BAOFENG Range radios

Ganderite

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These are excellent radios for the price and work well on the range (and for hunting.

I bought some for running rifles matches and used two sets of them today.

A disaster! Within a half hour I was back to using my old Motorola Handi Talkies.

The Baofeng has 18 buttons on the front. If any of these buttons is touched (as in while putting the radio in your pocket) it will no longer link to its mate. In my case, the frequency got changed.

After the match it was pointed out that there is a lock button on the radio (the # button). Hold this down for a second and the radios says "Locked" and the buttons are now all dead. Even if a radio is turned off and back on - the buttons remain locked. A great feature.

Learn from my experience. Other makes of radios may also have this feature, too.
 
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A lot of the problem is familiarity with the unit. If it was pre-programed, ch names could be assigned to the unit and memory slot. It would provide a visual confirmation to what channel you're on better than looking a frequency numbers. The lock features great but nothing better than getting familiarized with the units function and how each button works would make it less daunting to look at. :) I've purchased over 20 of these units, training people to use the units properly is more daunting than programing the blood thing. The biggest confusion I think with these units are the ch and frequency mode button and the it is two ch that you could broadcast in. VE7 VLD
 
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A lot of the problem is familiarity with the unit. If it was pre-programed, ch names could be assigned to the unit and memory slot. It would provide a visual confirmation to what channel you're on better than looking a frequency numbers. The lock features great but nothing better than getting familiarized with the units function and how each button works would make it less daunting to look at. :) I've purchased over 20 of these units, training people to use the units properly is more daunting than programing the blood thing. The biggest confusion I think with these units are the ch and frequency mode button and the it is two ch that you could broadcast in. VE7 VLD

I am a gun nut - not a radio nut.

As the radio owner, I am interested enough how to select a channel and a matching one for the other radio. When I give it to someone to use, all he wants to know is the volume control and the PTT button - both of which are intuitive.

The lock feature makes the radio almost fool proof for someone not equipped to trouble shoot why it stopped working - which could be either of the pair of radios.
 
Programming is easier than signing up to this fourm

Use CHIRP

https://chirp.danplanet.com/projects/chirp/wiki/Home

Here is my program list all frs, gmrs, murs, weather, marine, etc etc

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/wuxht5kia0qr881/AABQuffSPUyn-EcejF1_WsTca?dl=0

There are some other good things in there

Shawn

Are you a ham? Looks like it might be worth getting the General license.

Jesus... I just did a quick search to price a set of these radios and there are eleventy billion different ones! Can anyone suggest a particular unit?
 
Are you a ham? Looks like it might be worth getting the General license.

Jesus... I just did a quick search to price a set of these radios and there are eleventy billion different ones! Can anyone suggest a particular unit?

No I am not.

Stick the uv5r type ones. More accessories available

Shawn
 
The UV5Rs are amazing for their pricepoint. Friend and I can communicate about 11km apart in a relatively rural setting. Haven't tried any further.
 
I was switching channels just this morning as it rained hard on the butts workers at Mons Range (that’s newly reopened) and without my reading glasses to monitor the channel changes, some chick was talking or counting to me. That’s funny, we squaded up with all males in my relay , WTF: What the Fornication??

:eek:

Maybe my Peltor Tac Sport ear muff circuit boards were compromised from the down pour. This chick kept talking to me..... :evil:

Then after clicking back and forth I realized it was some random Mandarin staffer from the Norinco Plinko factory speaking Engrish and reminding me the channel(s). Hahaha :nest:

I figured it was a Kommunist plot, since I am Cantonese by DNA.... :evil:

All great fun...

Cheers, Barney
 
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