Which BaoFeng is legit?

[N4GIX]

He has a defective radio. He should have returned it for an exchange.

 

[MrGClips]

Just watched a video where a credible looking HAM operator tested the BF-8HP to see if it indeed puts out 8 watts on the high power setting, did not look good.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFMxGKb_lk8

Anybody confirmed with theirs if this is so?

There is no update about that radio, even though the guy in the video said he would make one. Pretty sure he's got a bad unit. Happens, even to a good little Bao apparently!

By the way, I just checked their website and most of their radios are listed as "Out of Stock", though when I got mine, all were available. I guess the word gets around and people are picking up these little wonders by large numbers. Amazon is the same, both Bao sellers are running out of units, so if anyone wants one, better order till they last!

.... and then come the haters ...

 

[KE0GXN]

There is no update about that radio, even though the guy in the video said he would make one. Pretty sure he's got a bad unit. Happens, even to a good little Bao apparently!

By the way, I just checked their website and most of their radios are listed as "Out of Stock", though when I got mine, all were available. I guess the word gets around and people are picking up these little wonders by large numbers. Amazon is the same, both Bao sellers are running out of units, so if anyone wants one, better order till they last!

.... and then come the haters ...

Yeah, I noticed that too, no update. Just was curious if any operators on here had done their own tests and were willing to share.

The price on these chicoms are a great selling point, especially to a newbie like me who does not want to drop a bunch of coin just starting out, but with that inexpensiveness; I noticed comes the risk of getting a lemon. I am sure the big boy brands crank out a lemon or two on the market once and a blue moon, but with the Baos it just seems the chances are a lot higher. Either way the BF-8HP is still on my radar along with some others.

At the end of the day, its the chance you take for the price I guess.....

 

[MrGClips]

Yeah, I noticed that too, no update. Just was curious if any operators on here had done their own tests and were willing to share.

The price on these chicoms are a great selling point, especially to a newbie like me who does not want to drop a bunch of coin just starting out, but with that inexpensiveness; I noticed comes the risk of getting a lemon. I am sure the big boy brands crank out a lemon or two on the market once and a blue moon, but with the Baos it just seems the chances are a lot higher. Either way the BF-8HP is still on my radar along with some others.

At the end of the day, its the chance you take for the price I guess.....

In the case of mass-produced small electronics, there is always a chance of defect, which is why we have return options when buying from reputable dealers. That's just the way it is with ALL brands, big and small.

 

[Voyager]

Several potential issues:

1. MFJ power meter. Hardly a standard, and hardly quality.

2. What is his voltage? I know the battery shows full, but is it fully charged?

3. SWR. I notice it varies. Why? It should not vary going into the same load.

Speaking of load, it is likely not a dummy load, as he was ID'ing and the SWR would be much better. Maybe the Baofeng is shutting down on reflected power.

I've seen antennas that act very strange on some radios - including Motorola radios. Maybe his Kenwood is less sensitive to SWR than the Baofeng.

Or maybe there is an issue with the radio on high power...

Too many variables to say good or bad.

 

[KE0GXN]

In the case of mass-produced small electronics, there is always a chance of defect, which is why we have return options when buying from reputable dealers. That's just the way it is with ALL brands, big and small.

I hear ya man...just got to cross my fingers when I decide to click that mouse I guess.

 

[KE0GXN]

Several potential issues:

1. MFJ power meter. Hardly a standard, and hardly quality.

2. What is his voltage? I know the battery shows full, but is it fully charged?

3. SWR. I notice it varies. Why? It should not vary going into the same load.

Speaking of load, it is likely not a dummy load, as he was ID'ing and the SWR would be much better. Maybe the Baofeng is shutting down on reflected power.

I've seen antennas that act very strange on some radios - including Motorola radios. Maybe his Kenwood is less sensitive to SWR than the Baofeng.

Or maybe there is an issue with the radio on high power...

Too many variables to say good or bad.

Good points for sure, dude just "seemed" creditable and knowledgeable based on his video history...

For a new guy like me just getting my feet wet on this side of the house....the internet is all I have to research with.

For what its worth the radio has good reviews on eham and some other places. Just thought I would throw some info out there and see if any of the Bao owners on here had done any testing of the 8 watt output on theirs.

 

[nd5y]

dude just "seemed" creditable and knowledgeable based on his video history...

You must have missed his video where he didn't know that the rear jack on one of the new dual band mobiles was for programming and not an external speaker.

....the internet is all I have to research with.

From what little I have seen the vast majority of YouTube videos about ham radio are full of bad technical advice and BS and were made by clueless newbies, preppers that don't know anything about radio, or morons. If all you know is what you learn from YouTube and internet forums then it's just the blind leading the blind and you will remain ignorant.

For what its worth the radio has good reviews on eham

eHam roduct reviews are only good if the reviewer has a clue. A lot of them don't.

 

[KE0GXN]

You must have missed his video where he didn't know that the rear jack on one of the new dual band mobiles was for programming and not an external speaker.


From what little I have seen the vast majority of YouTube videos about ham radio are full of bad technical advice and BS and were made by clueless newbies, preppers that don't know anything about radio, or morons. If all you know is what you learn from YouTube and internet forums then it's just the blind leading the blind and you will remain ignorant.

eHam roduct reviews are only good if the reviewer has a clue. A lot of them don't.

Well, let me start out by apologizing for my ignorance....

Considering I just decided I wanted to try amateur radio a couple of weeks ago, will be taking my exam next week, have yet to receive a response from my VE who I e-mailed a few days ago to confirm the exam date, therefore having not yet made a single in person HAM contact yet in my area and trying to figure out on my own what my first HT should be.....I thought I was doing okay by researching as much as I could on the internet, including asking for help on here.....

With that said, do you have any videos uploaded anywhere or any self-authored reviews I could read that could help me out since I obviously have gone to the wrong people and resources?

 

[billy1962]

I bet if you sent an identical technical question email to both companies - neither would be able to answer. They are both probably not competent

If someone does reply with a correct answer - that is probably your answer; that being said both are listed as vendors from the manufacturer: "http://www.baofengradio.com/en/shownews.asp?id=28"

On another note - both claim US warranty but only one of them has a form to claim warranty support: "https://baofengtech.com/product-repair"

 

[nd5y]

Statebear, I wasn't picking on you in particular or calling you ignorant. What I posted was intended to be a statement in genreral about reading or watching garbage on the internet and thinking you are learning something factual or useful.

There are a lot of Baofeng fanboys that buy one as their first radio, have absolutely no experience with any other radios, and then get on the internet and say how great they are. Aside from the price they aren't that great.

I have a UV-5R, UV-82 and Wouxun KG-UV2D. The Wouxun is better because it isn't based on a cheap SDR transceiver chip. The Baofengs work OK for talking to my EchoLink node radio 10 feet across the room but the receiver sucks when trying to receive weak signals or when moving. Putting a better antenna on them causes the receiver to shut down for everything but strong nearby signals. The Wouxun with the same antenna can hear weak signals from over 50 miles away. Other people don't seem to have the same problem. It could be due to nearby TV or FM stations.

There have been some posts recently on here on RR about Baofeng's poor quality control and the ARRL's article about many radios they tested not meeting FCC spectral purity standards.

I haven't taken an amateur exam since 1987 and haven't been a VE since about 1992. I don't keep up with training material, especially what is on the internet. I don't know of any license study videos. There may be good ones out there but since I don't actively look for stuff like that I don't know. These guys have some good videos but it might not be exactly what you are looking for AmateurLogic's Ham College.

I would say if you want to study for the technician class license then buy a study guide from ARRL, Gordon West or W5YI. There may be others but those are the only ones I have any experience with.

 

[KE0GXN]

nd5y, I currently have and read Gordon's current Technician Exam book once already, I am on the second reading of it now. I have been taking and regularly passing practice exams for the last week. My goal is to ace my exam, but of course I will be happy with just passing. Scoring 90% or better on all my practice exams so far. I tend to get tripped up with the math and other technical questions, but I am trying my best by using HamStudy.com for exams and reading Gordon's book again.

I truly want to understand and learn this hobby to the best of my abilities, but being new, not being licensed and having no radio yet, I am trying my best to get some due diligence done. I appreciate your last comments, as I have received nothing but positive support on here in every regard!

Hopefully my VE will answer my e-mail soon, if not I plan on calling his listed phone number per the ARRL's website, if that doesn't work, as much as Gordon advised against it, I guess I will just be a walk-in and hope for the best.....

I know in the end its a crap shoot with these chicom radios, but given my just starting out status and not wanting to sink a bunch of money on the unknown in regards to my long term interest in this hobby, I have decided, my best bet is to start out small and if everything works out, go bigger in the future once I am established and have determined how far and in what direction I want to take this new found hobby.

Would love to be able to drop $300-400 dollars out of the gate and have a quality long lasting HT along with all the needed accessories, but I just can't justify it right now with all the unknowns. Although, I will not "strictly" rule out spending some coin for a good first HT if need be once all my due diligence is done and hopefully after finding a local Elmer or two and getting their advice.

Anyway, thank you for the feedback and advice. I will try my best to put it to good use.

 

[KE0GXN]

I bet if you sent an identical technical question email to both companies - neither would be able to answer. They are both probably not competent

If someone does reply with a correct answer - that is probably your answer; that being said both are listed as vendors from the manufacturer: "http://www.baofengradio.com/en/shownews.asp?id=28"

On another note - both claim US warranty but only one of them has a form to claim warranty support: "https://baofengtech.com/product-repair"

Yeah, I already sent one to BaoFeng Tech and got a "non-committal" type answer on if they would warranty repair a returned radio stateside, instead of having to ship it to China.

My one inquiry to BaoFeng US has gone unanswered so far.....

 

[MrGClips]

Don't feel bad about being a newbie! As a fellow "noob", I actually enjoy it because I learn everything from scratch and get more and more info with every reading, watching clips, demos, tutorials, reviews and such. Most of these guys here really know their stuff, sometimes I haven't a clue what they're talking about, but it's worth listening to them. You'll see that in no time you'll be giving out advice to others who get interested in the hobby!

I think you should go with your first gut-instinct and buy a simple inexpensive radio. If you read the forum here and elsewhere, you will realize that lots of hams are quite happy with their inexpensive radios such as the Bao, in fact, some wrote about regretting spending huge sums on "name" brands because these cheap radios worked for him just as good!

In regards to the exam: I didn't buy anything, only used the free online study guides, which I've read many times front to back, researched the different terms and components online to understand exactly what they are, how they work and what they do, watched tutorials that helped me visualize things, practiced the online flash-cards and finally took a couple of test exams. All these so far seem to be paying off nicely. So, if you want to ace your exam, then just re-read the study guide or book if you have a printed copy, then do it again, then repeat the flash-cards and exams again and again, to make your exam easier.

About registration: If they indicate "Walk-ins allowed." then there is nothing to worry about. If you already registered for the exam, no need to worry, they received your info. I've registered too, but never received any confirmation other than the form itself indicated the mail was sent. So just walk in and do your thing.

Like others told me, you'll learn later, first just focus on passing the exam and getting your license. You still have time, so just study and study more, even if you're confident already, till all the answers come by themselves. By now the material should be a familiar reading.

Focus on the finish line! It's only a week away and you'll be a ham, you'll see!

 

[Voyager]

Without noobs, the hobby would not grow.

BTW, MFJ in the eyes of many stands for "Mighty Fine Junk" based on the fact they copy the designs of others then sell those products. Also, many products they sell need to have the solder joints soldered or cold solder joints fixed or screws tightened.

If people have issues with companies such as Uniden, they obviously haven't dealt with MFJ.

BTW, yes, I have a few MFJ products.

 

[KE0GXN]

Don't feel bad about being a newbie! As a fellow "noob", I actually enjoy it because I learn everything from scratch and get more and more info with every reading, watching clips, demos, tutorials, reviews and such. Most of these guys here really know their stuff, sometimes I haven't a clue what they're talking about, but it's worth listening to them. You'll see that in no time you'll be giving out advice to others who get interested in the hobby!

I think you should go with your first gut-instinct and buy a simple inexpensive radio. If you read the forum here and elsewhere, you will realize that lots of hams are quite happy with their inexpensive radios such as the Bao, in fact, some wrote about regretting spending huge sums on "name" brands because these cheap radios worked for him just as good!

In regards to the exam: I didn't buy anything, only used the free online study guides, which I've read many times front to back, researched the different terms and components online to understand exactly what they are, how they work and what they do, watched tutorials that helped me visualize things, practiced the online flash-cards and finally took a couple of test exams. All these so far seem to be paying off nicely. So, if you want to ace your exam, then just re-read the study guide or book if you have a printed copy, then do it again, then repeat the flash-cards and exams again and again, to make your exam easier.

About registration: If they indicate "Walk-ins allowed." then there is nothing to worry about. If you already registered for the exam, no need to worry, they received your info. I've registered too, but never received any confirmation other than the form itself indicated the mail was sent. So just walk in and do your thing.

Like others told me, you'll learn later, first just focus on passing the exam and getting your license. You still have time, so just study and study more, even if you're confident already, till all the answers come by themselves. By now the material should be a familiar reading.

Focus on the finish line! It's only a week away and you'll be a ham, you'll see!

Thanks!

 

[KE0GXN]

*edit*

Meant to refer to www.hamstudy.org in my previous post.

 

[Lawman51]

I can help a little here, when I was researching the radio after I got my ticket in July it appears that Baofengtech US is currently the US distributor. The home company in China wanted to push out some higher priced models with more features, etc...and that is when Anytonetech got involved. From the company website in China, once you get the damn translator to work properly, states that they will be using Anytonetech as their new US distributor. Now everything should be as clear as mud...lol

I do currently own a F9V2+ Tripower model and have been using it since my Lic was published the end of July this year. I have had no issues, it is working like a champ and found the battery it comes with will last 4 days on receive only with moderate traffic in my area. I also have the 3800mAh battery and that will last for 3 days with transmitting on 5 watts to check in for nets in the area, etc. Still getting the rust knocked off and setting up the shack, so it keeps me interested while I get the rest of the gear to actually do something beyond my own community with.

 

[billy1962]

I am certain they are both genuine distributors, and both companies appear to have some dirt in this forum: http://forums.radioreference.com/bu...312150-baofengradio-us-where-us-deceives.html - in reference to baofengradio.us

As mentioned before send an email to test their so called service that they both claim to have.

 

[KE0GXN]

I can help a little here, when I was researching the radio after I got my ticket in July it appears that Baofengtech US is currently the US distributor. The home company in China wanted to push out some higher priced models with more features, etc...and that is when Anytonetech got involved. From the company website in China, once you get the damn translator to work properly, states that they will be using Anytonetech as their new US distributor. Now everything should be as clear as mud...lol

I do currently own a F9V2+ Tripower model and have been using it since my Lic was published the end of July this year. I have had no issues, it is working like a champ and found the battery it comes with will last 4 days on receive only with moderate traffic in my area. I also have the 3800mAh battery and that will last for 3 days with transmitting on 5 watts to check in for nets in the area, etc. Still getting the rust knocked off and setting up the shack, so it keeps me interested while I get the rest of the gear to actually do something beyond my own community with.

Cool! Thanks for chiming in.....I will be testing this week, hoping to do well and get my ticket.

If I go the HT BaoFeng route it will be the BF-8HP from Tech.

US seems sold out of almost everything it appears...don't know what is going on over there, but you would think with the holidays approaching they would have re-stocked by now.

Almost seems like they are closing out or something and maybe Tech will be the only US distributer soon?

Congrats on getting your ticket, hope to join you soon.