Baofeng UV-5R Poor RX

[N4SRN]

I’m a Ham General and have used high quality radios for years. I picked up a kit pair of TIDRADIO UV-5R radios - chargers, extended batteries, programming cable, etc., for $80. I bought them thinking to program for a few people I’m trying to entice into radios for RX-only use, then get them to a weekend Tech licensing/testing class.

From my front window, I can easily hit our local club 2m repeater, which is line-of-sight with no intervening structures, ~5mi away and 1000ft above me, using an bit better Radioddity GS-5B $80 HT. But I got sparse & very sporadic RX from our evening 7pm net on the UV5Rs. I discovered that if I press my thumb into the metal grate over the speaker to contact some bare metal, RX is good, if scratchy.

Is this the best that can be expected from UV5Rs? If so, I can live with it and put counterpoise wires on to help RX. If these are abnormally poor, even for cheap UV-5Rs, I can return to Amazon.

Thanks for the help!

Bret/N4SRN

 

[jeepsandradios]

Its a CCR. Get what you get. I'd just ship them back. Find a better unit. Giving a unit like that to a prospective ham just tarnishes the expectations.

 

[MTS2000des]

The walkie-talkie on chip one chip wonders are trash for a reason. Typically with no front end filtering, they are susceptible from overload even from signal sources several hundred MHz away, such as wireless router/access points, nearby cell sites- you name it, the front end of a typical CCR is garbage. Slow scan rate and wonky firmware make for a miserable receiver for general monitoring.

These turdpile radios are great for disposable use like special events on simplex in close quarters. That's about it. A "real" radio like an Icom T-10, Yaesu FT-60 will blow away these trash can radios in performance, quality and ease of use/programming anyday of the week. One also gets real factory support if there is a problem.

One gets what one pays for.

 

[nd5y]

I can live with it and put counterpoise wires on to help RX.

That only helps on real radios.
Using better aftermarket or external antennas on Baofengs/clones will probably make your receiver poblems worse.

 

[ladn]

Sounds like really bad performance, even for Baofengs (and that's saying something)! I'd return/exchange them as it sounds like they're defective right out of the box.

BUT--

First make sure your programming is correct, but it really sounds like defective radios. My UV-5R radios have fairly decent (though not very selective) receivers. You might also try swapping antennas or just using 1/4 wavelength piece of wire for RX test.

 

[N4SRN]

I measured continuity between the wrist-strap metal loop and the chassis and it's continuous, so hung a 19.5in length of alligator clip lead from it. No help.

But I DID notice that local NOAA WX reception was markedly improved if I held the radio <~9inches from my face. Move it away, no RX - move it in, OK RX. LOL!!

 

[dlwtrunked]

You did not say what antenna you were using. I assume it is the original. If not check and make sure the antenna radio and antenna plugs are compatible--look in the ends of each. Also try as someone said above, a different antenna.

 

[kny2xb]

Just my .02c, return them

If you're on a budget, go with the TYT UV88 instead TYT TH-UV88 Dual Band Analog Two Way Radio
They're on sale $10.00 off through tomorrow night

The UV88 is a relative unknown vs the UV5R, but AFAIK it has a better reputation, & it has better features, & more features than a UV5R [more channels, a better display, I haven't heard of the poor receive & desense issues that the UV5R has had]

The only drawback [if you consider it one] is that it uses a SMA-F connection on the radio, so any replacement antennas need to be SMA-M

Other ops may have better &/or updated info or different opinions on the UV88 than I do

73 & Merry Christmas

 

[K5MPH]

I have 4 of these radios (uv-5r) and use them for projects and what not it dont take much to overload the front end of these radios.......

 

[WRQS621]

For the price, just buy another one and dont worry about it.

 

[K5MPH]

For the price, just buy another one and dont worry about it.

Yeah I have seen them for 18.99 free shipping included on Ebay.........

 

[buddy119911]

The walkie-talkie on chip one chip wonders are trash for a reason. Typically with no front end filtering, they are susceptible from overload even from signal sources several hundred MHz away, such as wireless router/access points, nearby cell sites- you name it, the front end of a typical CCR is garbage. Slow scan rate and wonky firmware make for a miserable receiver for general monitoring.

These turdpile radios are great for disposable use like special events on simplex in close quarters. That's about it. A "real" radio like an Icom T-10, Yaesu FT-60 will blow away these trash can radios in performance, quality and ease of use/programming anyday of the week. One also gets real factory support if there is a problem.

One gets what one pays for.

Well yes the radio is similar to the Sherman tank, also dubbed the Ronson Lighter quite sadly. But Rommel said "if he had a thousand of them he would have won the war". I believe the chinese understood that.

 

[MTS2000des]

Well yes the radio is similar to the Sherman tank, also dubbed the Ronson Lighter quite sadly. But Rommel said "if he had a thousand of them he would have won the war". I believe the chinese understood that.

It's still a turd. Turds can't be polished.

 

[K5MPH]

The UV-5R has a very bad front end filter,I think a coffee filter could work better LOL............

 

[dwhit29689]

Popular to trash the UV5R. My close pal handed-out five from a bubble-pack to friends. We all are now licensed and own sizable inventories of professional radios. In my opinion Yaesu/Kenwood/Icom owe referral pymts to Baofeng. Yes, the UV5R has a poor front end. Keep it for when you don't need to take your $500 HT into the field. Many people use 'em for car-to-car comms unlicensed when traveling in groups & RV's.

 

[MTS2000des]

The UV-5R has a very bad front end filter,I think a coffee filter could work better LOL............

There is no front end filtering. It is a toybox walkie-talkie no different from the $30 bubble pack FRS/GMRS radios at China Mart claiming "40 mile range" when, due to the same limitations, you can barely talk around the block. Same trash can RDA1846 garbage. People love these turdpile radios but the big picture:

Foster many many cases of unauthorized/unlicensed operation, not just part 97, but part 90, 95, 80- you name it, like rats in a kitchen, they are everywhere.

Poor transmitters that put out hash and trash.

Those that are licensed trying to use them: piss poor front ends "I can't hear the repeater" when it's like -89dbM on a "real" radio side by side. Low muffled signature Baoturd audio "they're ignoring me".

Pieces of feces. Plain and simple, at any price.

 

[buddy119911]

Yup the 5R and it's relatives can't hear. There are some other cheap radios that are pretty good we've found though, living in the third largest major metro region in the world geographically and working downtown in it. My reference points are the HT-500s and 1000s we used to use and the real mobiles to go along before narrow-banding. Luiton used to make something called the LT-9000 mobile/base with a great front end. It heard perfectly under the worst areas of the umbrella effect over our downtown. I'm sure the new model isn't as good and all the listed specs are wrong of course.

 

[dlwtrunked]

I do not consider the 5R a good radio but it is a good $20 for a not care what happens to the radio. One might want to note it gets 3.5 out of 4 https://www.eham.net/reviews/view-product?id=10349&page=1

If amateur radio only used $xxx radios and above, the hobby would have quickly diappeared.
(My other radios are a Yaesu FT3D, FTM-400DR, some model Kenwood, and an ICOM IC-7300 for HF--so I do own much better but most new hams cannot afford such.)

 

[mmckenna]

I do not consider the 5R a good radio but it is a good $20 for a not care what happens to the radio. One might want to note it gets 3.5 out of 4 https://www.eham.net/reviews/view-product?id=10349&page=1

You'd have to fully understand what the reviewers are comparing it to.
A new ham buys their first radio. It works, they connect to the local repeater and make their first contact. That's a pretty big deal for a new ham. In their mind, that is now the best radio in the world. 4 out of 4 stars.

Hand them an FT-60 and have them compare them side by side, then see how they rate it.

I don't trust e-ham reviews, QRZ reviews, or amazon reviews. I've been verbally attacked on all of those sites for saying something negative about a product.

 

[buddy119911]

On the other hand, it's the Sherman tank analogy I made before. In close quarters, for example, our DMV uses the 5R and not their StarCom mostly, 10 5Rs will outperform any three or four real radios by simply providing a much bigger system with expendable radios. I should state that I'm a commercial user. I know commercial is not the focus of this forum, sorry.