Baofeng radio's are an affordable Chinese option for two way radio portability. With the UV-5R starting at $19.99 on eBay Baofeng is a nice option for anyone that needs UHF or VHF radio operability.
Baofeng menu system offers audible language in English and Chinese. The radio literally speaks to you as you switch menu options. The baofengs offer pretty large amount of band capability and has multiple applications for use.
The following baofeng radios are from various vendors and vary based on battery needs, ERP wattage, and antenna gain. The lowest price radio starts at 5 Watts while up to 8 Watts are available depending on needs. Additionally the basic radio has a small battery while extended life batteries are available.
A baofeng is relatively similar to that of an ICOM portable radio but available at a fraction of the price. The radio is lighter weight than an ICOM but it appears the ICOMs are a tougher built radio. The UV-5R is similar to that of an ICOM-IC1000 AND and ICOM-IC2000 at the same time. The IC1000 is a VHF radio and the IC2000 is a UHF radio. The UV-5R does UHF AND VHF dual band.
Plausible applications for a Baofeng
- Amateur Radio. Useable bands include 2 Meter and 70 Centimeter.
- Commercial radio for business communications.
- Murs
- FRS/GMRS
Frequency Spectrum
- VHF - 136 MHz - 173 MHz TX & RX
- UHF - 400 MHz - 520 MHz TX & RX
- RX on commercial FM radio
Programming options for Baofeng
- USB interface via computer.
- Push button interface menu.
The UV-5R Baofengs by default only will transmit on amateur radio bands, that is 2 meter and 70 centimeter. Additionally it can be modified to transmit on 1.25 meter. It should be noted that while it can receive any VHF or UHF frequency it does have to be "unlocked" to transmit on MURS/business or GMRS/FRS frequencies. Read here how to unlock the radio.
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