Baofeng is a serious competitor at a remarkable price!
For a while, I have heard Amateurs remarking on Baofeng radios. To be honest, I really never gave it much thought and liked my "name brand" HT. One of my biggest pet peeves, "big name" radio manufacturers, market a mobile or HT for a year or two, then discontinue the model and promote an "upgraded" or "improved" model radio. After discontinuing models, it's almost impossible to get parts or repair a favorite radio.
I have to laugh because a lot of people, ( Amateurs included), want and are demanding "micro products". At one point, radio manufacturers were attempting to under size the competition. One would market a radio the size of a deck of playing cards then another manufacturer would market a radio the size of a Zippo lighter. Old fart wind-bag Amateurs I knew when I first was licensed, would take pride in their new toys and brag about how they could fit their radio in their shirt pockets. I guess recharging a HT with a battery life of four to six hours was not an imposition to them. I don't like or want a radio in which you need a toothpick to use the numeric pad or the radio being so tiny the only way to hold it is between your index finger and thumb with a ptt so tiny and awkward, you have to check to ensure you are pressing the ptt and transmitting. I hate these micro radios. The smaller they are, the more fragile they are and the smaller the heatsink has to be. Operators want tiny, but, they also demand maximum power output. All that energy heat needs to go or be dissipated someway. I like radios that fit solidly in your hand and are durable. I like that I can talk consistently for 4 to 6 hours at 4 watts and still have almost a full charge in the battery, unlike a big name HT I have where the maximum QSO at 4 watts is 8 hours.
My XYL teases me and laughs at me because when I find something I really like, if possible, I purchase more than one for two reasons; the first being due to manufacturers charging a small fortune to repair a radio which most likely cost them a quarter of the retail price to produce and second; the previous reason stated, they market a radio for a limited time, then discontinue it. One of my favorite HT's I purchased about 10 years ago and really liked it. I used it very frequently and wore out the antenna to the point it needed replacement. I would have purchased two at the time, but, purchasing one was enough of a major expense. Within a few years of purchasi g the HT, it was discontinued and parts were unavailable. The radio was accidentally knocked off the table and damaged. My kiddos didn't mind, they got a new $400 toy.
For what I spent on big name HT's, mobiles and base stations, I could have purchased several Baofeng radios and opened my own radio store.
I currently have 3 Baofeng HT's. All of which were very reasonably priced, are 8w pep, have just enough features to be easy enough to use without a cheat sheet and large enough to fit in your hand comfortably. They are easy to use and have a pep output that rivals other radios. The sound quality is of a radio twice the price. Standby time far surpasses any HT I have owned. Even with the power save feature on minimum, you still get a day and a half of continuous use without needing to be charged. They are basic, well constructed HT's which do their main function flawlessly. At one time, I could see a need to have a clock and alarm clock on a HT, however; there are not a lot of people who do not have a smartphone, a tablet, or a chronograph/alarm watch. These radios have enough features to perform their main function as well as keep you safe, including a FM radio and emergency alarm which transmits a code you can program I to the radio memory. They are easy to program through direct input or using CHIRP and not need a graduate degree to understand or use the features. These radios are built very solid and can withstand the tortures we may inflict on them on a daily basis.
If you need or want an inexpensive handheld with a main function of being an exceptional radio with a battery life lo g enough to last with minimal charging this is the radio for you. Whether you have just obtained your license or are an OM, there is a Baofeng/Pofung which will suit your needs without having to mortgage your home to purchase one.
Read some of the reviews and feedback on Baofeng radios. Very few people have issues with a radio and those who do, are resolved very quickly.
Baofeng's are exceptional, durable8 radios with a very inexpensive price which will keep even the most finicky Ham happy without being overwhelmed with unnecessary features most Amateurs don't use on a daily basis anyway.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
