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Difference between these two radios

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dudmleh522

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Feb 20, 2020
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Hello i am looking into getting my technical ham license within few days and looking for basic entry level handheld unit. I see that Baofeng BF-F8HP have really good reviews. Also did some research and seems like BF-F9V2+ Is the latest model? ( can anyone confirm?) it has tri band and both are 8watts. Bf-f9v2+ is lot cheaper for some reason and i read that bf-f9v2+ is legal to transmit on gmrs and bf-f8hp is illegal to transmit on gmrs.

please help me chose one.
 

chief21

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First, let me say that I do not have either of these radios.- but I have owned other Baofeng and similar HTs in the past.

It seems that, for the most part, Baofeng uses direct-conversion, radio-on-a-chip designs that are very sensitive to other RF emitters in the immediate vicinity... especially computers, routers, monitors, etc - even other two-way radios, and they tend to market the same designs in different cases with new model numbers so that folks think they are getting the "latest" model.

Baofeng also seems to have a problem with quality. Their quality control seems to be low... some may even say VERY low. I would also suggest that you should not be swayed by their claim of 8 watts. Experienced hams know that there is very little difference between an 8-watt signal and a 5-watt signal. And with the Baofeng, you're not likely to get the full 8 watts anyway. In addition, I always thought that the Baofeng user interface and menu structure was much more complicated and confusing than it needed to be - especially when compared to other more-mainstream models.

It's your choice, of course. But as you progress through your amateur radio journey, you'll likely be much more satisfied with a radio from the big three (Icom, Kenwood, Yaesu). If funds are a big concern, even one of the lesser-known brands like Alinco or Anytone would be better than the very cheap radios. To a large degree, you get what you pay for.

Good luck on your upcoming Tech test.
 

nd5y

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None of the Baofeng front panel programmable radios are legal to use on GMRS, FRS or MURS.
Baofeng makes several FRS radios but they are not capable of operating on amateur frequencies.

If you want a relatively cheap amateur hand held that will work way better than Baofengs then look at Yaesu FT-4XR, FT-65R or Alinco DJ-VX50T or DJ-500T. Those are all between $60-$100.
 

dudmleh522

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Are there any amateur radios that can transmit on ham banda and that is legal to transmit on frs and gmrs( if you have license)
 

mmckenna

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Are there any amateur radios that can transmit on ham banda and that is legal to transmit on frs and gmrs( if you have license)

No. None of the amateur radios are legal to use on GMRS. They do not have the necessary FCC type certifications. You may have people tell you that they can be modified (often called a MARS/CAP mod), but that doesn't address the FCC type certification issues.

If you want one radio that does Amateur and GMRS —legally—, then you need to get a commercial radio that has the FCC Part 95 certs and program in some amateur frequencies.

-However, none of the commercial radios are going to have the VFO function that amateurs like. There are some that have "front panel programming", but activating that feature would legally void the acceptance for GMRS use.

-Also, if you want dual band, VHF/2 meters and UHF/70 centimeters, you will need to stick to the amateur radios, unless you have a several thousand dollar budget.

For a new ham, I get the idea to buy a low tier radio like the BaoFeng, but ultimately you'll have some disappointing experiences with them. No matter what anyone tries to tell you, they are 'junk' radios. Limited amount of filtering on them make them susceptible to interference. The transmit audio on them is often pretty bad, to the point that I can often tell when someone is using one. They are also "disposable" radios, as in if something goes wrong with it, you toss them in the trash, as they cannot be repaired.

Getting a basic radio from Icom, Kenwood or Yaesu, if your budget allows, will be a good investment in the long run. The radio will be easier to use, you'll have less issues, and a better chance that local hams can assist you with things like programming.
 

dudmleh522

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Thanks for all you’re imputes what about DMR radios such as baofeng RD-5R. Well would someome want digital vs analog radio
 
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