34
votes
On which of these frequencies can I transmit without a license?
None of them.
You say you are in the United States. In general, all radio transmissions fall into one of three categories:
The operator is allowed to transmit on that frequency (amateur, "business ...
- 23.7k
24
votes
Accepted
How can I avoid accidentally transmitting with a Baofeng UV-5R?
It'll be easier just to buy a programming cable and use the free Chirp software to turn off transmit permanently. I did this, and used my Baofeng as a receiver only before getting my licence.
EDIT - ...
- 256
18
votes
Are Baofeng radios illegal in the U.S?
The ARRL runs a booth at Dayton Hamvention since 2012 where people can submit their HTs to be tested for spectral purity. Over the years 2016-2019, 100% of the Alinco, Icom, Kenwood, and Yaesu HTs ...
- 10.6k
17
votes
Accepted
Are Baofeng radios illegal in the U.S?
They are legal to use, but only on the amateur bands. (Of course, you'll need to get a license first).
There was a lot of debate on whether they were legal, but the FCC finally stated that they were. ...
- 7,606
15
votes
How do PTT buttons work?
The basic PTT (push to talk) button on the HT is a simple switch that is normally open and when it is pressed, the switch is closed (conducting). Internally to the radio, this applies power to the PA (...
- 18.3k
13
votes
Accepted
What is the appropriate length of an antenna for a handheld on 2 meters?
These antennas don't always contain a simple straight length of conductor, but rather usually have coils of wire inside, so the actual physical length doesn't mean that much. They are designed so that ...
- 3,578
12
votes
Does the Baofeng UV-5R accept both male and female SMA connectors?
The Baofeng UV-5R and any other variations in the UV-5R family of radios have an SMA male connector on the radio mating to an SMA female antenna or SMA female adapter. In the picture I'm holding the ...
- 357
11
votes
How does the baofeng radio eliminate squelch tail?
According to the detailed menu descriptions on the Miklor site:
35 - STE
Transceiver - Squelch Tail Elimination
This function is used eliminate squelch tail noise between UV-5Rs that
...
- 211
11
votes
How can I avoid accidentally transmitting with a Baofeng UV-5R?
If you haven't seen them, the RTL-SDR dongles are really hard to beat for scanning. They let you see a waterfall display so that you can see visually which frequencies are active. It's wonderful!
- 783
10
votes
Can a Baofeng UV-5R Display Both Name and Frequency Simultaneously?
Yes, kind of. You can program the A and B settings separately. Set channel A to display name, and set B to display frequency. Also, set the receiver to only listen to the monitored channel to ensure ...
- 737
9
votes
Baofeng UV 9R Handheld programming
Almost nobody programs Baofeng and similar radios by hand: too difficult, as you discovered. The thing to do is to get your hands on a programming cable and programming software. If you go to a ...
- 8,982
9
votes
How much current can Baofeng UV-5R provide on +V pin?
With no load, I measure 3.17V
With 100kΩ load, 2.91V
With 10kΩ load, 1.59V
With 1kΩ load, 0.29V
The math works out to a 10kΩ series resistance between +V and ground.
As such the maximum power that ...
- 311
8
votes
Accepted
Can a Baofeng UV5R receive airport radio transmissions?
As far as I've read, all Baofeng radios do FM only. The majority of aircraft communications uses AM, so whether or not it can be tuned there, you would not hear the audio, just approximate silence (...
- 23.7k
8
votes
Beginner listening to a repeater - only hearing one station
It is presumed that you were receiving on the 2m band.
It appears that you were listening in, using 'repeater reverse' mode. In other words, you were listening in on the repeater's input frequency ...
- 737
8
votes
programming Pofung UV-82
Commercially-sold radios that transmit for nearly every purpose other than the amateur service (Part 97) and Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) equipment (Part 18) in the US must be type-...
- 8,982
7
votes
Accepted
How to make a PTT button for Baofeng UV-5R
You want your switch to short the shield of each of the connectors to each other, strange as that sounds. These plugs are commonly known as TRS, or tip-ring-shield, so the shield is the part closest ...
- 726
7
votes
Accepted
Can a Baofeng UV-5R Display Both Name and Frequency Simultaneously?
No, you cannot display "Name & Frequency" if the unit is in "Channel Mode".
what you could do is program (part of) the frequency in the "Name field" of the channel. This way it helps you, like a ...
- 2,107
7
votes
How much current can Baofeng UV-5R provide on +V pin?
I would first measure the current draw of your ESP32 to rule out a fault there.
The +V pin on the Baofeng microphone connection is probably intended to bias an electret microphone. These are ...
- 50.8k
7
votes
Accepted
Why can I hear Morse when not in CW mode?
You don't say where you are hearing the Morse code. You say "on the same channels", but don't specify where you are listening.
If you send Morse code using a buzzer, then that generates an ...
- 4,429
6
votes
How can I avoid accidentally transmitting with a Baofeng UV-5R?
Chirp can only disable Transmitting on pre-programmed memory frequencies, if you select the vfo it will still transmit.
Searching Google for 'uv5r transmit inhibit' yielded this on the fifth hit
...
- 61
6
votes
Accepted
Does the Baofeng UV-5R accept both male and female SMA connectors?
No, the UV-5R will not accept a female connector. The threads on the outside are for the nut that mounts the connector to the case.
- 404
6
votes
Accepted
Is Using PMR446 On A Baofeng GT3-MK3 HAM Radio Legal (If on low power)?
Unfortunately not in the eyes of Ofcom.
While you can restrict the power usage down to 0.5 Watts, the antenna is removable. You'll notice that most of the stuff sold on the high-street will have ...
- 175
6
votes
Baofeng uv-5r,uv-82. i need disable or block side key moni(monitor) for don´t listen private cts dts
Don't bother.
CTCSS tones are not an effective privacy mechanism. Anyone at all with a FM two-way radio or scanner can receive your transmissions; attempting to prevent this by locking down your ...
- 23.7k
6
votes
Accepted
DC connector type for Baofeng UV5R base charger
The plug used in the Baofeng base is a 5.5 mm/2.1 mm barrel connector.
However, you cannot simply parallel a bunch of base charger units and power them off of a single AC or DC adapter without ...
- 18.3k
6
votes
BF-F8HP: "Radio did not respond" when trying to use CHIRP
For me I didn't have my radio cable fully pushed into my radio. It took some extra pressure and then it snapped in place. I had to press harder than expected.
- 211
5
votes
How can I avoid accidentally transmitting with a Baofeng UV-5R?
While in Chirp go to Duplex and set it to "OFF"
If the duplex is set to off then transmission on this channel will be disabled (if the radio supports this capability).
Thomas
- 51
5
votes
What is the minimum signal strength I need to receive?
At 8W, the power from the radio is 9.03dB.
With the cable losses of the receiving station being 1.5dB (1.41W), and the antenna receiving 1.733e-8W, it appears the received signal will never make ...
- 50.8k
5
votes
Accepted
What is the socket for on this Baofeng BL-5L battery?
That's for charging a 3800mAh battery using the side jack.
To charge the BL-5L 3800mAh battery you must purchase a:
- TYT TH-UVF9 battery charger for 110VAC or
- TYT TH-UVF9D for 12VDC.
These are ...
- 66
5
votes
MURS - Set to broadcast and receive on a specific CTCSS code
Here on StackExchange we call what you asked an XY problem.
You're asking how to set up CTCSS, but what you really want is to have privacy. Those are two different things.
First of all, a tiny bit ...
- 2,773
5
votes
UV-5R 4W BFB297 vs UV-5R 8W BFP3-23 (difference 4W vs 8W)
The exact answer is given by the Friis equation. If you double the power, your range will increase by 1.413 times whatever it was before doubling the power if you change nothing else. This assumes you ...
- 18.3k
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