• To anyone looking to acquire commercial radio programming software:

    Please do not make requests for copies of radio programming software which is sold (or was sold) by the manufacturer for any monetary value. All requests will be deleted and a forum infraction issued. Making a request such as this is attempting to engage in software piracy and this forum cannot be involved or associated with this activity. The same goes for any private transaction via Private Message. Even if you attempt to engage in this activity in PM's we will still enforce the forum rules. Your PM's are not private and the administration has the right to read them if there's a hint to criminal activity.

    If you are having trouble legally obtaining software please state so. We do not want any hurt feelings when your vague post is mistaken for a free request. It is YOUR responsibility to properly word your request.

    To obtain Motorola software see the Sticky in the Motorola forum.

    The various other vendors often permit their dealers to sell the software online (i.e., Kenwood). Please use Google or some other search engine to find a dealer that sells the software. Typically each series or individual radio requires its own software package. Often the Kenwood software is less than $100 so don't be a cheapskate; just purchase it.

    For M/A Com/Harris/GE, etc: there are two software packages that program all current and past radios. One package is for conventional programming and the other for trunked programming. The trunked package is in upwards of $2,500. The conventional package is more reasonable though is still several hundred dollars. The benefit is you do not need multiple versions for each radio (unlike Motorola).

    This is a large and very visible forum. We cannot jeopardize the ability to provide the RadioReference services by allowing this activity to occur. Please respect this.

Baofeng Hello!

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Kodiak85

Newbie
Joined
Aug 8, 2022
Messages
4
Hi all!

I'm Kodiak85 a complete noob to the whole ham radio thing. I just got a cheap (although mighty ) Baofeng UV-5R off of amazon one thing I have discovered is that these can, in FACT, scan or as I like to say peek into police scanners and the like. I'm just using this for listening for now as I have not gotten my license yet I have tapped into my local repeater though! Any tips?

Happy trails!
Kodiak
 

littona

Super Freq
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Nov 12, 2006
Messages
370
Location
Council Bluffs, IA
While they can scan, they're not very fast about it. Plus they're not very selective - it's quite easy to overload the front end. They are a good starter radio for ham, though. Easy to program. repeaterbook.com is your friend. Get your tech license - it's a fun hobby.

Got my 2 cents in before the CCR radio crowd :D
 

K4EET

Chaplain
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Feb 18, 2015
Messages
2,414
Location
Severn, Maryland, USA
Hi @Kodiak85 and welcome to Radio Reference!

What @littona said about the Baofeng UV-5R not being a good scanner is accurate. Also, there is a risk of causing interference on a Public Safety frequency where lives are at stake. I'm sure that you would not want to be cited by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for causing any interference, even if unintentional. It is best to leave scanning to bonafide scanners that cannot transmit.

As for working towards the ham radio license, GREAT! Once licensed, you'll have your first VHF/UHF portable radio all ready to go. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask them in the appropriate forum subsection.

73, Dave K4EET
 
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