Reddit reviews Baofeng Radio US BF-F9 V2+ 5-Watt Hi-Power Dual-Band 145-155/400-520 MHz Hand Held Ham Radio Two-Way Transceiver - With Battery, Earpiece, Antenna & Charger (BFF9V2BLACK)
We found 5 Reddit comments about Baofeng Radio US BF-F9 V2+ 5-Watt Hi-Power Dual-Band 145-155/400-520 MHz Hand Held Ham Radio Two-Way Transceiver - With Battery, Earpiece, Antenna & Charger (BFF9V2BLACK). Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Amcrest Direct (Amcrest Industries) is the authorized US Baofeng exclusive distributor of the BF-F9 V2+. Amcrest offers US based warranty service out of our office in Houston, TX, (no shipping to China). You must ensure that Amcrest Direct (FirstVision) is your selected buying option to claim the US warranty.Tri-Power Low / Medium / High Settings (1/4/5 Watts). Frequency Range: 65-108MHz (FM Receive only),145-155MHZ and 400-520MHZ (TX/RX). 25KHz/12.5KHz Switchable (Wide /Narrow) Band.VOX and OFFSET Functions, Dual Standby /Dual Watch, A/B band independent operation, Transmitter Time-Out Timer (TOT), Busy Channel Lock-Out (BCLO), and Many More Functions Available.High Quality, Bright LCD Screen with Tri-Color Display for Easy Reading, Durable Exterior Casing, and Advanced Noise Reduction Capabilities. Full Backwards Compatibility with All UV-5R Accessories. Helpful Programming Guides Available at Baofengradio.us.WARNING: Operating a radio on one of the following restricted frequencies without a license or authorization by the FCC can result in a variety of enforcement actions, including seizure of equipment, fines and other criminal penalties: 136 MHz – 137 MHz (Aviation Services, Part 87); 137 MHz – 138 MHz (Satellite Communications, Part 25); 138 MHz – 144 MHz (not available to any FCC licensee – Federal use only); 156.7625 MHz – 157.0375 MHz (Maritime Services, Part 80 and Aviation Services, Part
Get a BF-F9 V2+. There's a lot you can do with it. Get another antenna and a bigger battery for it. You now have a really versatile analog HT. You can reliably hit repeaters 15-ish miles away with it, depending on terrain, and in narrowband mode, probably a bit more. It has a DTMF keypad (DTMF = touch-tone phone keypad), so you can do some fun things with repeaters that have internet links and other little oddities. Get a programming cable and CHIRP, and you can do lots of fun and convenient things like program all your local repeaters and simplex calling freqs into it, and train it to swear.
Get a 12-volt power kit, a headset, and a mag-mount antenna, and now you have a halfway-respectable mobile rig. With that antenna, you'd be VERY surprised how far that little radio can reach out. I've talked to repeaters 25 miles away with my little BF-F9 and a mag-mount, and had no complaints about sound quality.
The point is, don't go crazy with expensive-ass kit right now (cue bot appearance in 3... 2... 1...). You're still very new to the hobby (I'm at the point where I'm kinda new), and you don't quite know what you like. I didn't think I'd care very much for longwave DXing and all that, and for the most part, the idea of having a "shack" doesn't appeal all that much to me, but I'm getting more and more interested in mobile HF. Just noodle around, talk to people, go to field days, etc.
47.99 on Amazon.
We use the Baofeng BF-F9 V2+ with Nagoya 701c antenna and QHM22 waterproof speaker/mic.
While inexpensive, these are full fledged HAM radio transceivers, not toys. You can't just take them out of the box and turn them on like walkie-talkies you buy at Walmart. They have to be properly programmed to talk to each other on the right frequency, including any tone coded squelch you wish to use.
Not that I'm a HAM radio expert or anything, but you do have to kind of know what you are doing to use these. They are capable of transmitting on frequencies you absolutely should not be using, like police, fire, ems, s&r, government, commercial, etc. It's also worth noting that unless you have an FCC license, you can't actually use these radios legally. However if you are just using them for occasionally dirt bike chit chat, using them responsibly, on the correct frequencies, and not pissing off other users, the chances of being caught are basically zero.
Bottom line is that these cheap Chinese HAM radios work great for dirt biking I have had great success, they have much better range and performance than cheap 'bubble-pack' FRS radios. But they do take a little research and effort to learn how to use them.
$47.99 each on Amazon
On sale at Amazon for $50 with prime
Over 1500 reviews.
Note: this is capable of HAM frequencies.