Intro to Radio Communications

[qsy]

@qsy, What radios are you using for work? They may operate on frequencies outside of what the Baofengs are capable of receiving on.

VHF FM, 136-174 mhz. Thanks.

[Outlander Systems]

Roger that.

The Baofeng WILL receive those frequencies. A word to the wise: it's scan speed is very slow. That said, you get what you pay for.

Bottom line: it will work...temporarily.

I'd recommend this over the Baofengs: http://www.icomamerica.com/en/produc.../handheld/v80/

VHF FM, 136-174 mhz. Thanks.

[qsy]

Thanks. Looking on Amazon the Icom is 174.00 with a Li-ion battery, the Baofeng is about 60.00. Worth the difference?

[Outlander Systems]

Understood. If you EVER plan on transmitting, the Icom is absolutely worth the price difference. My failure rate on Baofengs is right around 50%...

If this is strictly intended for monitoring only, this is the better option than either of the previously mentioned: https://www.amazon.com/Uniden-BC75XL.../dp/B00A1VSO9M

The Baofeng's scan function, even on memory channels, is abysmally slow. I'm confident I could keypad press through the channels faster on my own.

Thanks. Looking on Amazon the Icom is 174.00 with a Li-ion battery, the Baofeng is about 60.00. Worth the difference?

[qsy]

Understood. If you EVER plan on transmitting, the Icom is absolutely worth the price difference. My failure rate on Baofengs is right around 50%...

If this is strictly intended for monitoring only, this is the better option than either of the previously mentioned: https://www.amazon.com/Uniden-BC75XL.../dp/B00A1VSO9M

The Baofeng's scan function, even on memory channels, is abysmally slow. I'm confident I could keypad press through the channels faster on my own.

Excellent info, really appreciate it. I think the Uniden will fit the bill. A little more versatile and I really don't need the xmt function, can do that in the aircraft if I need to.
Thanks again.

[Outlander Systems]

Absolutely. Should work out perfectly for your needs.

Excellent info, really appreciate it. I think the Uniden will fit the bill. A little more versatile and I really don't need the xmt function, can do that in the aircraft if I need to.
Thanks again.

[officerX]

Is there a cheap BF radio for the 3-7 MHz range?

[Outlander Systems]

Those just so happen to be the ideal freqs for NVIS.

3-7 falls in the HF portion of the spectrum, and, unfortunately cheap and HF are mutually exclusive.

The cheapest radios that I'm aware of that are HF-capable and worth owning are:

Icom IC-718
Yaesu FT-450D
Icom IC-718

All of these are entry level rigs in the $600-$700 range.

There is the Alinco DX-SR8T, but its price difference in relation to the aforementioned three transceivers, IMO, would not be worth taking a gamble on.

Is there a cheap BF radio for the 3-7 MHz range?

[officerX]

Those just so happen to be the ideal freqs for NVIS.

3-7 falls in the HF portion of the spectrum, and, unfortunately cheap and HF are mutually exclusive.

The cheapest radios that I'm aware of that are HF-capable and worth owning are:

Icom IC-718
Yaesu FT-450D
Icom IC-718

All of these are entry level rigs in the $600-$700 range.

There is the Alinco DX-SR8T, but its price difference in relation to the aforementioned three transceivers, IMO, would not be worth taking a gamble on.

Of course!

What are the differences here? I'm not smart enough to know what I'm looking at.

https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-BF-F8...p_ob_title_wld vs https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Z52HP10?ref_=ams_ad_dp_ttl

[Outlander Systems]

Both of those radios are very similar. I would recommend saving the money, and going for one of the standard 5W versions. The extra power will consume more battery, without any actual benefit. A standard version of the UV5R or UV82 with a decent antenna will chokeslam either of the high power versions.

Of the two, I'd lean toward the UV82. My UV5Rs have been absolute turds. A buddy has a UV82 that sees occasional use and is still functioning. Another buddy has a UV82 derivative I gave him when he got his license about 2 years ago, and it's still working as well.

If I had to go back and do it all over again, and didn't want to spring for a Kenwood, Icom, or Yaesu handheld, I would have picked up a Puxing PX-888K.

All these Baofeng questions have me contemplating doing a new thread on entry-level radios...

Of course!

What are the differences here? I'm not smart enough to know what I'm looking at.

https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-BF-F8...p_ob_title_wld vs https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Z52HP10?ref_=ams_ad_dp_ttl