Baofeng BF-888 - The disposable radio pt 2
Baofeng 888s twin pack
Manufacturer: Fujian Nan'an Baofeng Electronic Co Ltd
Model: BF-888s
Country of origin: China
Frequency: 400MHz - 470MHz UHF FM
Power: <5W. - often rated at 1-2W
Battery: 3.7V 1500mAh Li-ion
Price: £8.80 including postage
Type Certified: No
Shipped from: UK
This post serves as a follow up to an earlier post titled " Retevis H-777 - The disposable radio" . I once again return with another bargain radio deal which defies rational belief.
Click HERE for the original H-777 post.
So now a few months on from the first post I find myself staring across a table at a pair of original Baofeng 888s radios.
How did they get there? Well being a sucker for a good deal I just had to make a purchase.
I wasn't actually looking to buy any more ham radio / PMR gear for the time being but the price I found these at made it rude not to.
I wondered how on earth can these guys make an profit?
The usual Baofeng bits and pieces
The seller on eBay who was peddling these radios had a very limited number available so without really thinking about it I pulled the trigger and paid the full £8.80 asking price.
That's TWO radios for £8.80!
If you break that down its £2.95 for each radio plus £2.90 postage. And they are not fakes or clones either!
I honestly thought that I wouldn't get better radio deal than that of the H-777 which only cost a fiver all told but I stand corrected.
Generally speaking the 888s model sells for around £10 each on eBay and quite often are sold in multiples which in itself is good value for money.
Considering the 888s capabilities compared to main stream PMR446 gear for instance, they really do offer great value for money. Who really wants to be paying £60 or £80 for a set of Motorola PMRs or £160 on a Yeasu handset which covers the amateur radio stuff? The 888s will work on both bands quite comfortably.
Although it sounds contradictory, these radios should NOT be used on the regular PMR 446mHz frequencies as it is illegal to do so in UK and probably the EU too. This is because all PMR type approved radios must have a fixed antenna and only pump out half a watt of radiated energy. (0.5W!) These Baofengs are up to x4 more powerful and can have larger antennas fitted allowing them to transmit over a much greater distance.
Technically speaking these Baofengs are only really legal for amateur radio use however for those wanting them for PMR use and are willing to break the law then these cheapo radios offer more power, channels and range than almost all of the commercially sold PMR446 walkie talkies.
Simple stuff but it works!
So is the Baofeng 888s another disposable radio?
Yes, disposable in the sense that once the battery has died for good you might as well chuck the whole lot in the bin and that includes the radio!
What would be the point of trying to buy replacement batteries for these? The complete kits are so cheap!
Even If you did manage to find someone selling spares then it's almost certain you would pay more for a battery on its own than buy a brand new radio kit.
It's seems a little crazy but these are the times we live in!
The 888s can also be described as disposable in the sense that if any accident or mishap should befall it, no one would really care! Just go and buy another one. Very cheap to replace.
You perhaps might not say that about a £200 Kenwood which accidentally slipped out of your hand and into the local lake.
All the same underneath Style over substance?
Admittedly, the Baofeng BF-888 is an old radio now in terms of technology and very little has been done to upgrade the internal hardware since 2011.
When it comes to model updates Baofeng has a habit of only changing the style of the outer casings and tends to leave the electronics alone. This seems to happen across the whole product range and the UV-5R model is a prime example of this.
Despite its design age, the performance of the 888 family of radios is still good and offers great communication over short to medium distances.
CAUTION!
I have to say this but anyone who buys a brand new Baofeng 888s MUST first wipe the channels which come on the radio.
The channels that were stored on the radio at the factory are not suitable to use in the UK and could cause interference to others Including some emergency services. The online sellers should make customers aware of this important aspect at the point of sale but NEVER do for some reason so the responsibility is with the customer in this case. It's illegal in the UK to use these radios as they are straight from the box.
Purchasing a UV-5R programming cable from eBay and download ing the software will sort this problem out.
Verdict
These are the disposable radios for the masses.
A decent pair of UHF transceivers for the price of a pack of cigarettes!
If they happen to break, chuck them away and buy another. Repairing a broken 888 is just not worth it considering the cost of labour and availability of spare parts.
Chucking these into landfill seems crazy and irresponsible from an environmental view point but no one seems to care these days.
Its definitely worth getting a few sets whilst they are at this low price point.