Fantastic Comms at a bargain price!
Looks like a child's toy but packs a heavy punch!
No this handset is not strictly a Walkie-Talkie as such but a powerful dual band amateur ham radio.....which is also capable of operating on the UK PMR446 channels. (The standard Walkie-Talkie frequencies) which is why an awful amount of people went out and snapped these up. The amazing price of these things makes them almost disposable. This Allows those with a passing casual interest the opportunity to buy affordable rather than be put off by the price of much more expensive rivals. This particular model is not the cheapest, indeed other UV-5R models can be bought for just under £20.
So let's have a look at what's on offer...
Vendor: Amazon
Price: £22.99 + free postage
Description: Baofeng UV-5RE Dual band ham radio. 136-174MHz VHF/ 400-520MHz UHF + FM commercial stations
What's in the Box?: Handset, High gain Antenna, Belt clip, 7.4V battery, lanyard, Ear piece mic, charger and instructions.
Features:
VHF 136-174Mhz and UHF 400-520Mhz dual band
127 Memory channels
Emergency alarm
LED Torch
FM radio (commercial I.e: BBC radio 1)
A-V85 High gain Antenna
Dual scan/ Dual watch feature
Switchable 1W/4W power output (low/high)
Long life li-ion 1800mAh battery
3 colour back light display options.
First Impressions
Opening the box we find a charger, wrist strap, battery, antenna and of course the handset. The Antenna on this particular model is the newer, more improved A-V85 which is used on other sets. These have been proven to be quite effective and not as bad as the original 5R stock antenna. This could be very interesting.
Everything in this package seems well presented. Its very easy to forget you paid £23 for this. One small niggle would have to be the lame instruction pamphlet. It's crap! So dont' waste your time trying to second guess the cryptic statements. Instead, type in to YouTube and get step by step instructions there. Many people have said that these radios are difficult to program but in truth they are not.
The handset is small but well made. The plastic used in its construction is not the usual cheap thin crap you might expect. On the contrary, the outer case to this radio is very robust and looks like it could withstand a great deal of abuse. One YouTube owner actually tested these units to destruction (see video) It's unbelievable!
Baofeng UV-5R Extreme Testing
Although not waterproof, this unit could easily take a few splashes of rain without causing alarm. The rubber keypad is well designed and has as back light making low light or night use easy.
Using it
Switching the unit on and we hear an American lady announcing which mode the radio is in. This voice prompt feature appears on most of the Cheap Baofeng radios and adds a nice touch to menu navigation and settings. Combine this with a pastel purple display backlight this feels welcoming and flashy.
The first frequencies to be entered were the eight standard Walkie-Talkie PMR channels. These were the easiest to remember after spending a lot of time with Binatone style twin sets. Later after a few minutes searching online the 2m VHF and 70cm UHF frequencies were found and punched into the handset. Entering all of the individual channels does take a while to complete. Alternatively you could purchase the PC link cable and program your device quickly from your computer.
After pressing the scan button and finding a transmission, the purple standby screen turns to a vibrant blue to indicate recieve which is a nice touch. The sound quality through the speaker isn't the best and isn't the loudest but it's fine and works well. The UV-5R seems quite sensitive when combined with the new antenna. Reaching a repeater station 15-20 miles away isn't difficult at all. When testing the reception capabilities compared to the Binatone action 1100's the Baofeng radio ran rings around them. Picking up signals when the Binatone sets stayed silent.
When you transmit, the little square LED indicator on the front turns to red and the screen takes on an amber hue. This can be useful at night as this amber colour offers just enough light to see the display without lighting your whole face up. The audio transmitted seems OK generally.
After using this radio daily for the past three weeks I have come to appreciate its features and ignore it's little quirks. It's easy to forget this units limitations when you remember how little you paid for it. This unit can serve the amateur operator and social PMR user equally and with great results. In terms of being used as a scanner then it's not so good. Slow scanning and limitations to what you can or cannot scan is obvious but for £20 it's fine. Don't expect it to perform miracles.
Punch in a few local repeaters, shop watch security or taxi firms and you get added value to this two way radio. If you are waiting for your mate to call in on PMR, listen to something else in the mean time. It works surprisingly well.
Don't hesitate in buying one if you have an interest in cheap gadgets. For £20 these are easily this year's best buy so far.
Rating: ✅✅✅✅✅ 5 out of 5
Outstanding value for money for what's on offer. With a wealth of features and styles to choose from this tiny little radio will keep you amused for days!
Accessories for this radio are cheap and numerous with most only costing about a fiver. You just can't go wrong!
*Just don't transmit on the amateur bands unless you hold a foundation license, its illegal!!
If you buy one of these radios and find yourself struggling with something then check out the support site and FAQ section.
Official Baofeng support.: http://support.baofengradio.us
