I don't know if this has been talked about here yet or not but I've found that Baofeng has introduced a new model, it's the Baofeng UV-B5 dual band HT.
This is NOT a copy of the UV-5R but has many improvements over the 5R series as well as different form factor, and also has the Encoder Knob on top the radio so you can dial the frequencies with the knob instead of pushing the UP and DOWN arrows as you do on the 5R like I have.
I ordered one of these bad boys after I read reviews and saw a few videos. There is a video on youtube that shows the menu selections, and not much else but this new Baofeng features a real signal meter instead of just an icon, for transmit and receive, and it has what is called a COMPANDER feature which "Boosts" the transmit audio, to give the HT more audio "punch" if you will. The reviewer also notes that the front end on this new model is right up there with the expensive Wouxon's and a couple of the other models, and very much like his Yaesu ht's.
They have these at the 409 shop for $53 which includes shipping, and you can grab an extra battery for $13 also with free shipping. You can also grab one at the AliExpress web site for $43, and I've seen them on Ebay for $42.86 but ships from China. The 409 shop ships in 24 hours, and arrives in the USA in 7 to 10 days. I have a Wouxon UV 6X and the Baofeng UV B5 looks similar to my Wouxon. I like the added audio boost, and the real time signal meter, and I also read there was no need for a gain antenna as the stock antenna seems to work just as well as buying one of those gain ones.
I'm anxious to see how this little HT will perform, and from what I read it's a tremendous improvement over the UV-5R group. It also has a voice option that announces every key input which is very nice for blind, or handicapped ham radio users. The voice appears to speak English very well, and counts over the number 9 by saying "TEN" "ELEVEN" etc, instead of " ONE ZERO" as my UV 5R does.
You can read the review, and see an unboxing video here:
Brick O'Lore: Baofeng UV-B5: Best Kept Secret
http://pic.409shop.com/photo/uv-b5_5.jpg
This is NOT a copy of the UV-5R but has many improvements over the 5R series as well as different form factor, and also has the Encoder Knob on top the radio so you can dial the frequencies with the knob instead of pushing the UP and DOWN arrows as you do on the 5R like I have.
I ordered one of these bad boys after I read reviews and saw a few videos. There is a video on youtube that shows the menu selections, and not much else but this new Baofeng features a real signal meter instead of just an icon, for transmit and receive, and it has what is called a COMPANDER feature which "Boosts" the transmit audio, to give the HT more audio "punch" if you will. The reviewer also notes that the front end on this new model is right up there with the expensive Wouxon's and a couple of the other models, and very much like his Yaesu ht's.
They have these at the 409 shop for $53 which includes shipping, and you can grab an extra battery for $13 also with free shipping. You can also grab one at the AliExpress web site for $43, and I've seen them on Ebay for $42.86 but ships from China. The 409 shop ships in 24 hours, and arrives in the USA in 7 to 10 days. I have a Wouxon UV 6X and the Baofeng UV B5 looks similar to my Wouxon. I like the added audio boost, and the real time signal meter, and I also read there was no need for a gain antenna as the stock antenna seems to work just as well as buying one of those gain ones.
I'm anxious to see how this little HT will perform, and from what I read it's a tremendous improvement over the UV-5R group. It also has a voice option that announces every key input which is very nice for blind, or handicapped ham radio users. The voice appears to speak English very well, and counts over the number 9 by saying "TEN" "ELEVEN" etc, instead of " ONE ZERO" as my UV 5R does.
You can read the review, and see an unboxing video here:
Brick O'Lore: Baofeng UV-B5: Best Kept Secret
http://pic.409shop.com/photo/uv-b5_5.jpg
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