Amateur Radio Found on Ebay, Craigslist, Etc

[Joeylc]

Just passing on found a GRATE Deal on hand held Radio's   



NEW BAOFENG UV-5R 4/5W ( 136-174/400-480Mhz )
BAOFENG UV-5R The transcevier is a micro-miniature multiband
FM transceiver with extensive receive frequency coverage,
providing local-area two-way amateur communications along with unmatched monitoring capability

VHF/ UHF  DUAL-BAND TWO WAY RADIO

    Frequency Range: 136-174 / 400-480MHz
    Dual-Band Display, Dual Freq. Display, Dual-Standby
    Output Power: 4 /1Watts
    128 Channels
    50 CTCSS and 104 CDCSS
    Built-in VOX Function
    1750Hz Brust Tone
    FM Radio (65.0MHz-108.0MHz)
    LED Flashlight
    Large LCD Display
    Hight /Low RF Power Switchable
    25KHz/12.5KHz Switchable
    Emergency Alert
    Low Battery Alert
    Battery Saver
    Time-out Timer
    Keypad Lock
    Monitor Channel
    Channel Step: 2.5/5/6.25/10/12.5/25KHz
    ROGER SET

Main Functions Dual band, dual display
A/B band independent operation
128 groups channels storage
Shortcut menu operation mode
VFO & Memory channels scan
Emergency Alarm
Tri-color background light selectable
0-9 grades VOX selectable
PTT & ANI ID    FM radio
1750Hz Brust Tone    Time-out Timer
Channel Monitor     Battery Saver
Keypad Lock    Channel Step: 2.5/5/6.25/10/12.5/25KHz
Low Battery Alert    ROGER SET
Emergency Alert    25KHz/12.5KHz Switchable
FM Radio (65.0MHz-108.0MHz)    Large LCD Display
LED Flashlight    Hight /Low RF Power Switchable
Voice companding    50 CTCSS/ 104DCS coder & tone searching
dual standby    PC programmable
Wide/Narrow Band(25kHz/12.5kHz)    Transmitter time-out timer(TOT)
High/Low TX power selectable    Busy channel lock-out(BCLO)

Specifications
Frequency Range    65-108MHz(FM Receive only)
136-174MHZ and 400-480HZ (TX/RX) 
Channel No.    128
Frequency Stability    Â±2.5ppm
Antenna    High gain DualBand  antenna
Antenna Impedance    50Ω
Operating Voltage    DC 7.4V
Mode of operation    Simple or semi-duplex
Dimension(W x H x D)    100 x 52 x 32 mm
Weight    250g(including battery, antenna)
Antenna :     SMA -Female
Earpiece / mic type :    Kenwood Plug type


Transmitter
Output power    4W / 1W (Max 5W)
Modulation Mode    16kΦF3E / 11kΦF3E
Maximum deviation    5kHz(Wide) /  2.5kHz(Narrow)
Spurious Radiation    7μW
Adjacent Ch. power    ≤-65dB(Wide) / ≤-60dB(Narrow)
Pre-emphasis characteristics    6dB
Current    ≤1.6A(5W)
CTCSS/DCS deviation    0.5±0.1kHz(Wide) / 0.3±0.1kHz(Narrow)
Intermediation sensitivity    8-12mv
Intermediation distortion    ≤10%

Not bad for only 50.00 bucks with free shipping   

http://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?_odkw=&_osacat=0&_armrs=1&_ssn=radioshop888&_trksid=p2046732.m570.l1313&_nkw=UV-5R+II&_sacat=0&_from=R40

[StatFreak]

Might be a good deal at that. BUT it's always good to remember that you might get what you pay for.


This page is old but has some good points.
http://www.w0is.com/miscpages/Cheap70CMHT.html

First for the non-hams:

The products listed on this page are suitable only for use by licensed amateur radio operators. Most of them can transmit inside the ham band or outside of the band. If you don't have an amateur license, then this product will cause you nothing but grief. If you use it inside the ham band, you will discover that hams are extremely protective of their frequencies, and they will track you down. You will stick out like a sore thumb, and you will not go unnoticed.

...
Since most of these radios will physically transmit on frequencies used by commercial and public service users, some of those users might be tempted to purchase them. This is a very bad idea. You might save a few hundred dollars by doing so, but it is illegal to use these radios for those purposes in the United States, because there is no indication that they are certified for use in those services, and they are not guaranteed to meet the technical requirements for such radios.
...
If your radio ever causes interference problems and someone investigates the source of the problem, then you could very well wind up having to pay a fine of $10,000 per day.
...

Second, for hams:

...
As noted above, these are not certified for sale in the United States. Since it is not legal to sell such radios, then you're probably on shaky legal ground if you decide to sell it later. However, it is perfectly legal for you to buy one or two for your own personal use ... And it is legal for you to transmit on the ham bands with them, since there is no requirement that hams use certified transmitters.
...
However, it is required that any transmitter you use meets the FCC spectral purity requirements. Chances are, these units do. After all, those requirements are not exactly rocket science. However, there is no guarantee, so you should take a look at your signal before using them on the air. It's always possible that they put out a spur on some out-of-band frequency. So you should look at your signal on the frequency you intend to use, and make sure the output is clean.
...

I'm not sure I agree with this post's statement that they would be illegal to resell -- as long as they are sold to another ham for amateur use I'm not sure there's an issue. Still, I haven't looked up the regulations lately and suffer from CRS, so don't quote me, but wouldn't it qualify as "homebrew" equipment?

I do agree that it would be a good idea to check the output of the transmitter on all frequencies one intends to use to be sure they are free of spurious emissions prior to putting it into service.

[Joeylc]

The Baofeng UV-5R is a compact F.C.C. Part 90 hand held transceiver providing 4 watts in the frequency range of 136-174 MHz and 400-480 MHz.

The local hams are using this Radio and have good praise for it ....   

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/iqzTJq-0EJs&rel=0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/iqzTJq-0EJs&rel=0</a>

[StatFreak]

...
The local hams are using this Radio and have good praise for it ....   

...

Thanks Joey.    That's good to know. 

[StatFreak]

The difference between the UV-5R and the UV-5R II is that the "II" is shipping with a 3600mAh battery instead of the standard 1800mAh batt.

Amazon sells the original for $42.45, the USB cable for about $10.95 and doesn't have the larger battery, so getting them for the Buy It Now price of $65 seems fair and anything less in an auction is gravy.

Read some ham forum posts and most who have them say that they're well built and are holding up. Good to know.

Gee, I haven't been active on VHF or UHF in a long time...

[Joeylc]

we have one here in the shop so you can try it out when you get here... 

[StatFreak]

we have one here in the shop so you can try it out when you get here... 

   I'm almost on my way out the door... 

[reho33]

I have the UV-3R (Playschool model) I actually like it better than the 5R. They are good radios for what it's worth.

[FORDSBS]

Hi Reho, I was waiting for you to get in on this post.

[Joeylc]

I have the UV-3R (Playschool model) I actually like it better than the 5R. They are good radios for what it's worth.

Playschool model ????

[reho33]

Well it kinda looks like a kids toy if you think about it. Or a Flavoradio for those that know Radio Shack in the day.

[channelmaniac]

Those cheap Chinese radios work very well - especially for the cost.

The audio can be a bit suspect on some models and there was one of the 2M models that had a common failure that the factory addressed. They've been getting good reviews here from hams who bought 'em both as a regular use radio and as a backup to hand out if someone needs to borrow one.

They also work well for folks who have permission to transmit on volunteer fire dept frequencies and other such services along with their typical 2M/440 repeaters.

73!

[reho33]

Yep. they are Part 90 certified for that

[channelmaniac]

Speaking of CL, my favorite finds were 45' of Rohn 25 tower for $250, Kenwood R2000 $100, Icom 30A power supply $100, and the radio it was used with, an IC-756, for $200.

Oh, and I picked up a bunch of parts cabinets for $40, filled with gold plated transistors - including RF output transistors, and the guy threw in an old HTX-100 10M rig.



It's hard to find the good deals on CL here in Dallas, but if you're patient and troll CL several times a day, it can be done.

Now to find a base for the tower and plant it.

[StatFreak]

I haven't been an active ham for years but have been prowling fleaPay to obtain a UV-5R of my own since visiting Joey's. While it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the more expensive HTs and does have some quirks, it can't be beat for the price. (The Chinese government is subsidizing the price to try to ruin the Japanese market.)

Here is a link to the Yahoo UV-5R user group. It has lots of valuable information as well as links to other resources. Be sure to check it out to avoid the headaches of learning how to program and use the radio and overcoming its quirks.

I've never really been into VHF/UHF. My interest was always HF CW and SSB, both within the U.S. and DX. However, I can't put up any type of antenna right now and don't want to spend the money on HF equipment, so this will serve as a toe back into the hobby.

[KirkLasVegas]

I tend to collect handhelds..but I do not own a Baofeng yet....

Collection is carefully guarded by a herd of specially trained Corgi's

[StatFreak]

Joey, I snagged my own UV-5R this evening.

I bought the radio with both the long (3800mAh) and short (1800mAh) batteries, the USB cable and CD, and the 12v car adapter (batt eliminator) for $70.

I'm probably going to splurge and buy the genuine MFJ-1717SF locally rather than buy one of the cheap Nagoya 771 or 701 Chinese knock offs from eBay because the knock offs have poor QC and aren't always tuned properly. I didn't find a trustworthy site when I looked for the genuine Nagoyas.


   to Joey and Shayla for getting their tech tickets as of February 1st.