Baofeng UV-8HX Review

[dave6890]

Full disclosure: I am a non-paid spokesperson for Visbro Technologies, the exclusive distributor of the UV-8HX.

The 2015 Baofeng UV-8HX is the 3rd and final generation as well as the high power version of the UV-5R
It can transmit on 3 power levels, 1w/4w/8w.
The manufacturer states the maximum range being 10km (6.2mi) but I was able to hit a 70cm repeater 11.3 miles away, KU1Q in Goshen on 1 watt power using the stock rubber ducky antenna from inside my house. Max power on 2m is 8w while max power on 70cm is 7w.
the UV-8HX has many of the same features as the UV-5R and can use the same Li-on batteries (BL-5 and BL-5L), same antennas and other accessories as the UV-5R.
It has updated firmware and a custom RF power MOSFET. The menu has some (better) differences compared to the UV-5R+ and reception sounds cleaner as well.
The UV-8HX is field programmable but you can program this radio using CHIRP also, provided you have the programming cable. The battery arrived about 85% charged and the HT was ready to go right out of the box.
This is another great HT from Baofeng and costs just around $55.00. I highly recommend this radio.

If you would like more info or to see this radio in action, check out my YouTube channel.

 

[Aero125]

Sounds like yet another model name for another production run for another distributor of the basically same old UV-5 we all know and love, but for a few bucks more. The so called 8 watt models just heat up and fail quicker than the others.

I can't wait for a distributor to order a production run of a BF-10XL 10 watt super radio with updated firmware and a new improved turbo enhanced antenna. (Still just a UV-5)

 

[dave6890]

Antenna licking troll.

Sounds like yet another model name for another production run for another distributor of the basically same old UV-5 we all know and love, but for a few bucks more. The so called 8 watt models just heat up and fail quicker than the others.

I can't wait for a distributor to order a production run of a BF-10XL 10 watt super radio with updated firmware and a new improved turbo enhanced antenna. (Still just a UV-5)

You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. Do me a favor, if you have not used the UV-8HX, then nobody cares about a baseless and stupid opinion from a troll. You have obviously done no research on any of the Baofeng radios, if you did, you would know that there are differences between the models and it's not just gimmicks.

First of all, any transceiver will heat up and fail if you misuse it or transmit for prolonged periods of time. Heck if you don't properly use anything, you're probably going to break or damage it.
Secondly, there are more than enough Baofeng users to know that for the money, it's a decent HT. I've seen more issues and complaints with Alinco than I have with Baofeng.
Lastly, if you have any facts to validate your statements, please present them.

 

[khaytsus]

You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. Do me a favor, if you have not used the UV-8HX, then nobody cares about a baseless and stupid opinion from a troll. You have obviously done no research on any of the Baofeng radios, if you did, you would know that there are differences between the models and it's not just gimmicks.

First of all, any transceiver will heat up and fail if you misuse it or transmit for prolonged periods of time. Heck if you don't properly use anything, you're probably going to break or damage it.
Secondly, there are more than enough Baofeng users to know that for the money, it's a decent HT. I've seen more issues and complaints with Alinco than I have with Baofeng.
Lastly, if you have any facts to validate your statements, please present them.

We all know there are a zillion rebadged 5r's. Please don't try to deny that.

Besides saying the 8W heat up faster than others (it is going to) you seem to be taking a lot of offence to it.

 

[dave6890]

How is what Baofeng does any different from any other company? They don't "re-badge" the UV-5R and there are 8 models of HTs that Baofeng makes. https://baofengtech.com/CompareChart Look for yourself and stop spreading garbage. It's not that I take offense to your lack of knowledge of a product, it's that I have no tolerance for people who talk out their rear ends about things they know nothing about.

If you have done no research on the product, or testing/use of the product, you are in no place to talk about its capabilities, functions etc, period. On the other hand if you have questions about the performance and functions of the radios, I'd be more than happy to answer them.

There are dozens, maybe hundreds of Hams who have reviewed the UV-5R and other Baofeng HTs. GearDiary.com has a decent one. EHam.net reviews give the UV-5R an average rating of 3.9/5.

 

[KD8DVR]

You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. Do me a favor, if you have not used the UV-8HX, then nobody cares about a baseless and stupid opinion from a troll. You have obviously done no research on any of the Baofeng radios, if you did, you would know that there are differences between the models and it's not just gimmicks.

First of all, any transceiver will heat up and fail if you misuse it or transmit for prolonged periods of time. Heck if you don't properly use anything, you're probably going to break or damage it.
Secondly, there are more than enough Baofeng users to know that for the money, it's a decent HT. I've seen more issues and complaints with Alinco than I have with Baofeng.
Lastly, if you have any facts to validate your statements, please present them.

Gee, as a "spokesman" for a company, you seem rather rude and hostile. I'll bet the company owner is so proud having you name-drop his/her company.

ANY Baofeng user knows quite well, all they do is repackage a radio in a new case, with the same circuit board, and call it a "New" model.

There are probably a half dozen true designs.

Three more watts will make no difference. Of course, any marketing ploy like this will suck in buyers who don't know any better. This isn't the fault of the manufacturer.

He doesn't need to back up his post with facts. Ask any Baofeng owner and they will tell you. This is so common knowledge, and ALL OVER EVERY forum online. The facts are blatantly obvious.

If this product is a winner, then the sales and reviews (or lack therof) will speak for themselves.

 

[dave6890]

Gee, as a "spokesman" for a company, you seem rather rude and hostile. I'll bet the company owner is so proud having you name-drop his/her company.

ANY Baofeng user knows quite well, all they do is repackage a radio in a new case, with the same circuit board, and call it a "New" model.

There are probably a half dozen true designs.

Three more watts will make no difference. Of course, any marketing ploy like this will suck in buyers who don't know any better. This isn't the fault of the manufacturer.

He doesn't need to back up his post with facts. Ask any Baofeng owner and they will tell you. This is so common knowledge, and ALL OVER EVERY forum online. The facts are blatantly obvious.

If this product is a winner, then the sales and reviews (or lack therof) will speak for themselves.

I wasn't being rude, I was being straight forward. Your misunderstandings are not my concern. Like I said, please validate your untrue statements instead of repeatedly making them. If you are going to make claims and not stand by them, why make them in the first place? More watts do make a difference, it might not be a huge difference but from my experience (being able to hit a repeater using 8w and being able to hit it using 4w), I know that you are incorrect.

You keep talking about facts, but I do not see any facts because you are not presenting any facts; just opinions and assertions. There are plenty of reviews of the UV-5R, on Youtube alone there are currently 27,500 videos that show in the results if you search Baofeng UV-5R. EHam.net has 221 reviews of the UV-5R and when you Google Baofeng Uv-5R reviews, 417,000 results show up.

You obviously have done NO research, have read NO reviews and you have NO idea what you are talking about. Either you are just ignorant and close minded or you work for a competitor. Visbro Technologies is proud to have me as a Spokesperson because I have no problems standing by the products and defending said products from people who would rather spread blatant lies and misinformation than request more info about the products.


Just because I know you wont read them, here are just a few of the reviews of the UV-5R.
BaoFeng Review 2015 | Handheld Ham Radio
Baofeng/Pofung UV-5R Product Reviews
Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: BaoFeng UV5R Dual-Band Two-Way Radio, Black
http://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-65-108-Dual-Band-Radio/product-reviews/B008IYCQSO
Baofeng UV-5RA Review - Can a $50 Ham Radio Be Any Good?
https://hamgear.wordpress.com/2012/04/04/review-baofeng-uv-5r-part-i/

 

[khaytsus]

You can't seriously be denying that there are a zillion radios that are all the 5R? Lawd.

The UV5R series is a generic transceiver. By ordering in huge quantities, a dealer can have the cosmetic appearance altered and the label changed, but it is still essentially the same radio. The UV5R, RA, RB, RC, E5, F8, GT3, etc are all cousins. You can add an occasional Plus or Mk II to the mix as well. Here is a Family Portrait that shows a small sample of the relatives.

Baofeng Pofung Newest Radio

There are many models of BaoFengs. Be sure to research carefully when buying, many resellers will stock the older models and push them as the "new" or "improved" model.

We understand the confusion involved and have put a comprehensive comparison of recent models https://baofengtech.com/CompareChart

https://baofengtech.com/about

 

[jaspence]

The difference from 5 watts to 8 is only 2 dBm, an insignificant amount of power.

 

[Aero125]

Visbro Technologies is proud to have me as a Spokesperson because I have no problems standing by the products and defending said products from people who would rather spread blatant lies and misinformation than request more info about the products.

I'm sure that Chinese exporter is glad to have you as a new Ham Radio operator to attest to their version of one of countless versions of the popular and inexpensive UV-5 variants out there.

There is no doubt the UV-5 models are a great value for the money and perform well for costing a fraction of other brands. Having them available has allowed many new Hams such as yourself get on the air and start exploring amateur radio. Our group buys them in bulk and gives them away to new licensees.

It is though a fact there is a lot of misrepresentation in marketing many of these variants calling them "police scanners" and also appealing to your prepper community as a "SHTF" communications solution, often promoting unlicensed use. Ebay is a bunch of examples of this.

I will continue to appreciate the fact we can give out a decent radio for $29 to our new Hams, but at the same time realize they are nothing more than a $29 radio. (We buy them in quantities of 10 and 20).

 

[hotdjdave]

Our group...

To what group do you belong?

 

[KT0DD]

Yup Just another rebadged/relabeled UV-5R with the "Upgraded Chipset"

Looks like a copy of the BF-F8HP with only cosmetic differences by using the old UV-5R style case.

Anyone who thinks they are getting something new and improved with the UV / BF baofeng line is swallowing the Jonestown Kool-Aid.

 

[KT0DD]

"Three more watts will make no difference. Of course, any marketing ploy like this will suck in buyers who don't know any better. This isn't the fault of the manufacturer."


It is true that the inverse square law (I think that's the name) dictates that it takes 4X the original power to double your range.

However, for some living in fringe areas who know to couple the extra so called 3 watts with a gain antenna and tiger tail, it might just make enough difference to them.

 

[Titan520]

However, for some living in fringe areas who know to couple the extra so called 3 watts with a gain antenna and tiger tail, it might just make enough difference to them.

Agreed. I can tell you that i had a ***** of a time hitting the "local" reapeter with my UV5R. When it broke, I bought the F8HP cause people said its the best thing thats happened to mankind since Jesus Christ. Well, its not, but i'm now getting decent to good signal reports with the exact same external setup.

I'm not gonna say it does miracles, but that slight boost in power helped me a lot. So there really is some use to it.

 

[NWI_Scanner_Guy]

Gee, as a "spokesman" for a company, you seem rather rude and hostile. I'll bet the company owner is so proud having you name-drop his/her company.

ANY Baofeng user knows quite well, all they do is repackage a radio in a new case, with the same circuit board, and call it a "New" model.

There are probably a half dozen true designs.

Three more watts will make no difference. Of course, any marketing ploy like this will suck in buyers who don't know any better. This isn't the fault of the manufacturer.

He doesn't need to back up his post with facts. Ask any Baofeng owner and they will tell you. This is so common knowledge, and ALL OVER EVERY forum online. The facts are blatantly obvious.

If this product is a winner, then the sales and reviews (or lack therof) will speak for themselves.

I beg to differ.

There are a couple of repeaters in my area that I have a hard time hitting on a consistent basis with any of my handhelds. When I do hit them, I'm usually frying a lot of bacon. With my F8HP, on HIGH power, I can hit / trigger those repeaters every time. Signal usually still isn't great, but I'm told there is less static than when I'm only throwing out 5 watts. So, at least in my case, those 3 extra watts DO make a difference.

 

[cmdrwill]

The 8 watts probably exceeds the RF exposure limits for hand held transmitters.

 

[12dbsinad]

The 8 watts probably exceeds the RF exposure limits for hand held transmitters.

You know what I think, I think it's a bunch of marketing hogwash. Can anyone confirm with professional test equipment? I hope these things have one hell of a heat sink... UV-5R on steroids? lol.

 

[N1EN]

You know what I think, I think it's a bunch of marketing hogwash. Can anyone confirm with professional test equipment? I hope these things have one hell of a heat sink... UV-5R on steroids? lol.

I wouldn't want to ragchew on one.

But I have worked a couple of races where the extra 3 watts either meant I wasn't too scratchy to net control, or where (8 watts + handheld beam) meant I didn't need to lug a mobile transceiver around.

 

[k1agh]

I think this went down hill. I like the Baofengs-I know their cheap Chinese made radios but for the beginner like me its good to have practice on until I get a better rig.

 

[WyoDuner]

To those saying 3 watts doesn't make a difference you are absolutely wrong. Here's why - going from 5 watts to 8 watts is just over 2 dB of gain. That is not trivial.

Going from 100 to 103 watts - then no, in that case 3 watts doesn't mean anything.