8 watt HT for $63

[prerunner1982]

Baofeng/Pofung has come out with a 3 power level HT (1,4 and 8 watts). All else is identical to the UV-5R....except the price. 4 more watts worth twice the price?

Amazon.com : BaoFeng BF-F8HP - BaoFeng's Only TRI-POWER (1, 4, 8 Watt) (USA Warranty) Dual-Band 136-174/400-520 MHz FM Ham Two-way Radio, Transceiver, HT - With Battery, Antenna, Charger, and More : Car Electronics@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51gegqBSthL.@@AMEPARAM@@51gegqBSthL

[Mudderoy]

Baofeng/Pofung has come out with a 3 power level HT (1,4 and 8 watts). All else is identical to the UV-5R....except the price. 4 more watts worth twice the price?

Amazon.com : BaoFeng BF-F8HP - BaoFeng's Only TRI-POWER (1, 4, 8 Watt) (USA Warranty) Dual-Band 136-174/400-520 MHz FM Ham Two-way Radio, Transceiver, HT - With Battery, Antenna, Charger, and More : Car Electronics (http://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-BF-F8HP-TRI-POWER-Dual-Band-Transceiver/dp/B00MAULSOK/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1408038823&sr=8-5&keywords=bf-f8hp)

8 watts on a hand held would come in well, handy, but I wonder what it does to the battery life.

[Pookapotamus]

Isn't anything over 4 watts illegal? Or is that just up here in Canada?

[prerunner1982]

Isn't anything over 4 watts illegal? Or is that just up here in Canada?

This is Ham radio... at least in the US we are allowed upto 1500 watts on most amateur bands/"frequency ranges".

You are probably thinking CB radio which is limited to 4 watts.

[Pookapotamus]

Yup was thinking CB, was not sure if it was the same for ham. Thanks

[Mudderoy]

Yup was thinking CB, was not sure if it was the same for ham. Thanks

Used to be 2,000 watts PEP, but the FCC got nervous about RF exposure. I miss those days. After a long day behind the mic I was my own night light! :smiley-taunt002:

Oh and I'm sure there are Amateurs running well in excess of 2,000 watts, and you'll find them on 75 meters. ;o)

[prerunner1982]

8 watts on a hand held would come in well, handy, but I wonder what it does to the battery life.

There is a 3800mAh battery available for this bodystyle of radio though sometimes the battery needs slight modification depending on which version of the UV-5R you have and if I were getting an 8 watt HT I would definately get the bigger battery too. It does however make the overall radio about 50% longer/taller.

Amazon.com : Baofeng 7.4v 3800mAh Li-ion Battery for UV-5R-1 UV-5R-2 UV-5R-3 UV-5R-4 UV-5R-5 UV-5R-6 UV-5R-7 UV-5R-L BF-F8 BF-F8+ BF-F9 : Two Way Radio Batteries : Car Electronics@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41biSulGLNL.@@AMEPARAM@@41biSulGLNL

[bluedragon436]

Would this type of radio work well for out on the trails and small use while mobile?? I only ask cause I know many folks are going to running Ham setups out on trails over CB's, and I'll still be installing a CB into my next Jeep.. but as my next trail rig appears it might be a YJ, don't really want to mount a huge ant, and large radio unit in it once I get my lisc. for HAM, so was wondering how well something like this would work for trail use and maybe some local CQ's??

[prerunner1982]

You can get external mics... ($8.00)

Amazon.com : DreamSky® Handheld Speaker Mic For Pofung Baofeng UV5R UV5RE UV82 UV 3R Kenwood, PUXING : Car Electronics@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51jjgRSrs1L.@@AMEPARAM@@51jjgRSrs1L

battery eliminators... ($7.00)

Amazon.com: NEW Original Battery Eliminator Car Charger For BAOFENG UV-5R UV-5R+ UV-5RA UV-5RA+ UV-5RB UV-5RC UV-5RD UV-5RE UV-5RE PLUS: Cell Phones & Accessories@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41u12YQZafL.@@AMEPARAM@@41u12YQZafL

and external antenna you can use any aftermarket antenna but would need an adapter such as this.. ($13.00)

Amazon.com: RF coaxial cable SMA female to UHF SO239 PL259 female RG58 3FT | Made in the USA from US manufactured RG-58 MILSPEC Coax: Electronics@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/4130m9TV2pL.@@AMEPARAM@@4130m9TV2pL

and get a basic smal (23")l mag mount 1/4" wave daul band antenna... ($16.00)

Amazon.com: Tram 1185 Amateur Dual-Band Magnet Antenna: GPS & Navigation@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21RHcR1zjwL.@@AMEPARAM@@21RHcR1zjwL

I have a couple of buddies that run that same antenna in the wranglers on the top of the rear fender. It's mounted under the carpet with the antenna poking up through it with good results. You could also slap it on the hood.

The radio would work well for vehicle to vehicle communication within fairly close proximity and fine (with external antenna) if there are repeaters around.

Listen to the podcast on Monday (if you didn't watch the live show) as I talk about an HT for a first ham radio... next Radio Comm Tech will be mobile radios for your first radio.

As far as a "big" radio... they are about the same size as a compact CB and if you get a dual band with remove head the body of the radio can be mounted virtually anywhere with only the front panel of the radio mounted on the dash.

[bluedragon436]

I think the HT would be nice just cause I could make use of it if/when I travel as well, like if I go somewhere away from the vehicle... Like kayaking, biking, hiking, or just traveling in general that takes me quite a ways away from a vehicle.. Guess for just starting off I don't want to spend lots of money on equipment for each vehicle, house, and something portable... but I guess first steps first... get my lisc... maybe I'll pick up something like this HT to listen in and see what the action is like in my area, and see if it's worth it to me to really get into or not... don't want to spend the money and end up only talking to myself, and maybe an occasional contact!!

[prerunner1982]

I think the HT would be nice just cause I could make use of it if/when I travel as well, like if I go somewhere away from the vehicle... Like kayaking, biking, hiking, or just traveling in general that takes me quite a ways away from a vehicle.. Guess for just starting off I don't want to spend lots of money on equipment for each vehicle, house, and something portable... but I guess first steps first... get my lisc... maybe I'll pick up something like this HT to listen in and see what the action is like in my area, and see if it's worth it to me to really get into or not... don't want to spend the money and end up only talking to myself, and maybe an occasional contact!!

I had the UV -5R ($35, 4 watts) as a first radio for about 6 months before I decided to get a bigger radio for mobile use. I still carry at least one of my HTs (have 2 baofengs now) because like you said they are "handy" when away from the vehicle. Without an external antenna operation an HT from inside a vehicle isn't all that great, small group vehicle to vehicle maybe but if you are trying to hit a repeater it's not going to give you the best results and you may not get any response from anyone because if your signal is crappy into the repeater they may not want to carry on a conversation with you if they have to try and pull your words out of all the static especially if they are trying to drive as well.

Listening is always good... an important part of ham radio.

[bluedragon436]

I was thinking about the external ant idea.. guess I won't really be able to do that too well with my Jeep as I will most likely end up covering the exterior of it in bed lining... but think I might see if I can't find a local HAM club to getup with and my find a good deal on some gear to get started with... not really picky or looking for anything crazy expensive to get started with, and will most likely be more then happy with what I have for a bit... especially as I put money into completing the last few upgrades to the truck, and building a Jeep for trail use... and would like to find a place to purchase as I am tired of paying someone else's mortgage...