Baofeng UV-3R: Vero Global Communications (Manufacturer)

Boafeng (and others like Magiksun) are re-sellers of the UV-3R. They purchase the UV-3R from Vero Global Communications.

Vero Global Communication Co., Ltd. Established in 1995, we have vast experience in OEM and ODM services. We design and manufacture telecom products, encompassing a full range of products such as Dual Band Two Way Radios, Business two way radios, Dual Band Mobile Radios, VHF/UHF Mobile Radios,CB-Radios,Two-Way Radio Throat Mics, Wireless Portable Radio Microphones, Accessories And Batteries. Our operations are centered in China, integrated of R&D, production, QC and shipping. These ensure fully controll production lines and fast delivery. Our target buyers of consumer electronics in Middle East, Southeast Asian, Africa to Central-South America and East Europe. We are renowned for offering products with high quality and competitive price.

Our pursuit is“Quality First,Customer Supreme”?This means we supply first-rate qualiy,lowest price and full after-sales for our potential and long-term standing customers.Considering the mutual benefit, we welcome our domestic and international customers to visit our factory for establishing a stable business relationship and consulting long-term business cooperation!

If you are interested in any of our radios,please do not hesitate to contact us for more detailed information.We are looking forward to receiving your kind enquiry at the early date.

Maybe I should order 1,000 with the Brick O'Lore brand on them - in Submarine Yellow or Git 'R Done Camo Green.

Baofeng UV-3R: Wireless Charging

It's been a while since I've done a UV-3R post, but this is a cool project.

More pic from #baofeng uv-3r wireless charging modification.. @brickolore pic.twitter.com/GaJgaeZ1mJ

— Ondrej Kolonicny (@ok1cdj) June 4, 2015

Baofeng UV-3R: Fix for Extremely Low Power

Many hams have measured the output of the UV-3R on low power and noted that is extremely low - as low as 100 mW. SP3SWJ reports a fix by "exchange some inductance in first stage transistor driver from 47nH to 220nH." You see his notations in the schematic here. He also reports the change improves the spurious transmissions on the harmonic.

Here are his measurements using Motorola R2670 on SMA antenna port:

HI POWER +33 dBm
2nd harmonics -27 dB
3rd harmonics -41 dB

LO POWER +16 dBm --- before fix
2nd harmonics -10 dB
3rd harmonics -44 dB

LO POWER +31.4 dBm --- after fix
2nd harmonics -27 dB
3rd harmonics -47 dB

He says the the change improves the output across all VHF frequencies.




Bert, DD5XL, verified that the mod works:

He "used a 150nH wire-wound 0603 SMT coil to replace the stock 47nH type. Before that my low-power output was around 60mW, it increased by nearly 10dB now up to 620mW with a fully charged battery (4,1V). High output is at 2,1W now, this increased of about 200mW compared with before mod.

I've also made a quick check with the spectrum analysator for the low-power setting, the first harmonic is now down to roughly -45dB, this is also an improvement although I already had a improved harmonic suppression by the PA0EJW filter mod."

Via the UV-3R Yahoo Group

Baofeng UV-3R: DC Cigarette Lighter/ USB Charging Cable

Main Trading Company has a USB charging cable and cigarette lighter charger for the UV-3R for $13. (Their cable is much prettier than mine.) I find having the cigarette lighter DC charger with a USB port to be very useful... I can charge my phone, my GPS, my iPad, my Nook, or my UV-3R.

Baofeng UV-3R and Wouxun KG-UV6D

Looks like Hawaii Radio Sales (aka NH7QH Radio Supplies aka Baofeng-UV3R.us) will soon have the Baofeng UV-3R Mark II. They have added it to their web site and listed it at $60.00.

Wouxun.us also has a couple of updates:

KG-UV6D with 2.5 tuning steps and other new features in stock in mid October.  Special introductory price announced soon.

New Baofeng UV-3R with Dual Display will begin shipping October 11, order now.  All colors available.  Colored shells also available.

Looks like we'll have plenty of items to pick from for Christmas!

Baofeng UV-3R: UV-3R + Plus

A new version... the UV-3R + Plus. I wonder if we should call it the "plus plus" or maybe the "plus squared." Andy points out that it has a Kenwood type plug. The buttons look a little different to me, too.

Baofeng UV-3R: Internals, Integrated Circuits

Fabrice, F4AVI, of France, was kind enough to share some pictures of the internal components of the UV-3R on the Yahoo Group. In addition, he's researched the chips. I've added the links and please note I had to guess about which version of RDA5802 is used.

"I have the old version, with 12 menu items and NO 1750Hz. I decided to open the rig, just to see inside.

I found the main CHIP is a RDA1846 which is an entirely integrated IC for portable radio. It's a true totally digital radio, with DSP inside for both receiving and transmitting.

The FM band IC, is a RDA 5802, similar to RDA 1846, but only for FM receiving.

There is a serial EEPROM 24C16 too, and I think I will try to read his content just to see if i can find something interesting.

The main processor is under the LCD display, but I didn't want to unmount it, as I'm scared for malfunction of the display after that."

For the rest of the pictures, sign up for the UV-3R Yahoo Group. It is a great resource for this rig.

Baofeng UV-3R: Software Version 1.10 (UV-X4)

Mike, G0CVZ, alerted us to version 1.10 of the Baofeng UV-3R/UV-X4 software.

You can go to the Vero Telecom Download page and look for "Dual Band Pocket Radio UV-X4(Dual Watch) New Version" or you can use this direct link.

This version also uses the .3R file type.



The most notable update is the ability to update the FM Broadcast memories. Click "Program" the "FM Freq."

Baofeng UV-3R: eHam.Net Reviews

There are a few reviews of the Baofeng UV-3R coming in at eHam.net. Generally, they are positive, but I would give the radio a high score based on the value provided for such a low cost.

Baofeng UV-3R Reviews at eHam.net

Baofeng UV-3R: UV-3R + Plus - A 409Shop Exclusive?

Chris, NH7QH Radio Supplies, is being told that the UV-3R + Plus is going to be exclusive to the 409Shop (and its siblings under other names). Haw anyone seen it for sale anywhere else? Funny how that kinda slipped by me.

Baofeng UV-3R Review: Eden Valley Radio Society Forum

M5TXJ has a review of the Baofeng UV-3R on the Eden Valley Radio Society Forum.

Overall, another positive review. I won't repeat everything he says, but he sums up:

"Pros
Size, price, performance, dial locks by pressing down, charging battery in situ, clear display, simple menu system, long battery life, reasonable power output, did I say price!

Cons
instructions don't match updated firmware, no dual band aerial, slightly poor fit of battery cover."

Some of the sellers are now offering a dual band antenna instead of including both a UHF and a VHF antenna. Since I don't use 440, if I get slightly better performance out of the VHF specific antenna on 2M, then that's a win for me.

I'll say it again - the barrier to entry, from a cost perspective, to ham radio is very low. I suggested that someone could spend $15 to get their license and then use Echolink from a phone or PC to "get on the air." If you want to play radio with a real rig, a $55 UV-3R would go a long way. (Of course, some people spend a lifetime and small fortune on ham gear.)

Baofeng UV-3R: Cheap UV-3R Repeater

Bart (eo512) has created a UHF repeater using two UV-3R Mark II and a small UHF duplexer. He thinks he'll be in the hole for less than $200 (excluding antenna and feedline) for the project.

I'll have to check back later as he indicates he'll add more notes about the setup.

Baofeng UV-3R: Around the World

Italy: IW0FFK - Italian Amateur Radio station - Mods for cheap FM dual band rig: Baofeng UV-3R

Holland*: Big Dutch Blog - Baofeng UV-3R

*Okay, he may actually be in the US, but he is Dutch and he has a Hello Kitty radio.

Baofeng UV-3R: Disassembly 2

Long time readers (since June 1) may recall that I tried to disassemble the UV-3R, but got stuck because the antenna connector was soldered to the circuit board. I'd read instructions on the UV-3R Yahoo Group, people had posted comments on the blog and the Youtube video,etc. but it wasn't until a Youtube comment by r0b0b4ss pointed me to OM1LD's Loud Receive Audio Fix that the light bulb finally came on. His post to fix the loud audio included instructions for taking the radio apart and included this picture.


It seems so obvious now. Another example of how to make something a lot harder than it should be. Now I need some time to take this thing apart again!

Baofeng UV-3R: Colors on Sale, UV-3R Mark II in stock

Chris, NH7QH, is now showing the UV-3R Mark II in stock at NH7QH Radio Supplies. Also, he's got the color versions on sale for $55 to $57.

Baofeng UV-3R: Modification Service

Everyone seems concerned about jobs leaving their countries and moving to low cost regions. Due to the imperfections of the UV-3R, it is creating work for folks outside of Asia...

Frank (DD9UG) has a conversion service for your UV-3R. He will fix the harmonic problem, swap out the LEDs for a color of your choice, or tweak the antenna.

Baofeng UV-3R: Local Knowledge

My company has a manufacturing facility in China. I sent a message to the IT guy there and asked him if he knew anything about ham radio in general and Baofeng in particular. His response is below.

"I knew HAM from internet, and I use public-type walkie-talkie for spring outing sometime , but they don’t need license (so its power is lower to 0.5W).

In China, there is one official organization which is the radio association to manage China Radio users. Its website is: http://www.carms.org.cn/ (no English page on it now),

Wouxon and BaoFeng are two of popular brands in China Radio market. I saw HAM BBS has some articles to show its pictures and operations. I check Vero website, it seems Vero focus on foreign market (some of products is its logon, but produced by other OEMS(like BaoFeng did)). These radios equipments are easier to buy in electronic market (but once its power output is over 0.5.it needs license, it is illegal if use it without license, but no one will want to find you or publish you even though you use over 0.5 equipments except you activities are illegal to government).

And I remember that it is possible HAM users can connect even though they are away thousands of miles via relay station? Did you try this?

I check www.taobao.com (China B2C/C2C site), BaoFeng UV-3R, price range is from 200RMB ~ 300RMB, fyi"

I'm guessing that he uses GMRS-like radios when he is out hiking. For these low power radios, it doesn't sound like the rules are strictly enforced. Of course, strictly enforced may have a whole different meaning in China. Google says that the Chinese Radio Sports Association handles the licensing for amateur radio. So, I think he got the link wrong, but I can't confirm. I keep getting a website is forbidden error message. I wonder if you have to be in China to see that page. Strange.

He is familiar with Wouxun and Baofeng since they make other radios for the consumer market.

Lastly, he sees prices from $31 USD to $46 USD for the UV-3R which, on the high end, is what we can pay for them on ebay today (excluding shipping).

Baofeng UV-3R: Firmware

I e-mailed Vero Telecom and asked if the end user would be able to update the firmware on the Baofeng UV-3R. Good news - I received a very quick response. Bad news is that it sounds like you are stuck with whatever version was on the radio when you got it.

"Dear Brick,

Have a nice day ! Many thanks for your kindly email.

Unfortunately, now we can not provide the downloadable firmware updates, can not upgradeable by the user. If you want to upgrade the UV-3R radio, you must refund us the radio, and then our engineers will be do.

Any questions please kindly let us know.

Thanks and Best regards
Tina Van
VERO Global Communication Co.,LTD.-- Sales Dept.
3rd floor, No.3 Chongxiang St, Quanzhou, Fujian, P.R.C 362006
T: 86-595-2249 6660 | F: 86-595-8676 1912
W: http://www.verotelecom.com"

I don't think this is the end of the world. It would have been one more selling point if people with older radios could have gotten the new features or fixes.

Baofeng UV-3R: Cheat Sheet by ZL2GVA

Gerard (ZLGBA) posted a handy PDF cheat sheet for Baofeng UV-3R to the UV-3R Yahoo Group.

Baofeng UV-3R: LCD Modification

On Tuesday, I discovered that you could order the UV-3R in blue or red. Today, I stumbled on a blue LCD modification for the UV-3R by tucsok50. I did not see anything about the parts he changed or the steps required, but now we know you can get a blue radio with a blue LCD. Here is a link to the original picture. (You have to me a member of the Yahoo Group to view it.)

Update 2011-07-13: Tucsok50 provided links in the comments, so I'm adding them here, so they are clickable by all.

http://gallery.site.hu/d/18036473-1/DSCF3090_v1.jpg
http://gallery.site.hu/d/18036476-1/DSCF3091_v1.jpg
http://gallery.site.hu/d/18036479-1/DSCF3092_v1.jpg
http://gallery.site.hu/d/18036484-2/DSCF3100_v1.jpg