Baofeng Baofeng Troubleshooting

[Stefanobut]

Hello, I’m brand new to radios in general, my only previous experience with radios being very light set up during basic training and mods for video games I used to play that mimicked LEO and military radio systems. My family is mildly preparing for some sort of invasion/government take over, or something else and I got them in to tactical gear after talking about being an armorer. We have Baofeng UV-82HPs for the four of us, and I have an additional Baofeng BF-F8HP. I have them set up to run three family Comm channels, a primary, secondary, and panic, and then I used radio reference to get the frequencies of my local fire rescue dispatch, county fire comms, and police comms.

I really have a few issues that I can’t seem to figure out.

1. I can hear the county wide tone that sends out calls to fire agencies cross county, however, I can’t hear county car to car fire radio frequencies, or any other frequencies besides the main dispatch frequency. Is there a specific reason, or are they just frequencies I can’t listen in to. This stumps me because I set the frequency and all the other settings properly, yet I can only hear transmissions from the main dispatch.

2. Two of the frequencies I’m trying to configure are apparently NXDN frequencies, and from what ive heard, you need a Kenwood or Motorola radio to hear them or even configure them in to your radio. Is this true, and if not, how would I configure NXDN frequencies on to my radios.

3. The UV-82HPs are dual tone, but I am trying to figure out how to set it up so that both channels can be heard without having to switch back and forth without having to press buttons, while the A channel chatter will take priority over B channel chatter.

4. I’m not sure it’s a Baofeng being crappy radios (from what I’ve heard) issue, or something I’m doing, but while testing TX and RX distances, the chatter was consistently staticky and sometimes I was unsure whether they heard my transmission at all.

Im sure Im doing something stupid, and if so, my bad, I honestly had to self learn, and I still don’t know much of anything. I would appreciate any help if possible, thanks in advance.

 

[nd5y]

1. Post the county database page with the stuff you can't hear.
There are many reasons why you might not be able to hear something.

2. Baofeng radios don't have NXDN or any other digital mode.
There is no way to make them work on digital or trunked systems.

3. Baofengs don't have priority. They don't have two receivers. You can only hear one channel at a time.
They only have dual-watch. That scans A and B while there is no signal present then it stops when a signal is received. Menu 7 TDR turns this on and off.
Menu 34 TR-AB can make it automatically select the A (top) or B (bottom) channel but that may just confuse people if there is activity on both and you need to talk or listen to only one.

4. They are crappy. They have very poor receivers that are highly susceptible to interference from other services and overloading from strong signals. If you use a better antenna it makes the problem worse. There is no way to fix poor design and lack of quality control.

 

[chief21]

We have Baofeng UV-82HPs for the four of us, and I have an additional Baofeng BF-F8HP. I have them set up to run three family Comm channels, a primary, secondary, and panic

Curious... What frequencies are you using for your family Comm channels?

 

[RaleighGuy]

We have Baofeng UV-82HPs for the four of us, and I have an additional Baofeng BF-F8HP. I have them set up to run three family Comm channels, a primary, secondary, and panic, and then I used radio reference to get the frequencies of my local fire rescue dispatch, county fire comms, and police comms.

4. I’m not sure it’s a Baofeng being crappy radios (from what I’ve heard) issue, or something I’m doing, but while testing TX and RX distances, the chatter was consistently staticky and sometimes I was unsure whether they heard my transmission at all.

First, if you are entering the PS channels you really need to make sure you set it so you don't accidentally transmit on those freqs, otherwise you are putting the PS officers lives in jepordy and risking state and federal criminal offenses. Also, very few frequencies allow you to use the radios without a license, thus putting yourself at risk for civil fines.

Distance will vary depending on your surroundings, but, from experience, over a quarter mile you start to quickly lose TX/RX quality. They are very low quality.

 

[Stefanobut]

I did make sure to disable duplex on the PS channels. I hardly trust myself to not accidentally press the PTT for that channel.

 

[Stefanobut]

Curious... What frequencies are you using for your family Comm channels?

Based on the local PS channels, I configured our Comm channels to use wide band on 446.008, 446.018, and some other 446 frequency while the rest of the frequencies near us use something within 100-200 on narrow.

 

[Stefanobut]

1. Post the county database page with the stuff you can't hear.
There are many reasons why you might not be able to hear something.

2. Baofeng radios don't have NXDN or any other digital mode.
There is no way to make them work on digital or trunked systems.

3. Baofengs don't have priority. They don't have two receivers. You can only hear one channel at a time.
They only have dual-watch. That scans A and B while there is no signal present then it stops when a signal is received. Menu 7 TDR turns this on and off.
Menu 34 TR-AB can make it automatically select the A (top) or B (bottom) channel but that may just confuse people if there is activity on both and you need to talk or listen to only one.

4. They are crappy. They have very poor receivers that are highly susceptible to interference from other services and overloading from strong signals. If you use a better antenna it makes the problem worse. There is no way to fix poor design and lack of quality control.

Bullitt County, Kentucky (KY) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference

Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference for Bullitt County, Kentucky (KY)

www.radioreference.com

The only frequency I’ve pulled traffic from is the knockout county fire dispatch. The rest have been silent, I’ve had my radio on while literally next to the sheriffs office and couldn’t pull car to car or the law enforcement dispatch channels. I’ve seen the visual range on the knockout channel. And the rest of the channels should transmit to not only my house but about anywhere I am in town, so I’m lost. Thanks for the help and thanks for anything you can tell me about this.

 

[KevinC]

Based on the local PS channels, I configured our Comm channels to use wide band on 446.008, 446.018, and some other 446 frequency while the rest of the frequencies near us use something within 100-200 on narrow.

I'm assuming all of your family members have an amateur radio license? Those 446 frequencies are in the amateur band in the US.

 

[nd5y]

Based on the local PS channels, I configured our Comm channels to use wide band on 446.008, 446.018, and some other 446 frequency while the rest of the frequencies near us use something within 100-200 on narrow.

It looks like you probably found a PMR446 frequency list that said they are license free or something. That is only true in Europe. In the US 420-450 MHz is an amatuer radio band and as already pointed out requires an amateur radio license to use them.

 

[DeeEx]

As mentioned, the radios are “crappy” and a compromise at best.

It sounds like you want them for communication during incidents that may be imminent threats to life and property— I would not recommend that anyone rely on such transceivers for that purpose. I’d say to pick up some older radios of a better quality and learn to program them within your needs. A ten year old Kenwood or Vertex still has a plentiful supply of spare parts and batteries on the market, easy to use programming software, and can withstand a lot more abuse than the Baofeng-grade radios.

 

[nd5y]

The rest have been silent, I’ve had my radio on while literally next to the sheriffs office and couldn’t pull car to car or the law enforcement dispatch channels.

That's basically meaningless. How long did you wait? They probably don't talk continously.
Unless there is a large tower next to the SO they are probably transmitting from a tower someplace else that may be too far away to receive on a Baofeng.

 

[RaleighGuy]

Bullitt County, Kentucky (KY) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference

Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference for Bullitt County, Kentucky (KY)

www.radioreference.com

The only frequency I’ve pulled traffic from is the knockout county fire dispatch. The rest have been silent

Looking at the county list, it appears they were scheduled to switch to the Louisville Emergency Communications Network: MetroSafe Project 25 Phase II system in 2020, which your radios will not receive.

So, to summarize, you are using cheap radios with poor TX/RX ability, that won't allow you to monitor local PS, and you and each member of your family don't have a valid FCC license to operate the radios, sounds like that's not the best solution for your emergency survival needs.

 

[nd5y]

You would probably be better off dumping the Baofengs and buying some FRS radios from someplace like a sporting goods store or Walmart.
Get a brand name like Cobra, Midland, Motorola, or Uniden. They will work better than Baofengs and don't need to be programmed.

 

[Stefanobut]

I'm assuming all of your family members have an amateur radio license? Those 446 frequencies are in the amateur band in the US.

Not one bit. I was kind of under the presumption that amateur bands were just free reign.

 

[Stefanobut]

That's basically meaningless. How long did you wait? They probably don't talk continously.
Unless there is a large tower next to the SO they are probably transmitting from a tower someplace else that may be too far away to receive on a Baofeng.

I usually leave them on overnight on the different PS bands. But the only traffic I get is on the knockout.

 

[Stefanobut]

Looking at the county list, it appears they were scheduled to switch to the Louisville Emergency Communications Network: MetroSafe Project 25 Phase II system in 2020, which your radios will not receive.

So, to summarize, you are using cheap radios with poor TX/RX ability, that won't allow you to monitor local PS, and you and each member of your family don't have a valid FCC license to operate the radios, sounds like that's not the best solution for your emergency survival needs.

So what would I need to receive transmissions from frequencies in metro safe, and where would I find the frequencies on it? I thought the frequencies listed were the frequencies actively being used under metro safe.

 

[buddrousa]

To transmit on amature you and each member of your family have to have a license

 

[RaleighGuy]

Not one bit. I was kind of under the presumption that amateur bands were just free reign.

Not at all, they require every person using the radio to pass a test in order to obtain a FCC license.

So what would I need to receive transmissions from frequencies in metro safe, and where would I find the frequencies on it? I thought the frequencies listed were the frequencies actively being used under metro safe.

The frequencies in the link I posted are a trunked system, you will need either a commercial P25 Phase 2 radio (several thousand dollars) or a P25 Phase 2 scanner such as are this list APCO Project 25 - The RadioReference Wiki.

 

[vagrant]

@Stefanobut - Instead of an Amateur license you could simply pay a $70 fee to the FCC and buy a GMRS license which would cover you and your family for 10 years. GMRS has its own specific rules, power limits and frequencies that are not shared with the Amateur licensed bands. You would also be assigned your own unique callsign you and your family would share. This avoids having everyone individually test to get their amateur radio license. It is a good way to start in on some radio fun and stay legal. Of course obtaining an Amateur radio license has its advantages as well, but GMRS is an easy first step.

I obtained my GMRS license a few years back and was assigned my unique callsign within 24 hours after applying online.

How To Get A GMRS License – Easy Guide To GMRS Licensing On The FCC Website – The NotARubicon

www.notarubicon.com

FRS/GMRS combined channel chart - The RadioReference Wiki

wiki.radioreference.com

 

[KC3ECJ]

I did make sure to disable duplex on the PS channels. I hardly trust myself to not accidentally press the PTT for that channel.

Here's how transmitt on a Baofeng can usually be disabled by channel.
Baofengs usually you can set the offset to 166.666, has to be set to - or +, this is set in VFO mode, and you can save it to the channel.