Some thoughts on the Baofeng UV-5R and UV-82 style radios
Baofeng has become a by-word for quality budget radios over the last three or four years with millions of piece being sold across the world. When compared to the market leaders like Kenwood they offer a very cheap and easy way into amateur radio.
As I currently own two of each variety and use them on a daily basis I now have a fair idea of what's good and what's crap about the 5R and 82.
Perhaps the title of this post was a little misleading as it may suggest that I'm comparing every single Baofeng model on the market. Not true. I don't own any of the 888 style radios or any without an LCD screen for that matter.
Instead a comparison between the two most popular models to which all the others are based on anyway?!
All these Baofengs are the same?
Baofeng don't break with tradition very often it would seem. The likes of the GT-3 and GT-5 are basically UV-5R's and UV-82's underneath with a little restyling here and there to set them apart. The menu system and functionality stay the same across the range (mostly) making one hand set virtually identical to use from any other.
This uniform and some would say lazy approach means it's easy to pick up a new model and use it straight away. - unless you haven't used a Baofeng before! lol
So without further ado here are my thoughts on both of these great value radios.
The Ubiquitous Baofeng UV-5R ( plus all variants)
UV-5RTP - This version of the 5R has 8W of power! It looks exactly like the original 5R with only a slight change to the wording on the nameplate. Definitely a wolf in sheep's clothing.
Compared to the standard 4W power output of Baofeng radios this high power 8W beast can carry that signal much further. In terms of power output and transmitting in general I don't have a problem with the 5RTP. I do have a problem with the deafness of this radio when recieving. It just doesn't pull in signals like the enhanced UV-5RE and later models. Side by side the recieve performance of this radio is shite.
UV-5RE - I really like this radio for a couple of reasons. Firstly this was the enhanced version of the 5R which not only had a new silver front plate on the radio but also shipped with the improved A-V85 stock antenna (which came from the UV-82).
The second reason was the newer 5R firmware inside. Now sporting the 297 build the signal meter now worked and scanning channels seemed quicker?
And the Baofeng UV-82
This radio was originally billed as being a complete redesign of the 5R from the ground up and I suppose it is. This Radio features a larger commercial size form factor with a 1W speaker providing a more fuller and richer sound than the smaller 0.7W speaker found on the 5R. The advantage of a dual PTT button will win the vote with some people. Transmit and recieve performance is better than the 5R. This could be due to the upgraded chipset inside.
Despite looking different the functionality is the same on both radios with only a few small differences to tell them apart. The Band and VFO/MR button are present on the 5R but not on the 82. The lack of a band button is not a big deal as the radio will switch between them automatically thus making a button redundant. Loosing the VFO or frequency mode button is more of a problem on the 82. To program a frequency into the handset (without the software) involves a convoluted series of procedures on the 82 which can be a little annoying but not a deal breaker by any means.
Overall I like both radios but the UV-82 is a more grown up looking handy with decent performance. Generally this model tends to be a few pounds more expensive but the savvy ebay surfers could get one for as little as £20 (like I did!) Which is cheaper than a 5R in most cases.
I would recommend both radios but the 82 has become my firm favourite.