I am looking at getting a Baofeng to get started in the Ham radio scene and to have a few small mobile radios for the family incase of the SHTF. Just not sure which one to get? I have read a lot and talked to some and get different answers, either the UV-5R or the BF-UV8D and even the GT-3! Anybody know anything about these and can tell me the best one to go with, it would be much appreciated! I would Love to have a home station but can't afford those, I did find an old one at a hamfest here. The guy sounded legit and told me what I would need to up date it and get it working. I could have got it for $20 but wasn't sure how much the new parts would be and now I kick myself in the butt for not getting it. When it comes by again, hamfest, I may just jump in and grab one and se what happens!
Baofeng for Starters
- Thread starter simpleman
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I and Jonnte have UV5RCs as the UV5 is the most common, plus they are easy to reprograme using CHIRP so you can tailor the freqs you want.
Yes the OE rubber duck antenna are useless, you need an after market one. BE CAREFUL when buying aftermarket antenna there are loads of copies and knock offs out there you are better off getting your local radion shop to get you one. Nagoya NA-771 is the one many people use.
Technically YES you need a Amateur Radio licence which is easy peazy to do if you want to use the HAM frequencies, However if you only inted to use the 446.000 Frqs they are normally allocated to the PMR freqs and not licenced. That is the route I took. But personally in a major crisis or disaster I dont think anyone is going to be bothered who uses what in order to save lives. But it is good to get a licence and to learn correct radio procedure and protocol.
The short answer:
No, you do not need an Amateur Radio license to operate a Baofeng. However, if you do use a Baofeng, it is possible (and easy) to break the law with it.
The long answer:
It's only illegal for an unlicensed person to transmit on a ham radio band (the radio doesn't matter). That means as long as you are only using (or programming, rather) the public bands, such as FRS and such, then you're good to go. However, (and this is strictly going by the law of the land) those public bands also have maximum power restrictions, which a typical Baofeng can easily exceed. For example, the FRS band is limited to 2 watts of power. You are perfectly able to put out 8 watts of power with a Baofeng BF-F9V2+. . .
In application, or real-life, that is to say. . . if you are putting out 8 watts on the FRS band, I doubt anyone is going to notice and/or care. As it stands, about 50% of the CB operators out there are flagrantly and proudly breaking the law. Whereas on that band, 4 watts is the maximum, you have some people putting out kilowatts on that band, and the FCC is wholly uninterested in complaints. So yes, you should be able to do that with no problems. You may find that lots of people can hear you, but you can't hear them.
But - and take this to heart - if you use it to transmit on the ham radio bands and you are not licensed, you will be found and reported by the end of the week. And the FCC will absolutely take immediate and expensive action. So, you know. . . I wouldn't do that. Can you listen-in on the ham radio bands? Absolutely. Just don't transmit.
Like Silent Earth pointed out, you should just go ahead and get your license. It's not hard. It's not expensive. Over the years, they've made the tests way easier because of concerns that ham radio is becoming a dying hobby, thanks to the bureaucratic red tape.
I would add if you get your ham licence very often you find more like minded preppers to cooperate with in your hood.
Thanks for all the info, very informative! As soon as funds are available I will be getting both a Baofeng and a Ham Radio license. Being on Disability and the Wife with no income tends to slow the fun stuff down to a slow crawl. Hopefully before the SHTF I can acquire these.
Where do you guys recommend i get my license? Can i do it online and if so, can you please post a link? Thanks in advance!
I didn’t find much online (that I’d trust). The local ham people teach a class that will prep you for the 1st level license. I keep thinking about it....
He local Gus charge $25....
He local Gus charge $25....
Can I just add the proviso for your consideration that many preppers and survivalist chose NOT to have amateur licences because ( in the UK at least) Your names, addresses and callsigns are recorded on publically available documents Which MAY affect your opsec / persec. I'm not saying dont get a ham licence, it all depends on your own personal needs, requirements and privacy needs. Its just so you are aware. Like many things in our asset pile its a case of very often its better to have it and not neeed it than vice versa. I'm sticking with PMR and CB ( AM / FM)
FYI I recently encountered one cretin who was not happy that he could not talk to preppers on his UV5 by simply turning the radio on..................................Some folks are simply beyond help.
