Baofeng UV-5R Dual Band Hand Held Radio and accessories:
BaoFeng UV-5R 136-174 / 400-480MHz Dual-Band Ham Radio
Gino VHF/UHF Dual Band BNC Antenna
Genuine FTDI BaoFeng Programming Cable
BaoFeng BL-5 Two Way Radio Back up Battery
BaoFeng / Wouxun / Kenwood Clone and Copy Cable
Baofeng Vehicle Power Supply Dual Band Car Battery Eliminator
*NEW* BaoFeng BF-F8HP – BaoFeng’s Only TRI-POWER (1, 4, 8 Watt) (USA Warranty)
BF-F8HP maintains full cross accessory compatibility with all previous UV-5R accessories (listed above).
Higher End Dual Band Hand Held Radio:
Yaesu FT-60R DualBand Handheld 5W VHF/UHF Amateur Radio
Yaesu FT-60R DualBand Handheld Accessories
Transceivers:
Yaesu FT-2900R 75 Watt 2 Meter VHF Mobile Transceiver Amateur Ham Radio
Yaesu FT-8800R VHF/UHF Dual Band Radio Transceiver – 50W/35W – 2m & 70cm
Icom IC-2300H FM Transceiver 2M IC2300H
Baofeng radios are Chinese made junk. When you recommend such junk it is hard to take whatever you say seriously. Baofengs are inexpensive and everyone overlooks all the problems of these radios because they are so cheap.
The Baofeng, and for that matter, the Wouxun line of radios are recommended because of their price point. Not everyone has the resources for a higher end radio. With this recommendation, more people will get gear, start learning the COMMS skill set, and get COMMS UP! for difficult times. That said, most will likely increase their level of gear as time progresses. Also realize that nearly all radios are made overseas. Many of the Japanese manufactures use components made in China which are then assembled in Japan. I wish everything was MADE IN USA, unfortunately that is not reality. Of course that is another discussion. Best course of action is to help and support everyone interested in developing communications. Hopefully you are doing that on your end. Be safe!
What’s better, Daxname? The $300 radio you don’t have? Or the $50 radio you have? I can buy enough radios for my entire family, put them in safe storage, and have them ready in an emergency for far less.
Then… I can practice. Train… If a $40 radio bites it because I took a spill during a river crossing, I’m not out much.
The Baofeng UV5r radios are NOT junk. They are difficult to program and a little difficult to operate with the poor instructions included, but with the available computer programming cable and free software (chirp) – they program and work well. I know of dozens in use personally in my groups and they work flawlessly. They don’t require any special mods to work in the frs/gmrs or murs range so in emergencies they are priceless. I have 2. For less than $50 you cant go wrong. Its a pretty much do all radio.
@Daxname, the attempt is to reach folks across the economic spectrum. In other words, the Baofeng is affordable enough for anyone to include it in their SHTF gear. At under $50 each, a person can own 4 of them for the price of others. If the mere recommendation causes you to discredit the remainder of the article, then you are completely missing the point.
Just to add to the point DSMREQUIRED is making, I am brand new to the idea of AmRRON and HAM radion and the ONLY reason I have come this far (researching the licensing test, getting on the network, etc.) is because I can afford the equipment in the suggestion. Were I to be looking at a $600 – $800 spend vs a $90 – $120 spend, I would pas sbecause I cannot afford the former.
Good for you Tim, becoming a HAM is the step in the right direction. If you haven’t taken a class yet, look for Ham Crams in your area and you can become a Technician in 8 hrs. The point you are making is totally valid. My first purchase was the Yaesu FT-60, used from Ebay for $148, definitely look around when you want to upgrade; but I also have the Baofeng UV-5R. When I am talking on the net here at my home town, no one is the wiser, and if it happens to break, very doubtful, they are inexpensive to replace. It is always good to start out small to see if you will enjoy it. Great recommendation from AmRRON!
Good Luck
I’ve been a HAM for 25 years – and I’m an Amateur Extra, I’ve been involved with emergency scenarios for as long as I’ve been a HAM, and I work closely with several local civil preparedness groups. In my opinion, these radios and other gear are great for emergency communications, and for general usage. I own and use several UV5r’s and would buy them in bulk. I also own and use the Yaesu FT-8900R quad band, and other all-mode HF equipment. Great recommendation from AmRRON, although I’d like to see some CB hardware listed so we can better bridge the gap for the channel 3 project.
Just earned my Tech ticket in November 2013. I own and use three UV5R’s and all work perfectly. Do I own other upgraded equipment? Sure and most is used or borrowed. I have used Chirp to program close to twenty of them for friends. Of those twenty, one person received a DOA UV5R so far. They are a big bang for your hard earned buck.
They work well with a Slim-Jim which easily fits in a bug-out bag. For weekly check-in on 2m, I sometimes connect the UV5R to my Tram 1480 up on the roof. They are an economical way to get started in Ham.
Just a note on where to buy radios.
I understand the AMAZON links in here so that the article author may get some earnings revenue (from Amazon); from anyone who purchases using these links.
However, the Amazon prices are very inflated for anything beyond the Baofengs. And even they cost more on Amazon as well.
See also:
http://hamradio.com
http://gigaparts.com
http://startpage.com and search for your model number + ” price”.
e.g. A HF Yaesu FT-450 is $799 on hamradio.com (free s/h) and $1,132 on Amazon as of 04-02-2014.
Thanks
Yes. We tell people to shop around for sure. I love going to Amazon to read the reviews on items, whether it’s a small or large purchase. People are generally very honest in their feedback on products. I love ebay for most of my purchases, but some of the links you provided are excellent as well. Thanks for posting those.
The Baofeng provides a lot of bang for the buck. They work great, have decent quality audio, and are inexpensive enough to throw away if they get wet, get damaged, or fail. They are a quality throw away hand held radio. Cheap enough to keep several on hand
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I just wanted to add that the Baofeng UV-82 is about the same price, but it’s a little more powerful, the screen doesn’t go dark during long QSOs (due to the screen being farther away from the antenna, and it has the unique capability to transmit on two frequencies, or even two separate bands for that matter, which could be very useful when trying to maintain opsec. I have four for my family and will be ordering more shortly to be able to outfit neighbors in an emergency. I use mine all the time. They make a decent police scanner as well. As a licensed Ham, I can’t recommend these more highly based on price and quality.
[…] It has 3 Power Levels (1, 4, 8 watt) A new 76 Page In-Depth User’s Guide It includes the High Gain V-85 Antenna to Optimize Performance It is the only second generation BaoFeng with the Tri-Color Display Full Accessory Compatibility with ALL UV-5R accessories […]
New to Ham Radio any experience with the BF GT-3 Mark III. Looking for a reliable HT for my first radio that can be used in the rain and damp conditions.