Hey all,
I noticed a lot of people suggesting the Baofeng UV-5R series radios and they are pretty cheap on Ebay.
Just wondering if anyone here has bought one from China on Ebay and how it went.
I'm trying to avoid a bad seller, so if you have had a good experience buying one, I'd love to know who the seller was.
Thanks
I bought 2, one from loveourgoods and one from radiogearpro. Both came in OK but it took a long time.
I'll mention this as an alternative to ebay: aliexpress.
I've picked up a few on ebay and amazon and they are all pretty much the same coming out of China. 409shop was one dealer I used.
At $39 dollars, the price is impossible to beat. Aliexpress is having a big sale on 11 November 2014. Radios and accessories will be discounted.
When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fail, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle.
-Edmund Burke, 1729 - 1797
I bought one and so far it works fine, although I have not used it much since I am still taking my ham course.
HopeImReady
"The thing about smart mother f*ckers, is that they sometimes sound like crazy mother f*ckers to dumb mother f*ckers." -Abraham .”
So I presume that the reason you choose this radio is it's ability to transmit on a ham frequency? Do these radios also fair better on their claims of distance the signal can travel? I know that when we use the FRS handheld radios as a communications system for security during an outdoor concert I do each year, that they barley pass as functional and the clarity is pathetic. When I'm only 1/4 mile away around the lake, they are useless to communicate with. How far can these radios reach and remain functional in conversing?
With an easy to build DIY outdoor antenna, I have used mine to talk on a 2M repeater about 75km away.
With an easy to build DIY outdoor antenna, I have used mine to talk on a 2M repeater about 75km away.
Now that is useful knowledge, how far and in what type of terrain could 2 handhelds work with only the supplied antennas? and then with the antenna included?
That's a really good question...one that I can't answer as I haven't the time to experiment properly.
What I can say, is that I have no issues listening to the provincial police in town, about 10km away.
But I don't know how much power the cruiser radios are putting out...I have never had the iron to transmit on their frequency to see if they can hear me.
From what I gather as I go through the course, there are more powerful radioes (fully loaded transceivers) that can pick up many more frequencies all over the world, however the tradeoff is that they are not portable, or less portable. Also further comms would be dependent on repeaters being alive & powered. Guess it depends who & to where you want to reach...
HopeImReady
"The thing about smart mother f*ckers, is that they sometimes sound like crazy mother f*ckers to dumb mother f*ckers." -Abraham .”