New Guy Question: Tried and True vs. Cheap Import

[KK4JUG]

One thing I see here in one of the highest RF sinkholes, is may new Hams are doping out of ham radio stating much frustration with CCR and other low budget radios not working well in 'the sinkhole'.

Is this a new language or are people not reading what they write?

I had to read it a half a dozen times before I realized what he was saying.

 

[wrath]

I tell you what when I first got into the hobby there where no CCRS anywhere period I bought alinco it was broken out of the box, swapped it out another lemon so I bought a yaesu ft 530 that radio is still in service and owned by me it will be 26 years old next month, yet I have a CCR I bought to screw around with 2 years ago that still works as a receiver but as a transmitter gourmet about it, the mic element is shot and the part is not available many CCRS die this way , so if you can afford an Icom, yaesu or Kenwood I would not gamble on a dirt cheap radio , get yourself a good trusted radio from a respected name and then later on pic up a CCR to screw around with all you want , but having that respected name radio under your belt that you can depend on is what your priority should be, everything beyond that is just for fun , over the years I bought cute radios, ugly radios, radios that sucked , radios that were over priced , radios on impulse ( you were there it was there , the YL wasn't paying attention,boom I took one home , but in between I still have and use my almost 26 year old radio ( actually I am sure it's already over twenty six because I am sure the dealer didn't get a shipment of those radios that were made in January or February of that year , it was probably made 4th quarter of 90. Welcome to the wide world of radio, have fun and be safe .

Sent from my SM-T810 using Tapatalk

 

[pinballwiz86]

You get what you pay for. Just like everything else in life.

Post #1,000

 

[n5acf]

my 2 cents worth

I'm going to be taking my Technician's exam here within the next couple of weeks, and the budget does not immediately support everything I'd like so I'm going to start out with a simple dual band HT. I've used icoms for GMRS in the past so I know and trust them, but I've heard a lot about the Baofengs as well particularly the UV-82. The question is this:

Is the IC-T70A HD really worth the price over the cheaper baofeng? I know the iCom is mil spec 810, but does that justify double or triple the cost? I also used Motorolas very extensively when I was a paramedic, but I'm not even sure they produce anything for amateur radio... Your thoughts?

I own a Baofeng UV-82 and love it. It has great memory storage. Easy to use, and for less than the cost of the higher priced HT I was able to buy that radio, an extra battery, carrying harness, a 15" whip antenna, and parts for building antennas. I've had mine for a little more than a year now, still working great. I also used Motos in the past. Haven't noticed a big difference. That's my 2 cents worth.

 

[Dahwg]

So, it's been a while since I posted the original question, and I've had my IC-t70a for a couple of months now. But for the sake of anybody who happens to be searching for the same answer I was, I have some first-hand experience to add.

I use a Baofeng V1 (redesigned UV-82) for GMRS, which I use to monitor and keep tabs on my 10-year old son with autism. Today I had the occasion to be out and about with both radios and so a comparison. Both basically did what I needed them to do, but I found that when I got near an RF reader (I.e. credit card readers) the Baofeng went crazy with random noise- not a peep from the ICOM. Thought maybe it was a difference in frequency, so I switched to vfo mode on the Baofeng and entered the frequency I was monitoring on the ICOM... Same thing- Loud noises from the Baofeng, not a peep from the ICOM.

I'm sure there are plenty of other differences, but in the end both radios do what I need them to do. Hope I didn't annoy anyone by resurrecting an old topic.

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[AE7BF]

I am a little late to this discussion but being fairly new to the hobby I tried out several handhelds (thank god for Amazon and 30 day returns) and came away liking the Icom ID-51a best. The interface is more intuitive for my needs than any of the others. That said I do have a BaoFeng that I keep in my go bag along with a few other necessary "tools"...

Congrats and welcome!

Brandon

 

[mmckenna]

Today I had the occasion to be out and about with both radios and so a comparison. Both basically did what I needed them to do, but I found that when I got near an RF reader (I.e. credit card readers) the Baofeng went crazy with random noise- not a peep from the ICOM. Thought maybe it was a difference in frequency, so I switched to vfo mode on the Baofeng and entered the frequency I was monitoring on the ICOM... Same thing- Loud noises from the Baofeng, not a peep from the ICOM.

That's an excellent example of the difference between a $300 radio and a $30 radio. Receiver and filter design costs money, and that's where Baofeng cuts costs.

If you are in an "RF clean" area, then you'll likely never notice this, but get in a high RF environment and it'll show it's ugly head.