For radio enthusiasts worldwide, the inexpensive Chinese handheld radios produced by the likes of Baofeng and other brands have been a welcome addition to their arsenal. They make an ideal first tr…
Are they really as ‘bad’ as is made out? Presumably for low power use, a bit of spill-over isn’t the worst?
The problem is, a bit of overspill can be a very large amount of noise.
And when the equipment is so available, you can easily end up with polluted parts of the spectrum.
When I see friends buying a baofeng, with no intention of taking even the first exam, putting it up to full power, and seeing if someone responds, it’s a bit frustrating.
The hobby should have low barriers for entry, but not if that means constant interference for people doing things by the rules.
one problem with them is sometimes the preprogramed frequencies are likely to be where you aren’t allowed to transmit, if people buy them thinking them to be walky talkies that’s an issue if they use them as is.
have 2 DM1801’s with opengd firmware, really just them them to monitor marine, shopwatch and fireservice with tx disabled and only PMR446 frequencies where tx is enabled.
The problem is, a bit of overspill can be a very large amount of noise.
And when the equipment is so available, you can easily end up with polluted parts of the spectrum.
When I see friends buying a baofeng, with no intention of taking even the first exam, putting it up to full power, and seeing if someone responds, it’s a bit frustrating.
The hobby should have low barriers for entry, but not if that means constant interference for people doing things by the rules.
That’s true. Hopefully the best thing about Baofeng is that it adds competition to lower the price of kit from more reputable manufacturers.
one problem with them is sometimes the preprogramed frequencies are likely to be where you aren’t allowed to transmit, if people buy them thinking them to be walky talkies that’s an issue if they use them as is.
have 2 DM1801’s with opengd firmware, really just them them to monitor marine, shopwatch and fireservice with tx disabled and only PMR446 frequencies where tx is enabled.