In different industries, be it cars, mobile phones, computers, you can find some successful models that completely solve the user's tasks, are "indestructible" and cost reasonable money. They are called "folk". Among the walkie-talkies, this is Baofeng UV-5R.
Today we will start a series of reviews dedicated to this legend. In our warehouse, 7 different models were selected for testing.
What will we compare? What our customers are most interested in: the capacity of the standard battery, the compatibility of different versions with a single programming software, which antenna is included, the output power.
Let's start with the main features and price.
Main characteristics, prices
We note right away that regardless of the version, the price is the main advantage of this radio. The cost is slightly different from version to version.
According to its technical characteristics, the radio station will appeal to both a beginner to get acquainted with the basics of radio communication, and a radio amateur who needs advanced functionality every day:
Who will need it?
- 128 memory channels will allow you to save a lot of necessary frequencies, and not just 16, as is customary on monoblock models;
- Thanks to its compactness, the radio station is easy to take with you;
- A rich set of accessories will be useful for solving any problem and expanding capabilities;
- Convenient two-line display;
- Frequencies 144-146 MHz for radio amateurs;
- UHF with its LPD / PMR for everyone else.
Yes, to everyone: hunters, fishermen, tourists, travelers, skiers, airsoft players, radio amateurs and just ordinary people for communication in groups or for interaction between vehicle crews at close distances.
Modifications
Over the years of existence, quite a few different modifications have appeared. They are indicated by different suffixes in the name, they differ in case color, output power, and frequency ranges of operation.
| Model | Output power | Frequency range | Model | Output power | Frequency range |
| Baofeng UV-5RC Updated design |
|
Baofeng UV-5R Blue Blue body color |
|||
 |
2 levels |
136-174 MHz |
 |
2 levels | 136-174 MHz 400-520 MHz |
| Baofeng UV-5R Classic model |
Baofeng UV-5R Military Camouflage body color |
||||
 |
2 levels |
136-174 MHz |
 |
2 levels | 136-174 MHz 400-520 MHz |
| Baofeng UV-5R 3 power levels |
Baofeng UV-5R Yellow Yellow body color |
||||
 |
3 levels |
136-174 MHz |
 |
2 levels | 136-174 MHz 400-520 MHz |
| Baofeng UV-5R 3 band |
|||||
 |
2 levels |
136-174 MHz |
About battery capacity
At the time of this writing (November 2020), all radios come with a Li-Ion type rechargeable battery with a declared capacity of 1800 mAh.
Software, instructions
The software for flashing frequencies is the same for all modifications. This is either the well-known "CHIRP" with extended functionality and access to some service settings of the radio station, or software called "Baofeng UV-5R VIP". Both cope with the tasks of programming channels and functions. Which one is more convenient is up to the users to decide. To configure without a computer, you can use the Russian instructions.
 |
 |
Antennas
The antennas in the kits are the same, the frequencies are VHF + UHF. Of the optional ones, we recommend the Nagoya NA771 with an SMA-F connector. This is a low cost, proven antenna that can increase range. We will talk about another effective and unusual antenna in the second part of our review. Stay tuned!
Communication power and range
But we decided to pay more attention to the issue of output power. First, let's take a look at the photo above. The models indicate two options for the power declared by the manufacturer: 5W for most and 8W for two. Is it really?
For measurement, we will use a Surecom SW-102 device, a Diamond DL-50 termination, a set of adapters and a headset to activate the transmission mode instead of using the PTT button. The batteries of all radio stations are fully charged, we proceed to measurements, fixing them in the photo.
At different parts of the operating frequencies, the output power may differ. Since the walkie-talkie is more amateur, we will choose for measurements the general calling frequency of 145.500 MHz for the 2m range and the second LPD channel 433.100 MHz for the 70cm range.
To make it easier to navigate through the photo, we will designate the parameters and indicators of interest.
As a result, we get:
| Baofeng UV-5RC | Baofeng UV-5R Blue | Baofeng UV-5R Yellow | Baofeng UV-5R Military | Baofeng UV-5R classic |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
VHF: 4,98 W |
VHF: 4,49 W | VHF: 5,03 W |
VHF: 4,48 W |
VHF: 5,16 W |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| UHF: 4,42 W | UHF: 4,05 W | UHF: 4,49 W | UHF: 4,29 W | UHF: 4,45 W |
| Baofeng UV-5R with 3 power levels | Baofeng UV-5R with 3 power levels | Baofeng UV-5R Tri-Range |
 |
 |
 |
| VHF High: 5,4 W | UHF High: 5,62 W | VHF: 6,17 W |
 |
 |
 |
| VHF Middle: 4,34 W | UHF Middle: 4,24 W | UHF: 4,55 W |
 |
|
 |
| VHF Low: 2,63 W | UHF Low: 1,14 W | 230 MHz: 1,71 W |
The race was won by a tri-band walkie-talkie, which showed 6.17 watts at VHF frequencies. Note that for full use in this modification of the frequency section 200-260 MHz, an appropriate antenna is required. The power in it is slightly more than 1 watt, which must also be taken into account.
What conclusions can be drawn?
- 8 watts is not found in any modification. All models have about 5.
- The difference in the same models with a different body color may be due to the individual feature of a particular transmitter. If a walkie-talkie in a yellow case turned out to be 0.5 watts more powerful than a model in a camouflage case, this does not mean that all yellow ones will be like that.
So is it worth chasing power? What does it affect?
The higher the power, the greater the range. The formula is as follows: in order to increase the range of the radio by 2 times, the power must be increased by 4. And do not forget that the range of the radio station is affected by the terrain, the presence of buildings and structures, the height of the correspondents above the level of obstacles, the frequency range of operation, the sensitivity of the receiver, the weather , battery state of charge, use of a standard antenna or selection of third-party antennas, presence of interference.
How to increase the radio communication range, see more details in a separate article.
We reviewed several variants of the legendary Baofeng UV-5R. In the next part, we will talk about interesting accessories for this radio station: antennas, batteries and other useful things. Thank you for your attention and see you soon!
Author: Krikam
Source: https://krikam.net/content/review/radiostantsii/obzor-ratsii-baofeng-uv-5r/
