Baofeng UV-5r accessories.

[Krogo]

Baofeng 3600mAhr OEM battery

I received the 3600mAhr OEM battery I ordered from Amazon. The link is: Amazon.com: Etekcity® 7.4V 3600mAH Li-ion Battery For BAOFENG UV-5R UV5R Double Ultra High Capacity: MP3 Players & Accessories

I un-boxed and examined the battery. It does appear to be a Genuine Baofeng battery.


I noticed that the label states 3800mAhr capacity


I opened up the battery and discovered a different design than the two series two parallel (2s2p) one in Mr. Chung's video. This battery is assembled with a pair of prismatic cells in series (2s1p)



Upon closer inspection, the cells state a 2600mAhr capacity.



The battery is well built with what appears to be proper protection.
The question is, what is the actual capacity of the battery: 2600mAhr, 3600mAhr, 3800mAhr?
I'll bet this months mortgage that it's 2600mAhr.
I am charging the battery on the OEM dock as I write this and will be testing the battery with my test equipment over the holiday break.
My estimate is 2400mAhr usable capacity.

The barrel connector socket on the battery is wired to the output terminals. I would not recommend charging the battery with this connector. I may find more interesting information as I dig into the PCB a little deeper. Also of note, the barrel connector on the OEM charging dock is far too large to fit into the socket on the battery.

I'm waiting on the off brand 3800mAhr advertised battery. As soon as it arrives, it will receive the same treatment.

Updates on the way.

 

[IndyPrepper]

Thanks for the update!

 

[Sailor]

I have programmed well over 150 of these radios, and taught just about as many people how to run them. One, had a small problem with an lcd in the display. Annoying but did nothing to affect its function. I have found their performance similar to my Yaesu's.

Great radio at its price point. Buy one, learn how to use it, transition to better equipment, and keep it as a back up.

 

[mammynun]

I have programmed well over 150 of these radios, and taught just about as many people how to run them. One, had a small problem with an lcd in the display. Annoying but did nothing to affect its function. I have found their performance similar to my Yaesu's.

Great radio at its price point. Buy one, learn how to use it, transition to better equipment, and keep it as a back up.

I just bought four to to back up/supplement my 2 FT-270's... I may lean on you for programing knowledge.

ETA: actually, I got the UV-5RE+ models.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C3DJXSC/ref=pe_385040_30332190_TE_M3T1_ST1_dp_1

 

[TheRude1]

I have programmed well over 150 of these radios, and taught just about as many people how to run them. One, had a small problem with an lcd in the display. Annoying but did nothing to affect its function. I have found their performance similar to my Yaesu's.

Great radio at its price point. Buy one, learn how to use it, transition to better equipment, and keep it as a back up.

Thank you Sailor, Nice to see a constructive remark not just douchebag smoke signals
As a person working towards getting his ham lic and not able to spend a bucket of cash on a radio this is what I am working with and your comment was my line of thinking when I got it.
Im the kinda guy Krogo is posting info up for, the beginner not the advanced operator, but all things come with time

 

[SumtnFancy]

Not trying to hijack thw thread but I am starting to gather knowledge for the Technicians exam in January. I have a few allies in the area, and we want a way to reliably communicate in case of emergencies. We live roughly in a 10 mile triangle. Is this the way to go? Can we (after licensing) use the radios for informal personal communication as long as we follow the guidelines? The test questions are easy to learn, I just want to learn protocol and etiquette as well. We were all three going to grab a few of these radios just to learn the ropes, then upgrade as time allowed. Just like my first AR... Cheap and reliable, good enough to learn the ropes and see what direction I wanted to go from there.

 

[TheRude1]

Not trying to hijack thw thread but I am starting to gather knowledge for the Technicians exam in January. I have a few allies in the area, and we want a way to reliably communicate in case of emergencies. We live roughly in a 10 mile triangle. Is this the way to go? Can we (after licensing) use the radios for informal personal communication as long as we follow the guidelines? The test questions are easy to learn, I just want to learn protocol and etiquette as well. We were all three going to grab a few of these radios just to learn the ropes, then upgrade as time allowed. Just like my first AR... Cheap and reliable, good enough to learn the ropes and see what direction I wanted to go from there.

Listen to Krogo
And I heard of the test in Jan, when exactly and location ?
We will see ya there

 

[flatbroke]

Not trying to hijack thw thread but I am starting to gather knowledge for the Technicians exam in January. I have a few allies in the area, and we want a way to reliably communicate in case of emergencies. We live roughly in a 10 mile triangle. Is this the way to go? Can we (after licensing) use the radios for informal personal communication as long as we follow the guidelines? The test questions are easy to learn, I just want to learn protocol and etiquette as well. We were all three going to grab a few of these radios just to learn the ropes, then upgrade as time allowed. Just like my first AR... Cheap and reliable, good enough to learn the ropes and see what direction I wanted to go from there.

Great idea Sumtnfancy. If you and your friends all study and pass the tech. test you will be in like flint. A 10 mile radius between the 3 of you or however many there are will be very possible on 2 meters or 440. Not sure where you are located but there are also repeaters located around the state for Amateur radio ops to access and many of them you can get into with just a handie talkie running a watt or two depending on your local.I am always glad to see more people getting interested in ham radio. There are so many things available to explore communications wise. I personally encourage anyone wishing to pursue a ham radio license to jump and not to think twice about it. The code requirement was done away with and getting the tech license is just basic theory and regulations. If you can read you can pass. One of the other aspects of getting your license is it opens up another whole world of like minded enthusiasts and another hobby you may also enjoy during your off times. Like sitting inside during a snow storm.
Good luck in your quest and don't think twice about it, go for it!

 

[mammynun]

Not trying to hijack thw thread but I am starting to gather knowledge for the Technicians exam in January. I have a few allies in the area, and we want a way to reliably communicate in case of emergencies. We live roughly in a 10 mile triangle. Is this the way to go? Can we (after licensing) use the radios for informal personal communication as long as we follow the guidelines? The test questions are easy to learn, I just want to learn protocol and etiquette as well. We were all three going to grab a few of these radios just to learn the ropes, then upgrade as time allowed. Just like my first AR... Cheap and reliable, good enough to learn the ropes and see what direction I wanted to go from there.

Yes, I'd say it's the way to go.... BUT depending on how you're defining a "10 mile triangle," you probably won't be able to talk simplex (radio to radio without a repeater) unless you use a different antenna. These radios are line of sight so any terrain between them will cut your distance. You can mount an antenna up high (house, tree, whatever) and attach it to the radio in place of the "rubber duck" antenna that comes with these HT's and get better results. The penalty you pay is decreased mobility which may or may not be an issue in your situation.

To avoid/minimize etiquette faux pas while you learn, stick to areas of the band plan that won't step on other people's toes. Band Plan

 

[PistolBob]

Not trying to hijack thw thread but I am starting to gather knowledge for the Technicians exam in January. I have a few allies in the area, and we want a way to reliably communicate in case of emergencies. We live roughly in a 10 mile triangle. Is this the way to go? Can we (after licensing) use the radios for informal personal communication as long as we follow the guidelines? The test questions are easy to learn, I just want to learn protocol and etiquette as well. We were all three going to grab a few of these radios just to learn the ropes, then upgrade as time allowed. Just like my first AR... Cheap and reliable, good enough to learn the ropes and see what direction I wanted to go from there.

In a word, no. Not with just these radios. You need to find out if there is a 2m repeater in your area that you can all hit. If you build a 2m antenna and can get up 30-40 feet above the terrain, you MIGHT be able to do simplex when the conditions are right but I wouldn't count on it. For that kind of distance, especially on UHF, you're going to just about always need a repeater. The terrain layout will also have a huge effect on how well you're going to get out with a simple handheld radio like the Baofengs. The more leaves on the trees, the less the distance.

Good luck on the test, Amateur Radio is a lot of fun.

 

[briand212]

I bought my wife a uv-5r plus for Christmas, (she wanted to try out HAM) anyway. I found out today from a good friend that The Hendricks County Amateur Radio Society will be holding classes starting Jan 29th..
Amateur Radio Classes | Hendricks County Amateur Radio Society
I am not a member , well at least not yet

 

[TheRude1]

I bought my wife a uv-5r plus for Christmas, (she wanted to try out HAM) anyway. I found out today from a good friend that The Hendricks County Amateur Radio Society will be holding classes starting Jan 29th..
Amateur Radio Classes | Hendricks County Amateur Radio Society
I am not a member , well at least not yet

Thanks for the info
SThe test aint easy ! look at the Prepper store east side of indy thread(Indiana Self Defense) page 66 I think ther are links with study info

 

[SumtnFancy]

There are several large chunks of woods between our properties. But we have a small grainery with silos right about in the middle that we could possibly mount a repeater on. I look forward to jumping in and learning, I think it is a forgotten art. I have seen quite a few people locally start to show interest though. Thanks for the input!

 

[Davis0023]

So whats the verdict on the bigger battery? Which is the best one to buy?

 

[POTI]

I just bought the official baofeng 3800mah and it seems to work very well. Good quality construction, I have the uv-5r and it fits perfect. My friend has a uv-5r+ that I will see if it can be made to work with.

 

[PistolBob]

Looks like Chinese radios have great warranties....if you can find someone to honor it. Nations Wouxun importer calling it quits due to high rate of warranty claims and no availability of spare parts. Junk. How far is Baofeng behind? Not far.

Wouxun Dealer calling it Quits

Yiou can buy a Yaesu FT 60R for a few more bucks.

 

[POTI]

I spoke to the Wouxun importer and they are dumping them due to a really cheap memory chip being used that can fail in as little as a few months. When it fails it will no longer save channel lists.

 

[PistolBob]

I spoke to the Wouxun importer and they are dumping them due to a really cheap memory chip being used that can fail in as little as a few months. When it fails it will no longer save channel lists.

They have also had to replace 500 radios and Wouxun hasn't honored the warranty claims....even at cost he's out about $25,000.00 so far. Stick with yaesu, Icom, Kenwood and Alinco and you usually don't go wrong. Yes, it a few more bucks but it lasts and lasts.

 

[LockStocksAndBarrel]

Anyone here that owns one that's failed?

 

[NavyVet]

I have about a half dozen Baofengs that all work perfectly. Do I expect them to survive a nuclear holocaust??? Not likely! None of them have given me any problems and they work reasonably well.

They provide a reasonable option for someone between spending $200+ for a name-brand handheld and not doing anything at all. I will tend to rely on my Kenwood, but it is nice to know that I have a box of throw-away radios if needed. Wouldn't be surprised to find the Chinese are building the Japanese radios in the same factories as Baofeng anyway.