fireguyastro
Member
uv-8
Did you buy one?
Did you buy one?
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To anyone looking to acquire commercial radio programming software:
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For M/A Com/Harris/GE, etc: there are two software packages that program all current and past radios. One package is for conventional programming and the other for trunked programming. The trunked package is in upwards of $2,500. The conventional package is more reasonable though is still several hundred dollars. The benefit is you do not need multiple versions for each radio (unlike Motorola).
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The new Baofeng UV8-R++ for 2014!
- Thread starter WB4CS
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fireguyastro
Member
Wholesale BAOFENG 5Watt 128CH UV-8 Radio Dual Band Dual Watch Dual PPT Radio DTMF ANI Call Tone A1023A, Free shipping, $47.6/Piece | DHgate
if some can find the software (chirp is not supported) link it to KB3YQI@gmail.com please this thing is useless
if some can find the software (chirp is not supported) link it to KB3YQI@gmail.com please this thing is useless
WB4CS
Member
No, the radio doesn't exist. See below.
Umm.. this thread is a joke. The UV8-R I posted about is not a real radio and doesn't exist. I made this joke post to make fun of the Baofang radios. When I made this post I didn't realize that the model number I made up is an actual radio on the market. Ooops
If you use the search function of this forum you'll see tons of posts that give instructions on how to program those radios. Take a look around the forum, or post a question for help in the Amateur Radio section of Radio Reference.
But, my advice would be to get rid of the cheap Chinese radios and get something that's easier to program and works a lot better.
Good luck!
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There is open source software....
Darth_vader
Member
- Joined
- Apr 5, 2013
- Messages
- 327
"But, my advice would be to get rid of the affordable Chinese radios and get something that's easier to program and works a lot better."
Better advice would simply be for the Chinese to make a transceiver that's easier to program, period. (I'm going to assume that by saying "and works a lot better", you are referring to the weird hand-programming methods the Baofengs and their derivatives seem to employ.) Considering how many of the "name-brand" products are made in China these days (hey, post-2000 Game Boy users: do you really think your Advance/DS/DS-3D etc. device is actually Made By Nintendo In Japan like they used to be in the good old days? When's the last time you saw the sticker on the back of the chassis? Yeah, I couldn't believe it either) I don't doubt such radios exist.
For the most part, I think Baofeng (/bo-FUNG/) intended for rigs like the 5R and such to be programmed via computer, and put the keyboard-programming functionality in as a backup. Although, they're not nearly as hard to program by hand as the inexperienced who love to quote anecdotes as gospel truth make them out to be. Besides, my last car radio had presets that had to be programmed through menues (and its UI was even kludgier than that of the 5R) so I already sort of knew what to expect.
Better advice would simply be for the Chinese to make a transceiver that's easier to program, period. (I'm going to assume that by saying "and works a lot better", you are referring to the weird hand-programming methods the Baofengs and their derivatives seem to employ.) Considering how many of the "name-brand" products are made in China these days (hey, post-2000 Game Boy users: do you really think your Advance/DS/DS-3D etc. device is actually Made By Nintendo In Japan like they used to be in the good old days? When's the last time you saw the sticker on the back of the chassis? Yeah, I couldn't believe it either) I don't doubt such radios exist.
For the most part, I think Baofeng (/bo-FUNG/) intended for rigs like the 5R and such to be programmed via computer, and put the keyboard-programming functionality in as a backup. Although, they're not nearly as hard to program by hand as the inexperienced who love to quote anecdotes as gospel truth make them out to be. Besides, my last car radio had presets that had to be programmed through menues (and its UI was even kludgier than that of the 5R) so I already sort of knew what to expect.
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WB4CS
Member
By works a lot better, I mean that WORKS better.
Fireguyastro, your handle leads me to believe you're a firefighter, and your email address leads me to believe you have an amateur radio license. The radio you posted a link to really isn't suited for either function.
For firefighting, I am not sure if the radio is Part 90 approved to be used on public service frequencies. It may be, it may not be. Beww-fandango (just for you Darth ) Baofeng radios are not built to be durable. They will not withstand a blast of water from a fire hose, they will not withstand being dropped into a mud puddle, and they certainly will not withstand the intense heat you'll experience while fighting a fire. Do you really want to put your life on the line by using such a cheap radio? If your department will not issue you a radio, get on eBay and find some used Motorola or Kenwood Commercial radios. Those radios are built to withstand heavy use.
Now as far as for amateur radio, these Baofeng radios you've listed doesn't appear to have a tunable, accessible VFO. All the pictures I've found of it don't show the display active, but with the lack of buttons, I'm assuming you have to program in all your frequencies and then only have access to those memory channels. (If I'm wrong, oops.) Not having a VFO is a major disadvantage to the ham operator. What if you travel to another city, or your friends want to QSY to another frequency you don't have programmed in? Having a radio that has a tunable VFO means you have access to the entire amateur band, not just a few channels you've programmed in. Look at some Kenwood or Yaesu dual band handhelds. Kenwood makes an excellent 2 meter handheld and Yaesu has a very affordable dual band handheld. Both radios are under $160.
Knowing what is the right radio for the job is paramount. I'm sure you got the Chow-Fung radio because it was cheap, but remember the old saying "You get what you pay for." If you have any questions, feel free to private message me and I'll be glad to help you out.
Now, back to our regular scheduled programming - making fun of the BewFong radios
Fireguyastro, your handle leads me to believe you're a firefighter, and your email address leads me to believe you have an amateur radio license. The radio you posted a link to really isn't suited for either function.
For firefighting, I am not sure if the radio is Part 90 approved to be used on public service frequencies. It may be, it may not be. Beww-fandango (just for you Darth
) Baofeng radios are not built to be durable. They will not withstand a blast of water from a fire hose, they will not withstand being dropped into a mud puddle, and they certainly will not withstand the intense heat you'll experience while fighting a fire. Do you really want to put your life on the line by using such a cheap radio? If your department will not issue you a radio, get on eBay and find some used Motorola or Kenwood Commercial radios. Those radios are built to withstand heavy use. Now as far as for amateur radio, these Baofeng radios you've listed doesn't appear to have a tunable, accessible VFO. All the pictures I've found of it don't show the display active, but with the lack of buttons, I'm assuming you have to program in all your frequencies and then only have access to those memory channels. (If I'm wrong, oops.) Not having a VFO is a major disadvantage to the ham operator. What if you travel to another city, or your friends want to QSY to another frequency you don't have programmed in? Having a radio that has a tunable VFO means you have access to the entire amateur band, not just a few channels you've programmed in. Look at some Kenwood or Yaesu dual band handhelds. Kenwood makes an excellent 2 meter handheld and Yaesu has a very affordable dual band handheld. Both radios are under $160.
Knowing what is the right radio for the job is paramount. I'm sure you got the Chow-Fung radio because it was cheap, but remember the old saying "You get what you pay for." If you have any questions, feel free to private message me and I'll be glad to help you out.
Now, back to our regular scheduled programming - making fun of the BewFong radios
Darth_vader
Member
- Joined
- Apr 5, 2013
- Messages
- 327
I'm going to assume that by saying "by works a lot better, I mean that WORKS better", you are referring to the weird hand-programming methods the Baofengs and their derivatives seem to employ.
Here's the thing. Do you know why I refrain from passing judgement about the performance of your precious Yaelincwood equipment? Simple, I have no first-hand experience with them (a cheap floor-model Kenwood car radio/CD player hardly qualifies as relevant to this discussion) therefore I am not qualified to make any valid or credible remarks about them in that regard. You claim to not own any Baofeng equipment or any of their derivatives, so how is it safe to assume you have any first-hand experience using them, and why should anybody take your remarks as valid? Unless you can prove to us otherwise, it can be concluded that all your blanket ridicule and hatred toward them is simply derived from a few random anecdotes you've selectively read about the Web and not based on any actual experience. (For example, the comment you made above about the build quality.)
While it may have been cute or funny making fun of them the first couple of times around, it really is becoming a worn-out troll cliché. In other words, it's old and not funny any more. Then again, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, since hypocrisy tends to be a way of life and a reason for being in the present-day HAM world. Basing one's own views and opinions of things simply around what others have said shows a lack of integrity and credibility.
You don't have to reply; just think about that for a while. Let it haunt you in your sleep.
Here's the thing. Do you know why I refrain from passing judgement about the performance of your precious Yaelincwood equipment? Simple, I have no first-hand experience with them (a cheap floor-model Kenwood car radio/CD player hardly qualifies as relevant to this discussion) therefore I am not qualified to make any valid or credible remarks about them in that regard. You claim to not own any Baofeng equipment or any of their derivatives, so how is it safe to assume you have any first-hand experience using them, and why should anybody take your remarks as valid? Unless you can prove to us otherwise, it can be concluded that all your blanket ridicule and hatred toward them is simply derived from a few random anecdotes you've selectively read about the Web and not based on any actual experience. (For example, the comment you made above about the build quality.)
While it may have been cute or funny making fun of them the first couple of times around, it really is becoming a worn-out troll cliché. In other words, it's old and not funny any more. Then again, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, since hypocrisy tends to be a way of life and a reason for being in the present-day HAM world. Basing one's own views and opinions of things simply around what others have said shows a lack of integrity and credibility.
You don't have to reply; just think about that for a while. Let it haunt you in your sleep.
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WB4CS
Member
Oh Darth
You're right, I don't personally have any experience with those radios. My only experience with the quality of them is the 4 local hams that have all had issues with theirs. I've heard enough bad about them that I don't want to try one.
My issues with those radios are:
1) Full TX capability. I live across the street from a state park and I can't tell you how many times I've seen hikers using them illegally. I scan 2 meters pretty often while I'm at home and during the summer months I hear quite a bit of unlicensed FM activity on 144.000 and 146.000 MHz. More times than not they're using cheap radios. The few times I've questioned someone about the radios, they said they bought them from Amazon and didn't know they needed a license.
2) That brings me to number 2. Most of the online retailers of those radios market them as "two way radios." There's no mention that a license is needed to use them, and I've even seen some marketed in the FRS, Camping, Outdoor Electronics, Fishing, and Hiking sections. Those radios have opened up the flood gates for potential unlicensed interference in not only the ham bands, but also the public safety bands. Even on this forum there's been posts from people who have purchased them, punched in some random frequency, and are using them illegally.
Now sure, anyone can buy a modified ham rig and do the same thing, but with the cost of amateur gear not many hikers are buying Yaesu HT's. But at $30 each, the Boofungs make a very attractive priced radio.
3) I think they're terrible for ham radio - especially new hams. How many posts here have we seen someone new to the hobby that's excited to get on the air. They purchase a cheap China radio and can't figure out how to program it. That makes it very discouraging to the new ham, if they had just got an easier to program KenYaeCom radio they'd have a better experience and introduction to the hobby.
Let me ask you, since you're so defensive about these radios, what exactly do you like about these radios over the other name brands? Since you have no first hand experience with the big name brands, why do you defend cheap China radios if you don't know how much better a Yaesu or Kenwood is?
You're right, I don't personally have any experience with those radios. My only experience with the quality of them is the 4 local hams that have all had issues with theirs. I've heard enough bad about them that I don't want to try one.
My issues with those radios are:
1) Full TX capability. I live across the street from a state park and I can't tell you how many times I've seen hikers using them illegally. I scan 2 meters pretty often while I'm at home and during the summer months I hear quite a bit of unlicensed FM activity on 144.000 and 146.000 MHz. More times than not they're using cheap radios. The few times I've questioned someone about the radios, they said they bought them from Amazon and didn't know they needed a license.
2) That brings me to number 2. Most of the online retailers of those radios market them as "two way radios." There's no mention that a license is needed to use them, and I've even seen some marketed in the FRS, Camping, Outdoor Electronics, Fishing, and Hiking sections. Those radios have opened up the flood gates for potential unlicensed interference in not only the ham bands, but also the public safety bands. Even on this forum there's been posts from people who have purchased them, punched in some random frequency, and are using them illegally.
Now sure, anyone can buy a modified ham rig and do the same thing, but with the cost of amateur gear not many hikers are buying Yaesu HT's. But at $30 each, the Boofungs make a very attractive priced radio.
3) I think they're terrible for ham radio - especially new hams. How many posts here have we seen someone new to the hobby that's excited to get on the air. They purchase a cheap China radio and can't figure out how to program it. That makes it very discouraging to the new ham, if they had just got an easier to program KenYaeCom radio they'd have a better experience and introduction to the hobby.
Let me ask you, since you're so defensive about these radios, what exactly do you like about these radios over the other name brands? Since you have no first hand experience with the big name brands, why do you defend cheap China radios if you don't know how much better a Yaesu or Kenwood is?
KC4RAF
Member
I agree with Brandon
especially on point #2. Here in central Florida, I hear many unlicensed operators on 2 meters; using fowl language, no call signs, etc. And it has been my belief that the radio operators bought those cheap radios from marketers without knowing the requirement of a license. They show up all over the place in stores, and usually you don't see the warning concerning the required license. The buyer believes that they can transmit any time any where. I believe in a few years, 2 meters and even the 4 meter band is going to be like the 27mHz (cb) frequencies. Just my 2 cents.
especially on point #2. Here in central Florida, I hear many unlicensed operators on 2 meters; using fowl language, no call signs, etc. And it has been my belief that the radio operators bought those cheap radios from marketers without knowing the requirement of a license. They show up all over the place in stores, and usually you don't see the warning concerning the required license. The buyer believes that they can transmit any time any where. I believe in a few years, 2 meters and even the 4 meter band is going to be like the 27mHz (cb) frequencies. Just my 2 cents.
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