Video I made of setting a Baofeng UV-5R on fire

[K5CLC]

Over the past weekend I did some rather extreme testing on one of the Chinese made Baofeng UV-5R dual-band HT's and asked permission from radioreference support to post the link here. Love them or hate them the Baofeng took a lot of punishment and kept on ticking. Definitely a cheap HT, but definitely worth having in any bug-out bag in my opinion. Hope you enjoy the little video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZCDBsBuhmg

Thanks & 73
K5CLC

 

[khaytsus]

Saw on Reddit. Quite the hate in the thread, but the results of the video is simply amazing.

 

[AC2OY]

Wow you can't kill that thing.

 

[K4EET]

Interesting! They should get a MIL-SPEC rating for that "non-toy" of a radio... 73 Dave K4EET

 

[lorentedford]

Well honestly I have been known to break alot of radios in my past so far still using the Boefeng UV 5R however i have fried two antennas so far.. I hope this radios holds up to what your did in that video if so I think it will be one of the last radios i will have to buy.

 

[MrGClips]

WOW! Took a lot of abuse for sure! Who says cheap can't be good? :-O

Wonder how would the much more expensive leading brands stand up to this torture?

(I don't suggest you destroy thousands worth of top quality equipment, of course.)

 

[prcguy]

Sure, lets destroy some big ticket radios and see how they do!
prcguy

WOW! Took a lot of abuse for sure! Who says cheap can't be good? :-O

Wonder how would the much more expensive leading brands stand up to this torture?

(I don't suggest you destroy thousands worth of top quality equipment, of course.)

 

[WQPW689]

Heh.

I just dug mine out of the drawer where's it's been for 6 months to turn it on and give it a little love.

Great video.

 

[reconrider8]

Wow that's awesome once I get my ticket I will get one of these

 

[nd5y]

I'm not impressed. It was only the case that burned. Try burning the pcb inside and see if it still works.

 

[R8000]

What's a "bug out kit" ? Is that like a tin foil anti government/zombie thing ?

I have a UV-5R. It's pathetic.

The power supply for the desk charger died after 6 months. How those things are safe...I don't know. There isn't much between lethal household voltage and the supposed low voltage to operate the charger. These cheap China power supplies have been torn apart on YouTube by respectable electrical engineers and they all have the same result..unsafe. Cheap/fake cell phone chargers are awful at this. There is literally one surface mount capacitor between lethal 120 VAC and the USB 5 VDC output. When it shorts...you die. The UV-5R charger isn't much different. Ever wonder why your UV-5R charger is so light in weight ? There isn't much inside it. If you have one of these, I would at least toss the AC adapter and use a higher quality DC supply for the charging base for safety sake.

The battery guide clip on the bottom broke off the first time I slid the thing on. Nice.

The receiver is awful. Sure, it's sensitive but no selectivity at all. None. I had no idea the UHF commercial paging transmitter was still on the air in my town until I turned the UV-5R on. It hears everything....at the same time, all the time.

The transmitter grows grass...a lot of it. If you never worked around RF, you won't know what that means. But it's a bad term. It transmits on ALL the repeaters....at the same time.

The firmware is clunky at best. It must have been developed by a child. The menu layout is pathetic.

This is the experience I have had owning a UV-5R. Mine was a gift from a friend of mine who is not a ham and had good intentions. I didn't actually spend any money on the thing...and won't

Sorry, it's just a toy. If Fisher-Price built one, it'd be better then a Baofeng !

 

[K4EET]

I'm not impressed. It was only the case that burned. Try burning the pcb inside and see if it still works.

I would venture to say if you did that to a Kenwood, Icom, Yaesu, etc. (with the exception of a Motorola), that the radio would not fare as well. What I would do is send that video to the manufacturer and see if they would buy the rights to use it as a commercial. LOL!

 

[MrGClips]

$26 ONLY!!!

I just checked it on Amazon, where THIS fully operational Dual-Band HAM radio is for only $26?
http://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-Dual-Radio-Black/dp/B007H4VT7A

Now, that is VERY impressive, especially for all of its features and durability! All the "big-brands" can eat their hearts out with their super-expensive stuff! This is one heck of a tough little radio for sure! WOW!

 

[K4EET]

I just checked it on Amazon, where THIS fully operational Dual-Band HAM radio is for only $26?

Yes, it's always been a low price like that. Friends of mine that have one have always said to also purchase the higher gain antenna and the computer programming cable. Other than that, you can call this radio a "throw-away" model and just buy a new one IF it ever does die. I think I'll have to go order me one since it is sooooooo popular. 73, Dave K4EET

 

[K4EET]

Model Number Comparison Chart

Here is a nice and concise comparison chart of the different model numbers:

https://baofengtech.com/pdf/CompareChart.pdf

73, Dave K4EET

 

[KC4RAF]

I ordered one this past Thursday.

Glad to see the video show how much abuse it will take! I know a lot of hams call them toys, el cheapo, pieces of crap, etc., but what THOSE hams just don't get in their heads is some people, like me, whose retired and on a limited budget can not afford those Icoms, Motorolas, etc.
Yes I'm a licensed ham, just don't flash my call sign around.
But thanks again for a great video on the Baofeng transceiver.

 

[K4EET]

I ordered one this past Thursday.

Do you recall which specific model that you ordered? The BaoFeng UV-5R comes in several variations such as the UV-5RA/X, UV-5RC/X, UV-5RE, UV-5RE Plus, UV-5R+, UV-5R V2+, etc. I have yet to figure out the differences but they are all priced in the same general ballpark. 73, Dave K4EET

 

[MrGClips]

Here is a nice and concise comparison chart of the different model numbers:

https://baofengtech.com/pdf/CompareChart.pdf

73, Dave K4EET

Thanks for the link!

The new 8 watt BF-F9 V2+ that I have, is missing from that chart, so I guess they have not yet upgraded it to include their latest and best one.

BF-F9 V2+ LINK: BAOFENG Tri-Power Radios

Unfortunately the firmware is NOT upgradeable and it's a bit more pricey. For accessories, I got the programming cable, the AA-battery adapter, the battery replacement car-adapter, a microphone and 3 antennas for it (separately), but even with all the extras it was still a bargain. I think these radios are great inexpensive alternatives for newbies and people on a hobby budget.

They may not compete with the big-dogs in quality, performance and services, but surely won't break the bank either!

 

[K4EET]

Thanks for the link! <snip> They may not compete with the big-dogs in quality, performance and services, but surely won't break the bank either!

You are welcome! As for the second part of your quote above, I think BaoFeng is giving the big-dogs something to think about. Just think how many sales that they are losing to the BaoFeng lineup and as the video shows, those radios can take a beating... 73, Dave K4EET

 

[SCPD]

Having one as a shelf collector with other equipment I'd say for the low cost aspect it held up in your video. Usually anymore something cheap is throw away after a medium damage scenerio. As for "bug out" gear anyone using radios would just find themselves found sooner. I don't care if you have aes or in clear. You'll find yourself discovered sooner. That bug out scenerio is for those with issues and zombie tv dreams.