Baofeng Uv5 series radios

[Silent Earth]

Just wondering how many people are using this ubiquious radio, I see home steaders, militias, survivalist, preppers, ham users etc all with them, just made me think how many in our community on DPF have em?

Or do you know of something better?

 

[Brent S]

I'll let you know when I finally get a pair of them.

 

[Quietsurvivalist]

http://quietsurvivalist.com/beofengs-and-their-issues/

Buy cheap or buy good, but theres no such thing as both

If you truly think they are good radios you need to do a bunch of studying and less buying


You might take a look here as well concerning your question

http://quietsurvivalist.com/radio-communication-preppers/

 

[Silent Bob]

I tend to buy a blend, high end for my home and BOL equipment. For my INCH bags its a blend, high end on my comm, and for the rest, low end, as they are not permitted to transmit, unless they either are under duress or use established codes. Limiting transmission and only reception is part of our COMSEC rules of engagement. Some of my team mates also buy the high end, but a few because of cost/budget constraints go the low end route. Nothing wrong with that either, "better to have something, rather than nothing". Information will be the key once the grid goes down.

Imagine our society is enriched each day with so much media that in an instant, it is removed or controlled by an entity. From that point on the world will change dramatically, and we are not even talking about loss of power and services. Wow scary times. Why we prep.

 

[Silent Earth]

We have been using TYT and Baofeng radios for just over 6 years now and apart from one cracked case on one of the TYTs ( fixed with epoxy) that have all served us very well as P to P intergroup radios, PMRs or FRS is the US version. With NA771 antenna we can get on average 5 to 9 miles which meets our needs. They are basic, rugged reliable AND AFFORDABLE, and DISPOSABLE. I just bought a brand new UV5RC today for $30 for a five watt two way radio of proven designed and reliable performance, I dont NEED to spend lots of money for reliable comms. Now if I was into very long distance stuff and a Ham user YES I would probably spend a bit more, and much better antenna. But I'm not a HAM user I'm just a Prepper and being a prepper I also dont want ANYTHING that relies on repeaters or parrot devices.

Over here I know of farmers, 4x4 clubs, wilderness explorers and even mountain rescue groups who have had sterling service from their Baofengs and TYTs.

Also being licence phobic and also finding very many Ham enthuisasts over here to be rather in your face rivet counters I also prefer modern UNLICENCED CB gear like the latest Preseident rigs with 12 watt SSB AM and FM 27 Mhz units. The CB bands are VERY quiet over here which is good for preppers.

 

[SheilaT.]

LOL love it, rivet counters.

 

[Silent Earth]

UV5Rs are cheap, basic, reliable and affordable, they are the Ford F150 of Radios, every bugger has one Hikers, Dog walkers, Bikers, Mountain bikers, Preppers, Security guards, Event staff, Shop workers, Boaters, Farmers, Kids, Paint Ballers, Air Softers, Radio clubs, college staff etc they are ubiquitous and universal and a well proven device. If the UV did not provide the coverage offered they would not sell as well thus they would be more expensive. They wont meet the needs of serious radio hobbyists or comms experts by a large magin but for the average Joe on modest means wanting to put P to P comms in the bug out bag of every family member they do a good job. However as Q says Quality does count and if I had a better budget I would definately upgrade to better gear, but for my PMR / FRS / PREPING Comms the UV5 does the job.

 

[Silent Bob]

The other issue is when your training with them and lose one....they only cost $50 or so to replace. We train in the dark..ever lose something, sometimes its there in the morning and then sometimes it is not. Yeah and if you've not trained with your radio's in the dark, nothing like that experience and under a poncho (so you don't light up the dark). In Texas, with it being flat, you can see them quite easy. Not good if TSHTF.

 

[Quietsurvivalist]

50 cents of 550 cord so your gear is attached to the idiot carrying it solves your loss problems. Its a training issue not a gear issue. Some time on the pointy end for real would clear that up nicely. The difference between wanna be and for real is the small things like dummy cords for NVG, Comms, and critical gear to either your body, webbing or pack.

Classic lost techniques so many overlook in the quest to be "tactical"

As far as them doing the job well. I have a lot of experience doing things so many on prepping boards say don't happen, like DF work against exactly these kinds of radios on others expense.

So when I tell you they are like a strobe in the dark on a Doppler df I can build for less than $1000 you might take it as a hint. Because people who will be hunting you are already geared for it, and all this about a lack of budget is going to haunt you, and you probably wont have a clue about how you were found.

Literally and as truthful as I can put it, YOU don't know, what you don't know.

All this talk on boards about the FCC and what they don't do..... do you really believe just because they lost enforcement agents, another agency didn't pick up the authority and budget? You really believe the " search and seize without a warrant" , the " no notice compliance inspections" went away? Those laws are like a Christmas gift to "other" agencies.

Triangulation? What a joke, WWII technology. Doppler DF, do your research, you will never key a mic again without wondering. And every time you key the mic on an out of band, out of compliance radio you give away every right you have to search and seizure. Its not paranoia, its a fact. Do not believe you are hiding from anything, you are just not on the priority list....yet.

Pres signed a executive order to make prepping hoarding and illegal. Guess how they are compiling that list, hmm the most popular prepper radio sold in the US, strangely not certified for use on any bands but yet allowed to be imported and sold. Why???

Because they splatter all over the bands and are incredibly easy to find. And you are telling the world where you are every time to key the mic. And exactly who you are , because the predominant buyers are guess who?

 

[Silent Earth]

Literally and as truthful as I can put it, YOU don't know, what you don't know.

.

Thats a two way street mon ami

 

[Quietsurvivalist]

There are park service employees working with "another" organization using the same Doppler Df rigs to find illegal campers in parks. They are DFing the emissions in a cell phone gps. And these radios are transmitting at 5 watts, literally 100 times more emisions than the gps.

Food for thought

 

[jontte]

ooh,how I'm happy to live here,my authorities have no time "hunting" a few preppers
we don't "show" on the screen as all the hunters go around with radios....and we have plenty of them,so here it's kinda like hiding in plain sight

 

[Silent Earth]

ooh,how I'm happy to live here,my authorities have no time "hunting" a few preppers
we don't "show" on the screen as all the hunters go around with radios....and we have plenty of them,so here it's kinda like hiding in plain sight

They dont here and after TSHTF they wont have the time, resources or will go go out hunting for frequency pirates over here, we even had pirate community radio stations operating for years without being stopped. Could be different in the US though cos they have more resources, But just a point of note look how the feds, park rangers, cops reacted to Claude Dallas, imagine if they thought there was thousands of potential Claude Dallas's out in the boonies after TSHTF ? I wouldnt go out looking for trouble

 

[Silent Bob]

Not very hard, SIGINT folks were doing it all the time over across the pond, so all the technology exist and yes, we simply don't matter right now. Hence, why I don't key at the house or at the BOL, only monitor.

 

[Rob Painless]

We've had pretty good luck with the UV5 series. Low cost & enough power for those in our "group" and our "neighborhood" to be able to reach each other. Longest point-to-point so far was about 11 miles....but we had to stand on our roofs to do it. We're not real concerned about being 'found'. It's flat here....we're easy to see. If we want to be stealthy, I guess we could build towers & start using semaphore. Of course, the danged wind makes it hard to control the flags...
Bit by bit I am getting a UV5 in the hands of most of my 'neighbors' (closest is about a mile away)....just in case.

 

[Silent Earth]

Hence, why I don't key at the house or at the BOL, only monitor.

Perhaps when we get around as a forum to working out a radio protocol procedure for members the above comment should be one of the main rules. HEY CLYDE your forum , your rules and you are into radio comms, Waddaya Say?

 

[jontte]

for my part,I'm willing to recive any help in this matter,as I have two thumbs and they are right in the middle of my palm

 

[Silent Earth]

Jonnte there are major Comsec, Persec and Opsec issues with broadcasting from your Home or BOL, basically DONT unless you absolutely have too., Portable antenna, portable rig and as brief a message as you can send sent from some other location. So pre arranged messages can be agreed upon, then for example if you wanted to meet your family some place, you would have already agreed that location with the family and given it a number.

So you would simply make a brief broadcast on your previously agreed frequency / channel and the previously agreed time and say " Meet at location ###" then THEY would acknowledge the message by two or three quick clicks of the Mike.

Never use the same broadcast location twice, never form a pattern, keep changing locations, times and channels of broadcasts.

Never use real names for people or locations, say something like " Meet in bus shelter opposite where we bought the car from", or " Meet outside the ice rink where we first met etc"

 

[jontte]

will broadcast from homebase only if I have no other options,there used to be an army depot here not far from my home,still don't know if they store stuff in those caves any more,know only that some major work has been and still is under construction there,so if any crap happens I will have a unit or two of mp's in my surroundings,so will have to thread carefully.

 

[jontte]

and not knowing if or what there is makes me slightly annoyed..

 

[Silent Earth]

Mobility is your mate, The Forests are your friends, Brief broadcasts are best. And I think that if TS actually HTF I would probably also CACHE my comms gear away from the home / retreat.

 

[Silent Earth]

and not knowing if or what there is makes me slightly annoyed..

Plan for the worst case scenario, NATO Europe MPs basically are tasked with the management of moving military resources by road ( I was an MP for 3 years in the reserves) or monitoring looters in built up areas, monitoring nuclear fallout etc, but primarily keeping everything moving. I'm guessing your MPs are the same so they ont ever be far from the roads or rail lines or rivers................................but you will be.

 

[jontte]

yup,I'd rater take the scenic route in the forrest than the roads,that river close by as a last resort and only by night.