"The problems we face today are there because the people who work for a living are now outnumbered by those who vote for a living."
Thanks guys. Makes sense.
I've got 2 UV5RE's they've worked great. I did mod them to be more water resistant and added the larger battery packs, I also upgraded antennas as the ones the radios come with suck.
BAOFENG recently released an 8watt transceiver version, so I ordered 2 of those aswell.
I had a uv5r and had the squelch issue on all settings. Went to the GT3 and have had no issue with those. Went to the larger battery and a 16 inch antenna which improved the range. I also use a mag mount with adapter for the truck to improve the range when travelling down logging roads. Have used boefeng for at least 5 years now and are a good bang for the buck. My buddy bought a couple of Icom portables and has had trouble with the cold. Work great in the cabin but hit -5 and they act up and squeal and chatter. Not usable. Great on the island but thats about it.
There's a lot of problems reported from first gen versions but they're pretty reliable now. You're certainly not gonna get more bang for your buck. They make good first radios and later if you upgrade you can hang onto them as spares or to pass one to your partner when you split up or when travelling in convoys. They receive better than they transmit but you should be able to get your call out to a couple km in most conditions. No radio is gonna go through mountains so if you're winding through the rocks you need to listen and call more often. Probably safest not to assume you've been heard if using any hand held and just yield to on coming traffic. Most of them are transmitting at 20 or 25 watts while most handhelds are only 5 watts.
But then what do I know? I'm just a lowly woodcutter.
I ended up getting 4 for Xmas this year. I told a few people that I wanted a pair. I guess nobody talked to each other. My wife got me a pair and her mom got me a pair plus I already had a bf-f8+ (which is just a uv5r in a different shell) I also have 2 alinco dj500s. Thats a few more radios than anyone needs so I put a few up for sale after programming the rr channels and a few other useful ones.
The reason I wanted a pair was that they're cheap so if I have one in the boat (I plan to use them as marine radios) and it gets dunked its not the end of the world and the other nice thing is all the millions of cheap accessories available for them. Like extended batteries, $10 hand mics, usb adapters, etc.
But then what do I know? I'm just a lowly woodcutter.
Friends have the UV-5 I have the UV 82-HP and just this Sunday driving in opposite directions inside trucks with small rubber radio mounted antenna we got 15 kms distance before to weak, and that was not line of site. When standing on his deck buddy was able to reach me around a mountain 26 kms away these distances are straight line measured with google earth. Regardless of what was in the way. So for the price they work very well
"People who know the least always argue the most."
"You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right, you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong."
Couple more interesting ones out there too. 8watts---BFUVB2 10Watts---TH-UV8000E -- - E is an upgraded D 8 watter is shipped from Canada 48 bucks 10 watter is just under $90.---ebay. both free shipping. Both get decent reviews from the Hams, & transmit at pretty much the same power. Gt3TP is very similar to these two. The BF has a 4800mah battery.--That the one I just might order.
I have a couple of Baofengs and they have pretty good range. Way better than cheap 2-way radios from Costco. I've been using them for 5 years now and i must say, i haven't had any issues with them.
The only issue is the squelch that comes on every now and then. But, it has done that from day 1. However, to save battery my dad and I will usually keep them off and only power them on at agreed-upon times and check in on each other if we are separating for a while.
For the price, i've been quite satisfied. I think i paid like $55 each on amazon.ca a while ago.