Are the Beofeng radios certified for what he want's to do?
I have a few Baofeng (or similar) radios laying around that I take when I'm boating or off-roading or what have you, not because they are rugged, but because if one would fall overboard while boating, or get run over or muddy and stop working while off-roading, I don't care. I walk it over to the trash can and throw it away.
My Moto gear, on the other hand, is extremely rugged and way better suited for the job, but I don't want to lose them or have them beat to hell. It's a little more painful to replace a $1500 Moto radio than a $10 Baofeng.
I keep my radios secure in cases or pockets designed to hold them. I would much rather carry my quality radios than junk. I spent a decade in the Alberta oil field surveying In the bush and on industrial sites, using quads, sleds, UTVs and helicopters. I never lost a radio, and never had one fail. Got them full of ice, snow, mud and other stuff. Same for doing amateur radio events, spring, summer, fall or winter. I wouldn’t ever think of using cheap garbage radios like Baofengs for any of it.
Well, any of the radios you mentioned above will work.
But be careful, it's really easy to buy too much radio and it would be money wasted to blow $3K for amateur radio use.
Many of the "big 3" amateur radio brands will satisfy durability requirements for just about anything an amateur radio operator can throw at it. Kenwood, Icom and Yaesu amateur radios will work well. I used to have a Yaesu VX-170. It was a small 2 meter radio. I used it while riding ATV's. It would get rained/snowed on, covered in mud, dust, etc. I'd get back to camp and rinse it off under a tap or in a bucket of water. Even survived a roll over accident. While no longer made, they were in the <$150.00 range.
The trouble with amateur radio for "emergency communications" is that you need to figure out who it is you are going to talk to, and then design around that. While 2 meters/70 centimeters band is very common, it's going to be short range. You can utilize repeaters to extend your reach, but the same hurricanes that take down cell towers will take down an amateur radio tower. In fact, most commercial stuff is built to higher standards than most amateur radio systems are. But I understand not wanting to rely on cellular for all your communications.
Depending on who it is you want to talk to, you might want to consider an HF radio setup. While not as portable as a hand held radio, it can work without the infrastructure needed for hand held radios.
But then again, for $3000, you can buy a basic satellite telephone and many years of basic service and talk to anyone, anywhere.
Well, any of the radios you mentioned above will work.
But be careful, it's really easy to buy too much radio and it would be money wasted to blow $3K for amateur radio use.
Why would that be a waste? Is buying a Lamborghini or a Ferrari a waste? If its what someone wants and they will enjoy it then who are we to judge?
I like to buy the best, but one time only. I'd prefer an indestructible radio that casts $3K over a pretty durable radio for $300.
This is exactly the kind of info I was looking for! Thank you!The Motorola APX7000xe fits your request. Look for one to have VHF and UHF R1 coverage to handle the amateur radio frequencies. They come in different configurations, so double check. I have one and it is fantastic. I mainly use it for P25 amateur repeaters, but it works just fine on analog as well. Program it with what you need/know for your area and setup room for FPP (Front Panel Programming) stuff you may need to program on the fly. It is a brick though at over 1 pound with the lightest battery. With that in mind, I often use the Motorola Bluetooth speaker microphone with it. You should be able to find an APX7000 for under $3k, plus figure several hundred for the customer programming software (CPS).
Again, that thing is a brick so I have Yaesu and Kenwood handheld radios for fair weather use. I also have an XTS5k and 3k, but they are single band and also seem to weigh the same as the APX7000.
I also have a Baofeng radio. I would not hand someone I cared about a Baofeng radio during an emergency situation. They would get the XTS5000. The XTS5 & 3k are definitely less expensive than the APX7000, hundreds instead of thousands of dollars. An XTS5000 R1 model 3 with FPP would be a good starter. It may suffice for your needs and if it does not, it is a fine spare radio that a loved one can use whether you are both using a repeater, or direct.
Even in south Florida, you will presumably only be experiencing hurricanes now and then. For whatever handheld radio you ultimately choose, I would suggest getting a drybag to protect it during emergency situations. You can get them specially designed for handhelds, alternatively the smaller drybags used by kayakers will probably work.Really nothing specific. I've got a cousin who's a Ham that wants me to get into it. And it just seems like a good idea since I'm in south Florida where hurricanes are often a threat. If one takes a bunch of cell towers down radios are gonna be the primary form of distance communication. I'm an amateur and I still have to take my Technician test.
Stick it on a spectrum analyzer, & compare it to one of your Moto HT’s, & let us know how it does.I know I'll get flamed for saying this.
But I have a GT-3 by SainSonic. It's a rubberized Beofeng.
I kid you not, it takes just as much of a beating as any Moto handhelds I have, and keeps on ticking. Dropped it, dropped stuff on it.
Myself, I don't seem to have an issue hearing distant machines on it.
Took a peek at Amazon just now, they are going for $40.
I carried one of those when I was on the job. Great radio. We had encryption for surveillance and other fun stuff.A friend and I still refer to AstroSaber’s we sometimes use for amateur use as ”billy”, like billy club. Last time I looked, they were $100 or less but I am not sure of their dust & moisture rating. You could use them to grind corn, pepper or coffee beans in your free time.