Boafeng UV-5R
-
- Super Member
- Posts: 188
- Joined: 07 Jul 2010, 18:22
- Location: United Kingdom
Boafeng UV-5R
Hi there
Just purchased a Boafeng UV-5R on eBaY for very little money, I was just wondering what
they are like because for £20+quid they have a lot of decent features/functions. Also are they any good as a scanning receiver and obviously a TX/RX radio also.
On a final note would it be any good connected up to my X-50 externally mounted collinear antenna or is that just plain crazy.
Regards John.
Just purchased a Boafeng UV-5R on eBaY for very little money, I was just wondering what
they are like because for £20+quid they have a lot of decent features/functions. Also are they any good as a scanning receiver and obviously a TX/RX radio also.
On a final note would it be any good connected up to my X-50 externally mounted collinear antenna or is that just plain crazy.
Regards John.
Last edited by tetramoo on 23 Mar 2017, 18:39, edited 1 time in total.
-
- Super Member
- Posts: 188
- Joined: 07 Jul 2010, 18:22
- Location: United Kingdom
Re: Boafeng UV-5R
And can you say connect up to an X-50 2m/70cm external collinear antenna or is that just crazy.
-
- Top Poster
- Posts: 1098
- Joined: 10 Jun 2007, 22:41
- Call Sign: G4RMT
- Location: North East Suffolk
- Contact:
Re: Boafeng UV-5R
You can connect external antennas to them, and for the money they're very good value. The scan speed is a bit naff, so as a scanner with more than a handful of channels in them, you miss a lot. They're a bit prone to strong local signals swamping weak ones, but for the price?
-
- Super Member
- Posts: 188
- Joined: 07 Jul 2010, 18:22
- Location: United Kingdom
Re: Boafeng UV-5R
Thanks for the info.... Much appreciated.
- ClubbaUK
- Regular
- Posts: 87
- Joined: 26 Jan 2011, 19:20
- Location: Wolverhampton
Re: Boafeng UV-5R
To connect an external antenna use a fly lead (patch lead) rather than a solid SMA adaptor, a solid adaptor is likely to snap.
I use one similar to this
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/50cm-RG58-Cab ... SwLEtYgK~D
I use one similar to this
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/50cm-RG58-Cab ... SwLEtYgK~D
- radiosification
- Top Poster
- Posts: 2495
- Joined: 27 Dec 2010, 23:52
- Location: London
- Contact:
Re: Boafeng UV-5R
The performance is not that great but you get what you pay for. For the price it's reasonable considering that it costs so little.
You can connect it to an external antenna but it is easily overloaded by strong signals.
You can connect it to an external antenna but it is easily overloaded by strong signals.
If you're interested in digital voice, check out my YouTube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/radiosification
http://www.youtube.com/radiosification
-
- Radio Addict
- Posts: 690
- Joined: 04 Aug 2009, 15:08
- Contact:
Re: Boafeng UV-5R
Considering buying one of these, do you reckon it would outperform a Binatone Terrain 750 (in hilly terrain)?
pmr446 king.
- LeakyFeeder
- Top Poster
- Posts: 2020
- Joined: 07 Feb 2011, 23:00
- Location: In the BedWreck Cafe
Re: Boafeng UV-5R
Crap on marine band...wasnt right sparkling on 2m either
- Mitch
- Radio Addict
- Posts: 604
- Joined: 02 Nov 2012, 21:26
- Call Sign: M1TCH
- Location: Leicestershire UK
Re: Boafeng UV-5R
In theory yes, they've got about ten times the power output, but in practice they're still line of site and hills will stop the signal usually, especially UHF. They are cheap tho' so could be worth a try, we all need hobbiespmr446man wrote:Considering buying one of these, do you reckon it would outperform a Binatone Terrain 750 (in hilly terrain)?
The perfect face for radio.
-
- Super Member
- Posts: 188
- Joined: 07 Jul 2010, 18:22
- Location: United Kingdom
Re: Boafeng UV-5R
Well haven't had chance to test the Boofung UV5R yet as regards range testing whether it be VHF/UHF. Only really used digital radio modes like MOTOTRBO and Tetra recently. Tetra DMO is **** in built up areas yet had 10+miles line of sight from a less than 1W handheld. Think this UV5R will be easier to program using the USB lead to be honest.
-
- Super Member
- Posts: 188
- Joined: 07 Jul 2010, 18:22
- Location: United Kingdom
Re: Boafeng UV-5R
Only had the radio a few days but from what I've seen already its well worth £20 in my view. Only bought it primarily as a scanning receiver... And having owned radios like the AOR3000 and Icom ICR10 in the past I know it's going to be crap compared to those kind of radio recievers.
- Admiral
- Legend
- Posts: 10109
- Joined: 08 Mar 2011, 21:20
- Call Sign: 26TM157
- Location: MK-UK
Re: Boafeng UV-5R
Forget any type of scanning on it, 1970 Tandy sets scanned quicker than these. It is what it is, a cheap, small handie to stick in your pocket to have some fun with for less than the price of 40 fags.I still prefer my 2w UV-3Rs to these as they seem more sensitive.
Winner of the 2017 IBTL 'Summer Sizzler' competition
- Farty
- Veteran
- Posts: 3694
- Joined: 20 Oct 2008, 14:40
- Location: IO92ND
Re: Boafeng UV-5R
Performances is OK. Not brilliant, but then they're cheap as chips. A lot of SAR personnel carry them as back up units because the standard issue Icoms are appalling, yet they cost 11 times as much as the cheapo 5R.
ISIS are big fans of them, judging by the TV report the other day.
ISIS are big fans of them, judging by the TV report the other day.
In Before The Lock Champion of Total Magnificenceness May 2016