BaoFengs are fine radios, but they don’t have hundreds of miles of range

Josh CentersContributor - December 4, 2020

In our online travels, we sometimes see preppers buying pairs of BaoFeng handi-talkies for themselves and their distant loved ones because they think
[See the full post at: BaoFengs are fine radios, but they don’t have hundreds of miles of range]

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You have to understand when they claim that kind of distance that’s because certain repeaters have that kind of distance and if the repeater is connected via All-Star Network or echo link we’re talking thousands of miles. But if you want point-to-point long distance communication without the third party in between then you have to go to the HF bands such as 20 m or 15 m 40 etc. I’ve been a ham radio operator since I was 16 years old and I’m 51 now so I’m very versed when it comes to technology more than the most out there do a little bit of research on repeater networks and how it works and repeaters that are also internet linked or linked via other radio’s networks for example the sarnet in Florida which is all linked via microwave to different repeaters so yes a baofang in Miami can talk  to Tallahassee

 

Is it possible to use Baofeng with repeaters that aren’t on echo link? Like ones you can find on repeaterbook?

 

Yes it is, you can connect to most if not all 2 meter & 70cm repeaters although you will not be able to connect to DMR repeaters. 

 

The only problem with repeaters is you don’t always know if you can count on them in an emergency, though many have backup power. That’s very cool about the microwave connection between repeaters, I’ll have to look into that more.

 

 Is there a radio you recommend that can reach 350 miles without 3rd party stuff? My dad, 2 sisters and nephews and nieces are 326 miles away, my mom and younger sister is 172 and my in laws are 123. All by road not as the bird flies. I’d like to provide each house hold with 2 radios but everything I look up seams to be so contradicting. It’s be great if someone could say go get this and it be right. 

 

Is there a radio you recommend that can reach 350 miles without 3rd party stuff? My dad, 2 sisters and nephews and nieces are 326 miles away, my mom and younger sister is 172 and my in laws are 123. All by road not as the bird flies. I’d like to provide each house hold with 2 radios but everything I look up seams to be so contradicting. It’s be great if someone could say go get this and it be right. 

 

Have you ever tried to connect to the Mt Mitchell repeater in NC? We get quite a few check-ins from Tenn on Sat night @9 on the 6600 net… That repeater is mounted 6600′ up on the mountain which I suppose is the highest repeater on the east coast. Excellent article sir!!! 

 

Thank you! I’ll see if I can hit that repeater sometime, though I have a hard enough time hitting even local repeaters.

 

The only thing to disagree with is that UHF cannot penetrate buildings better than VHF, the higher the frequency the more absorbtion by dense material so VHF would have a small edge. Sometimes rarely sporadic E propagation can increase the range of VHF and more commonly temperature/ humidity Inversion make a difference on VHF and UHF so it is not difficult to make contacts into the continent well over a hundred or two hundred miles from here in England

 

Exactly

 

Here’s the thing: we’re both right. Yes, higher frequencies tend to “bounce” off obstacles, but as the ICWE points out, shorter wavelengths can more easily slip through “holes” in buildings. Here in the states, VHF is vastly more popular than UHF, except in dense urban areas for that reason. Regardless, I’ll tweak the article to be more accurate.

And you’re right that trophospheric ducting can greatly enhance transmission range on those frequencies, but it’s not something I would want to have depend on in an emergency. Granted, you’re also at nature’s mercy when using HF, but it more reliably travels long distances.

Another reader mentioned bouncing signals off satellites, which is another viable option, though both parties have to keep track of the satellite’s position and either have a radio that can do VHF and UHF simultaneously (which the BaoFengs can’t do), or have two radios, one for transmission and another for reception. That’s definitely something I want to explore eventually, but it’s a bit complicated for the specific audience I was targeting here.

 

I think you have the characteristics of vhf and uhf backwards. Vhf is less sensitive to obstacles and uhf requires direct line of sight, which is why the military uses it for aviation. The higher the frequency the less distance and more attenuation there is, thus the higher uhf will attenuate faster.

 

I mentioned this above, but UHF tends to be better at slipping through “holes” in buildings, despite its other drawbacks.

 

The bulk of every single “ham” radio user application is VHF/UHF.  It’s used in industry, forestry, etc…. Everywhere… It IS the meat and potatoes of ham radio.

And ALL of those users, everywhere, using VHF/UHF, are using REPEATERS.

Baofeng are JUST radios.  They’re the same as Motorola, Icom, etc.  And the key takeaway is that they are AFFORDABLE without sacrificing quality.  All Radios are the TI-89 calculators of the communications world…. They’re kind of overpriced 1980’s garbage.  In Baofeng’s case, they’re building a radio without the 10,000% profit margin of their American competition. Imagine if Sony came along and built a copy-cat TI-89 calculator and sold it to university students for 39.99$ instead of Texas Instruments at 149.99$.

They ALL have the same range.

They all use the same systems.

Don’t write about how Baofeng don’t have the range of other radios… They’re identical.  Use a repeater like every other 400$ radio on the market does.

Wanna talk about HF radio?  Baofeng are not even in the market.  But if they were, you can bet your butt they’re going to be at the same industry leading bargain as their VHF options.

 

Yep, it’s all a limitation of VHF/UHF. Many hams say Yaesu and Icom radios have better range than BaoFengs, and maybe they do, but it’s not going to be miraculously better. I singled out BaoFengs in this article for the sole reason that I was seeing SO many posts in prepping groups about buying BaoFengs to talk to distant contacts and I wanted to correct the misconceptions.

Xiegu is probably the closest thing to BaoFeng in the HF space, and they’re very good radios for what they are. Thanks for reading!

 

Hi, I’d like to get some advice on which handset to get and which frequency to use to be able to contact my daughter in a shtf situation.

We’d be communicating up to 15 miles, between semi rural and city locations.

I’m looking for something simple that she can keep in her get home back, preferably runs on something like AA batteries, unless the battery pack has a decent lifespan if unused, or can be recharged by a USB power bank / hand crank / solar charger.

 

Josh, I hope you follow up with an article on the popularity of GMRS radio. This little brother of ham radio is on fire right now. Manufacturers such as Baofeng, Retevis, Radioddity, and Wouxun have 5 watt GMRS handi talkies flying off the shelf. Some manufacturers have even produced 50 watt mobile units that can also be used as a base. These radios are all the rage because the license requires no testing. The GMRS license covers an entire family, even grandparents. The license cost is $70.00 now, soon to be reduced to $35.00. Here you have a radio with the same capabilities as UHF ham radio, with the bonus of GMRS also can use repeaters.

 

We totally agree with you that GMRS is a great solution that gives you something more powerful than a Walmart FRS walkie talkie but doesn’t require as much time, money, and knowledge as ham radio does. Plus the whole family can instantly hop onto it with you. 

Josh did write up a good article about GMRS called: Why and how to get a GMRS license