Dual Band Ham Radio $46

[Grizhicks]

• Guess I'm just a little paranoid. Don't mind sharing mine at all in the HAM community. Yes, it is a public database but without relevant info it doesn't do anyone much good.
• Do you guys have your call signs on your license plates too??

No on the license plate (but I don't have a problem with them); but I have DAV tags. -- Grizhicks

 

[Sailor]

Does anyone know if the programming cable for the UV-3 will work on the UV-5 version?

It does not.

 

[Bill B]

Does anyone know if the programming cable for the UV-3 will work on the UV-5 version?

No different cable.

Scooped again

 

[draftsman]

I have a uv-5 but can't seem to pick up anything other than weather. Where can I find programming info to input into the software?
Thanks

 

[Bill B]

I have a uv-5 but can't seem to pick up anything other than weather. Where can I find programming info to input into the software?
Thanks

Here's a start:
Indiana Repeater Council
Marion County Amateur Radio Emergency Communications | Serving Marion and surrounding counties with amateur radio information and public service communications using amateur radio.

 

[jedi]

Group buy for the UV-R5A+ radio is now open here:
https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...p_buy_baofeng_uv_5ra_dual_band_ham_radio.html

$49.90 for the radio + USB cable.

 

[LockStocksAndBarrel]

Bump

 

[NavyVet]

If someone from the Fort Wayne area wants to meet in Warsaw, I am willing to bring the radios. Might save some shipping costs. Just let Jedi know NavyVet will pick it up when you order.

I delivered the South Bend area radios for last year's group buy.

 

[Davis0023]

Thats really not that much of a savings check amazon..most likely shipping will be free. Unless enough order to get the price into the low 40's even 30's its not that great of a price the cable is only few dollars off ebay free shipping too.

 

[jedi]

Thats really not that much of a savings check amazon..most likely shipping will be free. Unless enough order to get the price into the low 40's even 30's its not that great of a price the cable is only few dollars off ebay free shipping too.

i cant find them on amazon for less than $47 MINUS the cable. cable runs around $7. so $54 for both even if you manage free shipping. the $49.9 is with free shipping so yes its just a few $ savings provided you are in NWI for the pickup.

 

[CathyInBlue]

If there's no difference between the UV-5R£ models, were £ is A, A+, B, C, D, E, I, E, I, O, what would be the difference between getting a UV-5RE and then a programming cable, or getting a UV-5RA plus programming cable for $45? BAOFENG UV 5RA 136 174Mhz 400 520Mhz Dual Band Transceiver 600215105790 | eBay

Or, for that matter, a UV-B5 plus programming cable for $44? BAOFENG UV B5 Dual Band 136 174Mhz and 400 470Mhz | eBay

 

[jedi]

CIB now those are some good deals.
Contacting that vendor to see about a bulk price discount.
Note that s/he is a very new seller on eBay so I'm not sure of his 'histroy' yet.

In terms of the difference only the shells are different expcet for the new antenna on the R5A+.

 

[jedi]

correction dont forget the firmware difference in each version but for 99% of us that does not matter. suspect only our real ham geeks care about the extra functions in the firmware updates.

still contact with vendor done. hopefully they reply and then i can see if our current vendor will match the price. i trust our current vendor as we (INGO) have done biz with him before and he does come thru for us.

 

[NavyVet]

My understanding is the newer radios/firmware have better selectivity. Basically they reject off frequency interference better. Earlier versions were easier to overload and impacted reception.

I believe the 5ra+ also has a wider transmit frequency range than the earlier models. (Not that it is legal to transmit there unless SHTF)

 

[Caleb]

All this talk about ham radio getting me interested...I see the model baofeng uv-5r, baofeng uv-5ra+, and Yaesu FT-60 being tossed around...but was wondering which would be better suited for reach, clarity, and durability?

How far can you reach with any of those models?

I think I'm gonna have to start studying for a license really soon, sounds like you guys are having all the fun without me.

 

[Sailor]

A few miles. The cheap ones work well but are not built nearly as rugged.

 

[Caleb]

A few miles. The cheap ones work well but are not built nearly as rugged.

Any of those three models I list is considered cheap? what I want to know is, can my wife reach me on ham in nashville if I'm working on my jeep in Columbus? (Assuming we both had licenses)

 

[Bill B]

Any of those three models I list is considered cheap? what I want to know is, can my wife reach me on ham in nashville if I'm working on my jeep in Columbus? (Assuming we both had licenses)

Not likely, at least not without high gain directional antennas. These are 2 watt (UV-3R), 4 watt (UV-5R) and 5 watt (FT-60) handsets. For what you are talking about you'd need something like this with a good antenna.
I have a pair of UV-3Rs that the wife and I use while hunting. We have reliable reasonably clear comms at roughly 3 miles. The UV- models are cheap, check eham.net for reviews.

 

[Caleb]

Not likely, at least not without high gain directional antennas. These are 2 watt (UV-3R), 4 watt (UV-5R) and 5 watt (FT-60) handsets. For what you are talking about you'd need something like this with a good antenna.
I have a pair of UV-3Rs that the wife and I use while hunting. We have reliable reasonably clear comms at roughly 3 miles. The UV- models are cheap, check eham.net for reviews.

nice...would we need two to communicate between nashville and columbus or further?

 

[bb37]

How far can you reach with any of those models?

It depends.

If you are talking simplex range, then it's going to be pretty short. By simplex, I mean communicating radio to radio with no infrastructure in between. These radios operate on the VHF (144-148 MHz) or UHF (430-450 MHz) bands. Those bands are typically "line of sight" in that the antennas at each end of the conversation have to be able to "see" each other. This gets a little complicated due to the curvature of the earth and the many variables that affect propagation. If one of your radios is using a directional antenna on a tall tower, then your range could be 10 miles or more. If both of your radios are using the rubber duck antennas that come with the radios (which are typically poor performers) and both radios are at ground level, then you might get a couple of miles.

Having said all that, there are infrastructure considerations. Just about every county in Indiana has an amateur radio VHF repeater. These repeaters have their antennas on tall buildings or towers which really improves their range. Repeaters use two distinct frequencies. So, if you are talking to someone on a repeater, you talk on the repeater's input frequency, the repeater hears you and simultaneously retransmits your audio back out on the output frequency, and your buddy or family member listens to the output frequency to hear what you are saying. When you unkey, your radio automatically switches back to listen on the output frequency.

There are amateur radio repeaters in the Indianapolis area that are on TV towers at 500-800 feet so they have a pretty wide range even with handheld radios. There is also a system of linked repeaters stretching from Indianapolis down to Evansville. All of the repeaters in the link essentially act as one giant repeater.

On top of that, there are networks of linked repeaters that use the Interent to provide handheld to handheld coverage essentially around the world.

Using any of this requires an amateur radio license. Licensing requirements have been covered elsewhere in this thread or maybe in another thread. Basically, you take a test in which the 35 questions on the test are drawn from a test question pool that is publicly available. If you pass the test, you get a license. But the learning really starts there...in fact, the learning never stops.