am an active ham and rarely go above #1 or 1 db. and pretty much 
have full quiet.


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

The only reason I have Baofeng's is the capability for police/fire frequencies. I also have a Radio Shack scanner.

ETA: Ya get what ya pay for. Don't expect these to be outstanding radio's.


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## Brettny (Apr 26, 2017)

Have you looked into the TYT brand radios? The baofeng radios have alot of fakes out now. The uv5 was discontinued in 2015. Im sure both of mine are fake.

Also i would get a tri band. Theres no point in cutting your self short for $30 extra.


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## MI.oldguy (Apr 18, 2013)

Baofengs will scan police/ems frequencies?.I thought that most police/ems/etc, freqs were encrypted.


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## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

MI.oldguy said:


> Baofengs will scan police/ems frequencies?.I thought that most police/ems/etc, freqs were encrypted.


You can't 'encrypt' frequencies. 158.375mHz will always be 158.375mHz.

You can, however, 'encrypt' the broadcast. Digital/trunking is a common method. Listening to it will sound like listening to a fax machine on a telephone line. However, since it takes money to do this, many departments haven't done it. So you can still listen in on many broadcasts.


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## Urinal Cake (Oct 19, 2013)

Brettny said:


> Have you looked into the TYT brand radios? The baofeng radios have alot of fakes out now. The uv5 was discontinued in 2015. Im sure both of mine are fake.
> 
> Also i would get a tri band. Theres no point in cutting your self short for $30 extra.


Funny you mentioned that, because I read a lot of poor feedbacks relating to the company's support system and the radios as well. This could be why...


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

Urinal Cake said:


> Funny you mentioned that, because I read a lot of poor feedbacks relating to the company's support system and the radios as well. This could be why...


A buddy of mine bought a TYT. Do you know how hard it is to find an owners manual? There are none online.


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

Which TYT radio. I found the 7800 for a friend. I have it on .pdf if it is the one he needs.


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## MaterielGeneral (Jan 27, 2015)

MI.oldguy said:


> Baofengs will scan police/ems frequencies?.I thought that most police/ems/etc, freqs were encrypted.


I do not think that EMS frequencies can encrypt their conversations. Its public service not national defense.


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## uivenger (Dec 28, 2017)

Back Pack Hack said:


> Many Baofengs can be set to a scan mode, but that's all it can do. You're stuck with one squelch setting, and you must scan through _all _your programmed frequencies. If there's one you don't want to pick up, you must delete it first. A dedicated scanner is far more useful and convenient.


Whilst that is true, if you program the radio via Chirp you can select which channels will be scanned through. But agree, for the example a dedicated scanner would probably be the better option unless the OP also needed to use the radio for actual communications (obviously with the appropriate Ham licence)


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

If the SHTF will people with a ham radio really care about a license? I doubt it. BUT that said, if you don't learn
how to use the radio before hand, will you figure it out when you need to use it? IMHO that's where I believe the 
ham license comes in. It allows you to communicate on the radio and learn how to use it, learn the little intrinsic 
things that will allow you to really use a ham radio to it's fullest. As an instructor, I find it amazing how many people 
come into a class and think they buy a $30 Baofeng and communicate hundreds or thousands of miles. Sure, with
repeaters systems you can communicate great distances. But take away the repeater and you're lucky to get out
a few miles unless you the person you are talking to are in *direct line of sight*. This again is where getting a 
license so you can learn what you're doing, etc. helps immensely. For giggles, I put my little 4 W Baofeng on my big
antenna ($70 plus mast system), and being on the side of a mountain was able to hit a repeater 30 miles away on
another mountain, with nothing in between. A lot of people talk about not wanting to be a licensed ham for OPSEC
reasons. I believe the odds of you being a licensed ham and it causing any real loss of OPSEC is extremely minimal.


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## MI.oldguy (Apr 18, 2013)

MaterielGeneral said:


> I do not think that EMS frequencies can encrypt their conversations. Its public service not national defense.


EMS,maybe not but,LEO for sure.....I used to get all kinds of stuff on my pro-2022 chicken shack scanner until about 2014.now just W/X,aircraft nearby,hospital pager and township VFD pager.not much else.there are some pricey scanners out there but I am not about to spend $400.00 on a pre-programmed one when I can buy preps and get NIXLE ( http://www.nixle.com/)warnings on the computer and cell.and listen to my Grundig traveler III.


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## azrancher (Dec 14, 2014)

paraquack said:


> A lot of people talk about not wanting to be a licensed ham for OPSEC reasons. I believe the odds of you being a licensed ham and it causing any real loss of OPSEC is extremely minimal.


If the lights go out (LGO), there will be no looking up a HAM call sign and finding out where they live (if they used a physical address for registration), and when the lights go out the Guberment will not be DF'n ham radio transmissions, so I don't believe in any OPSEC problems with being a licensed ham after the lights go out. Before the lights go out, I can find most preppers by the big ham radio tower in their back yard, so I target thoses houses to burgle for guns and ammo... Yes their are risks, and parking your $250K sports car in your driveway also puts you at risk for being a target before and after when the lights go out (LGO).

I have coined a new term that is more in keeping with what we may have to prepare for, no SHTF, no TEOTWAWKI, just when the *Lights Go Out* *"LGO"*

*Rancher*


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## MountainGirl (Oct 29, 2017)

azrancher said:


> I have coined a new term that is more in keeping with what we may have to prepare for, no SHTF, no TEOTWAWKI, just when the *Lights Go Out* *"LGO"*
> 
> *Rancher*


Love it, Rancher. When the lights go out. LGO. Yeah!!

But, when the LGO - it will be TEOTWAWKI and quickly.

You and I, and some others here, are about as ready for that as one can be. But the rest of the 323 Million US population? For a lot of them, just losing their phones will cause panic... and _then_ they realize they also cant pump gas, buy food, turn on their tap for water... then the S will HTF bigger and faster than even we realize. JMO.


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## MaterielGeneral (Jan 27, 2015)

MI.oldguy said:


> EMS,maybe not but,LEO for sure.....I used to get all kinds of stuff on my pro-2022 chicken shack scanner until about 2014.now just W/X,aircraft nearby,hospital pager and township VFD pager.not much else.there are some pricey scanners out there but I am not about to spend $400.00 on a pre-programmed one when I can buy preps and get NIXLE ( http://www.nixle.com/)warnings on the computer and cell.and listen to my Grundig traveler III.


I don't know when the change took place but the MSP and a bunch of sheriff departments changed to digital radios. I don't know what that all entails but the old scanners no longer can pick up the transmissions.


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

MaterielGeneral said:


> I don't know when the change took place but the MSP and a bunch of sheriff departments changed to digital radios. I don't know what that all entails but the old scanners no longer can pick up the transmissions.


Most states are moving to a narrow band, interoperablility agency frequencies. That's so they can all be on the same page.


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## MaterielGeneral (Jan 27, 2015)

Has anyone had experience with these radios? 8 watts of transmit power and supposed to use the UV-5 accessories.

Baofeng Black BF-F9 V2+ TRI-POWER 8 Watts Two Way Dual-Band HAM Radio VHF/UHF FM

https://www.ebay.com/itm/390980003153

Or

Baofeng F9+TP Tri-Power 8W 136-174/400-520Mhz FM Ham Two-Way HP Radio + Cable&CD

https://www.ebay.com/itm/182136872584

I think this second one is a copy or bootleg but I am ignorant on the subject.

What turned me on is the 8watts of power.


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## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

MaterielGeneral said:


> ..................Baofeng F9+TP Tri-Power 8W 136-174/400-520Mhz FM Ham Two-Way HP Radio + Cable&CD
> 
> https://www.ebay.com/itm/182136872584
> 
> I think this second one is a copy or bootleg but I am ignorant on the subject.............


Uh.... look at the name on the radio in the images. It says _Pofung_.


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## soyer38301 (Jul 27, 2017)

MaterielGeneral said:


> Has anyone had experience with these radios? 8 watts of transmit power and supposed to use the UV-5 accessories.
> 
> Baofeng Black BF-F9 V2+ TRI-POWER 8 Watts Two Way Dual-Band HAM Radio VHF/UHF FM
> 
> ...


Boafang and pofang are the same company from what I understand. Other than the color this look a lot like my gt3tp radios...Also tri power.

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk


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## soyer38301 (Jul 27, 2017)

Pofung..I can't spell...or I could blame it on autocorrect 

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## MaterielGeneral (Jan 27, 2015)

I ended up going with the UV-5R and a longer antenna. I want to see how things work out before going bigger and better.


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## theprepared (Nov 6, 2017)

paraquack said:


> If the SHTF will people with a ham radio really care about a license? I doubt it. BUT that said, if you don't learn
> how to use the radio before hand, will you figure it out when you need to use it? IMHO that's where I believe the
> ham license comes in. It allows you to communicate on the radio and learn how to use it, learn the little intrinsic
> things that will allow you to really use a ham radio to it's fullest... A lot of people talk about not wanting to be a licensed ham for OPSEC
> reasons. I believe the odds of you being a licensed ham and it causing any real loss of OPSEC is extremely minimal.


This. You don't buy a gun and wait until SHTF to learn how to use it. The opsec risk with a ham license (if there is any) is worth actually knowing how to use it.


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## whoppo (Nov 9, 2012)

Thoughts:

All public service agencies are supposed to be narrow band by now. You can still receive NBFM (12.5KHz) transmissions with a "wide band" (25KHz) receiver, but the audio will be at a lower volume. Many of the budget "ChiCom" radios the advertise Narrow Band FM functionality actually transmit at 12.5KHz while still receiving at 25KHz.

Larger, metro-area services often employ trunking systems, requiring a receiver capable of tracking the signals. These frequently live in the 800MHz range.

State and federal agencies are often encrypted... P25 digital is the choice of the feds and state agencies that moved to encryption early, but CONOPS frequencies are usually not encrypted in order to allow interactivity between fed, state and local resources.

A lot of agencies that want some level of secured communications are moving to DMR (Digital Mobile Radio). DMR is more efficient with radio bandwidth because it can slice it's 12.5KHz space into two separate data streams or "slots". DMR is a standard that's been in use in Europe for several years and it's far less expensive than P25, while still offering digital signal quality and strong encryption if desired. DMR is also becoming very popular in the Amateur Radio world, with DMR repeaters all over the country. DMR repeaters are generally linked via the Internet, with sub-channels called Talk Groups that are carried throughout the network. TG's like WorldWide, NorthAmerica, NewEngland, and ones for each state can allow comms to groups of interest based on geographic location or other areas of interest.

DMR radios are available in hand held or mobile models and run from just over a hundred dollars to several hundreds of dollars. I have a pair of AnyTone AT-D868UV's which are VHF/UHF Analog/DMR handhelds that offer 4000 channels, 250 zones (groups of channels for organization), 250 Scan groups, along with a long list of features applicable to Ham and commercial use. At around $170 each, they're a lot of radio with monthly firmware updates that squash bugs and add features.

These have become our go-to radios for many reasons.

The Baofeng radios are quite nice for the exceptionally low price and I've got a bunch of them here as well, but there are a lot of new options hitting the market now that are looking good for the prepared among us.


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## bigwheel (Sep 22, 2014)

Not sure why anybody would want to listen to that stuff. All the good scoop comes in over the in car computer.


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## MaterielGeneral (Jan 27, 2015)

After reading some of the comments about cops having encryption I have a problem with that. They are not national defense. They are public servants. In my opinion if they can talk in secret the public is loosing accountability. If they are on a tactical mission like SWAT serving a warrant and they are stacking on a door. They already know what they are doing, where they are going so you cant say they will loose surprise. Once they are on scene then it isn't going to matter who is talking on the radio because Johnny Crack Head already knows they are there.

By the way the radio arrived just waiting on the cable and extended antenna then it will be time to play. A couple people have helped me out a lot privately so far and to those that made really helpful comments I appreciate it.


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## azrancher (Dec 14, 2014)

bigwheel said:


> Not sure why anybody would want to listen to that stuff. All the good scoop comes in over the in car computer.


Which is encrypted.

*Rancher*


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