Baofeng, Jingtong, Wouxon or what else?

[N2RJ]

Thinking of getting a cheap chinese HT so I can carry it to work and not worry about it being stolen.

Anyone have any of these? How do you like it?

[PA5COR]

Wouxun UDVP-1 2/70 5 watts used mainly for fairs etc.
Advantage, very sensitive, good audio, loud recieve audio, Yaesu speaker/mikes fit well.
1750 mA Li-Ion battery lasts very long, good quality build.
One of the first that came out though in use for the last 3 years without problems.
Others i have are the Icom Q7, Kenwood TH-F7E european version of the Kenwood TH-F6 USA version.
All with speaker mikes, all do their job, the Wouxun was cheap and cheerfull and filled the need for a chaepo handheld that didn't cost much and would not break the bank in case of loss or failiure.

Just my 2 € cents...

[NQ6U]

Agree with Cor about the Wouxon, a lot of locals have them and like them but word on the street is that the Baofeng works well and is so inexpensive as to be almost disposable.

[N2RJ]

I saw a good few baofengs in use at the sussex hamfest. For a cheap radio it did not look like one.

[KB3LAZ]

I had a Wouxon which I passed on to a local ham down the line. Nothing wrong with it but for the 40$ price difference I would go for the FT-60R. It is better quality as are its accessories. I believe it even comes standard with a drop in charger now. However, I don't think it is a rapid charger. If you are truly looking for cheap then I would skip the wouxons as they are not a big savings and go for the Baofeng. You can grab two for the price of one Wouxon or three for the price of the Yaesu.

If you go with a Chinese HT I highly suggest getting the software cable if not already supplied. IMO they are a pain to program. Particularly the Wouxon. Even more so if you have a non standard slip. I also had a problem with mine losing memory channels at random. However, this was 3-4 years ago. I know they have since made many minor upgrades.

I do find it interesting that everyone bags on the 50$ HT's as not being something that will last for years to come. Lets say they only last 5 years and your name brand last 10 years. With most radios you are still saving double in the long run by buying a 50$ HT.

That aside, I don't know what HT batteries are like these days but I have had many problems in the past, particularly with Icom. W2A, T7H, W32A, all had jun batteries after about a year. Also, I had volume issues with all three HT's after only a few years. No such problems with my VX7. In fact, no problems at all.


PS: If you go with one of the Chinese brands, lose the stock ducky. Mine was completely worthless.

Good luck, whichever way you decide to go. I know when I get back I will be getting a UV-3R. I don't use repeaters much but the local machine is only a stones throw away, literally.

[WX7P]

Thinking of getting a cheap chinese HT so I can carry it to work and not worry about it being stolen.

Anyone have any of these? How do you like it?

I have two Baofeng UV-5RE plus radios. 10090

You can find them for about $40 shipped.

I've had zero problems with either one of them, although I haven't used either on UHF, as there's not a lot of UHF activity here. They are really solid and the battery life is superb. I paid $55 for the first one and $48 for the second one and I'm still happy with the price.

I think this radio fits your requirements. If you don't like it, well, it's only $40! not 275 or whatever.

[KB3LAZ]

I have two Baofeng UV-5RE plus radios. 10090

You can find them for about $40 shipped.

I've had zero problems with either one of them, although I haven't used either on UHF, as there's not a lot of UHF activity here. They are really solid and the battery life is superb. I paid $55 for the first one and $48 for the second one and I'm still happy with the price.

I think this radio fits your requirements. If you don't like it, well, it's only $40! not 275 or whatever.

Which vendor did you go through? All of the major vendors I see that carry them charge around 15$ for shipping. Aside from those that offer direct shipping from China but I hear horror stories about shipping time. 3+ weeks. I think I'd pay the 15$.

That aside, I have heard good things about the Baofeng HT's.

[WX7P]

Which vendor did you go through? All of the major vendors I see that carry them charge around 15$ for shipping. Aside from those that offer direct shipping from China but I hear horror stories about shipping time. 3+ weeks. I think I'd pay the 15$.

That aside, I have heard good things about the Baofeng HT's.

I got mine through Amazon. It did take 2 weeks to get them, but for the price, so what, in my opinion. Here's the linky:

http://www.amazon.com/Dual-Band-Improved-Stronger-Enhanced-Features/dp/B00C83AU9S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374266728&sr=8-1&keywords=baofeng+uv-5replus

They are also on ebay.

Hams are always antsy about shipping. When I was heavy into ebay selling, hams would always be the ones who wanted their stuff yesterday. :lol:

[wa6mhz]

I have 2 of the Baofeng UV-5Rs. One is 2/450, the other is 2/222. The 2nd one was a Dayton special by the infamous RADIOMART, but it was brand new so he couldn't mess with it. Works great! I am tickled with them and they are ALOT cheaper than the Wouxons and such.

For $40, it is more or less a Disposable HT! And for less than U can buy a spare battery pack for the YaeKenComs!!!

Make sure U get the Programming cable and software. Not user friendly (but alot easier than Yaesus!)

[KB3LAZ]

I got mine through Amazon. It did take 2 weeks to get them, but for the price, so what, in my opinion. Here's the linky:

http://www.amazon.com/Dual-Band-Improved-Stronger-Enhanced-Features/dp/B00C83AU9S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374266728&sr=8-1&keywords=baofeng+uv-5replus

They are also on ebay.

Hams are always antsy about shipping. When I was heavy into ebay selling, hams would always be the ones who wanted their stuff yesterday. :lol:

Thanks, I hadnt thought of amazon. I have never been much for buying online. I am incredibly impatient. :squint:

[K9CCH]

I got my UV-5RA for $34, from Amazon, and got it in about three days. The trick is to find "US Stock". i reccomend Three Old Crows General Store if you want to buy a Baofeng.

For the money, it's ok. I personally think it feels just as cheap as it looks, but that's just me. It works ok. I've hit repeaters at 17 miles away, but whether I hit a repeater at 6 miles, or 17 miles I get consistent low audio reports, or heavy noise reports. Ive heard other people who sound fine on theirs. Baofeng's quality control is a dart game, and not all the darts are even hitting the board if you know what I mean.

[K7SGJ]

Baofeng Jingtong Wouxon ............. sounds like an Asian law firm.

[NY4Q]

I have a Baofeng that was given to me. I use it daily to monitor our bus repeater at work. No problems as of yet.

[WX7P]

I have a Baofeng that was given to me. I use it daily to monitor our bus repeater at work. No problems as of yet.

You can probably talk to it if you want. I figured out the PL and offset for the local school bus repeater here and can bring up their repeater. I don't of course, but it shows what the radio can do. The offset is something like 3.5 mhz.

[WX7P]

Ok, I just got off the phone with my good friend N6LDP and we went over the programming for the Baofeng. He has a UV5RA and I have the UV5RE Plus, but the programming is the same.

You'll see a lot of whining about how hard these radios are to program. It's really not hard at all. The Baofeng software is worthless, but the cable included is worth the price.

Download a program called CHIRP. http://chirp.danplanet.com/projects/chirp/wiki/Home

I was able to load all the local FRS/GMRS Freqs, MURS and the local ham repeaters very quickly. The repeater book up there has the repeaters with offsets/tone, although I don't know how current the data is. You can also name the channel with "FRS 1" or "Green dot" if so desired.

This program does a bunch of other radios too.

In answer to Ryan's question, I'm really happy with my $40 Baofengs. I'll probably buy a speaker mic and the connector for a mobile antenna.

GAD. I remember my first HT (an Icom 02AT) cost me $329 just for the radio, and that was 2 meters only! It was small for the day, but looks majorly clunky now.

[K0RGR]

I have two Wouxuns and a Baofeng, and I've given several of them away as gifts. The Wouxuns are solid radios, and so far, my UV5R has been, too. I don't think it's cheap looking at all, in fact, it's rather amazing for the price. There are some issues with the cheapie Baofeng, though. The local ham dealer stopped carrying them because at least some of them don't meet FCC specs for spectral purity - the third harmonics on many of them are not suppressed sufficiently. Our local dealer, Radio City, has a new one with the brand name TDXOne that's in the same price class with Baofeng. http://www.radioinc.com/ I see they still show the Baofeng on their website, but I tried to order one some time ago, and the order wouldn't go through. I contacted the owner, who told me about the spectral purity issues. They may have resolved the issue and started selling them again, but I don't know.

Another recurring problem with the Baofeng is poor quality on the external mic connector, which is also used for programming. Sometimes you have to modify the programming cable to get it to fit.

All of the Chinese radios have issues with the programming cables. It seems that all of them are made using the counterfeit Prolific USB chips, so you have to jump through lots of hoops to get them to work. I bought a Kenwood serial-port programming cable and use that with an FTDI-based USB to serial adapter. I have not had any issues with this device on any of my computers, Windoze or Linux. I had my laptop set up for the Wouxun supplied cable, but I bought a Powerwerx cable and had a devil of a time getting it to work. Of course, the Wouxun cables wouldn't work then.

I agree, though, that I wouldn't buy a pricey Wouxun when the FT-60 is only a little most expensive.

[WX7P]

Another recurring problem with the Baofeng is poor quality on the external mic connector, which is also used for programming. Sometimes you have to modify the programming cable to get it to fit.

All of the Chinese radios have issues with the programming cables. It seems that all of them are made using the counterfeit Prolific USB chips, so you have to jump through lots of hoops to get them to work. I bought a Kenwood serial-port programming cable and use that with an FTDI-based USB to serial adapter. I have not had any issues with this device on any of my computers, Windoze or Linux. I had my laptop set up for the Wouxun supplied cable, but I bought a Powerwerx cable and had a devil of a time getting it to work. Of course, the Wouxun cables wouldn't work then.

I agree, though, that I wouldn't buy a pricey Wouxun when the FT-60 is only a little most expensive.

That's interesting Mr. San Jose ex-pat :lol:.

I haven't had problem one with my programming cable with the two UV5-RE Plus radios I own. I haven't tried it on any other radio.

I think a lot of this is hit and miss. I think I got lucky with my purchases.

[KC2UGV]

Well, I guess I'll be able to report in on the Baofeng in a couple of days. I finally pulled the trigger on one, with a programming cable. $30 for a dual band handi to replace/supplement the HTX420 I have was too good to pass up.

[W3WN]

Well, I guess I'll be able to report in on the Baofeng in a couple of days. I finally pulled the trigger on one, with a programming cable. $30 for a dual band handi to replace/supplement the HTX420 I have was too good to pass up.Definitely.

KB3ERQ & I have been talking about getting one for each of us to carry when commuting, or possibly to have around at work.

[KC2UGV]

Definitely.

KB3ERQ & I have been talking about getting one for each of us to carry when commuting, or possibly to have around at work.

From what I've been seeing thus far, if you have plenty of repeaters, the Baofeng UV-R5 will work fine. I've done a check on a repeater, simplex, and worked a net.

Repeater (And net) went fine. No luck on simplex, to be expected with only 4 watts and a rubber ducky. I don't have the appropriate adapter to connect a better antenna yet.

[K7SGJ]

From what I've been seeing thus far, if you have plenty of repeaters, the Baofeng UV-R5 will work fine. I've done a check on a repeater, simplex, and worked a net.

Repeater (And net) went fine. No luck on simplex, to be expected with only 4 watts and a rubber ducky. I don't have the appropriate adapter to connect a better antenna yet.

Take it to the top of One HSBC Center, and you'll probably be able to work simplex to Syracuse.

[KC2UGV]

Take it to the top of One HSBC Center, and you'll probably be able to work simplex to Syracuse.

I might do that during lunch. Or, City Hall's Oberservation Deck.

One feature I didn't know it had: Vox. Makes the soundcard interface easy-peasy to do: two cables.