Baofeng UV-B6 can operate 1.25M!

[WA7PBE]

So I recently acquired a UV-B6 on EBay for dirt cheap. http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/10945 And with the magic of chirp i increased the frequency range on the VHF side to past 1.25 Meters. Now with the UV-5R you could not transmit outside of the amateur bands or really close too it. But with the newer B6 you can operate the radio in 1.25 Meters. The best part about it is it works! I will post instructions via Youtube.com soon. Just a cool little trick that I found today that I'd share with my fellow tribesmen and woman.

[NQ6U]

Uh, you may want to look at the output of that thing on a spectrum analyzer first, lest you find yourself in trouble with the FCC. It's unlikely that the filtering is able to meet the spectral purity requirements on that band.

[WA7PBE]

well i ran a test by just trying to get in to the local 1.25 m repeater and did my research online and every one else who has done this has not had any problems really. Plus its only running about 2 watts at high power at that point

[N8YX]

well i ran a test by just trying to get in to the local 1.25 m repeater and did my research online and every one else who has done this has not had any problems really. Plus its only running about 2 watts at high power at that point
As Carl mentioned, put it on a spectrum analyzer first. You may discover a nasty spur on the output, courtesy of a synthesizer mixing product. It really doesn't take much energy at VHF or thereabouts to interfere with someone's communications infrastructure and you don't want to become known as "that guy".

[kb2vxa]

Yeah really, that's good advice because if somebody complains to the FCC you could be facing an NAL far more expensive than that Bowfang HT. It gets worse because there are government and military assignments in that part of the spectrum.

So what's the story Gerry?
For what it's worthless, originally I had a 25W Icom before microprocessors, memory and buttons and an active wide area repeater on a mountain, then it died. When the 220 boom came along and "everybody" got 220 rigs and repeaters sprang up like mushrooms on the lawn in spring I bought an Alinco DR-235. All went well, then suddenly the band went bust, with nobody on the rig sat gathering dust. Now sans antennas at this QTH they ALL sit gathering dust, oh well.
That's the stooo-ry!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIKyB8Ufh7Q http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Rosenberg_%28pitchman%29

[K7SGJ]

well i ran a test by just trying to get in to the local 1.25 m repeater and did my research online and every one else who has done this has not had any problems really. Plus its only running about 2 watts at high power at that point

I have to agree with Carl and Fred on this. Just because others have done it, and it works, doesn't mean the radio is putting out a clean signal. The fact that it's only two watts is of no relevance, either. Case in point; many years ago I converted a 2 watt, Standard Radio commercial handheld to 2 meters. It wasn't really much more than changing crystals and retuning. During the testing of it, I found it not only worked great on the our clubs repeater, it also interfered with the commercial remote base at the TV station I was working at. Turns out, the radio had a nasty spur of sufficient power to cause the problem. When I put it on the SA, it was as plain as day. Retuning the radio while looking at the output solved the problem. Although the output on 2 meters was now a bit less, it was a whole lot cleaner.

While not everyone owns a spectrum analyzer, I think most folks know someone who does. Anytime a radio is modified to do something other than it's intended purpose, there is always a good possibility of it doing some additional things not intended.

Don't ever quite experimenting, just check your work. It's ham radio, and that's what it's all about. Or was that the hokey pokey?

[WA7PBE]

Thanks for all the advice. Ill be sure to do all the proper steps before xmitting for real.

[n0iu]

Thanks for all the advice. Ill be sure to do all the proper steps before xmitting for real.

http://fluidpowerjobs.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/man-scratching-head.jpg

[kb2vxa]

"Anytime a radio is modified to do something other than it's intended purpose, there is always a good possibility of it doing some additional things not intended."...or not doing things it did before modification. I found out when I bought a 2M rig modded to transmit across its receiving range at a hamfest and the seller didn't tell me it was modded, it lost a couple of functions. Oh it doesn't transmit spurs, that was tested, and I never transmitted out of band.

[n0iu]

And just because this radio can operate on 1.25 meters, does not mean it is a good idea!

I call this the Speedo effect which says, "Just because a Speedo comes in your size does not mean you have to wear it!"

http://www.elistmania.com/images/articles/43/Medium/Speedos.jpg

[WA7PBE]

And just because this radio can operate on 1.25 meters, does not mean it is a good idea!

I call this the Speedo effect which says, "Just because a Speedo comes in your size does not mean you have to wear it!"

http://www.elistmania.com/images/articles/43/Medium/Speedos.jpg
.........the horror

[kb2vxa]

This means WAR!