Baofeng Wish counterfeit Baofeng HT

[Fixitt]

Saw a Baofeng UV-S9 Plus on Wish for $33.00 plus $12.00 shipping. Interested enough to bite. Was sent a Baofeng BF-S9 Plus, which neither Baofeng nor Btech make. Griped to Wish about not getting what I ordered, so they refunded my purchase price and shipping.
Now I have this knockoff and of course Chirp doesn’t support it. Some info says it is a Radiooddity. Programmed about 20 frequencies manually and it seems just as good of my BF-F8 Plus. Any idea what I should tell Chirp what it is?

 

[RaleighGuy]

@Fixitt you should ask for this to be moved to the Budget and Entry Level Thread, since that is not a scanner, and your question isn't about scanning, you will probably get better answers there. Just click on REPORT in the bottom left corner of your post and ask them to move it. Please don't post a new message as double posting is discouraged.

Budget and Entry Level Transceivers

For discussion of budget or entry level radios such as Baofeng, Wouxun, Puxing and other radio communications designated as commercial but not targeted for Amateur or GMRS. Also included are MURS and ISM 900MHz designed radios.

forums.radioreference.com

 

[jaspence]

I had a similar situation a few years ago with an Icom 2 meter HT. I was able to get a refund through PayPal, but the radio was so bad I never attempted to use it

 

[AB5ID]

Counterfeit Baofeng feels like an oxymoron...

 

[prcguy]

Its like someone copying a turd. Why would you do that?

Counterfeit Baofeng feels like an oxymoron...

 

[MStep]

I see the Baofeng UV-5R floating around for 25 or 30 bucks. I gave a few of them to my fire buff friends for Xmas and everybody was VERY happy.

 

[KK4JUG]

It was bound to happen. Quality notwithstanding, they're selling like counterfeit KISS t-shirts at a monster truck rally. Now, someone else is trying to cash in.

 

[12dbsinad]

I would just use it as a little flashlight next to my nightstand since the price was right

 

[mmckenna]

"counterfeit Baofeng"

They gotta be pretty hard-up to counterfeit one of those.

 

[dwhit29689]

Pal of mine purchased a five pak of UV5R's and distributed them to friends. Four of us are now licensed and have graduated to mainstream manufacturers. It's a good "starter" radio to test for interest. I've Yaesu's, an Alinco and an Anytone. I'm waiting for a likely candidate to gift the UV5R to. Seems the $25 Baofeng is worth many hundreds to the mainstream manufacturers.

 

[chrismol1]

How bad can a counterfeit baofeng be? How does one tell the difference, you probably can't!!!!

 

[Cognomen]

How bad can a counterfeit baofeng be?

The counterfeit uses lower-quality components that don't meet Baofeng's high standards.

 

[KI5EDJ]

I started with Baofeng also. I still have a pile of them but have purchased some AnyTone and MotoTRBO stuff as well as a couple high end handheld scanners.
Ya gotta start somewhere. $35 for a UV-5R or $450 for an XPR3500e. If you're not sure you wanna pursue the hobby, which one makes more sense?

 

[dwhit29689]

I think BIG RADIO should set-up a fund to compensate Baofeng for increasing BIG RADIO sales to new operators. The $25 UV5R gifted me in 2000 prodded me to get a license and purchase four Yaesu's, an Alinco and two Connect Systems radios for around $2800, four Comet antennas, a RigExpert, Daiwa meter, ZUMspot, ABR LMR400 FLEX, HF vertical sticks and a handful of connectors at $2000 all spent in two years.. Purely from a bidness standpoint BIG RADIO owes Baofeng 10 percent of approx. $5000...from a $25 investment. The expenses continue. A new friend of mine here I prodded to graduate from the UV5R to a D878, Raspberry Pi setup and an Icom 7300 with three antennas. His expenses continue. So. how 'bout it? All this new equipment began from a spurious freq spewing $25 hunk of junk to thousands of dollars in new investments in quality equipment. Baofeng should sue.

 

[Fixitt]

increasing BIG RADIO sales to new operators

I agree. Was bit by the scanning bug back in high school in the 70s and listened with a Bearcat 800XLT. Got married, now retired and got bit again.

A Baofeng BF-F8HP allowed me to get my toes wet and check out what has changed in 40 years.
Then came a used Radio Shack Pro2096, and yesterday I received my Home Patrol Ii.

So Baofeng allowed me to check out scanning for $25 to get my toes wet, which led to a sale for Uniden.

 

[Sparky_ND]

Why buy from Wish, when they're $25 on amazon........

 

[WRQS621]

Nothing wrong with a Baofeng. A $25 rechargeable radio that picks up FM, 2m, 70cm, WX, Fire/EMS/Police VHF isnt a bad radio at all. I would say it is a bargain. And yes it scans, scans very well.

 

[techman210]

Scans like a 90 year old with arthritis runs in a 10K 😀

 

[KK4JUG]

To say I'm not a fan of Beofeng would be an understatement but you know what? It might be an ideal scanner for some of those small, usually rural, areas where the sheriff's office has only 4 or 5 deputies and is still using Motrac radios on VHF. The volunteer fire department might even have the same kind of setup. It wouldn't have to scan fast because their wouldn't be much to listen to..

 

[techman210]

If Motrac radios are still being used, they are far beyond the narrowband mandate date, I would think there are no radio shops or shop technicians that have the capability to support them.

Since those radios use tubes, few transistors and no integrated circuits.