Top positive review
676 people found this helpful
Great "Starter" and/or "Backup" Dual Band HT HAM Radio!
By Scouter III on Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2017
As a “brand new” HAM Operator, I bought the BaoFeng BF-F8HP because BaoFeng Tech (aka Pofung) radios and their accessories were recommended as great “starter” dual band (2M/440 MHz) handheld transceivers (HT) for a new HAM Operator’s “first radio”. BaoFeng HAM radios and accessories cost significantly less than most other Amateur HT radio brands with equivalent dual band (2M/440 MHz) capabilities. The BF-F8HP model can also transmit more power (~8 Watts) than most other brands that transmit the more or less “standard” HT maximum of 5 Watts. How BaoFeng managed to produce almost 8 Watts of power out of such a tiny radio simply amazes me. This 3rd Generation BaoFeng BF-F8HP radio can also be programmed to receive commercial broadcast FM radio stations and National Weather Service (NWS) NOAA All-Weather radio broadcasts (here is an Internet website URL address to find NWS NOAA radio stations in your area - http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/coverage/station_listing.html). In addition, FRS and GMRS radio service frequencies can also be programmed into this radio (note - the BF-F8HP radio is not FCC approved to transmit on FRS or GMRS channel frequencies). This radio’s large 2100 mAh rechargeable lithium-Ion battery powers it for many more hours than you would think is possible. Battery use time also depends on how much time is spent transmitting at its 1, 4 or 8 Watt setting with lower transmit power use obviously allowing the battery to last longer. My BF-F8HP factory package came with the radio, the 2100 mAh battery, an optional belt clip, an optional wrist strap, an improved BaoFeng V-85 antenna and a 110v desk battery charger with a wall-wart “plug-in”. A bonus accessory (also in the box) was a handy earpiece speaker/microphone cable that incorporates a tiny microphone with a push to talk (PTT) button and a lapel clip on the cable. I haven’t quite figured out how to install the included foam ear pad on it (it doesn’t seem to have an opening) but this “over the back of the ear” hook design works for me even though I use “in the ear canal” hearing aids. This apparently “bonus” accessory did not show on the box and it wasn’t on the User Manual’s list or pictured under “What’s in the box”. The 78-page User Manual that came with my BF-F8HP radio made it relatively easy for this “new” HAM Operator to learn how to program it for both Simplex and Duplex (i.e., repeater) communications. I would have come up to speed more quickly if I had followed the included BF-F8HP User Manual more carefully. At the bottom of the first page the Manual states “PLEASE READ THIS MANUAL CAREFULLY BEFORE USE”. I highly recommend that buyers of this radio follow that instruction step; especially guys like me who typically only read the pages we are interested in reading (erroneously believing that we will be able to “crank up” a new radio and use it more quickly that way). Had I followed the Manual’s advice, I would have more quickly learned how to manually program my BF-F8HP. I also would have avoided some frustration I experienced when I initially attempted to manually program it “incorrectly” using the lower display (only use the UPPER display to manually program this radio!). I would have preferred that the manual was more intuitively sequenced to reduce the need to page-jump back and forth during the learning process. Otherwise, the manual is excellent and will tell you everything you need to know about maximizing the capabilities of this well designed dual band HT radio. If you buy a BF-F8HP radio, I highly recommend that you also buy the optional USB Programming Cable that BaoFeng makes for it (the cable does not come with the radio and must be ordered separately). With that USB cable you can more easily and more quickly program the BF-F8HP radio using a Windows computer. Even though the BF-F8HP manual teaches the manual programming process, using a computer to program this radio makes programming it much faster and easier. The computer programming option also allows a 7-character “Name” to be entered for each channel (for example, personal names for Simplex channels and Repeater locations for Duplex channels). Channel names cannot be programmed into the radio manually but the radio will display the computer-entered Channel names if “Display Mode (A)” and/or the “Display Mode (B)” under “Settings” is changed to “Name”. I set my “Display Mode (A)” to “Name” (the upper display) and kept the lower display “Display Mode (B)” setting at the default setting as “Frequency”. By doing so I can display both if I put the same channel on both displays. If the Channel “Name” is left blank during the computer programming, the channel’s Frequency will display even though the Display Mode for that display is set to “Name”. BoaFeng also sells the software necessary to use the USB Programming Cable but I chose to download the free CHIRP software that is available from Miklor.com. The CHIRP software for the BF-F8HP radio is very easy to download, understand and use. In my “new HAM Operator” opinion, I agree with the recommendations that the BaoFeng BF-F8HP is a great radio to start with for new Amateur Radio Operators. It is also an inexpensive (and more powerful) backup radio option for “old” HAMS that currently only have “standard” 5 Watt HT radios. In addition, the BF-F8HP also seems to be a perfect all-in-one “bug-out” radio package due to its dual band (2M/440 MHz), FM Broadcast, NWS NOAA, FRS/GMRS and emergency services frequency capabilities coupled with its powerful 2100 mAh factory battery and optional 3800 mAh battery. I have thoroughly enjoyed my BF-F8HP so far and I plan to use it with my homemade “Tape Measure” 2M antenna during Fox-Hunts and my general dual band HT radio needs. In my opinion he BF-F8HP radio is well made (my XYL accidentally dropped mine on a hard tile floor with no damage other than the battery released with no damage to it either). The BF-F8HP radio is sold as a complete “ready to go” package as it comes from the factory. There is also a large variety of optional accessories for this radio that greatly extend its utility. I bought two different larger (higher gain) attachable antennas, the larger 3800 mAh battery and additional power options for mine. The attachable 15-inch Nagoya dual band antenna I bought allows me to easily work a 2M Repeater 18 miles away. The larger BaoFeng 3800 mAh lithium-ion battery is about an inch longer than the factory battery and is designed and shaped to fit the radio like a glove. I also bought the BaoFeng 12v cigarette lighter cable that enables “plug-in” vehicle power. If you plan to use the BF-F8HP with dual band vehicle and/or base station antennas, be sure to buy a flexible antenna cable to minimize the physical stress on this small radio’s antenna connector. Antenna cables for the BF-F8HP require a FEMALE SMA connector to attach to the radio and whatever connector fits your vehicle or base station antenna cable on the other end (typically a FEMALE SO-239 connector). I also bought BaoFeng’s handheld microphone and cable so I could use my BF-F8HP in my vehicle without having to hold the radio attached to the antenna cable to transmit while driving. The BaoFeng handheld microphone comes with a lapel clip on the cable which makes it virtually “hands-free” with the BF-F8HP clipped to a belt or attached to the top of a backpack to get the antenna higher in the air. Unfortunately the inexpensive BaoFeng speaker/mic reportedly produced extremely muffled audio on the receive end when I tested it so I will not be using it. I've ordered a codeRED Signal 21-K speaker/mic that cost almost as much as the radio to use instead. Otherwise my “new" HAM experience with the BF-F8HP radio indicates that this dual band HT radio was indeed the perfect choice as my first Amateur Radio “rig” considering its low cost, reliability, expanded frequency options, all-in-one bundle from the factory packaging, higher than standard HT radio power and the large number of less expensive accessories available to enhance its utility. I highly recommend the BF-F8HP for new as well as more experienced HAM Operators. 73!
Top critical review
206 people found this helpful
This radio surprised me in unexpected ways. And disappointed me, too.
By Tom Servo on Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2015
I don't know what I was expecting with a sub-$70 radio, but I was both pleasantly surprised and sadly disappointed with my purchase. I bought this because I'm on a tight budget and my trusty and beloved Kenwood TH-79a's LCD display has gone kaput, while my ham-fisted attempts to fix it have been for naught. First, the good: It's much more solidly built than I was expecting something this cheap to be. The buttons have a solid, sturdy feel to them. The display is pretty easy to read, and the backlight comes in three colors with several options available for how and when it lights up. The built-in FM radio is an unusual but not unwelcome tough, as is the small but useful LED torch on top. Programming the radio with the official programming cable and CHIRP is a snap once you figure out that program, but programming from the keypad directly is actually not that hard once you learn the weird conventions the radio uses. The voice prompts, which can be disabled, are a neat addition, but not really useful and slow down menu operations. Yes, you can even change it to Chinese and practice your foreign language skills. So far, the battery life has been pretty good. I don't do a lot of chattering so the radio is mostly used in receive and scan modes. It's actually much more sensitive with the stock stubby duck antenna that I thought it would be, but you'll still want to replace it with a quality HT antenna at some point. Volume from the built-in speaker seems to be adequate for MURS, FMRS and ham radio repeater use, but it cannot fill a room with the quiet audio from my neighboring city's fire department dispatch channel. Audio levels also seem fairly low from the built-in mic, at least compared to the rich and full audio from my old Kenwood. Now, to the bad: I didn't notice it when I bought it, but this handheld lacks the AM aircraft band reception common in many ham HTs and portable scanner radios. Bummer. There's a ton of air activity in my area on both the VHF and UHF air bands, while most of my local public safety and businesses have gone P25 and/or encrypted, so there's not much else to really listen to. The scan feature, as noted in the owner's manual is very slow and not really suitable to someone who wants to track multiple public safety agencies or even quickly scan FMRS/GMRS/MURS frequencies. While programming is possible using just the radio, I found that you can't program ALL settings from the radio. You'll need the cable to add alpha tags to each channel, which is a huge negative in my eyes. You'll also need the cable and CHIRP or other programming software to tell the radio to skip channels during scan. If you're out and about and trying to scan and come across a data channel, you'll either have to delete it or manually advance past it, which is a major hassle when you have a local repeater that's always tied up with rag chewers. I've wound up setting all my local HAM reapeaters to skip during scan for this reason. Another negative: the radio features a dual-watch feature, which allows you to put a frequency (or preset) on the A and B displays and monitor both at the same time. But this does not work while either A or B display is scanning, meaning you cannot have a "watch" channel while scanning others. And A and B won't scan at the same time like my old Kenwood. One sits basically dormant while scanning. Again, unlike even more modestly priced dual band HTs both A and B won't play through the speaker at the same time if two signals are detected simultaneously. Whichever is detected first owns the "speaker time" — annoying if you're watching an important channel and data or a weak signal monopolizes the other band. Another annoying feature or lack thereof? There's no transmit lockout. I have a mix of ham (which I'm licensed to use) and public safety (which I'm not) frequencies programmed in, but this radio WILL transmit on any frequency it receives. It's one thing to accidentally key up on a ham frequency, but this radio makes it possible to transmit on public safety and business band frequencies which, depending on how the radio is set up, could cause problems (not to mention be completely illegal). I wish there was a Tx Stop option that would disable transmitting entirely for this reason. Instead there is only a Tx Lockout that keeps you from transmitting on an channel that's actively in use. In addition to the obtuse menus used on this radio, the call and monitor buttons are strange. The orange call button (which, when pressed and held, transmits a woo-woo siren across whatever frequency you're on and flashes the torch LED light) also doubles as the FM radio button. The FM radio will play until you press the call button again. The MONI monitor button, when pressed and held, will un-squelch the radio and will bypass any tones programmed in, useful if you hit a frequency that you have programmed with a receive tone but something else is causing the channel to be active. The MONI button doubles as the flashlight button, and a short press turns on the LED, a second press flashes the LED and a third press turns it back off. Because the MONI (and PTT and CALL) buttons are so firm, I often find myself turning the torch on when I want to unsquelch the radio. Finally, the last little complaint is over the battery and charger. The battery meter does not seem to be all that accurate. While mostly listening, I can get several days use out of the radio. The first two or three days it shows three (max) battery bars. But once it drops, it drops quick and the last two bars disappear in a matter of hours. Charging is painfully slow and the charger base, while handy, is made of rice paper and helium, as is the wall wart. Seriously, these things are almost light enough to float away. There is no "heft" to them at all. The charger has a red LED which glows when charging, and when charging is complete, turns off. But once you remove the radio, it flashes quickly between red and green. For a minute, I thought it was defective. It's certainly annoying and I have to unplug the base when it's not in use. Overall, I'm willing to give this radio kudos for being a no frills basic radio at a rock-bottom price, while having a few really useful features like alpha tagging and the ability (nay, necessity) to be computer-programmed. But it's far from perfect. No dual simultaneous reception is a bummer, as is the lack of aircraft band(s). The menus were created and programmed by crazy people in an asylum and the requirement of purchasing a programming cable to fully utilize the radio's features is chintzy as all get-out. It is, however, solidly built and if you get a year or three out of it you're coming out ahead. I doubt the radio actually meets FCC certification judging by some of the reports of a real lack of spectral purity and it's questionable whether it should even be sold to the general public in the United States. In the meantime, if you're a responsible amateur looking for a budget radio, this is not the worst way to spend $100 (radio+cable). Edit (17 November 2015): A disappointing discovery: while in scan mode, this radio's reception can vary widely. One signal will come in perfectly clear, then the response (on the same channel, through the same repeater, without going through a scan again) will be so static-y it's barely audible. If I hit the "Exit" button multiple times (which stops the scan) the reception will clear right up. I don't know if this radio's defective or if this is something else, but I'm missing half of conversations unless I keep the radio in manual mode or constantly hit the exit button, which kills the scanning feature. This affects all but the strongest local signals.
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