Baofeng UV-B5: Best Kept Secret

[ Don't have a UV-B5 yet? Get one here. ]

Ben (PA2OLD) called me out for being so slow to post about the Baofeng UV-B5. Hans posted some general information about it when he discovered the UV-B5 and UV-B6. (Yes, back in November - just wait, it gets worse.)

On the surface, it is your typical dual band 5W Chinese HT: 136 - 174 MHz and 400 - 470 MHz along with 65 - 108 MHz FM receive. Here are the links to the radios on the Baofeng site: UV-B5 and UV-B6. Of note is the lack of the customary flashlight (for the UV-B5) and, perhaps more importantly, 2.5Khz steps. You can get one at the 409Shop for $53 (USD) along with many of the usual accessories (USB programming cable, serial programming cable, extra batteries or chargers) - no colors or AA/AAA battery packs yet. Give them time and I am sure they will show up. As you will find, the UV-B5 does not share the same form as the UV-5R, so you won't be able to share batteries or chargers. However, the programming cable from your UV-5R should work.

No surprise.. a Yahoo Group has been started for the UV-B5.

Hans, in his full review, says:

"For now this is the HT to compare others with – the receiver is at least as good as the Wouxun KG-UVD1P and outperforms the Quansheng TG-UV2. Overloading is not impossible, but far from easy – almost unreal for an HT this price."

"The Baofeng UV-B5 is close to perfect. The only two niggles are the 5-character limit for alphanumeric descriptions and the belt clip screws which are too short. For the rest: best value for money to date. Needless to say, I’m keeping this one."

Hans also points out that you can save a few dollars if you don't want the pretty box by ordering from AliExpress. I'm guessing price was not the biggest factor when Hans did his "Best/Worst of 2012" and ranked the Wouxun KG-UVD1P ahead of the Baofeng UV-B5. If price had been weighted heavily it looks like the UV-B5 might have been the winner.

Lastly, after living with the radio for a while he found some problems with the FM tuning and memories. He also reports the battery life, while not horrible, isn't great.

And Ben got his hands on one. He's got a summary page here with lots of pictures. He comments:

"The radio works excellent and the modulation is also good, not like some UV-5R types.I also think that the battery is more than enough capacity.
This Baofeng UV B5 cost at the 409shop only 53 Dollar, which is in Euros (with the exchange rate of January 2013) € 41.75 including shipping."

Bob (K0NR) really likes it as well:

"My overall assessment is that Baofeng has cleaned up the issues with the UV-5R (and don’t forget, I really like that radio!). The UV-B5 is a sweet little radio that will make a splash when it hits the US market."

Given my tardiness, the price, and the glowing reviews from the big name ham radio bloggers above, I'm surprised these things aren't the talk of the internet. The Yahoo group is of a modest size and Google searches don't reveal much beyond the links above. (I found one other review, but there wasn't much meat to it.) Here is the best video I found. (Best meaning the better of two.)



So for now, I'm calling the UV-B5 the best kept secret in the world of Chinese radios!

Radios Don't Pirate Radio

Operators do.

Catenary

So, I'm not an engineer by education and I only have limited experience in ham radio, so the good news is I learn a lot when I take a few minutes to read something like the February 2013 QST.

In an article about how to hang wire antennas, I was introduced to the term catenary:

"In physics and geometry, the catenary is the curve that an idealized hanging chain or cable assumes under its own weight when supported only at its ends. The curve has a U-like shape, superficially similar in appearance to a parabola (though mathematically quite different)."

Of course, there is math to optimize the hanging of wires/cable. I just never thought about it beyond is the wire high enough that something won't run in to it and is it tight enough that it won't fall down in a few minutes after I let go.

Fear the Deer!

"Fearing the local deer population might suddenly turn tyrannical, the Found Fathers hastily drafted the Second Amendment."

Ha! Picture here.

Amateur Electronic Supply Website

AES has updated their website and it is a thousand times better than it was.

On-Line Banking PSA

Here is my public service announcement for the week: Tips for Safer Internet Banking. Some good tips like using the mobile apps. I use the mobile app for my bank, but primarily for the convenience -  I hate driving to  the bank to deposit a $32 check. Extra security is a bonus!

AC's Bad TV

We all have our buttons:

"I’m perfectly happy watching a magic/science levitating invisible robot that’s powered by glowing radioactive crystals and can also play jazz; but the minute a general fires a sheriff I’m royally pissed off."

Tyranny 2-for-1

A two for one... get rid of the Second and Fourth Amendments in one shot!

Liturgical Mysteries

Want a cheap thrill? Slim introduced me to these books about a small town police chief/organist/writer. While I am not Episcopalian, the church humor is easily translatable to my own experience. I hear if you are a member of a choir, there are lots of jokes for you that probably went sailing over my head. I was sick over the week-end and read a couple of them during my downtime - easy, fun reads.

Less than a buck if you want the Kindle version... if you click the link below to buy, I get a cut of your $0.99. No one has ever used my Amazon links before, so I don't even know what that would be.

If you'd rather go to the author's site directly, click here.

AR-15: Good for You, Good for Me

Department of Homeland Security: Sport rifle (AR-15) “suitable for personal defense” - including 30 round magazines and select-fire.

Knoxville - Well-Versed

Knoxville - America's Most Bible-Minded City.

Anytone AT-5888UV: Firmware

Milton posted an update for Ed in the AT-588UV Yahoo Group.

"Ed says he's shipped 100 radios in the past two days. He is now updating firmware in his previous inventory. He must replace the mic board in the head, update the head firmware, remove the top cover on the body and update the main firmware. He says it's very time consuming. Probably 20-30 minutes per radio counting the unpacking, repacking and etc. And he has to work carefully as not to scratch anything. 

Updated radios will be shipping the first of next week. These will be EXACTLY like the recently arrived new inventory. Only difference between the updated inventory and the recent inventory is the updated inventory will have the updated mic board and the updated firmware. Ed says an additional 100 radios are supposed to ship at the end of this month from China. 

So as you might guess Ed is working night and days shipping radios and applying the updates to his previous inventory. Plus I'm getting a new radio too! Mine was part of the first 50 and had a problem with the mic board and some oddities to the receiver that I documented on a General Dynamics R8000 test set and sent my results to Anytone in China."

So what does Ed have to do to update the firmware? I wonder if end-users would be able to update it.

It would be fantastic if end-users could plug a radio in via USB and do an update. While software isn't the only issue in the rushed to market radios, it would make be an early adopter a little less painful. Aren't we getting closer to that everyday with SDR?

Baofeng UV-5R: Giveaway at American Radio Supply

Win a Baofeng UV-5R at American Radio Supply.

Via AmateurRadio.com

Options

I like having options. This gives you several.

First Computers

Lifehacker asks "what was your first computer?"

My uncle loaned us a Kaypro of some flavor. I remember playing a lot of an ASCII Donkey Kong clone. (About this time, a friend has a Commodore VIC-20 that we played with as well.)

We then bought an IBM PCjr. I saved my pennies and we bought the BASIC cartridge, so I could do some simple programming.

When I went off to college, I bought a new computer. I think it may have been an AT&T branded 286. I remember connecting it via a null modem cable to the computer of the guy in the dorm room next door, so we could play a submarine game together.

A few years later, I bought a Radio Shack 486. It had a modem and I could dial up to various BBS. I think I had an AOL account then, too.

My wife claims I fell for her only because when we met, she had just taken delivery of her new Pentium Gateway computer.

The next one, I built using an Intel Celeron 300A - that was easily over-clocked to 450 MHz by changing the FSB to 100 MHz in the BIOS. Toss in a 3D video card along with my ISDN connection and I had an awesome Quake II gaming rig!

Puxing PX-888K: Follow-Up 2

Good things come to those who wait... Hans has completed his full review of the Puxing PX-888K. He's taken the original post and expanded on it. He still gives it a thumbs up:

"I like the Puxing PX-888K, but the radio is not without flaws. Phase noise is generally low, but the signal is not entirely clean. TX audio is muffled. The jacks for connecting programming cables and headsets can give you trouble later in time. Harmonic suppression is fine though, and the receiver is quite good. RX audio is brilliant – the most beautiful sounding audio to date. 

In spite of the price I can still recommend this radio, but using a good speaker/microphone is recommended."

Having never used one or even seen it in person, my contribution to the discuss of the PX-888K is: I like the green color. It has cool retro feel to it.

I did just check CHIRP again and did not seen other notes about adding support for the PX-888K.

Magpul iPhone 5 Case

Coming soon a Magpul case for my iPhone 5! Hopefully, they will continue to have it in orange!

Excel Pins Disappearing

I have a problem. Every once in a while, my Excel 2010 "Pinned" and "Recent" documents disappear from the Jump List in the Start Menu. I'm an Excel junkie, so I like to keep my favorites pinned and access my most recently used files with the Jump List.

Others have had this or similar problems, too. (here, here, and here.)

I have a guess about why mine disappear. I use a dual monitor setup at work. Sometimes I need a second instance of Excel running, so that I can compare files using both displays. So, after opening one Excel file, I click on the Start Menu and type "Excel" to start a second instance.

When the second Excel instance starts, I get a "File in Use" messagebox. It says:

"PERSONAL.XLSB is locked for editing 

by %Username%.

Open  'Read-Only or click 'Notify' to open read-only and receive notification when the document is no longer in use.

The buttons give me the options of Read Only, Notify, or Cancel.

I've not gone through and documented each case, but I can replicate the problem where it will delete the "Pinned" items and only the last files I was using show up in the "Recent" list. All it takes is opening the second instance of Excel and then closing them in a certain order. It may also require that changes be made and saved to one or both files. I don't have a fix yet, but at least I know how to avoid the problem.

This does not affect the files that are pinned inside the Excel application under File | Recent. In fact, that is where I go to recover my Jump List pins. I scan the list and open the files I want to re-pin.

Smarter

Some sites I read for amusement or information. I read Althouse, because I often feel smarter after reading a post. Do I agree all the time? No, but my beliefs are challenged or reinforced and I am better for it.

Here is a good example of why it is one of my favorite sites centering around a word - "the".

Cost Savings

While the price of rifles and ammo goes up, Magpul is trying to make their training programs more affordable:

News from Magpul Dynamics 

With the state of the industry right now, the Dynamics crew is making some accommodations....

Magpul Dynamics Pricing and Ammunition Requirement Update

In an effort to make training more accessible in these times of increased prices and reduced availability, Magpul Dynamics has updated their pricing structure, round counts, and acceptable calibers for the 2013 training year.

Effective immediately, all three-day classes are reduced to $600 per student, and two-day classes are reduced to $450 per student. In addition, the curriculum has been revised for all pistol/carbine courses based on the changes occurring over the past year to allow for maximum training value at a slightly reduced round count. Also, we are temporarily allowing the use of pistol-caliber carbines and 22LR AR-15 pattern training rifles in the carbine classes. Please understand that there are many drawbacks to training with 22LR as opposed to normal rifle platforms, but significant training value will still exist. We expect a full return to allowing rifle-caliber rounds only in the future as the ammunition supply catches up with current demand and ammunition prices return to a reasonable level. However, we understand the financial burden placed on students with the current state of the economy and the rapid rise in retail pricing in the ammunition industry. We firmly believe in the value of quality firearms training and are committed to providing quality products and services at a fair price.

Duane, Steve, Jon, and Caylen

It is nice to see that people get it - and I bet it helps their business. They (deservedly) look good and probably get a few customers they wouldn't have before the changes.

I believe in letting the markets work, so the prices are what the prices are for rifles, pistols, and ammunition. If you don't like the price, let it go. If others do the same, the prices will come back down. Heck, if the Constitution isn't totally torn up, there might even be some deals to be had when things normalize.

Boafeng UV-5R: New Models

marksenk Just wondering when the 2014 Baofeng UV-5R model will start being sold - "2013 model" appeared in UV-5R ebay descriptions 5 months ago!Sun, Jan 13 04:04:21 from web

They will be available as soon as the Baofeng marketing guy sees a drop in sales. Here is a reminder about the differences between the models from October:

"We receive many emails asking if we have different UV-5 models. We were also asked if we have the New 2013 latest UV-5 Baofeng has taken the standard UV-5R and packaged it on many different cases. ALL of these new model numbers are the SAME RADIO, no different from one to another but just a different name. There are no 2013 models unless you have a time machine, They talk about extended freq coverage, that change is made in the new software they released, not in the radio. So, pick the case design you like and go with that, your getting the same radio. Hong Kong and Chinese sellers like to confuse you and make you think your getting something different but your not. Better buy from a US Seller that will back the warranty in the USA."

The Nones

"This week, Morning Edition explores the "nones" — Americans who say they don't identify with any religion. Demographers have given them this name because when asked to identify their religion, that's their answer: "none."

I wonder if the "nones" have replaced their need for connectedness and community with technology - Facebook or any other social site. You don't have to go down to the Wednesday night meal at church to learn what is happening to your friends. You just check your smartphone and you know what they are up to.

Factory Tour - Injection Molding

Not directly ham radio related, but I suspect the process for creating the cases for the radios is the same. Also, given the amount of effort required to make a mold, you can see why the TYT TH-F8 and Boafeng UV-5R (among others) might look the same.

MIT Media Lab IAP 2013 - Shenzhen, China:

"The tool and die shop was amazing. I had no idea how massive the tooling was just to make a simple enclosure. The tooling is cut out of steel using CNC, EDM (Electron Discharge Machining), and manual milling. Each steel mold can weigh a ton or more and requires a lot of manual and automated work. Depending on the finish, the molds also need to be hand polished. To tool and die shop consists of a lot of heavy metalworking equipment. The steel blocks are first cut on the CNC machine. The EDM machine is used to remove steel in parts that can't be cut accurately using a CNC machine. It uses electrical current to remove steel at a rate of 5 microns per electrical burst."

And on a side note, the drinking matches my experience, too. The hosts would, one-by-one, engage you in a "ganbei". This might result in your having four or five drinks to their one. You could often respond with "cheers" and you would just have to take a small drink instead of finishing your glass. Another tactic would be to tap the table with your drink and it meant everyone at the table had to "ganbei."

"This concluded our tour of this injection molding factory and the boss of the factory took us all out to lunch. I didn't realize that lunch included drinking alcohol and we had many "ganbei" (chinese for "bottoms up") glasses of beer with the boss. By the end of lunch, I was fairly trashed and Bunnie was getting there too."

Oh and the "white lightening," as we called it, was horrible. I much prefer the warm Coca Cola and ginger drink that they also encountered. I've actually made that drink at home a few times.

"AQS, a contract manufacturer that was helping to organize all the tours and also a company that Bunnie works closely with, took us all out to dinner with their staff. It was a wonderful dinner and we talked about a lot of the things we saw with them. They also broke out the Chinese hard liquor (53% alcohol) and proudly proclaimed that they wanted to drink with us. I hid from the "white liquor" since I've had a few bad experiences with it but most of the others were game to try it out. Overall, it was a fun evening with AQS and it was our first real dinner together as a group. It was a wonderful chance to meet everyone and hear about what they were working on, why they were on the trip, and just randomly ramble on in a happy, semi drunken state :) "

Old Fluke Multimeter

Does it play Pong?

GriffinLamar Old Fluke Multimeter. Pretty nice for it's age. Just got to figure out all the functions. instagr.am/p/Uc9clWBMAe /Mon, Jan 14 00:32:11 from Instagram

---

Name: Griffin Taylor

Location: Richardson, TX

Web: http://www.youtube.com/user/GriffTaylor?feature=mhee

Bio: I'm not an artist, I'm an experimenter.

Following: 77 Followers: 27 Updates: 44

---

Cold is a Relative Term

Via The Blaze

FCC SWAT

In case you were wondering what the FCC SWAT team was doing with its time... Amateur Radio Service Enforcement Actions.

Breaking the Law!

Sorry for the lack of radio posting. I had been running my pirate radio station (2 x the legal limit!!!) using my UV-5R and an FCC SWAT team raided my house. They confiscated my radio charger and mouse, so it really has hampered my ability to get on the air and to post.

Seriously, this post was 100% inspired by Hans' last two articles:

2013, Narrowbanding and Ham Radio

and

UV-5R Group for Illegal Users

I commented on the first by saying:

"It seems like people forget about 50+ (100?) years of history when they start talking about rule changes. I don’t think all the war surplus rigs that my father-in-law has will magically become compliant with every mandate. Nor will all the stuff he designed and built. Unless you are being a real jerk and causing interference, I don’t see the FCC breaking down your (US) door to confiscate a Chinese HT."

Maybe my rule should be a) don't be a jerk and b) don't be dumb - then you shouldn't have to worry about the FCC SWAT team.

Good for the Goose, Good for the Gander

WHY GOOD PEOPLE NEED SEMIAUTOMATIC FIREARMS AND “HIGH CAPACITY” MAGAZINES … Part I

"Americans have historically modeled their choices of home protection and personal defense handguns on what the cops carried. When the police carried .38 revolvers as a rule, the .38 caliber revolver was the single most popular choice among armed citizens. In the 1980s and into the 1990s, cops switched en masse to semiautomatic pistols. So did the gun-buying public. Today, the most popular handgun among police seems to be the 16-shot, .40 caliber Glock semiautomatic. Not surprisingly, the general public has gone to pistols bracketing that caliber in power (9mm, .40, .45) with similar enthusiasm. The American police establishment has also largely switched from the 12 gauge shotgun which was also the traditional American home defense weapon, to the AR15 patrol rifle with 30-round magazine…and, not surprisingly, the law-abiding citizenry has followed suit there, too." 

Did J.R.R. Tolkien write "Christian" fantasy novels?

I read the first chapter on-line. Another book for my wish-list. Of course, my wish list being both for the text and the time to read it!

umreporter Did J.R.R. Tolkien write "Christian" fantasy novels? fb.me/yU9Mt8Mw

Thu, Jan 03 16:58:51 from Facebook

Do People Know What They Say?

I know I make mistakes. Plenty of them. But, I wonder if people have any idea what they are saying. I also know there are conservative/tea party/libertarian/right-wing/etc. folks who say crazy things, so I don't mean to let them off the hook, but some of these quotes are unbelievable.

Ban Assault Hammers and Clubs

FBI: More People Killed with Hammers, Clubs Each Year Than Rifles

"Think about it: In 2005, the number of murders committed with a rifle was 445, while the number of murders committed with hammers and clubs was 605. In 2006, the number of murders committed with a rifle was 438, while the number of murders committed with hammers and clubs was 618.

And so the list goes, with the actual numbers changing somewhat from year to year, yet the fact that more people are killed with blunt objects each year remains constant. 

For example, in 2011, there was 323 murders committed with a rifle but 496 murders committed with hammers and clubs."

Hammers and clubs don't really kill people - people kill people. A rifle is a tool no different from a hammer. A rifle is used for sport no different than a bat.

Culture Differences

This commercial is hard core.

SammyWalrusIV In Thailand, they use this TV ad to sell life insurance. In the U.S., we use talking ducks and Snoopy. youtube.com/watch?v=nBobmn…Tue, Dec 11 19:13:17 from web

Ham Drama

If the drama surrounding the legality of certain ham radios isn't enough for you, then hop on over to the Ham Radio Deluxe Yahoo Group. It is always exciting times when they release a new version.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: wa9pie
Date: Saturday, December 22, 2012
Subject: [ham-radio-deluxe] Considering the upgrade from 5.x to 6.x
To: ham-radio-deluxe@yahoogroups.com

As most of you know, I'm one of the three partners that acquired HRD from Simon so that HRD can continue as a product. The statement I'm about to make represents my perspective - not necessarily that of my partners.

Much conversation will ensue about whether or not folks should stick with the 5.x version (FREE forever) or purchase the 6.0 version.

Most of the folks who start these threads I call "baiters". Baiters gain great enjoyment from "starting shit" (as we say here in The States) in an effort to begin a "war of words" that is designed to drive people away from the product. For that reason, we banned a bunch of "baiters" a year ago and life has been better here for the rest of us. So... don't be a "baiter". If you post here, contribute to a dialog that improves HRD for everyone.

As for whether you should upgrade to 6.0 or continue using the 5.x FREE version we put thousands of hours in to improve from 5.0b... well, some will say, "5.x does everything thing I need it to do." Well then, awesome... be my guest then... use 5.x for FREE for as long as you like.

I saw a post earlier that said that the "v5 version is already the best available software." Uh... well... that's absolutely NOT true. To be honest, I still log in another (15 year old) logging program because the 5.x version is substantially deficient in assisting serious DXers and awards seekers (like me). So in 6.0 we've added - what I think are - the most powerful "Worked Status Indicators" and awards reporting there is. We've added FSK. Multiple modes in the waterfall. One place to enter station information now eliminates the need to enter the same info in every application. And more...

So... it's our job to create and implement compelling features so that folks will see the benefit in buying v6.0. I think we've taken major steps in that direction. I hope you'll see the improvements as valuable.

Mike, WA9PIE

Big Hit

Wow. You probably had to be watching the game to get the fill effect, because South Carolina had just been robbed by a horrible call.

M&P Magazines

I am going to be the best read guy around... I got some extra magazines for the S&W M&P9.