THIS is the BEST Starter Ham Radio

Why is the Baofeng radio the best radio for beginner hams?

#HamRadio #AmateurRadio #Baofeng

[MarcosWassem]

Take note, the expensive fancy ones are also Chinese

[alanreader]

Got my licence though a UV5R. its a really good radio. My Local Repeater is Bracknell uk 18 Miles away and i still reach it on the 3rd floor in the appartment.

[phyllisyoung]

I won a UV5 several years ago. So I set it up and started using the radio. Eventually after several years it died.

Would I buy UV5 based on my past experience? Yes is the answer. No problems overall. WK0Y

[mitstax]

Bought 2 uv5 as a 2 way radio. Found out they are ham radio. Got my license 2.5 yrs ago. Both are still working great. My wouxun on the other hand quit after 1 yr. The wouxun cost 160.00. I have other radios now but the uv5 are still working

[baronedipiemonte]

I'm not an entry level ham, been licensed for 20+. I have two (2) of the Baofeng AR152 portables, and I am very well pleased. My primary concern was the battery life (advertised as 12, 000mah) and they DO last.

[greg]

Are the baofeng legal? I have 2. I can't find anywhere on the raido or under the battery where they are FCC type accepted

[LibertyEver]

I love the build quality of my Yaesu FT-70D but it has a feature that listens for an RF wake up signal. I can't disable it and the battery is dead in a week. I can charge my Baofeng radios and they still have over half a charge a year later. The Yaesu HT is worthless for personal emergency communications.

[johnwest]

The first thing you need to find is a cheap radio that has legal levels of harmonic content.
BTW, I just bought a Anysecu UV-K5. I'll let you know if it meets the harmonic signal spec. If it does, it's likely a better radio than a Baofeng for a comparable price. BTW, having owned, and owning, a few Icom and Kenwood HT's, as well as 4 Baofengs, I can assure you that although the Baofengs do work, they are indeed Chinese junk. As you say, they are a dirt cheap radio, which is great for hams on a budget, but they are indeed Chinese junk by any technical, mechanical or electronic measure. They are better than a 40 year-old Japanese HT at nothing, and are worse than them at practically everything.

[TheArtofEngineering]

As hams we are bound by (and should honour) the regulatory requirements for spurious emissions. You yourself noted, the radio you rate “as the best for new hams” was NOT clean when it came to spectral purity. How is it the “best” with this fact noted? I know you state it piques interest in the hobby but with the license comes the responsibility. So I think it is a great radio to listen on.

[Godofairsoft]

I got uv-5r's and they are pretty good radios

[mattc]

UV5R, put a 19.5" single wire to the belt clip screw. Doubles the transmit & receive. I like them and if you trash it just get another one.

[Athrunwong]

*Glance over the 2 units of the UV-5R on the table next to my computer*

A junk won't last 2 years of very frequent uses, i love dem cheap radios.

[realtyrocks]

The UV17 PRO GPS is pretty awesome. 999 channels vs 128 + it has GPS. About $5 more than a UV5R; leagues better than the UV5R

[pcfreak]

I’m not sure the Baofeng is really a good choice for beginners. In order to use it legally, you need to first analyze it for spurious emissions, which new hams can quickly be overwhelmed with. A better choice would be a slightly more expensive option that you can trust to be clean.

[josephmunoz]

I want a radio and people been telling me to get a baofeng I don’t have a licenses but I want something to talk to my family member with we live in the same neighborhood but In different houses

[spcraleigheas]

but dont talk into any of these frequencies
162.400
162.425
162.450
162.475
162.500
162.525
162.550

[BryanTorok]

Inexpensive, BUT quality control is poor. One radio may fine and the next garbage. Watch the reviews of folks who actually put them on test equipment and you find that rarely do they make the rated power and often the meet the FCC specs for spurious radiation on transmit. Now, if the user is hitting the repeater, they may have no idea how much out of band interference they may be generating and if the radio is making 3 watts or the claimed 5 watts.

[janetwinslow]

Cheap, but not easy to use - not like say an ancient IC2E!!

[towerman]

They are good radios, but you have to be a computer programmer to program one.

[alanjlamando]

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