The New Bao Mobile Radios

[nd5y]

I guess, at least this model is OK.

Your particular radio might not be compliant.

 

[MrGClips]

Your particular radio might not be compliant.

LOL!!! ... and that's what's keeping me up all night ... Seriously!

If FCC is stupid enough to waste resources on an HT, then they're welcome to put my little Bao under some serious and detailed tests, just to be sure!

 

[billy1962]

The UV-5001s are sold out it appears! Looks like the UV-2501s only have 11 left

 

[MrGClips]

The UV-5001s are sold out it appears! Looks like the UV-2501s only have 11 left

WOW! That WAS fast! :-O Little BAOs kick butt!

I suspected they would be popular, but this much?!

Now I'm really interested in them, I can hardly wait to see some expert tests and reviews. Hopefully soon.

 

[jonny290]

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

if somebody's shopping for a chinese rig seriously, they're a customer of no interest to the big3. They want customers that they can win over and sell $3000 rigs to later, not people that are so broke they will only spend $150 on a chinarig instead of $199 for a japanese company's dual bander.


I still hold that these are false economy unless you don't buy antennas or coax or any other parts of a ham station
nobody gets into auto racing and succeeds by buying the literal cheapest car on craigslist

 

[MrGClips]

if somebody's shopping for a chinese rig seriously, they're a customer of no interest to the big3. They want customers that they can win over and sell $3000 rigs to later, not people that are so broke they will only spend $150 on a chinarig instead of $199 for a japanese company's dual bander.


I still hold that these are false economy unless you don't buy antennas or coax or any other parts of a ham station
nobody gets into auto racing and succeeds by buying the literal cheapest car on craigslist

This is what I would call a STUPID comment.

The "elitist" mentality talking down on people to be "broke" just because they're not stupid to spend a fortune on overrated and overpriced ultra-expensive radios? Dude, seriously?! What's next? Anyone without a 100G gear is a loser and the only true hams are with 200' towers in the backyard? Hope you're joking with this line of talk...

Of course the big-dogs hate these cheapo radios because they take customers away from them by large numbers who won't even look back and happy with their stuff! Or you think people with the expensive gear become better operators? LOL!

IF (!!!) these cheap radios turn out to be as good as they seem to be, then who would be stupid enough to pay several times over for the big brands to do the same exact thing? Maybe a fanatic brand fanboy!

 

[KE0GXN]

I think what the chicoms provide is a way for someone to get started, who maybe does not quite know yet how far they want to take the hobby. And therefore, if after a few months or a year or so realize HAM is not for them, they won't be out a couple hundred dollars or more. Especially when you are talking mobile/base set-ups...

With that said, if you do end up enjoying the hobby, getting a lot out of it and wanting to progress into more complex or long range operations, you will undoubtedly have to come to terms with spending quite a large sum on this hobby eventually.

From what I have seen its the nature of this beast.

 

[toastycookies]

nobody gets into auto racing and succeeds by buying the literal cheapest car on craigslist

$500 craigslist car beats $400,000+ race cars

How A $500 Craigslist Car Beat $400K Rally Racers

 

[MrGClips]

$500 craigslist car beats $400,000+ race cars

How A $500 Craigslist Car Beat $400K Rally Racers

LOL!!! ... so much for the elitist fanboy mentality!

 

[jonny290]

This is what I would call a STUPID comment.

The "elitist" mentality talking down on people to be "broke" just because they're not stupid to spend a fortune on overrated and overpriced ultra-expensive radios? Dude, seriously?! What's next? Anyone without a 100G gear is a loser and the only true hams are with 200' towers in the backyard? Hope you're joking with this line of talk...

Of course the big-dogs hate these cheapo radios because they take customers away from them by large numbers who won't even look back and happy with their stuff! Or you think people with the expensive gear become better operators? LOL!

IF (!!!) these cheap radios turn out to be as good as they seem to be, then who would be stupid enough to pay several times over for the big brands to do the same exact thing? Maybe a fanatic brand fanboy!

If you buy a $60 Wouxun, it's worth $0 as soon as you open the box.

If you buy a $120 Yaesu, it's worth $100 in four years.

They are false economy.

I will grant that if you don't give a rat's arse about spectral purity, scan speed, audio quality, t/r turnaround time, ease of programming, interface quality or parts/accessory availability, they are wonderful deals.

 

[MrGClips]

If you buy a $60 Wouxun, it's worth $0 as soon as you open the box.

If you buy a $120 Yaesu, it's worth $100 in four years.

They are false economy.

I will grant that if you don't give a rat's arse about spectral purity, scan speed, audio quality, t/r turnaround time, ease of programming, interface quality or parts/accessory availability, they are wonderful deals.

I don't know about Wouxun, I was writing about these two specific new BTECH radios, which, based upon the official review, seem to be pretty darn good in all aspects and well worth their LOW prices.

Also I don't really understand what would make a person a good expert ham for buying a $100 used and abused old and outdated Yaesu and a "broke" ham for buying a brand new and very good quality $120-$150 BTECH? I don't think your logic makes too much sense, especially since electronics nowadays don't really hold their values anyway. If these radios work great, then that's all that matters.

Besides, these are simple two-way radios, not status symbols! But of course, if one day I can afford a Bentley, I promise I'll put a nice brand new top of the line Yaseu into it! (or not) Till then, I go with the radio that gives the best and most for the lowest price.

 

[N8IAA]

I don't know about Wouxun, I was writing about these two specific new BTECH radios, which, based upon the official review, seem to be pretty darn good in all aspects and well worth their LOW prices.

Also I don't really understand what would make a person a good expert ham for buying a $100 used and abused old and outdated Yaesu and a "broke" ham for buying a brand new and very good quality $120-$150 BTECH? I don't think your logic makes too much sense, especially since electronics nowadays don't really hold their values anyway. If these radios work great, then that's all that matters.

Besides, these are simple two-way radios, not status symbols! But of course, if one day I can afford a Bentley, I promise I'll put a nice brand new top of the line Yaseu into it! (or not) Till then, I go with the radio that gives the best and most for the lowest price.

What he posted does make sense. If you buy any CC radio and try to sell it down the road, you're out the money paid. If you buy the Yaesu, which is hardly a Bentley, and sell it a couple of years later, you will get back part of your investment.The top three manufacturers are not status symbols, but radios that have worked, and will work, for a lot longer that the CC.
I own two, one I traded for a purpose, the other to use as a back up. Neither one holds a charge as long as my Icom. Which one do I use? Why the Icom of course.
Larry

 

[MrGClips]

What he posted does make sense. If you buy any CC radio and try to sell it down the road, you're out the money paid. If you buy the Yaesu, which is hardly a Bentley, and sell it a couple of years later, you will get back part of your investment.The top three manufacturers are not status symbols, but radios that have worked, and will work, for a lot longer that the CC.
I own two, one I traded for a purpose, the other to use as a back up. Neither one holds a charge as long as my Icom. Which one do I use? Why the Icom of course.
Larry

I don't think anyone is trying to calculate the value of their cheap radio (or any other electronics) several years down the road. If you buy one and it gives you a couple of years of service, then you've got your money's worth. Batteries are really cheap, last time I checked the 3800mA extended battery for the Bao was around $17 or so. I personally use AAs with a battery adapter, so power is no problem.

Whether the "brand fanboys" like it or not, these type of cheapo radios are winning over many people who are quite happy with their overall quality and services that save them a ton of money to spend on other stuff. And I'm not convinced that the significant price difference is justified by the big-names. Not at all.

 

[AK9R]

I don't know about Wouxun, I was writing about these two specific new BTECH radios, which, based upon the official review, seem to be pretty darn good in all aspects and well worth their LOW prices.

Official? What makes a review "official"? The only test results provided were power output results. No receiver tests for sensitivity or selectivity. No transmitter spectral purity tests.

I don't think anyone is trying to calculate the value of their cheap radio (or any other electronics) several years down the road. If you buy one and it gives you a couple of years of service, then you've got your money's worth.

So, your plan is to buy a radio that you are very likely to throw-away in a couple of years? If it fails after a couple of years, you just toss it in the electronic recycling and buy another? Why does a desire for a radio that has long-term reliably, a proven track record, and a U.S.-based service department make someone an "elitist fan-boy"?

 

[MrGClips]

Official? What makes a review "official"? The only test results provided were power output results. No receiver tests for sensitivity or selectivity. No transmitter spectral purity tests.


So, your plan is to buy a radio that you are very likely to throw-away in a couple of years? If it fails after a couple of years, you just toss it in the electronic recycling and buy another? Why does a desire for a radio that has long-term reliably, a proven track record, and a U.S.-based service department make someone an "elitist fan-boy"?

Why call people "broke" and insult them for choosing inexpensive good radios? That IS the elitist fanboy mentality.

 

[prcguy]

Buying a big name radio has little to do with long term reliability and the ability to get it fixed at a reasonable cost. Most every Icom radio I've had broke. I bought a new Yaesu FT-817 and it failed right at the end of its warranty period but it was a few weeks past that when I brought it to Yaesu for warranty repair. Not only would they not honor the warranty, they had it for about 6 weeks then presented my repair bill, which was more than what I could buy another new radio for. I declined and took home by broken radio.

So consider any radio you buy these days as disposable after the warranty is up no matter who made it. And I hope the cheap Chinese radios take a huge chunk out of the big name brand sales and they take notice and adjust their prices accordingly. Maybe something good may happen from the onslaught of cheap Chinese radios besides the radios themselves.
prcguy

Official? What makes a review "official"? The only test results provided were power output results. No receiver tests for sensitivity or selectivity. No transmitter spectral purity tests.


So, your plan is to buy a radio that you are very likely to throw-away in a couple of years? If it fails after a couple of years, you just toss it in the electronic recycling and buy another? Why does a desire for a radio that has long-term reliably, a proven track record, and a U.S.-based service department make someone an "elitist fan-boy"?

 

[KD8DVR]

Why call people "broke" and insult them for choosing inexpensive good radios? That IS the elitist fanboy mentality.

What makes a radio "good"?

Actually we need to see how a radio works after a few years. We need to see long term reviews of a product. Spectral purity IS a determining factor in quality evaluations.

Inexpensive AND good can happen. We just need time to see if it pans out. If people buy a radio that fails in a couple years, then it definitely isn't that good.

There are a LOT of Wouxun users out there who discovered this when the uvd1p series "suicide chip" fired. Lost all 3 of mine.

 

[N4KVE]

While these CCR radios may look good on paper to some, [I would never buy one], the real test is how well they hold up after 5-10 years. I still have some Kenwood TK-880's that are working as good as new after more than a decade in commercial use. Not a radio that was owned by a ham who paid for it, & took good care of it, but by a plumber, or electrician who couldn't care less, & uses the radio to get dispatched to his next call. Should the radio die, while it may not be worth $ to get it repaired, there are many Kenwood authorized repair centers in the US who can repair it. Where would one send one of these new CCR radios in the USA to be repaired. That's an important fact that must be dealt with, because shipping, & import duties back to Chine can exceed the cost of the radio. So who is the US authorized warranty repair center for these radios?

 

[prcguy]

Many US companies have deals with the Chinese mfrs and honor the warranty for US purchasers. One example is Ed at Import Communications that originally offered 18mo warranty on Wouxun radios. This was more warranty time than the big three were offering on much more expensive radios.

I had a problem with one of my Wouxun handhelds purchased through Import Communications and when I contacted Ed he just sent me a new one and said to return the bad one at my leisure. Ed no longer sells Wouxun but he has the same policy on Anytone and other brand radios that flow through is company.

Buy a grey market radio of any kind and if it breaks its no longer a cheap radio.
prcguy

While these CCR radios may look good on paper to some, [I would never buy one], the real test is how well they hold up after 5-10 years. I still have some Kenwood TK-880's that are working as good as new after more than a decade in commercial use. Not a radio that was owned by a ham who paid for it, & took good care of it, but by a plumber, or electrician who couldn't care less, & uses the radio to get dispatched to his next call. Should the radio die, while it may not be worth $ to get it repaired, there are many Kenwood authorized repair centers in the US who can repair it. Where would one send one of these new CCR radios in the USA to be repaired. That's an important fact that must be dealt with, because shipping, & import duties back to Chine can exceed the cost of the radio. So who is the US authorized warranty repair center for these radios?

 

[MrGClips]

So who is the US authorized warranty repair center for these radios?

BaofengTech.Com contact: Arlington, South Dakota, 57212, USA.