Ham Radio Questions
My ham ticket expired somewhere in the 1970's. I am thinking of getting back into it, but have a couple of questions? I had an advanced class license. Do I have to go through the complete exam, or can...
Forum Discussion
I have Baofeng as well as the ol' reliable VX5. I find the BF-F8HP easier to use, easier to read screen, the battery lasts forever it seems. The CHIRP programming is easier to use than EVE. EVE is supposed to drive the VX5 but I haven't been able to get the two talking yet. The modulator has a lot of punch and arguably sounds better than the VX5. They are very close. The BF-F8HP makes a solid 8W on the Bird and won't burn your hand live the VX5 trying to make 4W. PL works fine, but it also supports DPL and you can cross PL in n'out. Not sure about DPL. There is also a quasi reverse burst that works great with other Baofeng's. I need to try it with a conventional PL'd receiver and see what it does.
Complaints:
The handheld mic sounds terrible, but what do you expect for $7. The Yaeseu is that much better at x4 the price
There is a bug in th AGC that affects all Baofeng radios and I've had many in my hands. It appears to essentially be Off, causing pops and clicks with any flutter whatsoever, and it's just as bad when it goes through strong multi-path. So essentially any multiparty of flutter you hear is doubled by this flaw. It's irritating but you can't beat the price
Complaints:
The handheld mic sounds terrible, but what do you expect for $7. The Yaeseu is that much better at x4 the price
There is a bug in th AGC that affects all Baofeng radios and I've had many in my hands. It appears to essentially be Off, causing pops and clicks with any flutter whatsoever, and it's just as bad when it goes through strong multi-path. So essentially any multiparty of flutter you hear is doubled by this flaw. It's irritating but you can't beat the price
