Baofeng UV-5R Plus and The BF-F8HP Comparison 

Thank you! Yo uas well

Glad I could help!

Nope, just the same, they just streamlined some of the buttons, and functions.

I’m asking myself the same question... just returned the GT-3TP Mark iii because it’s being discontinued and you can’t buy upgrade antenna due to the proprietary antenna/batteries. So I’ll either get the UV-5R (looks like most of them are copies of the Boafeng... Mirkit, Tidradio, Tenway etc.) or the F8-HP with a Nagoya 771 or Expertplus antenna

I think so. But I would measure the voltage on each eith a charged battery. The higher power output of the f8hp may require a higher voltage to run.

Allegedly the accessories/batteries are interchangeable. I only have a BF F8HP 8w

It has that option, yes. Or mine does. Lol

I just bought the study materials, did you test yet how did you do?

No way man, Baofeng is at the bottom of the spectrum and is no way the top of the line. Get a yaesu, kenwood or an icom for much better quality

@@arvidolin4318 It would be nice to have a vid from someone as experienced as you which would have the continuum of quality. Maybe you can do a review of these brands directly with the Baofeng...but I suppose it would be best to have each item on hand to have an good comparison to the Baofeng. Thanks for replying.

Was the ban surround these handhelds lifted based on current political events or has the ban been enacted?

Hi! I’m not at all experienced but in the process of being a ham and researching what the best radio is when i’m finished. I may post some videos talking about the weaknesses of chinese ham radios and alternatives but it’s nothing you cannot do yourself in a pinch. I live in Europe so I dont know much about the FCC ban but it’s not illegal to sell if you don’t advertise them as FRS radios.

@@arvidolin4318 Again, thanks. I was only throwing ideas out...I wasn't demanding anything....you are correct in that I could do the research myself.

What antenna(s) would you recommend?

@@imjustmetoo7419 Depends on where you live, apartment or house, and if it is controlled by an HOA. For my base station I use a Arrow Open Stub J-pole antenna, and it is a very good 2m/70cm antenna. If you hae to run a indoor antenna, the Abbree 42.2 inch antenna, just make sure you get the right connector, for the F8 that would be Female.

@@longrider42 Thank you. I live out in the middle of the woods, on a hilltop. My only obstructions would be trees that are about 200ft from house.

Yes and no. I am not that impressed with the UV5R (which i purchased after the F8HP). The FM radio for the UV5R does not pick up the same station that the F8HP easily receives. I am still waiting for the local test sight for ham license to re-open so I cam do more than listen .

The telescopic antenna included in the "RTL-SDR" Bundle. If I want to use it on HF, I use an "63 Foot End Fed Half Wave"

@@ModernHam Thanks!

Hey,: Why does the BF-F8HP NOT have a "Band" button but the UV-5R Plus does?

@@fredgarvin1465 it's useless. You never use the button to begin with, you could remove it from the uv5r and I wouldn't notice. Want a frequency just scroll up/down or type it in like you're going to anyway

That's exactly correct. His test receiver was in SSB mode and we could thus hear the beat frequency differences. The UV-5R was a bit higher in frequency than the BF-F8HP.

What do you mean

@@Backwoodsmachinist We mean that he had his SDR/spectrum detector application set to the incorrect mode. He had it set for Upper Sideband (USB). If you'll have a look at the radio button bullet circles on the left-hand sidebar, you'll notice that "USB" is the selected mode during his testing. These Baofeng devices transmit in Frequency Modulation (FM) mode, not in Single-Sideband (SSB) mode. Hence there was no way to hear the transmissions as they would actually sound on an FM receiver. Instead we were only able to hear irritating heterodyne tones and distortion. He should have selected WFM or NFM.

Backwoodsmachinist what do you mean what do you mean?

The BF-F8hP

That would be the Arrow 2 yagi antenna.

F8HP RECIEVES AIR BAND.???

Yes except you have an extra power setting (nid)

Amazon

Hung Stick I guess you didn’t notice he’s transmitting and not broadcasting

@@Off2thaboneyard transmit is broadcasting smart one.

THANKS IN ADVANCE

Yes it does TX on GMRS. However The radios I got from Amazon only put out 4.5watts. I am thinking They are the UV5 innards with a F8HP sticker. Great little radio though. I bought two more from a different seller to see if I get the 8 watt feature.

@@the.greyman.7480 Did you get 8w from the other radios?

@@tinfoilsombrero1439I only get around 4 watts from the RT-97, even set on high power.

@@the.greyman.7480 Thanks man.

About 8 miles Point to Point

I just want to make sure I don't break any rules or piss people off.

So one thing to note that even keeping the radio at 5 watts or under, a baofeng is illegal to operate on grms frequencies. This is because radios that operate on grms/frs require a fcc certification that the baofeng fail(because it has a removable antenna) . I really encourage you to go after your tech license however, as it takes only a week or two to study for and opens up a world of opportunity.

First and for most you should have done more ressresch on purchasing that rugged radio brand. Rugged radios are EXACTLY the same thing as the BAOFENG UV-5R. Now rugged radio just changed the color to blue and they are charging a premium for them!! You can get a uv-5r fot like $20 on Amazon (bf-f8hp 8 watts for $40) and I believe rugged radio is charging $85- and up to $2000 for their "baoeng" bundles!! For that price you can get your self a REALLY nice $200-$300 HT entry level Yaesu!! Rugged radio is straight up robbing people!! And this company is actually breaking the law selling then as GMRS radios. Im surprised that they haven't got a citation from the FCC yet. Secondly if your interested in GMRS radios THIS radio is not for you. I my self is a GMRS licensed, and I do own the bf- f8hp but I do NOT transmit on it due to im not ham licensed. BUT I am allowed to use it as just a scanner and listen in to my local ham repeaters. I am interested in getting my ham and I bought this as a tool to use to get to know how to program and pretty much trying to get my foot in door. Now boafeng do make a FCC APPROVED RADIO FOR GMRS BAND which is the BTECH GMRS V1. I believe this is the only BOAFENG that the FCC approved for GMRS use. TAKEN DIRECTLY FROM THEIR WEBSITE: "The BTECH GMRS-V1 is FCC certified (Part 95A) for use on GMRS frequencies. The GMRS-V1 is also FCC certified for VHF/UHF scanning capabilities (Part 15B)" Now this radio is preprogrammed by the manufacturer for frs/gmrs bands and you cannot change these parameters ECXEPT the tranmision wattage on the GMRS band to full 5 watts. Now you do get 125 open slots that you can program to any frequencies (allowed) for scanner purposes only and its locked by hardware to be able to transmit on them. And you can't use chirp to try to unlock it to be transmitted on. You can only program it to listen. This radio IS A 5 WATT RADIO but it limits your watt transmission on the FRS to 0.500 mW by design. Now the GMRS band (not the ones shared with the FRS) it gives you a choice to transit at it's full power of 5 watts. Ive read on the FCC website that GMRS home base station, mobile ,and repeaters, your actually allowed to transit to a maximum of 40watts !! So 5watts on this handheld is well under GMRS allowable transmit power. I hope that helps.

A GMRS license holder is allowed up to 50 watts on repeater channels. 5 watts on FRS channels.

@@ModernHam A GMRS license permits a user to have a detachable antenna.

No, I dont believe so

On my UV-5RTP I can receive some airband from 128 - 134 (expand range in CHIRP and tune off +/- 0.005 Mhz). ATIS weather is good. Aircraft audio is a bit low and occasionally garbled. You then get a loud crack when the squelch closes if you have the volume high. The local airport also repeats the 'ground control', boarding, bus, fire and rail staff on 440 - 456 Mhz for miles around.

Talewavo I have read that the up-5x3 has the newest firmware and rids the bugs that the Uv-5r has. One bug is the uv-5r has problems programming in the chirp program. Also one button on the uv-5r either stops working or making a beep sound when it’s supposed to. I don’t transmit. there are better options for transmitting with more power. If you want one for scanning and weather. You can’t go wrong with the uv5x3. You’ll need a tri-band antenna to make it more awesome Authentic Genuine Nagoya NA-320A Triband HT Antenna 2M-1.25M-70CM (144-220-440Mhz) Antenna SMA-Female for BTECH and BaoFeng Radios www.amazon.com/dp/B01K10B9XK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_-fpSEbBKJMVT9

shert yor mouf

@@atranimecs 🤣😂