Building The Net

More About Baofeng HTs.

I wanted to write up some info on inexpensive Chinese HTs to go with my New Ham’s Guide to Your First Radio post. I am planning a video on HTs in the coming weeks, so look for it soon!

Baofeng has many HTs to choose from. However, there is really only two styles that meet the needs of Ham Radio.

UV-5R Family

UV-5R: This version is the most common Chinese HT used by Hams.
Dual Band 2M/70CM transceiver.
Two power settings (1W/4W).
Dedicated VFO/MR (VFO/Memory) switch for quick frequency changes.
Dual frequency/channel selection.
Dedicated A/B channel selection key.
Dual frequency/channel monitoring.
Built in flashlight.

BF-F8+: Looks just like the UV-5R. All the same features as the UV-5R, and can use all the UV-5R battery packs and accessories. But that’s where the similarity ends… They upgraded all the internal parts to the latest design factors, toss a new better antenna design on it, and up’d the max output power to 5W. Great little radio.

BF-F8HP: Same as the BF-F+ but add tri-power for a max of 8W.

There are additional color and power variations on all these models using slightly different part numbers. Beware of knock offs as there are many forged Chinese radios out there.

Pros: Low price range from $25 to $60 dollars based on power and model.
Radios hold up reasonably well under field-use conditions.
Many accessories are available.
All accessories for the UV-5R family are interchangeable.

Cons: Earphones provided with radio are poorly constructed and failed soon after use.

Accessory Pack Cost to Include:

• 2 x 3800mA Extended Battery Pack
• Mic/speaker Assembly
• Programming Cable
• Car Adapter
• AA battery holder pack
• Car Charger for 3800mA Battery

Total Plus Radio: $80

UV-82

UV-82: This radio was built for the american commercial market. It is one of the few Chinese radios that you can purchase that actually has a Part 90 sticker on it (UV-82C only). It was marketed as having better internals than the UV-5R which was probably true at the time. It also had a 5W output as compared to the original UV-5R that only had 4W max.

UV-82C: Commercial version sporting the Part 90 Sticker.
Firmware allows you to totally lock-down the front controls in software.
Allows disable of Dual PTT.

UV-82HP: 8W Tri-Power version. Same battery, so you probably want to stay at 5W most of the time.

Pros: Well-built and feels good in your hand.
When first launched, internals and antenna design were much better other Chinese offerings including the UV-5R. May not be the case now with the release of the BF-F8+.
Has Dual PTT.
Low radio price of $30 to $80 depending on model.

Cons: Not easy to change between VFO/MR modes.
Dual PTT can be confusing.

Accessory Pack Cost to Include:

• 2 x Battery Pack
• Mic/speaker Assembly
• Programming Cable
• Car Adapter
• AAA battery holder pack
• Car Charger

Total Plus Radio: $80

As always, your own mileage may vary. I own or have owned all of these radios. I also own a couple Japanese HTs but find one of these on my belt more often then not. This is because they work well, and if I drop one of these and it shatters into hundreds of pieces, I won’t be heart broken!

— Stu – AG6AG