Low cost Ham Radios
With the advent of best practice design and the reduction of cost-per-unit via high volume manufacturing, it was only a matter of time before we would see a “good enough” radio enter the price range of persons wanting to enter the HAM Radio scene.
Me personally, I wanted a radio to ensure my safety in times of social chaos during natural disasters where coordination is of the utmost importance to preserving life. Notably, during times like these, the grid infrastructure is unable to cope with the added volume of communication requirement. Hence, its likely your cellphone will stop working or have limited use. To qualify this Im not a prepper but I do see their point of view as being valid to some extent.
And no, Im not going to store cans of food in my basement.
Baofeng UV-5R
It would appear that there are a plethora of reviews out there on this particular radio from the HAM snobs to the newly initiated and budget conscious persons. So Im not going to go into any deep review of the base device except to review the larger battery.
Battery Life
The base model UV-5R comes with an 1800mAh battery. This “upgrade” model comes with a 3600mAh battery. Although you can buy an upgrade battery for your existing radio, since I was entering the market for one/two I decided I would find a source that sells the 3600mAh battery as part of the base product.
Well I can say the larger battery feels secure and for someone with larger hands this makes the UV5R easier to handle and work with. The added standby and talk life is an added benefit.
The battery, even though its an aftermarket addon, doesnt feel loose or unstable like some other radios. It feels like it was meant for it.
I would highly recommend you get the 3800mAh version if you are new to this radio and considering purchasing one.
My Purchase
Although there is no official Baofeng store on Aliexpress (just supposedly licensed stores), I picked a store that had a really good price and good feedback.
This is my affiliate link. It helps me out without any extra cost to you and the added benefit of a verified seller.
Note that this seller has sales from time to time. This is a snapshot of what I paid:
That’s pretty decent for 2 units delivered in a timely manner.