UV-5R and Accessories

[Searchboss]

In another thread we were discussing the Baofeng UV-5R Radio and its accessories. I thought I would share some of my recent adventures along this path.

After reading some articles on NC Scout?s website (https://brushbeater.org/author/ncscout/) about using a Baofeng in the field, not something that I anticipate doing as he does, I decided that converting to a BNC connector for a couple of my radios makes sense. The BNC connector is a very commonly used connector by many manufacturers. There are a lot of advantages to standardization. This will allow me to quickly change from one antenna or cable to another without wearing out the connector on the radio. I got some of my ideas from reading his book ?The Guerrilla?s Guide to the Baofeng Radio?.

I recently received an Amazon order containing a couple of 8 watt UV-5R?s https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CT5F12BY/?coliid=I1GW9HFZYGWB08&colid=3UQFFFIJRPP1V&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it&th=1, some SMA to BNC adapters, and a three-pack of HSY-771N BNC antennas https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N3CV8QU?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details along with a couple of extra 38000 mAh batteries https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08M9NXWCJ?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details.

I then proceeded to add the SMA to BNC adapters to the UV-5R?s as well as a BNC antenna. The initial results are quite satisfactory. They seem to work quite well and it sure makes it easier to take the long ~15 ? inch antenna off the radio when needed.

Interestingly enough, when I opened the box from Amazon there were also two ABBREE AR-771 VHF/UHF antennas in the box which I did not order and were not on my receipt. This got me curious about the efficiency of the different antennas, so I got out my MFJ HF/VHF SWR Analyzer Model MFJ-259B and checked the SWR for the various antennas. I found that all three of the new HSY-771N BNC antennas were close and within tolerance. The ABBREE AR-771 antennas were just barely within the acceptable range as was the Nagoya NA-771 antenna I already had. Then I checked the SWR on the stock antenna that came with the UV-5R and found that it was also within the acceptable range, but not much better than the ABBREE or Nagoya mentioned above. For comparison, I also checked my Diamond SRH77CA antenna on my Yeasu HT that I have used for years and found it was well within the acceptable range. I suppose that this is average for rubber duck antennas on HT?s. 

It will be a while before I can determine how well I like the BNC connectors on a UV-5R as compared to the stock SMA connector. I tend to use a mag-mount antenna on my HT?s when I use them at events at a remote fixed location when working races, etc. I have also used a version of the ?Jungle Antenna? [ https://brushbeater.org/2015/10/15/the-jungle-antenna/ ] that has a BNC connector on hikes and with a SAR team in the past that I plan to try with the UV-5R when the opportunity arises.

How does this information compare to what you have experienced? 

[JohnyMac]

Great information Searchboss 

Thanks for taking the time to do the tests and then post. 

[pkveazey]

Searchboss: I liked your post. I've taken a slightly different approach to connecting other antennas to my Bao Fengs. I found that the little 2 inch piece of crap antenna is just awful. Then the one that is 4 or 5 inches long is just barely useable. Ahh, but the 7 inch and the 14 inch are just fine. I'm not a friend of the push, turn, and click connectors like the BNC though. I carry SMA to SO239 adaptors with me so I can connect to a PL259 connector and use it for a base station or mobile type situation. The one thing I didn't like about the Bao Feng SMA connector is that it is backwards from the Yaesu and other brands of SMA connectors. With that said, I think that in my little package of adaptors I have just about every type that is made. You never know what you are going to run into in a crisis. Wait, wait, wait, I don't have anything that will adapt to an NMO connector. Damn! I hate NMO's.

[Searchboss]

PKv,    I hear you! Getting to the destination is the goal, the path we each take to get there is our individual choice, so it all works out fine. I too, have a bag of adapters for different connectors as well. As you said before, "You never know when you might need them."

[Deathstyle]

I was never big on the UV-5R. Luckily the AR-152 came along and I was happy to invest in that. For now that more than exceeds my current capabilities.


Prolly buy a batch of UV-5rs as handouts w type 81 chest rigs and budget guns for a quick posse militia if needed.

[Jackalope]

     I'm not a fan of the UV-5R either.  I worked with the 5R's regularly, we typically had a 10% annual failure rate.  Yup, you can accessorize them, and they're inexpensive, but all you're doing is putting lipstick on a pig.

    There are better Baofengs, like the AR-152, or UV-9R Pro, and they don't cost that much more.  But at the end of the day, each Baofeng you purchase is helping the enemy.   

     

[Searchboss]

Jackalope, I can?t say that I disagree with either of your comments about ?putting lipstick on a pig? and ?helping the enemy?. The UV-5R is not my primary radio, although it is one of my favorites.

I would much rather buy American if I can, and if I find an American-made radio with similar capabilities at a comparable price point, I will certainly buy it, probably several. I think most Americans would. Unfortunately, I have not found this yet. America does not seem to be a competitor in this market anymore. I would much rather spend ~$30 on a chinese ?disposable? or giveaway radio to obtain the capability it affords than not have that capability when needed due to pride and the much higher cost of buying an American-made radio that is not affordable for many people. This is a sad situation.

I do appreciate your suggestions about the AR-152 and the UV-9R Pro. I had looked at the AR-152 before and decided not to go that route at this time due to cost and the larger and heavier package, but I do like what I saw. I had not heard about the UV-9R Pro before. I just looked at the marketing material on it and it looks like a viable alternative to the UV-5R. I will probably buy one to evaluate soon thanks to your suggestion. 

[Searchboss]

Now I have another radio. I did order a Baofeng UV-9R Pro for evaluation. It came in this weekend. The case seems to be much more robust than a UV-5R, and it says it is waterproof! I don?t think I am going to intentionally test that? They might be wrong. As soon as it came in I charged the battery and programmed it using CHIRP. Since I converted my regular use HT?s to the BNC connector I added an adapter to this radio and a BNC antenna.

I have only used it a few times at this point on both simplex and repeaters, but it seems to work as well as any other HT. My opinion is it seems to have the same circuitry as the UV-5R in a more sturdy case. Otherwise, there is no significant difference in how the radio itself works from what I can tell. I plan to use it as my daily driver for a month to try to see how well it works for me as compared to a UV-5R.

What I like:
1.   More robust case
2.   Waterproof?
3.   Similar button controls as the UV-5R (familiar)
4.   Easy to program using CHIRP

What I dislike:
1.   The belt clip could be designed better. Since the clip attaches to a belt around the user (if you remember to grab it before you leave the house) and the radio clips into that, I foresee the radio being dropped occasionally and/or the loss of the belt clip.
2.   The plastic cover over the electrical contacts for the speaker/microphone must be removed to install the speaker/mic, or to program the radio. It has one removable little screw that holds it onto the radio. It requires a common flat-tipped screwdriver to remove/install the plastic cover or other accessories. If either the screw or the plastic cover gets misplaced, you will have open electrical contacts touching your hand as you hold the radio. Without the screw, you cannot install the speaker/mic, etc. Just losing the screw could sideline the radio until a replacement screw can be found. This is terrible engineering.
3.   The radio does not come with an earphone/mic available similar to the UV-5R.

I guess I just don?t care for the way the belt clip works. I?ll put that down to personal preference.

I know most people either never use a speaker/microphone, or if they do, they leave it attached all the time. Either way would work fine with this radio. But if you need to install the speaker/mic while you are in the field, you will need a flat-tip screwdriver and hope you don?t drop the screw or lose the plastic cover. Waterproofness aside, I think the standard two-pronged plug is a better cots design. Of course, it could/should have been engineered differently without any potentially losable parts. I know that might make the radios more expensive? Maybe?

I have worked several events where I was in a loud noise environment, either in a crowd, near a loudspeaker, running commercial trucks, or marching bands making a lot of noise, etc. In those situations, I found it useful to quickly install the earphone/mic, or the speaker microphone so I could hear the radio better. This radio does not come with an earpiece like the UV-5R, but I did see that there are several types available if one should want to buy one.

For now, the jury is out.

[Sir John Honeybucket]

The question of an American manufactured HT in the basic range of the Baofeng is food for thought.  I'd love to buy American, but these products simply do not exist, because the manufacturers do no exits in this country.  My main complaint with most Chinese manufacturing is the lact of taking responsibiliy for shoddy products.  Now, there are SOME small manufacturers in communist China who do excellent customer support, but these are known because they are RARE.

I would never buy a parachute or life raft from the PRC; by the time you discover the flaws, it is too late.

- Ray

Ps. I amsuch an old ham, I remember my first touch of an VHF transceiver was the old Progress Line...  a tube radio, vibrator power supply or maybe a the size of a suite case and terribly inefficient.  So to me, even the worst Baofeng is better than the best Progline.

[pkveazey]

Searchboss: That was a good writeup. Since I have more than a dozen UV5R's, I've had an occasional belt clip crap out on me. I went on Amazon and found a package of 10 belt clips for real cheap and bought them. I don't know if the 9R uses the same belt clips but if it does, you might want to buy some extras. My belt clip issues have been hanging the clip on something and breaking it and also the little steel pin sliding out and getting lost. When that happens, the spring goes flying off into outer space, never to be seen again. I haven't paid much attention to the 9R's so I don't know if the 5R battery pack will fit on a 9R. It seems to me that the upper end BaoFengs have screw on battery packs. Your comments about the Flap that covers the programming port / speaker mic really grabbed me in a negative way. Hmmmm..... Does the flap actually have to be held on by a screw? Oh, Hell no. That's not for me. While I have about a dozen of the 5 watters, lately I've been buying mostly tri-power 8 watters. Yesterday, just for giggles, I looked at Amazon and saw that they had some 2 pack, 5 watt, UV5R's for sale and they were about $30 for the two pack. They also were the ones that are not locked only to the Ham Bands. I had to slap myself to keep from ordering them. The one thing that I really didn't like about them was they looked like they had those 4 or 5 inch POS stiff antennas. Since I've put 14" antennas on a lot of my UV5R's, I have a bunch of the 7" flexible good antennas that I could swap out so the HT would actually work properly. The one thing that I can't believe is that I've had UV5R's since they first came out and I haven't had a single one of them to crap out on me. The wife and I carry 5 watt Camo's with 7" antennas and the large Camo Battery packs. We've been carrying them for almost 10 years and so far, so good.

[pkveazey]

I just took another look at those super cheap UV5R's on Amazon and they went up to $32 for a pair and they actually show the decent 7" flexible antennas on them.

[Jackalope]

     I guess I'm one of the few that doesn't use a belt clip on any of my radios.  I typically carry a radio in a cargo pants pocket or a radio pouch.  There is an adapter available for the UV-9R Pro to allow you to use the common two prong connector equipment and maintain waterproofness. 

[Searchboss]

I haven't paid much attention to the 9R's so I don't know if the 5R battery pack will fit on a 9R... Does the flap actually have to be held on by a screw? ... I've put 14" antennas on a lot of my UV5R's

Sadly, the UV-5R batteries will NOT fit on the UV-9R Pro. I assume this was to address the claim of waterproofness. The same goes for the other UV-5R attachments.

The plastic cover held by a screw is a poor design, in my opinion. I have seen other radios with a somewhat similar concept that did not require a loose screw and a screwdriver to attach them to the radio. I suppose we can't expect that much from a cheap chinese radio, even if they do use the word Pro. 


I too have a 14" antenna on all of my regular-use radios. They just seem to work better.

Jackalope, thanks for the information about the UV-9R Pro adapter you mentioned. I was not aware that existed.

I appreciate all of the comments and feedback about the various radios.   

[Jackalope]

[

The plastic cover held by a screw is a poor design, in my opinion. I have seen other radios with a somewhat similar concept that did not require a loose screw and a screwdriver to attach them to the radio. I suppose we can't expect that much from a cheap chinese radio, even if they do use the word Pro. 

     Actually, a number of commercial manufacturers use a plastic side cover to improve water resistance, one I can think of off-hand is the Motorola/Vertex VX-829.  From experience, I know the VX-829 is fully submersible, though it costs 4 or 5 times as much as a UV-9R Pro, and they're manufactured or were manufactured in Japan.  If you want a decent waterproof radio, look at a Yaesu FT-5DR, I've got one in my Go Bag, plus with Yaesu Fusion you can have some obscurity from casual scanner listeners.