The New Bao Mobile Radios

[MrGClips]

I just saw the pricing on the new Baofeng mobile radios.

The bigger one; BTECH UV-5001 with 50/45W VHF/UHF is for $150. (I already saw this one.)
The mini version: UV-2501 with 25/10W VHF/UHF is for $120. (This just came up.)
Programming cable will be $20.50 or so. (only listed on the company website)
Recommended antenna (by the company) is the Nagoya UT-72 magnetic antenna with PL-259 for $25.

Links:
BTECH MINI UV-2501: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B017MRIWUI/
BTECH MOBILE UV-5001: http://www.amazon.com/BTECH-MOBILE-UV-5001-Generation-Mobile/dp/B017MRQAK2/
PC04 FTDI USB Cable: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017MT7IFG/
ANTENNA: http://www.amazon.com/Authentic-Genuine-Nagoya-UT-72-Magnetic/dp/B016SIJX28/

For the mini I think the $120- pricing is way too high, considering it has half the power output of the bigger unit and no speaker output jack either. For only $30 more the bigger brother is available already, which seems to be a better deal.

I asked the company about the Amp requirements on both, but just as before when I asked them about something else, they gave me an absolutely makes-no-sense idiotic stupid answer that I don't even care to publish here. Whoever responsible of answering customer questions at Baofengtech is a certifiable moron for sure. (and their online contact form didn't even work)

Neither radios have Duplex/Repeater or Cross-Band Repeater features unfortunately, which is a bit of disappointment. No big deal, but would have been nice to have that as a standard feature.

I think if the MINI came out in the $90-ish range like other 25w radios, it would have been much more popular, but not for $120. I find the pricing illogical and unjustified in comparison to the 50w version.

There are no reviews yet other than the one from Miklor, so we have to wait and see what the final verdict will be based upon actual experiences, but on paper, these radios offer lots of great features.

If anyone picks one up, please put out a review.

 

[MrGClips]

Update - ish...

I guess someone is reading this forum from the Bao-Tech guys who doesn't like their customer service being called idiots, because I've got 2 emails referring directly to this topic.

Answer to current:
- The 25w MINI draws about 5 Amps, the 50w model draws 12 Amps to properly operate. The bigger brother (5001) in some VHF bands puts out as much as 60-65 watts, which sounds pretty powerful to me.

Answer to duration:
- The mini on a 12AH battery would allow transmitting for about 1-2 hours and around 2 days of receiving time.
- The bigger one would require double, a 24AH battery for 1-2 hour transmit and 2 days receiving.

In the first letter they specified 12 hours (... and I was like, HUH??? ), then received another letter shortly after with corrected info of 1-2 hours.

OK, so I put out this info to be fair with them.

My only "complaint" remains the MINI's price! That should be UNDER the $100 mark to be a serious contender amongst the other 25 watt-ers, and I feel the programming cable should be included wit BOTH models! Hopefully they will read my update and change the price and the package content as well. Then (!!!) they'll have a pair of WINNERS for sure, assuming the radios are good.

 

[KE0GXN]

Good for you Mr.G! Squeaky wheel gets the grease.

Would be great if one the Bao-Tech guys would register on here and answer direct questions, instead of lurking though. It sure would alleviate all the hearsay about their radios.....

 

[MrGClips]

Good for you Mr.G! Squeaky wheel gets the grease.

Would be great if one the Bao-Tech guys would register on here and answer direct questions, instead of lurking though. It sure would alleviate all the hearsay about their radios.....

I've been around different forums discussing various technology related issues, and even though the companies NEVER openly admitted monitoring them (in fact some denied the obvious), I KNOW for a fact they do! And it makes sense. They NEED honest feedback from the outside world and there are but a handful of legitimate and worthy sites in every technical area where the users gather and share their opinions.

In other words; wouldn't YOU want to know what people think of your products and what changes may you need to implement for success? Of course you would! Simple as that!

And the fact that I received the "good" answers ONLY after I posted my criticism, confirms my theory once again.

 

[KC4RAF]

You the man, Mr. G!

Didn't know they had mobile units. Gonna have to check them out. Thanks for the links sir.

 

[MrGClips]

Didn't know they had mobile units. Gonna have to check them out. Thanks for the links sir.

You're welcome!

Here is the only official review of them from Miklor I've seen so far. Well worth reading it.
http://www.miklor.com/COM/Review_UV2501-5001.php

 

[popnokick]

What I would like to see is a test showing level of conformance with FCC regulations regarding Spectral Purity and Harmonic Emissions. Miklor has some good info but it is incomplete without spectrum analysis of the transmitted signals. Wonder why they haven't tested and published those results? What am I talking about? Specifically the testing done by the ARRL labs detailed in this thread -
http://forums.radioreference.com/amateur-radio-equipment/323399-article-qst-ccrs-compliance.html
I've run some of my CCRs through a Rohde & Schwarz FSH-6 and the older ones are as described in the article (non compliant in the 140-174 range) but fine in the UHF band. The newer CCRs I have are much improved, so it's my belief that the situation may be improving. As time goes by and new radios appear, further testing with proper instruments will tell.

 

[MrGClips]

What I would like to see is a test showing level of conformance with FCC regulations regarding Spectral Purity and Harmonic Emissions. Miklor has some good info but it is incomplete without spectrum analysis of the transmitted signals. Wonder why they haven't tested and published those results? What am I talking about? Specifically the testing done by the ARRL labs detailed in this thread -
http://forums.radioreference.com/amateur-radio-equipment/323399-article-qst-ccrs-compliance.html
I've run some of my CCRs through a Rohde & Schwarz FSH-6 and the older ones are as described in the article (non compliant in the 140-174 range) but fine in the UHF band. The newer CCRs I have are much improved, so it's my belief that the situation may be improving. As time goes by and new radios appear, further testing with proper instruments will tell.

A deeper technical analysis would be very useful for sure, but even without one, these little radios (and their HT siblings) are going to be flying off the shelves due to their very attractive price range, and the user's overwhelming positive experience behind the brand's HT radios.

I'm very curious myself, so now that the sales have begun, hopefully a few truly knowledgeable hams will get their hands on them and post their findings, which I expect to be positive.

By the way, yesterday, after my second postings making remarks about the MINI's illogical pricing, the price went down 5 bucks! If they decide to go down a little more for the holiday shopping spree, then they will be selling out these units like crazy!

The handheld Bao BF-F9 V2+ and the UV-5R V2+ are almost completely out on Amazon (at the time of my writing), only 2 color variations remain up for sale, but only from sellers shipping from China and not the 2 main sellers. Same is true at the Baofengradio.us site where most models have the "out of stock" label next to them, so I guess the buyers are voting with their wallets about their choices.

From what I can see, and I'm no expert by any means, this brand is definitely becoming a driving force among budget-conscious hams who want good and reliable quality with acceptable pricing for their hobby. And owning one BF-F9V2+ HT myself and liking what I see, that's just fine by me!

 

[Citywide173]

I just saw the pricing on the new Baofeng mobile radios.

Is there anything to connect Baofeng and Bao-tech?

 

[MrGClips]

Is there anything to connect Baofeng and Bao-tech?

To be precise; it is Baofeng Tech and their site is at BaofengTech.Com
They are one of the distributors of these mobile radios as far as I know.

The other company Baofeng and their site is at Baofengradio.US
They only sell the HTs but not the Mobile radios as of now.

Both claiming to be the official US representative and distributor of the brand. I've got my HT from the second company, all my accessories and antennas from the first one, but for some reason it seems the second company's HTs have the latest firmware, but I can't confirm it with absolute certainty.

They BOTH sell on Amazon and both deliver original items, so make your pick!

 

[MrGClips]

I just checked it and the bigger brother 5001 just became the #1 Seller. WOW!

There's gonna be a whole lot o' hate and jealousy by the 'big dogs' for this brand!

I can hardly wait to read some user reviews and actual tests and experiences of these radios.

 

[Citywide173]

I was wondering more on the China end. I recently acquired a UV-5R and there was literature that indicated Baofeng was going to become Pofung, and this radio is clearly marked with the BTECH label, which I have not seen on any other Baofeng radios. Of course, with the appearance of so many Chinese low price radios, it's quite possible that it's only one manufacturer supplying the guts and the companies contracting individual cases to make their product appear different.

 

[MrGClips]

I was wondering more on the China end. I recently acquired a UV-5R and there was literature that indicated Baofeng was going to become Pofung, and this radio is clearly marked with the BTECH label, which I have not seen on any other Baofeng radios. Of course, with the appearance of so many Chinese low price radios, it's quite possible that it's only one manufacturer supplying the guts and the companies contracting individual cases to make their product appear different.

Yeah, I'm a bit confused too, because Pofung/Baofeng/BTech ALL seem to be selling the same. Unfortunately I have no solid info about either one, but I recommend everyone to only buy from distributors with local repair facilities. These two seem to be legit, but in China? That's more like the wild west!

 

[KD8DVR]

I was wondering more on the China end. I recently acquired a UV-5R and there was literature that indicated Baofeng was going to become Pofung, and this radio is clearly marked with the BTECH label, which I have not seen on any other Baofeng radios. Of course, with the appearance of so many Chinese low price radios, it's quite possible that it's only one manufacturer supplying the guts and the companies contracting individual cases to make their product appear different.

A dealer can commit to purchase a large number of radios and therefore have the manufacturer put any brand name on it the buyer wants. In some cases, there is an agreement that the company won't release any upgraded model for a period of time to give this purchaser first dips on an improved model.

If I order 1000 UV5R radios, I can have the "John's Cheap Radio" label put on it.

Perhaps the increased price is to help defray the expense of having to purchase this huge number of radios.

It IS nice the bugs were corrected; but I can't imagine a simple correction to the code in the firmware justifies the price increase.

I do wonder, however, if the required FCC certification has been acquired. (part 15 at minimum for receiver specs)

 

[Citywide173]

Badging and casing are two entirely different things though. I have no doubt that the radio in the OP and this: New MP 300 20W Mini Moblie VHF UHF Transceiver Car Radio MP300 Antenna M507 | eBay are the same radio.

But what about this one? It's too close not to be the same or very similar inside, but different enough to make someone think they were buying a different radio if they didn't do their homework. 144 430MHz VHF UHF 25W Dual Band Display Mini Mobile Radio Ham Radio for Car Bus | eBay

 

[MrGClips]

Badging and casing are two entirely different things though. I have no doubt that the radio in the OP and this: New MP 300 20W Mini Moblie VHF UHF Transceiver Car Radio MP300 Antenna M507 | eBay are the same radio.

But what about this one? It's too close not to be the same or very similar inside, but different enough to make someone think they were buying a different radio if they didn't do their homework. 144 430MHz VHF UHF 25W Dual Band Display Mini Mobile Radio Ham Radio for Car Bus | eBay

The Bao may look the same or share the same casings as the MP-300, but the Bao goes all the way to 520Mhz and 25W while the MP-300's output is only 20W and, along with the other mini unit, they both stop at 480Mhz. The Bao also have some nice new features that neither has. So I think they're definitely NOT the same!

 

[prcguy]

If I'm not mistaken Baofeng Tech is the same US company as Anytone Tech that caused quite a stir with their multi service "TERMN-8R" radios that lost their FCC type acceptance. Otherwise Baofeng and Anytone are separate Asian companies that produce different lines of radios and in my experience the Baofeng brand is the bottom of the barrel when it comes to cheap radios.

I believe if the radio has a "BTECH" badge on it then its probably a custom run by Baofeng for the US company Baofeng Tech, who probably owns the FCC type acceptance if any for this model.
prcguy

 

[nd5y]

Here is Baofeng's press release regarding the Pofung brand name for international markets:
Rebranding*of*BAOFENG*to*

The FCC Part 90 certifications belong to the manufacturers Baofeng and Anytone in China, not the US dealers.

There are some other Chinese manufacturers with FCC certifications for radios that look like UV-5R type clones.

Some of the radios sold in the US are not certified at all. I don't think these new mobiles are.

 

[KD8DVR]

The Bao may look the same or share the same casings as the MP-300, but the Bao goes all the way to 520Mhz and 25W while the MP-300's output is only 20W and, along with the other mini unit, they both stop at 480Mhz. The Bao also have some nice new features that neither has. So I think they're definitely NOT the same!

Well, they are likely/possibly just the same radio hardwarewise with different programming to make them function differently. Nowadays, the personality of radios and their operating specs are simply written to a chip instead of having components changed, added or removed. There have been cases when in fact, the case is identical to a previous model with an entirely different circuit board inside. This is uncommon; but it does happen. I just don't see it in these, though.

BT/AT has encountered a serious setback with their Anytone FCC approval fiasco. Evidently, he's giving it another shot with these mobiles. Of course this time, he just altogether forgoes the FCC certification, so there is none to be revoked

At any rate, these new radios *do* offer a substantial improvement to those that are similar in appearance and function.

Miklor gives them a decent review... he indicates bugs are gone. I do tend to trust his information. He's really puts a lot of time and expense in his work.

I have heard of longevity issues though. Failures within a few months.

I wouldn't consider one until there has been enough of a passage of time to determine long time reliability. I've been burned by the Wouxun "suicide chip" that has sent all 3 of my Wouxun radios to the landfill.

 

[12dbsinad]

Looks like a TYT re-branded mobile to me.