The Baofeng BF-888S Radios

[Railfan570]

Hello Everyone & Greetings,
I just paid for 6 Baofeng BF-888S Radios from Temu.com website also From Amazon.com on 9/27/2026, for a very low cost. One Big problem with theses radios is that they broudcast in the frequencies of 462.125000 to 469.950000. If you saw that some of the channels are on the GMRS Frequencies range, i aslo saw that the company that make theses radio send them from the factory with

• Channel 1: 400.000 MHz
• Channel 2: 400.0625 MHz
• Channel 3: 400.125 MHz
• Channel 4: 400.1875 MHz
• Channel 5: 400.250 MHz
• Channel 6: 400.3125 MHz
• Channel 7: 400.375 MHz
• Channel 8: 400.4375 MHz
• Channel 9: 400.500 MHz
• Channel 10: 400.5625 MHz
• Channel 11: 400.625 MHz
• Channel 12: 400.6875 MHz
• Channel 13: 400.750 MHz
• Channel 14: 400.8125 MHz
• Channel 15: 400.875 MHz
• Channel 16: 400.9375 MHz

These frequencies are designed for short-range, license-free communication in many regions and are compatible with international narrowband standards

(WRITERS NOTE) DONT BELEAVE THIS INFORMATION BEING (short-range, license-free communication) CORRECT.. IF YOU USE FRS frequencies on thsese radio you could be in trouble with fcc.. i spoke witha friend of mine who I trust and is a Fully extra Class License Ham radio person, Do you think a person can transimt on the frequencies above in the 400 MHz frequencies Range?

NEED YOUR INPUT ON THIS ISSUE! PLEASE!

THANK YOU !

 

[alcahuete]

https://www.fcc.gov/sites/default/files/fcctable.pdf

No.

 

[CaptDan]

Hello Everyone & Greetings,
I just paid for 6 Baofeng BF-888S Radios from Temu.com website also From Amazon.com on 9/27/2026, for a very low cost. One Big problem with theses radios is that they broudcast in the frequencies of 462.125000 to 469.950000. If you saw that some of the channels are on the GMRS Frequencies range, i aslo saw that the company that make theses radio send them from the factory with

• Channel 1: 400.000 MHz
• Channel 2: 400.0625 MHz
• Channel 3: 400.125 MHz
• Channel 4: 400.1875 MHz
• Channel 5: 400.250 MHz
• Channel 6: 400.3125 MHz
• Channel 7: 400.375 MHz
• Channel 8: 400.4375 MHz
• Channel 9: 400.500 MHz
• Channel 10: 400.5625 MHz
• Channel 11: 400.625 MHz
• Channel 12: 400.6875 MHz
• Channel 13: 400.750 MHz
• Channel 14: 400.8125 MHz
• Channel 15: 400.875 MHz
• Channel 16: 400.9375 MHz

These frequencies are designed for short-range, license-free communication in many regions and are compatible with international narrowband standards

(WRITERS NOTE) DONT BELEAVE THIS INFORMATION BEING (short-range, license-free communication) CORRECT.. IF YOU USE FRS frequencies on thsese radio you could be in trouble with fcc.. i spoke witha friend of mine who I trust and is a Fully extra Class License Ham radio person, Do you think a person can transimt on the frequencies above in the 400 MHz frequencies Range?

NEED YOUR INPUT ON THIS ISSUE! PLEASE!

THANK YOU !

Curious, did you buy them from a reputable seller ? Baofeng lists the BF-888S on their web site as below, strange that it would come programed for frequencies outside it's operating range.

I ask about where you bought them from because I recently purchased 2 UV-21R Baofeng radios on Amazon. I had a question/issue when programing and contacted Baofeng customer service. They tell me that they never manufactured the UV-21R in Red or Orange, asked me to send them a photo of the radio and label. I asked if it was a counterfit and they have gone silent, no longer responding to my e-mails.

▸ FCC ID: 2AJGM-BF888S

▸ 1500mAh Li-ion battery; Low Voltage Alert; Intelligent Charging

▸ UHF 420-450MHz; 16 channel; 50 CTCSS/105 CDCSS

▸ Power-saving features to extend battery life / CTCSS/DCS function / Scanning function / Emergency alarm function

▸ Extremely easy for users to operate

 

[mmckenna]

Do you think a person can transimt on the frequencies above in the 400 MHz frequencies Range?

Absolutely not. FCC has that slice of the band assigned for medical telemetry. Not a place where you want to transmit and risk screwing something up.

And if you run the FCC ID that is listed on the Amazon page, those are not even Part 95, so not legal for use on FRS or GMRS.
They claim to have a Part 90 certification, which is for business use, but I'd not necessarily trust that.

If you can cancel the order, do that. There are suitable radios out there for FRS, GMRS or MURS if you need some radios. Those are not them.

 

[K6GBW]

So get a cable and a copy of Chirp and reprogram them to FRS. The 888's are two watt radios and would work fine on the FRS channels. Certainly don't use them on the frequencies they are programmed for! Either that or send them back and get something else.

 

[rescuecomm]

That's different from what the one I got off of ebay a few years ago had in it. I got it with some junk I ordered. It had frequencies from 460 mhz to 470 mhz in it.

 

[wtp]

where did you get that list from ?

 

[KK4JW]

I bought three for the warehouse I work in. Used Chirp to program them with 16 FRS frequencies and they work great.

 

[rescuecomm]

I put the 460-470 default frequencies in a radio to scan when driving through commercial areas and in the home scanner to keep track of things. Most of the defaults are now part of Nexedge/DMR tier 3 systems. Except for the two GMRS frequencies, I've never heard any NFM stuff on them. Doesn't mean that unlicensed users aren't using them. I didn't copy anything on the low 400 mhz list on my last drive through downtown. Interesting to say the least.

However, in Greenville and Pickens counties of SC, public safety is either on the state's 700/800 system or on UHF Nexedge.

 

[nd5y]

Lots of CCR are shipped with preprogrammed frequencies that are not legal to use in the US. There is a partial list at

CCR Default Frequencies - The RadioReference Wiki

wiki.radioreference.com

 

[wtp]

The specific frequency range of 400 to 406 MHz is globally protected and highly restricted to prevent interference with vital satellite communication systems, particularly emergency distress beacons

 

[nd5y]

The specific frequency range of 400 to 406 MHz is globally protected and highly restricted to prevent interference with vital satellite communication systems, particularly emergency distress beacons

It goes up to 406.1. ELTs and EPIRBs operate between 406.0-406.1.

 

[PRMII]

I bought a couple of the Triple 8's about 3 years ago. They were preprogrammed for the FRS use. I a;ready had a programming cable used for my Ham Baofengs, and Chirp downloded. I used it to double check what was in them. They are very easy to program via Chirp if you need to put them in the legal bands.
Baofengs are very inexpensive (that means $3.00 more than CHEAP) and those I have purchased, have worked fine. One of my Triple 8's fell of my belt, and went through the shredder I was pulling behind the tractor. I heard something clunk, but figured it was another snake or rock. As I came back around, I saw something Black in the grass. It had one very small mark on it, and the belt clip was broken. That pretty much convinced me they were pretty tough!