Baofeng Baofeng UV-9G Range

[defender2086]

Is there a way to improve the range of the Baofeng UV-9G GMRS without a repeater? I did a side by side range test in the city with a pair for well known Midland Two Way GMRS handheld radios and a pair of UV-9G’s. I understand the range is extremely limited in urban areas. However, I had hoped the UV-9G would have performed better than the Midlands. I was able to get up to a 1 1/2 transmission with the Midlands. However, using the same test I maybe only got an 1/8 of a mile with the Baofeng. The power setting is set to high on both. I would appreciate any advice. Thank you.

 

[nd5y]

On UHF and VHF range is more dependent on the locations of the trasnmitters and receivers, surrounding terrain and objects like buildings and trees. You will be able to get better range by operating from hilltops or high locations away from obstructions and moving around to get the best signal from the station you are receiving but if one or more stations is constantly moving then you will have problems with that.

Don't use body worn radios with a headset or speaker/mic.

One way to improve hand held radio performance is to use a better antenna and use radio models known to have good receivers. Baofeng radios have poor receivers and using a better antenna on them makes the problem worse.

 

[defender2086]

Thank you. Would you by chance have any recommendations as far as good GMRS radios with a decent transmit range?

 

[RaleighGuy]

I was able to get up to a 1 1/2 transmission with the Midlands. However, using the same test I maybe only got an 1/8 of a mile with the Baofeng. The power setting is set to high on both.

There is a reason Baofeng's are typically called CCR's (crap/cheap Chinese Radios) by many on the RR forums, and I think you've discovered one of several reasons.

 

[defender2086]

There is a reason Baofeng's are typically called CCR's (crap/cheap Chinese Radios) by many on the RR forums, and I think you've discovered one of several reasons.

So it seems! 😕 Thank goodness for returns! Are there any other decent GRMS radios you might recommend.

 

[nd5y]

Thank you. Would you by chance have any recommendations as far as good GMRS radios with a decent transmit range?

Cobra, Midland, Motorola, Uniden should be way better than Baofeng. Don't believe the manufacturer's range claims. They all lie.

 

[defender2086]

Cobra, Midland, Motorola, Uniden should be way better than Baofeng. Don't believe the manufacturer's range claims. They all lie.

I will look into those. Thank you very much and I agree on the range. I had a pair of midland they claimed go to 38 miles and only got maybe 2 miles out of it which is still better than nothing.

 

[AK9R]

Don't believe the manufacturer's range claims.

A 5-watt handheld radio is a 5-watt handheld radio. In other words, it doesn't matter who makes them, two radios transmitting at 5 watts will have nearly identical ranges.

My point is that buying a different, or "better", radio isn't likely to have much difference on the range. To improve range, you need more transmit power, antennas with more gain, or antennas mounted at higher locations. However, most of the inexpensive handheld radios sold these days use what's called a "radio on a chip" which condenses the receiver electronics down to a few components. Unfortunately, these inexpensive radios don't have much filtering and are often overloaded if you do things to improve the antenna.

It's a tough lesson, but you may have to spend more than $50/radio in order to get a better radio. And, don't buy based on brand name. Some of the established brand names that you may have heard of are building cheap radios that may not be any better than your Baofeng.

 

[rescuecomm]

Using the Baofeng well outside of the amateur radio frequencies makes the antenna SWR even worse. A different antenna could make significant improvement.