Baofeng BaoFeng BF-F8HP RX Static Issue?

[DrLoomis1978]

Hi everyone, I have a question about the BaoFeng BF-F8HP. From what I've read, this radio does not have that annoying static sound while in motion in the car. I own the UV-5R & UV-82HP and both emit static when receiving a transmission in the car "while in motion only", although it's been proven not to be ignition/alternator noise. Can anyone confirm whether or not the BF-F8HP does or does not have this same issue?

4.76 out of 5

 

[Reconrider]

Only issue with any info you get will be different areas have different levels of RF and different vehicles will yield different results

 

[DrLoomis1978]

Yes very true, especially living in NYC. The only problem is, I read that with these low budget radios, if you are standing still (out of the vehicle) and whip the radio around in circles during RX, you'll get the same effect. I tried it and they were right. I was just hoping the BF-F8HP would be different.

 

[KE5MC]

Have you tried setting the squelch one notch up for the radios you do have. You are not likely to miss any signals as we typically don't appreciate the signal strength of the signals we receive and you might eliminate the noise. On the other hand a car is a faraday cage with wheels for an HT without an external antenna, so you could be missing 'stuff'. I can't comment on the F8HP, not in my collection. 😎
Good Luck!
Mike

 

[DrLoomis1978]

Have you tried setting the squelch one notch up for the radios you do have. You are not likely to miss any signals as we typically don't appreciate the signal strength of the signals we receive and you might eliminate the noise. On the other hand a car is a faraday cage with wheels for an HT without an external antenna, so you could be missing 'stuff'. I can't comment on the F8HP, not in my collection. 😎
Good Luck!
Mike

Oh yes. I've tried everything possible tweaking the squelch with no luck. So far all I have found out from other users is that there's an internal problem with the low budget Chinese radios. Unfortunately those same people have never given advice on how it can be fixed, or if it can be fixed. But thank you anyway for your help 👍

 

[K4EET]

<snip> So far all I have found out from other users is that there's an internal problem with the low budget Chinese radios. <snip>

More than likely it’s the entire receiver design (or the lack thereof as the case may be). You can’t build a bulletproof receiver without budgeting enough dollars to buy the necessary components or chip design but then the cost would go up and the radio would no longer appeal to the market that the Chinese are aiming at.

 

[SigIntel8600]

Do this

Squelch Adjustment

 

[DrLoomis1978]

More than likely it’s the entire receiver design (or the lack thereof as the case may be). You can’t build a bulletproof receiver without budgeting enough dollars to buy the necessary components or chip design but then the cost would go up and the radio would no longer appeal to the market that the Chinese are aiming at.

You're 100% right. I've seen this with other Chinese radio companies too. They kind of serve their purpose but it's frustrating at the same time. I just wish Motorola wasn't so expensive and complicated to program, that way I could avoid these low budget toys. Compared to Motorola, they really are toys. Yet, Midland bubble pack FRS/GMRS radios which are also cheap work in the car just fine. Frustrating 😣

 

[SigIntel8600]

Did you try the squelch adjustment as indicated on the the link I posted above?

 

[DrLoomis1978]

Did you try the squelch adjustment as indicated on the the link I posted above?

You bet. I tried that about two or so years ago but it didn't help. It's something that can probably be fixed but I'm not qualified in any way. I wouldn't even know where to start. But there must be someone out there who does know, they just need to come onto these forums. Just to show you what's happening, there's someone on YouTube that demonstrates it and he never found the answer either.

. That crackle sound only happens while in motion.

 

[nd5y]

That's the geiger counter sound.
There are several threads about it. In one thread somebody determined that the noise is caused by poorly written firmware that sets incorrect AGC commands in the AT1846S chip. It has absolutely nothing to do with the squelch. There is no way to fix it because you can't change or reload the firmware.

The UV-5R, BF-F8HP, UV-82 and variants all share the same poor design.

 

[DrLoomis1978]

That's the geiger counter sound.
There are several threads about it. In one thread somebody determined that the noise is caused by poorly written firmware that sets incorrect AGC commands in the AT1846S chip. It has absolutely nothing to do with the squelch. There is no way to fix it because you can't change or reload the firmware.

The UV-5R, BF-F8HP, UV-82 and variants all share the same poor design.

Well, I'm not happy that it can't be fixed, but I'm glad I finally have the reason why. I appreciate your help very much 👍

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

It is the lack of an effective FM Limiter in these cheap single chip receivers. Improper, slow or over compensated AGC action could also contribute as excess gain is required to properly saturate a limiter stage.

This is why a $35 radio will never perform like a $700 radio.

Why do some cheap FRS radios work better? It could be that they are true superhet designs which can be made cheaply if only a single band of frequencies are the target. Or it could be that they are simply better designed.

This answer from Quora is excellent explanation of FM Limiter

Dave Yerzley
Answered Oct 26, 2020


What is the role of an amplitude limiter in an FM receiver?

The information in an audio signal is encoded as a frequency deviation from the specified carrier frequency. In the receiver this is decoded by a detector which, ideally, has an output which varies linearly with the frequency deviation of the received signal.

In addition to this sensitivity to frequency deviation, the detector may also respond to variations in amplitude of the signal. Some detector configurations are more sensitive to amplitude variations than others, but all show some degree of sensitivity to amplitude.

Amplitude variations may occur for a number of reasons. One of the most common is multipath interference, a propagation problem. Noise may also produce amplitude variations. So an unintended sensitivity to amplitude variations could result in both distortion and noise in the audio output from the receiver if not dealt with appropriately.

It’s easy to eliminate amplitude variations by having, before the detector, amplification sufficient that any useable signal will be amplitude limited when it is fed to the detector. In a traditional superheterodyne FM tuner, this occurs in the IF strip at 10.7 MHz. In a good receiver, this limitation will occur on noise alone, so any received signal will have constant amplitude at the input to the detector (what I refer to here as the detector is often referred to in the literature as the second detector).

10–26–2020

More on circuit design of a proper FM Superheterodyne receiver.

https://www.daenotes.com/electronics/communication-system/superheterodyne-fm-receiver

 

[DrLoomis1978]

It is the lack of an effective FM Limiter in these cheap single chip receivers. Improper, slow or over compensated AGC action could also contribute as excess gain is required to properly saturate a limiter stage.

This is why a $35 radio will never perform like a $700 radio.

Why do some cheap FRS radios work better? It could be that they are true superhet designs which can be made cheaply if only a single band of frequencies are the target. Or it could be that they are simply better designed.

This answer from Quora is excellent explanation of FM Limiter
Dave Yerzley
Answered Oct 26, 2020


What is the role of an amplitude limiter in an FM receiver?

The information in an audio signal is encoded as a frequency deviation from the specified carrier frequency. In the receiver this is decoded by a detector which, ideally, has an output which varies linearly with the frequency deviation of the received signal.

In addition to this sensitivity to frequency deviation, the detector may also respond to variations in amplitude of the signal. Some detector configurations are more sensitive to amplitude variations than others, but all show some degree of sensitivity to amplitude.

Amplitude variations may occur for a number of reasons. One of the most common is multipath interference, a propagation problem. Noise may also produce amplitude variations. So an unintended sensitivity to amplitude variations could result in both distortion and noise in the audio output from the receiver if not dealt with appropriately.

It’s easy to eliminate amplitude variations by having, before the detector, amplification sufficient that any useable signal will be amplitude limited when it is fed to the detector. In a traditional superheterodyne FM tuner, this occurs in the IF strip at 10.7 MHz. In a good receiver, this limitation will occur on noise alone, so any received signal will have constant amplitude at the input to the detector (what I refer to here as the detector is often referred to in the literature as the second detector).

10–26–2020

More on circuit design of a proper FM Superheterodyne receiver.

https://www.daenotes.com/electronics/communication-system/superheterodyne-fm-receiver

Wow, that's way beyond my radio knowledge lol, but I'm still very grateful for you taking the time to explain this whole situation. I was never able to find this information myself, probably because I didn't know exactly what to search for, so it's been years of wondering what causes the problem. Thank you.

 

[CptJbud]

Yes, my F8HP has extra static while in motion. Have tried 2 different mobile antennas without a difference. Sometimes clips the voice so it's unreadable. When I stop at a light it clears up..

 

[DrLoomis1978]

Yes, my F8HP has extra static while in motion. Have tried 2 different mobile antennas without a difference. Sometimes clips the voice so it's unreadable. When I stop at a light it clears up..

Thanks for the response. That's what I thought. It's exactly like my UV-5R and UV-82HP. I wish they'd fix this mess. I'd be willing to pay extra money for the radio if only they would fix it.

 

[AK9R]

I wish they'd fix this mess. I'd be willing to pay extra money for the radio if only they would fix it.

Why should they? Baofeng is selling thousands of these radios just the way they are. They have no incentive to address issues in these radios.

As for paying extra money for a radio that doesn't have this problem, Yaesu is still selling FT-60s. Yaesu's FT-4X and FT-65 are less expensive than the FT-60 but are made in China, radio on a chip radios like the Baofengs. They seem to be built to a higher standard than Baofengs. Don't know if they have the "mobile static" issue, though.