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Baofeng Baofeng UV-5r/BF-F8HP Frequency Bleeding

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ltginrage

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I've had the UV-5r for about a month now, within that month I've noticed frequency bleeding. Example: when transmitting on a frequency such as 152.66625 it pops up on my scanner as the frequency that is know as ISPERN in illinois (154.475). My buddy has a BF-F8HP, and he said he has also has the same problem. Just wondering if this is a common problem with the Baofeng radios are is it just our radios.
 

RBMTS

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** DELETED ** Thought this was a receive issue, not a TX issue. Still the same basic premise. It is a very low cost chinese made radio. I would not rely on it for any type of measurement (receiving or TX'ing).
 

ltginrage

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When you pay $25 for a radio, what do you expect. Yes they can be horrible with selectivity and frequency separation. Tremendous intermod problems also.
How close are you to the scanner when you are transmitting with the Baofeng?

Sounds like you could be overloading the scanner, which may cause what you are experiencing.
I try to make sure I am at least 5 to 10 ft away from the scanner. I was expecting there to be problems with the radio since it was cheap and foreign. Just wasnt expecting frequency bleeding.
 
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RBMTS

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I agree with @mmckenna that you are probably overloading your scanner as their selectivity can be low as well. The only way to know how well your CCR works is to measure it on a frequency counter or spectrum analyzer.
 

mmckenna

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I try to make sure I am 5 to 10 ft away from the scanner. I was expecting there to be problems with the radio since it was cheap and foreign. Just wasnt expecting frequency bleeding.

It's not really the fault of the Baofeng, in this case, however they are not stellar radios by any measure.
The issue is that you are close enough to the scanner that a lot of RF is getting into the receiver portion. The scanner can't tell the difference when it is that strong. The scanner stopping on a nearby frequency is not unexpected.

It would be a wise idea to not transmit too close to the scanners. If you get too close, the transmitted RF can actually reach levels high enough to do damage to the scanner.

External antennas are a good thing...
 

KevinC

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I've moved the "What's a good radio" discussion to its own thread so as to not hijack this one.

 

ltginrage

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Ok so I have the UV-5r in my hands, say I turn the 325P2 that's on my belt off and then transmit at 8 watts with the UV-5r. Am I still overloading the scanner even though its off?
 

mmckenna

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Ok so I have the UV-5r in my hands, say I turn the 325P2 that's on my belt off and then transmit at 8 watts with the UV-5r. Am I still overloading the scanner even though its off?

It's possible, but unlikely to be an issue.

The antennas on the two radios are quite inefficient. The UV-5R isn't likely putting out 8 watts. It's also likely the meat-sack (you) is in the way between the two radios. Meat sacks absorb a lot of RF.

Where this often becomes an issue is with mobile radios that are running 35-50 watts or more.
 

ltginrage

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So as long as I turn the scanner off I wont be overloading it? How many feet away should be if I choose that route?
 

mmckenna

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How would I find out the number of watts at ht is transmitting at?

With a watt meter and a 50Ω load.
I know the manufacturer says 8 watts, but that's unlikley. Could be it is. Still, that's not going to be a big deal for your scanner.
I wouldn't get too hung up on this. The issue, like I said above, is when you are dealing with mobile radios running more power than your hand held does, and having the antennas too close together. Unless you hold your scanner and HT really close together while transmitting, you are unlikely to have an issue.
 

mmckenna

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Looks like it would.
But you'd still want the 50Ω dummy load to test into:
and an SMA male to N female adapter:
 
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