SOURCE: BaoFeng Tech
$62.89 + Shipping

Two things really got me into the idea of amateur radio. The first was February 25, 2015 when “vandals” cut a fiber optic cable in Phoenix severing phone, Internet and credit card and debit services to northern Arizona. The second was my introduction to the BaoFeng UV-5R. The interesting part was the capability of programming the unit. Some further Internet research (After February 25, 2016 of course) revealed that amateur radio was much more advanced than I realized.

As I explained in an earlier article, I chose to go with the BaoFeng UV-82 for my first radio. I received it, programmed it and was listening in before I actually obtained my amateur license. I had to get a little help from BaoFeng Tech technical support, but the minute I received word on my license I was on the air.

I continued to purchase BaoFeng mainly because I am not rich. Not always from BaoFeng Tech. I have tried the UV-5R, BF-F9 V2+ (really a knock-off of the BF-F8HP) and the UV-2501 mobile unit. The UV-2501 makes a great portable emergency unit.

I broke my original UV-82 after about six-months of dropping it on the ground. Not intentionally, mind you. I’m just clumsy sometimes. But it held up pretty good overall.

I was finally able to replace it with a UV-82HP and was pleasantly surprised. Except for the fact that I thought I was buying the camouflage model and accidentally ordered the black. Still looks good.

When I go for new BaoFeng radios, I usually go through BaoFeng Tech because they seem to have the latest. You can go through my previous article to get the particulars of the UV-82HP because it operates exactly the same as the old unit. I even programmed it with CHIRP using my old cable and old UV-82 CHIRP image. I had to add a line, of course, for the new power level. The HP adds 8-watts to the 1- and 4-watts of the older model.

The surprise was when I went to operate it. My local critic, Ted KF7QPG, kept asking if I was on my Yaesu FTM-3200D that I use as a base. He mentioned that I usually sounded muffled, but the audio on this unit was clear. That is with the built-in microphone, not with the Kenwood mike I reviewed. I confirmed that in another QSO with J.D. N6IME. J.D. mentioned that a friend of his recently acquired the tri-band BTECH UV-5X3 ($59.89 + Shipping) and that the audio quality was much better than previous UV-5R style radios.

Another good thing is that the battery from my broken UV-82 fits the HP model, so I had an instant back-up battery. I do not know if the antennas are interchangeable because of the higher wattage. I have to remember to drop a line to BaoFeng Tech and ask.

Almost all of the radios coming through BaoFeng Tech are either tri-band or tri-power. It seems that, also, BaoFeng tech is improving the audio quality of their newer models. You can still find older models through Amazon and other online sources. They are okay if you are really on a budget. If your budget can stand just a little more strain, however, I would recommend that you check the BaoFeng Tech web site for the latest models.

Their tech support department, by the way, responds quickly to emails. I have received a reply in as little as six-hours, but usually within 24-hours you will receive some reply.

I will note that there are better hand held radios that do more. For me, it becomes a choice of loosing a $300 radio or a $70 radio. If you are just interested in making contacts and talking with friends, you really cannot beat the price. Especially if BaoFeng continues to improve.