Showing posts sorted by relevance for query uv-5r. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query uv-5r. Sort by date Show all posts

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Baofeng GT-3: Review by W9MDB

Mike (W9MDB) shares his thoughts on the GT-3 on a post to the UV-5R Yahoo Group:
"My observations so far. 
#1 Same poor performing antenna as what people refer to as the UV-5R "stock"antenna (it's the Baofeng UV-5R Logo antenna)
#2 Battery/charger is not compatible with UV-5R batteries at all - nomodification possible that I see
#3 Speaker sounds a lot better to my ear (I have some high frequency hearingloss and I hear more low freq on the GT-3)
#4 Had to trim my FTDI cable jack as the radio case around the jack is atouch deeper than the UV-5R so the top pin wasn't seating fully
#5 CHIRP speaks to it as a UV-5R
#6 Firmware is BFS311 and reports as BFB297 on power up so should be fullycompatible with UV-5R
#7 The GT-3 software has one more menu than the UV-5R for setting freq rangeotherwise it's identical that I see.
#8 The specifications in the manual are identical to the UV-5R.
#9 I'm seeing better FM performance on my UV-5R then the GT-3. Stationscoming in weaker on the GT-3 with both radios using identical Diamond RH771antennas. My experience contradicts Jerry's review.YMMV apparently.
#10 I'm questioning the weather resistance. I don't see a lot of differencefrom the UV-5R. The speaker grill is quite open and you can see the LEDlight through the microphone hole. The keys don't look like they are sealedto the case. I suppose they might've coated the board (haven't taken itapart yet to see)..that would be the only thing I can think of that mightmake it more water resistant than the UV-5R.manual/box says nothing aboutwater resistant.
Software available here if you want to try the Baofeng VIP software
http://www.radioddity.com/downloads
Mike W9MDB"

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Baofeng UV-5R: Specs and Pictures

First, I would like thank Chris (NH7QH) at Hawaii Radio Sales for sending me the heads up about the UV-5R. Be sure to support Chris by visiting his website for your Baofeng and other radio needs. (And no, Chris is not paying me to say this.) He's at IWCE now and I hope he comes up with some new toys for us there.

I found out about the UV-5R being "in the wild" while I was at the UT basketball game last night. As I mentioned, PA2OLD sent me this link first. I was very excited to get confirmation that UV-5R was available so soon. No KG-UV920R here. Unfortunately, trying to decipher a Chinese web site on an Android Phone while at a college basketball game with congestion on the mobile network is not fun.

Not too long after that, someone posted anonymously in the comments with the link to the 409Shop listing for UV-5R. And then in quick succession, Nate sent me the link and Carol from the 409Shop responded to an e-mail to inform me that it was available. I felt like Will Bailey in this episode of the West Wing.

On top of all of this, Knology was having major problems in my area, so I had no cable internet at my house. I used the mobile hot spot on my Android phone, but the 3G was painful. It was all I could do to get this simple post up last night.

So here is my more formal post about the UV-5R. I looked on the Baofeng website, but did not see the radio listed yet, so here are the specs from the 409Shop page.


BAOFENG UV-5R 4W
136-174/400-480Mhz

BAOFENG UV-5R The transcevier is a micro-miniature multiband FM transceiver with extensive receive frequency coverage,providing local-area two-way amateur communications along with unmatched monitoring capability

VHF/ UHF  DUAL-BAND TWO WAY RADIO

Frequency Range: 136-174 / 400-480MHz
Dual-Band Display, Dual Freq. Display, Dual-Standby
Output Power: 4 /1Watts
128 Channels
50 CTCSS and 104 CDCSS
Built-in VOX Function
1750Hz Brust Tone
FM Radio (65.0MHz-108.0MHz)
LED Flashlight
Large LCD Display
Hight /Low RF Power Switchable
25KHz/12.5KHz Switchable
Emergency Alert
Low Battery Alert
Battery Saver
Time-out Timer
Keypad Lock
Monitor Channel
Channel Step: 2.5/5/6.25/10/12.5/25KHz
Roger Set


■  Dual band, dual display, dual standby
■  A/B band independent operation
■  128 groups channels storage
■  Shortcut menu operation mode
■  VFO & Memory channels scan
■  Emergency Alarm
■  Tri-color background light selectable
■  0~9 grades VOX selectable
■  PTT & ANI ID
■  FM radio and 25 stations storage
■  Voice companding
■  CTCSS/DCS coder & tone searching
■  PC programmable
■  Wide/Narrow Band(25kHz/12.5kHz)
■  Transmitter time-out timer(TOT)
■  High/Low TX power selectable
■  Busy channel lock-out(BCLO)

Specifications:

General
Frequency Range 65-108MHz(FM Receive only)
        136-174MHZ and 400-480HZ (TX/RX)        
Channel No. 128
Frequency Stability ±2.5ppm
Antenna High gain DualBand Antenna
Antenna SMA - Female
Antenna Impedance 50Ω
Operating Voltage DC 7.4V
Mode of operation Simple or semi-duplex
Dimension(W x H x D)100 x 52 x 32 mm
Weight 250g (including battery, antenna)
Transmitter
Output power 4W / 1W (Max 5W)
Modulation Mode 16kΦF3E / 11kΦF3E
Maximum deviation <5kHz(Wide) / <2.5kHz(Narrow)
Spurious Radiation <7μW
Adjacent Ch. power  ≤-65dB(Wide) / ≤-60dB(Narrow)
Pre-emphasis characteristics 6dB
Current ≤1.6A(5W)
CTCSS/DCS deviation 0.5±0.1kHz(Wide) / 0.3±0.1kHz(Narrow)
Intermediation sensitivity 8-12mv
Intermediation distortion <10%
Earpiece / mic type   Kenwood Plug type






The package contents are listed as:

1 x UV-5R (VHF136-174Mhz UHF 400-480Mhz)

1 x 7.4V 1800mah Li-ion Battery Pack
1 x Antenna 400-480Mhz
1 x Belt Clip
1 x ENG Manual
1 x Desktop Charger ( 100V ~ 240V )+(2pin USA or 3pin UK or 2pin EURO or 2pin Australia)
1 x PTT Earpiece for free


The 409Shop has the UV-5R for $56 USD. Hopefully the description is correct (High gain dual-band antenna) and the package contents (Antenna 400-480MHz) is incorrect. Baofeng should have learned that lesson with the UV-3R when it provided the two band specific antennas originally.

Nate hopes, based on the description, that we can get U/U and V/V. I can't wait for somone to get their hands on one.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Baofeng UV-5R: Software v2

Ed at Import Communications has gotten a new version of the UV-5R programming software.  On the UV-5R Yahoo group, he notes that:
The new file has been uploaded to the Files section and also placed on my web
site. It starts in English and does 2.5 kHz frequency entries.
Download is here. The readme file states:
This is version 2 of the programming software for the UV-5R.  If installing over a previous version, you must first remove or rename the file "BF5R_CPS" from your original folder.
Improvements to this software will continue and newer versions will be announced and posted to the UV-5R Yahoo-Group and to the web site www.UV-5R.com as they are received.
73, Ed
www.UV-5R.com
The software installed in a different path than the original version I had. YMMV. I left the radio at work, so I couldn't really test it, but it does open with the menus in English. A step (no pun intended) in the right direction!

Friday, May 11, 2012

Baofeng UV-5R: Extreme Receive Modification


[ Don't have a UV-5R yet? Get one here. ]


Alvin and b1gslacker have been editing the .dat file to expand the receive frequencies of the UV-5R. As usual the results are a big of a mixed bag given the limitation of the hardware and software involved. Steve, WB8GRS, details the limiting factors:
"There are two components (the DSP and MCU chips) in the UV-5R that determine the band limits.
 1. The RDA1846 DSP chip is the chip that generates all the transmit and receive functions and it specifies the band limit as follows.
134 MHz to 174 MHz200 MHz to 260 MHz400 MHz to 500 MHz
This information is provided in the RDA1846 documentation in the file area. Many have reported the UV-5R will operate outside of these band limit on the 134 to 174 and 400 to 500 MHz bands (no one has reported any success using the UV-5R on the 222 MHz band), so my guess is the above band limits are not "hard coded" in the DSP chip, but are just guaranteed band limits and in fact some chips may operate outside these band limits to some degree.
2. The MCU which I believe is a custom version of the EM78P568-44 microprocessor tells the DRA1846 DSP chip what frequency to tune. If the MCU does not send the correct commands to the DSP chip the right frequency will not be received or transmitted. If for example you load in a 222 MHz frequency, the DSP chip is capable of receiving and transmitting on 222 MHz, but only if the MCU provides the correct commands to the DSP chip. If the MCU does not provide the correct commands, the display may should the correct frequency, but the DSP chip is doing nothing. Even if the MCU send the correct commands to the DSP chip, the RF pre-amplifiers and RF amplifiers external to the DSP chip are not designed to operate on the 222 MHz band so even if the DSP chip was commands correctly by the MCU, the power output and receiver sensitivity would likely be very bad."
b1gslacker gives the details of how to make the change here. The usual warnings apply - do this at your own risk.
"For those of you who would like to attempt to destroy your brand new shiny UV-5R, here are the instructions for "slightly modifying" CHIRP to accept frequencies WAY outside of the manufacturers recommended operating boundaries. These instructions are for windows XP only (but will probably work for others also)
1) Download the UV5R.pyc file in the files section.
2) Using your favourite zip utility (I recommend winrar) open the library.zip file located in your C:\Program Files\CHRIP\ directory (location may slightly differ based on your flavour of windows, but you get the idea).3) Delete the UV5R.pyo file from the zip4) Add the UV5R.pyc file5) Save the modified library.zip
I know that your thinking, but if you don't understand the instructions, you should definitely not be trying this, so don't even ask.
Now that you have installed the "ever so slightly enhanced" version of the UV5R CHIRP module you should be able to program frequencies between 10MHz-999MHz in the CHIRP application.
NOTE: Even if the radio accepts the frequency and displays it on the LCD display, this does not mean that the radio will actually work on that frequency (in fact we do know that there are definitely limits)"

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Baofeng UV-5R: Off Frequency Receive Problem?

There have been more than a few reports of an off frequency receive problem (here, here, here, here, here, and there).

Remco, PA3FYM, did some testing and had no problems with his UV-5R. Full results here.
"Hans [1] asked me to measure the frequency accurary of my Baofeng UV-5R too, because some people claim the UV-5R being 'off frequency'. I assumed that the transmit frequency is an indicator for the PLL accuracy for both RX and TX, as I did not open the UV-5R to measure the local oscillator frequency itself. Measurements with a HP-5326A (yes, nixie tubes! ;-) and a homebrew prescaler, in conjunction with a calibrated rubidium standard as time base, revealed the following results (sample time: 10 sec, accuracy 10 Hz):
UV-5R display        frequency
145.000 (MHz)      145.000.040 MHz       (+ 40 Hz)
432.000 (MHz)      431.999.930 MHz       (- 70 Hz)
My UV-5R frequency accurary @145 and 432 MHz is (far) better than 0.5 ppm, which is very good. 
References
[1] http://hamgear.wordpress.com"

Monday, July 8, 2013

Quansheng TG-K4AT (UV)

Nate has been following up on the Quansheng TG-K4ATUV that he first talked about here. (Following is Nate's research with some edits from me - so assume any mistakes are mine.)

This is a radio I've sent you the link for, a long time ago, but there wasn't much discussion about it. Now there is a short video:



And a 26 minute full un-boxing, comparison and demo video in Russian:



Can't speak Russian, but minor things like language barriers didn't stop me before:

Highlights:

- Seems like he is happy with the quality of the plastic.
- The battery label reads: 7.4V 2000mV
- The radio is slightly larger than the Baofang UV-5R (slightly taller and wider, roughly the same thickness), including the display, which will be easier to handle for all those who say that the UV-5R was too small. I think the display is clearer/easier to read too (nice side by side picture at 07:50).

* Note that in the video he is also comparing the radio to the TG-K4A - a mono-band radio that, ahmm, 'resembles' the Yaesu FT-50.

- The charger he got (European plug) had the AC plug going directly to the charger's base (no wall wart like the UV-5R).
- The charger has an indentation at the bottom that enables you to charge the battery without the radio (very useful if you use multiple batteries).
- He is talking about the layout of the keypad which is 0 at the button, "like in a telephone'.
- The rubber that protects the accessories jacks has a hinge, it doesn't hang on a band like the one in the UV-5R.
- All in all the quality of the build seems very similar.
- Has both 2.5KHz and 6.25KHz steps.
- Keypad operation is the same as the Baofeng UV-5R.
- A/B operation, if I understand correctly, if you started in A, and a signal made the radio go to B, it will eventually go back to A after 3 seconds of inactivity (I think the A/B on the UV-5R stays where the last signal came from).
- The flash light LED can light up as usual, but it can also be in flashing mode (like the UV-82).

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

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!

Thursday, December 31, 2015

2015 Brickolore Top 10 Links

Looking at my Google Analytics data, the top 10 visited links in 2015 were:

10. QYT KT8900: Software
Both this post and number four on the list suggest a real desire for a good quality, but inexpensive mobile. They made the list despite only getting posted in May of 2015.
9. Baofeng UV-5R: Schematics
The UV-5R remains popular and hams like to tinker/fix things.
8. Brick O'Lore: Ham Radio Page
I'm surprised that this got so many hits as I don't maintain it - looks like I should do some updates.
7. Baofeng UV-5R: Software v2
Again, software posts seem to be popular. And everyone that got a UV-5R wanted to check out the the new version of the software.
6. Brick O'Lore: The Radios Page
I'm glad this gets some hits as I try to keep it updated as a quick reference - I would like to expand it by keeping track of lowest prices and other miscellaneous data.
5. Baofeng UV-B5: Best Kept Secret
The UV-B5 still seems to be a sleeper.
4. QYT KT8900: Dual Band Mobile
I think the Baofeng Tech UV-5001 and Baofeng Tech UV-2501 mobile radios would have been more popular posts than the KT8900 - except they weren't released until November.
3. Brick O'Lore: Baofeng (UV-3R) Page
The little clone of the Yaesu VX-3R, the UV-3R, really got folks interested in the Chinese radios. I can't believe it still gets so many hits.
2. Baofeng UV-5R: Extreme Receive Modification
And hams would love to get something for nothing!
1. Brick O'Lore (main web page)
This tells me that lots of people visit my blog the old fashioned way - by going straight to the root domain.
Here's to an interesting 2016. May it be everyone's best year yet!

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Baofeng UV-5R: Pricing Updates

The following is from Nate:
"Jun's Electronics A.K.A HamCity.com now sells the Baofeng UV-5R for $55.
They also sell the Kenwood USB programming cable for $12.
Shipping via UPS ground is about $12
Total: $79
So just $22 more is not too bad if you are like me and don't want to risk it or wait for 3-4 weeks (409shop).
If you need a second radio, or have the Kenwood USB programming cable already (or don't care about programming your radio from your computer):
Hamcity.com - UV-5R: $55
Shipping via UPS ground: $11 (not a typo, Jun's website charges you an extra buck to ship the cable with radio).
Total: $66
Not too bad, only $19 more, than 409Shop.

I've used the following for comparison: 

409Shop - UV-5R : $47.Kenwood USB programming cable: $8.Free postal shipping.
Total: $55
Kight Radio have just recently updated his website:http://www.kightradio.com/ - It looks good, but I think that the website is still in it's beta phase, because it seems like some features don't work.
He has a free shipping promotion with the coupon code: OCT30
You might be able to nab a UV-5R there for $60 if you don't need the programming cable (only $13 more than 409Shop, for a US seller).
(He sells the programming cable for $15)."

I had also noticed that the KightRadio site had been updated. Here is the direct link to his Chinese Radio News/Blog section.

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

More Baofeng Version Notes from Nate

From Nate... he's compiled some information from the various links below. Corrections/additions are welcome.

Complete list of links:

General Radio Descriptions:
http://baofengtech.com/radios
Comparison Chart:
http://baofengtech.com/compare
FAQ (Myths and Facts)
http://baofengtech.com/faq
Firmware Guide:
http://baofengtech.com/firmwareguide

Also reference to:
http://www.brickolore.com/2014/06/baofengtech-charts.html

Radio's currently listed on BaofengTech (Plus some additions):


Generation Zero:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
UV-3R, 3R+ (UV-100, UV-100 MKII, UV-200, UV-200 MKII, UV-3R MKII, Vero Electronics UV-X4.
The improved Vero Electronics UV-X5 = TYT TH-UV3R probably belongs here too*).


First Generation:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
UV-5R, UV5R+, UV-5RA/X, UV-5RC/X, UV-5RE (and most re-branded clones such as the Ronson UV-8R, the Waccom WUV-5R . 409Shop models - UV5R[A-Q] ** belong here too. also if they have + or UU after the model number, it just means that the frequency range was extended by software on the UHF band from 400-470/480 to 400-520, not an improved firmware ).

Slightly better receiver and newer firmware:
UV-B5, UV-B6, UV-82 (=UV82L), UV-82X (=144/220 Mhz model), UV-82C, (And probably the F11, BFUV66 and BFUV89 belong here too).


Second Generation:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GT-3, A-52, B-580T, BF-F8+ (Also BF-530I, BFE500S and maybe BF-F9+  ***).

Notes:

* Vero Electronics UV-X5 = TYT TH-UV3R probably has some small changes in the filter section, similar to what RadioMart\Martyn was trying to do with the TYT TH-UVF9 that probably became the TYT TH-UVF9D.
Ref1: http://www.worldwidedx.com/handitalkies/153179-tyt-th-uv3r-2m-440-also-does-220-a.html
Ref2: http://www.uv3r.com/
Ref3: http://www.brickolore.com/2012/06/tyt-th-uvf9-more-tri-band-info.html
Ref4: http://www.brickolore.com/2012/06/tyt-th-uvf9-story-so-far.html
Ref5: http://www.tyt888.com/en/Products/Detail.asp?ID=2068
** 409Shop models names UV5R[A-Q] might have added letters to indicate the color R/BLUE/CC 
*** Note the lack of [BAND] button on second gen radios that have the UV-5R form - the BF-F8+, the 409Shop's Baofeng BF-F9+ and possibly other clones that we will see in the future.

I hope this will put an end to the Baofeng/Pofung model variation confusion.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

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."

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Baofeng UV-5R: Waccom UV-5R 5W

Steve points out that the 409Shop has a Waccom UV-5R for sale. The description says the unit is 5W. We've seen the other versions of the UV-3R (Magiksun, Comtex, Zastone), but the specs were normally the same. I still want to know if the UV-5R is a Baofeng product or if they are just re-branding some's hardware like they did with VeroTelecom and the UV-3R. Clearly, it is similar to the TYT TH-F8.


Friday, June 29, 2012

KGUVD1P vs TH-UVF1 vs UV5R

John asks which radio he should get. Hans replies:
"Best of the pack: Wouxun KGUVD1P. No real flaws to report. The KGUVD1P is verystrict when it comes to battery voltage though. It will switch off immediately,there's no escape. Switching to low power won't help. Buy a spare battery!
Runner up: Quansheng TG-UV2. Flaws: no DTMF. Not the prettiest design ever (a
matter of taste, of course). Strengths: capable of RX/TX on 350-390MHz. Batterylife is unbelievable.
The stock antennas of these two HT's are as good as they get, no need for areplacement.
The Baofeng UV-5R is interesting because of its price - you can buy two UV-5R'sfor the price of one Wouxun. If you can live with its quirks, you have a heck ofa deal."
Hans also replies on another thread:
"The cheap UV-3R can't be used here on 70cm. Total RX collapse. The UV-5R does alot better and is usable. The Quansheng TG-UV2 does even better, and the champion of Chinese HT's is the Wouxun KG-UVD1P. I hardly notice the influence of a 5+5+10 KiloWatt digital TV transmitter on that one, which is located only half a mile away from my QTH.
Even the best Chinese HT is no match for my Yaesu VX-177 mono band though. Thatone doesn't give a d*** about these signals. And it should, as I can buy fourUV-5R's for the price of one VX-177."
If you don't already follow Hans at his blog, I highly recommend it.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Baofeng UV-5R: SC33 Case Review by KC9HI

"The case is definitely designed for the UV-5R and is a real snug fit. Almost too
snug. The radio loads into the top of the case. A top flap goes over the top of
the radio and snaps in the back. The top flap is notched for the antenna, but is
easier to put in place if the antenna is removed first. This is especially so
with the Nagoya NA-701 aftermarket antenna because the base is a little bigger
in diameter than the stock antenna. I was worried that the case might put
pressure on the antenna and eventually stress the antenna jack. There is also a
cutout for the On/Off/Volume switch and the flashlight LED.
The front of the case has a cutout for the VFR/MR button and TX/RX LED.There is
a small hole for the mic and a 3x3 hole grid for the speaker. There are plastic
covered windows for both the display and keyboard. I could easily read the
display through the display window. I never tried to operate the keyboard
through the keyboard window, though.
The PTT side of the case also has a plastic window to let you see and operate
the three buttons on that side of the radio.
The speaker/mic port side of the case has an opening that lets you open the port
cover so a speaker mic can be plugged in.
The back of the case is notched so it will also fit if the belt clip has been
installed.
Unfortunately the case covers the charging terminals on the back of the battery
and the charger base guide slots on the sides of the battery, so removal of the
case is necessary in order to charge the battery. For me, this pretty much makes
the case impractical so I decided very quickly that I wasn't going to use it."

409Shop SC33 for UV-5R

Monday, July 8, 2013

Baofeng UV-82 and UV-5R: Fight!

John (K3NXU) and Hans (PD0AC) both take a look at the UV-82 and the inevitable comparisons to the UV-5R are made.

Hans starts off with this:
"If you hate lengthy reviews: this is mainly a Baofeng UV-5R in disguise. If this is all you wanted to know you can leave now."
There is a lot more detail, so check it out.

"So what is your current favorite Baofeng if you were buying new without owning anything? What is your current favorite Chinese HT overall?"
"For ham radio use the UV-B5 / UV-B6. While boring in appearance and lacking fancy options, these radios deliver. When price is less important, Wouxun is still the way to go (or maybe the Quansheng TG-UV2 if you don’t need DTMF)."
So, I still feel that the UV-B5/UV-B6 continues to fly under the radar. That's despite the love it has been getting on the AR-15 site. BTW - that thread alone has created about 30 new licensed hams.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Baofeng UV-5R: Ronson UV-8R

Despite a box that looks like it says 7W in the video and on the 409Shop listing, the specs for the Ronson UV-8R say it is 5W. The HT is $56 USD. Also, I noticed the description calls it a UV-5R as the Item Number.

RONSON UV-8R BLACK 5W Dual Band 136-174/400-480MHZ


VHF/ UHF  DUAL-BAND TWO WAY RADIO
Frequency Range: 136-174 / 400-480MHz
Dual-Band Display, Dual Freq. Display, Dual-Standby
Output Power: 4 /1Watts
128 Channels
50 CTCSS and 104 CDCSS
Built-in VOX Function
1750Hz Brust Tone
FM Radio (65.0MHz-108.0MHz)
LED Flashlight
Large LCD Display
Hight /Low RF Power Switchable
25KHz/12.5KHz Switchable
Emergency Alert
Low Battery Alert
Battery Saver
Time-out Timer
Keypad Lock
Monitor Channel
Channel Step: 2.5/5/6.25/10/12.5/25KHz
ROGER SET

■ Dual band, dual display, dual standby
■ A/B band independent operation
■ 128 groups channels storage
■ Shortcut menu operation mode
■ VFO & Memory channels scan
■ Emergency Alarm
■ Tri-color background light selectable
■ 0~9 grades VOX selectable
■ PTT & ANI ID
■ FM radio and 25 stations storage
■ Voice companding
■ 50 CTCSS/104 DCS
■ PC programmable
■ Wide/Narrow Band(25kHz/12.5kHz)
■ Transmitter time-out timer(TOT)
■ High/Low TX power selectable
■ Busy channel lock-out(BCLO)

Specifications:
Item number UV-5R
General
Frequency Range 65-108MHz(FM Receive only)
136-174MHZ and 400-480HZ (TX/RX)
Channel No. 128
Frequency Stability ±2.5ppm
Antenna High gain DualBand antenna
Antenna Impedance 50Ω
Operating Voltage DC 7.4V
Mode of operation Simple or semi-duplex
Dimension(W x H x D) 100 x 52 x 32 mm
Weight 250g(including battery, antenna)
Transmitter
Output power 4W / 1W (Max 5W)
Modulation Mode 16kΦF3E / 11kΦF3E
Maximum deviation <5kHz(Wide) / <2.5kHz(Narrow)
Spurious Radiation <7μW
Adjacent Ch. power ≤-65dB(Wide) / ≤-60dB(Narrow)
Pre-emphasis characteristics 6dB
Current ≤1.6A(5W)
CTCSS/DCS deviation 0.5±0.1kHz(Wide) / 0.3±0.1kHz(Narrow)
Intermediation sensitivity 8-12mv
Intermediation distortion <10%

Earpiece / mic type : Kenwood Plug type
Antenna : SMA -Female




Via Steve (KF9ZA).

Monday, April 23, 2012

Baofeng UV-5R: Ronson UV-8R

So, we have the Baofeng UV-5R, the Waccom UV-5R, the original TYT TH-F8, and now the Ronson UV-8R that looks like the other radios, but claims to be a7W dual-band HT. I don't see the radio on the 409Shop.com site yet so no price or other details..

Monday, April 22, 2013

Baofeng UV-5R: Tri-band

I have not been paying much attention to the tri-band posts on the UV-5R (instead looking at the TYT TH-UV3R running 220 or the 2M/220 specific model of the UV-5R). The following post did catch my eye with its certainty that it works on all newer firmwares.

Instructions on how to make all recent UV_R5 radios run 200 band wiith 136+400mh
"I have just come back to the forum after a month or so and I am suprised to see the big response there is to my original post . Look there is no debate if it works or not------------it does.All UV-R5 radios- Firmware BFB291 and Newer-will TX-RX 220 with 2 meter and 440. I have done this to 3 radios The new 220 radio is a ADVERTISEING GIMMICKbaofeng did not advertise that all the new radios would be 220 and did not release instructions-I discovered this through trial and error 
This is exactly how to do it.
This method is for Firmware BFB291 and Newerto find your firmware --turn on radio while holding the 3 button- look at screen 
download this program BF5R_VIP_v120725_BFB291_ENG(VB6).zip
from here-----http://www.miklor.com/uv5r/UV5R-Software.html
these instrucktions assume your radios cable driver is installed correctly if they are not this program can be used to get them going.
1---unpack zip ---install and launch program.
2---press comunication menu and click com 3
3- plug in radio and press the-- Other-- menu
4--click the check box that says work band-it will switch from 136-174/ 400-520 to 136-174/ 200-260 --type in 200 to 260 in the UHF boxs.
5--- press write to radio on the 'Other' menu--your radio led will flash during download.
6-- press VFO button on radio to VFO mode and you will see on channel A__ the 400 band number has changed to 200.000you can now program 200 band simplex--- and repeters on the radio- -2 meter and 400 band programs will continue to work.
7--now that the radio has been switched to 200 bandPress the 'program' button on software --press ""read from radio"" this will switch the software so that the spread sheet will take 200 band.
8-- press the edit menu -press channel informmation you will see the 2 meter-and 400 repeters that are on the radio on the spread sheet and now it will accept 200 band programing but not 400.
9-- press program menu --press write to radio and now 2 meter -400 and 200 band programs will be working all at the same time!!!!!!
9-- remember!! first you must switch the radio 200 0r 400 with the '' Other"" menu, Then upload back to the software to program with the spread sheet.-- then write back to the radio to make allthem work.To use 200 with 400 and 2 meter the frequencys you want to use must be in a program.
10-- Follow theses instrucktions and you will have a 3 band radio instead of 2 Do this before you say it doesnt work!!!!

73 AND CLEAR SUPERFROG"
Maybe all radios are tri-band. I should pull out my UV-3R and see if I can work some DX on 20M. Crazy, crazy, crazy.

Monday, May 6, 2013

Baofeng UV-5R: SSTV

So we have the UV-7DS D-Star model along with the ability to open the UV-5R to almost limitless frequencies... and now we have K3NXU with SSTV on his UV-5R!