Baofeng Sales Ban Countdown

[Weedygarden]

I got a couple different antennas, ear buds, and lapel mic's as spares and as options. Things are going to wear out or just plain break plus some options might just work better in different situations. The spare battery compartment that takes AA batteries is my favourite option.

I am wondering about keeping all of this gear together. I am leaning more and more to keeping it together in a backpack, but each BOB should have its own radio.

 

[Bacpacker]

I like having the majority of my stuff in sometype bag, backpack, whatever works for you. But at least one radio per person, it's antenna, and spare battery should be with each person to use as needed.

 

[Sourdough]

I like having the majority of my stuff in sometype bag, backpack, whatever works for you. But at least one radio per person, it's antenna, and spare battery should be with each person to use as needed.

How much to the highest quality brand of handheld cost.........???

 

[Haertig]

I looked at these, and was trying to convince myself that I needed one. But I just can't quite see it. I've already got some good FRS radios (Kenwood). And if I ever finally get around to getting my amateur license (I've been threatening to do that for years now!) I think I'd just buy a single band mobile transceiver with more capabilities than these handhelds. The only thing I see going for them, for my envisioned use, is that they are ridiculously cheap. That in itself may still be enough for me to decide to buy one. I can't see myself casually chatting on a handheld. It would be an emergency communication thing for me, and I'd probably want something with more power and a much better antenna in that case. And of course I'd need the knowledge to use it appropriately. My EE degree is pretty old now, and I'd need some refresher training in radio design. I've been studying the Technician class questions, and the ones relating to electronics are quite basic. It's the questions on rules and regulations that I don't know anything about and would need to study.

 

[elkhound]

so what frequency/channel range are ok to use without a license on these radios.?

 

[Haertig]

Without a license, I believe you can operate on FRS channels and MURS channels only. Note: GMRS shares some FRS channels, but you are allowed higher power on those channels with GMRS if I recall correctly. Also, GMRS has some of it's own channels distinct from FRS. GMRS requires a license though (not a HAM license).

FRS channels are UHF. MURS channels are VHF.

https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/bureau-divisions/mobility-division/family-radio-service-frs

https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/bureau-divisions/mobility-division/multi-use-radio-service-murs

 

[Bacpacker]

How much to the highest quality brand of handheld cost.........???

I haven't kept up in a few years. The last Yeasu I bought, Model FT-60, I paid around $250 for. It was a dual band HT.
Here is a brand new Yeasu Dual band model, but I suspect it has a lot more features than mine did.
https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-016770

I also bought a Kenwood TH-D7 which was dual band and had APRS capabilities that cost more than $400 at the time. You can get a single band HT for under $200 by Kenwood, Yeasu, or Icom.

 

[Weedygarden]

Without a license, I believe you can operate on FRS channels and MURS channels only. Note: GMRS shares some FRS channels, but you are allowed higher power on those channels with GMRS if I recall correctly. Also, GMRS has some of it's own channels distinct from FRS. GMRS requires a license though (not a HAM license).

FRS channels are UHF. MURS channels are VHF.

https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/bureau-divisions/mobility-division/family-radio-service-frs

https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/bureau-divisions/mobility-division/multi-use-radio-service-murs

It is all pretty Greek to me.

 

[Sourdough]

Thank you. I appreciate the help.

I haven't kept up in a few years. The last Yeasu I bought, Model FT-60, I paid around $250 for. It was a dual band HT.
Here is a brand new Yeasu Dual band model, but I suspect it has a lot more features than mine did.
https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-016770

I also bought a Kenwood TH-D7 which was dual band and had APRS capabilities that cost more than $400 at the time. You can get a single band HT for under $200 by Kenwood, Yeasu, or Icom.

 

[Bacpacker]

Your welcome. I only looked at HRO. There are many other vendors that sell HT's. Take a good look and decide what YOU need. Sometimes bell and whistles are nice, but in general not needed. Plus a more basic radio is typically eaiser to use.

 

[bkt]

so what frequency/channel range are ok to use without a license on these radios.?

You should avoid transmitting on HAM frequencies, but you can listen to them all you want. Don't transmit from 144.0MHz through 148.0MHz or 420MHz through 450MHz. The UV-5R's frequency range on VHF is 136MHz through 174MHz and on UHF is 400MHz through 520MHz so there's room outside the HAM frequencies.

Here is a list of international distress frequencies and some can be accessed from the UV-5R. I suggest programming them in along with FRS, GMRS and MURS frequencies.

Another good resource for emergency communications is Steven Harris' http://radios1234.com. It may give you some additional ideas.

Being able to program your radios is important. The programming cable isn't expensive and Chirp is free software that will let you program these radios. You can program these directly from the keypad but it's a pain in the butt.

If anyone has questions, feel free to post here or PM me and I'll do my best to help. You should learn to use your radios now and not assume you'll be able to figure it out after the S has HTF.

 

[Caribou]

It is all pretty Greek to me.

Think of these radios as bicycles (FRS, etc.), good for short distances. When I went sailing I had a bicycle (VHF) and a pickup (single side band good for long distances). This radios are good for around your property or within a few miles. Terrain, antenna height, power, and a few other considerations means that the same radio might work differently in different locations or in different weather. You might also find that different frequencies work better in your area than others. This is all stuff that you will work out after you play with the radios for a bit. Think about the first time you tried to sew something, each time it became easier and you were more comfortable.

 

[elkhound]

i know nothing so do your own homework or folks in the know correct me....i found this list of frs/gmrs chgannels you can use....i think

https://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/FRS/GMRS_combined_channel_chart

also according to link haertig gave the
https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/bureau-divisions/mobility-division/multi-use-radio-service-murs

There are five MURS channels and the channels are either 11.25 kHz or 20.00 kHz each. The channel frequencies and (bandwidth) are:

151.820 MHz (11.25 kHz)
151.880 MHz (11.25 kHz)
151.940 MHz (11.25 kHz)
154.570 MHz (20.00 kHz)
154.600 MHz (20.00 kHz)

 

[Weedygarden]

Tomorrow is the last day to buy a radio, but I saw this video about these radio covers a couple days ago and thought these covers were interesting. I've been caught in the pouring rain and these protectors look like a good investment. I like that there is a strap, so you could keep it on your person without having to hang onto it.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017IKQTS...aip-storefront&ref=exp_cov_iridium242_dp_vv_d

 

[Haertig]

I looked into this a little - out of curiosity - and asked my friend who is a ham, and the only thing I think that is going away are the inexpensive Baofeng's. And clones of these, if such things even exist. So if you want a $25 radio, buy that Baofeng now. But after tomorrow you can still buy radios from Yaesu, Icon, Kenwood, etc. as these radios are compliant with FCC rules. Much better quality too. But they will cost you $140 and up. If you don't have a ham license and just want the radio for the FRS bands, then you can still buy a basic FRS radio. Those things are a dime a dozen. The new regulation appears to translate to "Get rid of the cheap Baofengs", but without using the word "Baofeng". At least that's the way my ham friend and I are interpreting it. I'm not sure why the Baofengs are being targeted, but I suspect there might be certain elite groups that don't want you to be able to get on the air with a radio that costs less than a jumbo size box of Cheerios.

 

[bkt]

High cost of entry into the hobby does tend to keep the riff-raff away, but it also keeps away those who aren't willing to drop a few hundred bucks (minimum) to try out something they're only curious about. The recent spate of Chinese radios (not just Baofengs, but higher-end makes) show you CAN produce a clean, compliant, high-quality radio for significantly less than Kenwood, Yaesu and Icom charge, and that low price point open doors that would otherwise be closed to many people. My guess is Baofeng (or companies like Btech) will limit the UV-5R and similar radios to operate only within HAM bands and clean up harmonics and other noise.

 

[Haertig]

Why are the dual-band Baofeng's still available on Amazon? Was the ban rescinded?

 

[Weedygarden]

Why are the dual-band Baofeng's still available on Amazon? Was the ban rescinded?

Maybe this whole thing was a ruse. If so, James Wesley Rawles was also duped!

 

[Haertig]

This could turn out to be like the .22LR ammo shortage. Jerks were speculating - buying up all the ammo at WalMart and then selling it at inflated prices. Then when .22LR became widely available again, the speculators took a punch to the gut, sitting there on ammo they bought to profit on that is now selling for 1/2 of what they paid (serves 'em right). So since these radios still seem to be available on Amazon for $25, any speculators might be forced to sell off their ill-begotten merchandise for $15 or so. Keep your eyes on eBay in the coming weeks. You might find some good deals on the banned-then-unbanned Baofengs (if this is indeed what has happened).

 

[Sentry18]

FCC edicts are often disregarded until the FCC actually stomps their feet and shakes their fists. They are also fairy easy to talk into extensions.

 

[Haertig]

Prices seem to be down a bit. Might have to pick one up now that they cost less than my lunch today did (really good sushi!)

 

[The Lazy L]

Without a license, I believe you can operate on FRS channels ...

One of the legal requirements of FRS that the antenna must be non-removable. Baoheng has removal antenna thereby making it illegal to use for FRS.

All equipment used on FRS must be certified according to FCC regulations. Radios are not certified for use in this service if they exceed limits on power output, have a detachable antenna, allow for unauthorized selection of transmitting frequencies outside of the 22 frequencies designated for FRS, or for other reasons.

 

[Bacpacker]

That's a great price. I paid 26 for mine. Nice little radio

 

[Patchouli]

I had already purchased a few for family for Christmas a few months ago.
One of my sons is telling us they are basically illegal to turn on (Baofeng). Is that true? He hasn't gotten back to me with his source of info.
Another son is researching now too. Good.
I told my family it was illegal to transmit on HAM frequencies, they could listen, but they'd need to read the operator instructions, get a HAM license if they wanted to go that route and these were basically for emergencies.

But you're saying since they have removable antenna they are illegal to use in HAM radio frequencies? I'm trying to understand.

I don't have much of a clue otherwise but hoped they'd be an ok investment since they were cheap enough.
I also told everyone to not mess around on it, they could be tracked. We are not a bunch of goofs.

Thanks for all the links to helpful info. I will be sharing them with my fam.

 

[Bacpacker]

The FCC was trying to stop sales. But they are currently legal to use. Just be aware of what frequencies you use them on. They will transmit on freqs that are banned for the public use. Removable antennas I think are a no no for either FRS or MURS freqs. But unless you are causing trouble on air, no one is gonna be looking for you with them.

 

[Haertig]

You can listen with them all you want. Perfectly legal, no license required. So you can certainly turn them on for this.

Transmitting is different. These radios transmit on two different bands - one band used by HAM operators and another band that includes the FRS frequencies (and I think a few more outside of FRS). To transmit on HAM frequencies, you need a HAM license. The removable antenna is not a problem for HAMs, as a matter of fact I would expect that most HAMs attach better antennas to these radios as a matter of course.

FRS frequencies do not require a license, but they have pretty severe limitations. You are limited on the power that you can transmit with. The Baofeng radios are capable of transmitting at higher power levels that are not allowed, although they can be set to use lower power. But power is not the only issue with FRS and the Baofengs. While removable antennas are allowable on the HAM frequencies, they are not allowed on the FRS frequencies. So the Baofeng is now, and will ever be, an FRS receiver only.

So what you have is a nice radio that you can use now for receiving only. You cannot transmit on FRS because of the antenna thing. However, you can transmit on the HAM frequencies once you get a HAM license. Since it doesn't sound like you have the required HAM license, then you should not transmit with these radios yet.

Since you said these radios were basically for emergencies, you can get good use out of them. You want to be able to hear what's going on, and you can do that. You don't necessarily need to transmit to get emergency information. So go ahead and learn how to program and use (for receiving) the radios.

 

[bkt]

There's nothing wrong with using Baofeng radios. While technically it may be illegal to do, using these on FRS, GMRS and MURS frequencies is certainly possible, and if you don't behave like an idiot, you won't become the subject of a fox hunt. (Search this site for FRS, GMRS and MURS and you'll find a few people have posted the frequencies that pertain to each.)

That said, I encourage everyone to work on getting their Technician license (at the very least). I recommend http://hamstudy.org/

 

[Curmudgeon]

Next up on the list. Ebay still has them listed for less than 20 bucks.

 

[Haertig]

I am in the middle of taking the Technician ham class now (finally!), and registered for the General class scheduled to start in 3 weeks.

If you join the club that is teaching the class (which I would do anyway), they give you a brand new Baofeng that they will program for you with all the local repeaters and important stuff. It only costs $20 per year to join the club, and for that $20, in addition to membership, you get the free Baofeng. Now THAT is cheap! After looking around and researching radios, I don't really want the Baofeng, but I will take it for free, as a backup. So far, after much research, my brand preferences for mobiles and handhelds are (best to worst): Kenwood, Icom, Yaesu, Baofeng. That also happens to be most expensive to least expensive. My opinions here are subject to change as I continue my research and testing. one thing nice about this class and the club teaching it, is you have all these radios right there in the classroom to handle, try on the air, and ask questions about - the radio owners are right there to give you their real world experience. Baofeng is definitely the bottom, but so cheap that you may not care, especially if it's a backup radio only. Adding a better antenna improves the Baofeng quite a bit, according to the owners.

Gotta go (ham class starts shortly!)

 

[bkt]

Nice, Haertig! Good luck on your exams. Your club sounds really good - most clubs have many good people who will help out with questions, programming, setup and recommendations.

Yes, you will definitely want to replace the antenna. A SignalStick or Nagoya 771 (or 701) are much better. The display on my Baofeng is far brighter and clearer than the display on my Kenwood TH-F6A, but the Kenwood is somewhat easier to program from the keypad.