another BeoFang post

**JDA58** · January 12th, 2021, 03:29 PM

Not to muddy up one of the other post or to get lost in it I ask.....

I'm very late to the show..but looking at getting a few BeoFang raidos .. I see many post on the subject but still very unsure what to get..( and most everything is out of stock).. What models would you recommend ? I'm new to this and have no clue.. what do all the different numbers mean to me??
like ..(BF-F8+2nd gen Uv-5r dual band 136-174/400-520MHz FM HAM TWO WAY radio )

**KPShooting** · January 12th, 2021, 04:27 PM

I personally have a set of the UV-82HP just in case I need the extra transmitting power. Of course I don't know a thing about programming the damn thing so that's probably a moot point.

**Calzonewdippingsauce** · January 12th, 2021, 04:47 PM

I have one of the more original UV-5Rs, but if you can spare the few extra (10) bucks I would say its worth it to get a UV-82HP or better yet the UV-9R, the waterproof(ish) ones have a better connection point for a lapel mic if you are going to go that route. I am going to get one of the UV-9Rs to replace mine because of the better attachment for the lapel mic. It is way more rugged and I found that I was constantly having to mess with my UV-5R when it was in my plate carrier to ensure the lapel mic was plugged in right.

**Sparks** · January 13th, 2021, 02:18 PM

Get a dual band model. Extra power (8 watts) won't really make much difference in performance, will drain the battery faster. Stay away from DMR. It's complicated and only useful if there are DMR repeaters near you.

**UTM** · January 20th, 2021, 09:39 PM

Anybody have experience programming a UV-5R or UV-9R using CHIRP freeware on a Mac? macOS Big Sur v11.0.1 to be specific. Thanks.

**wa3ra** · January 21st, 2021, 12:14 AM

Both will program up just fine.

Get your radio from B-tech (https://baofengtech.com/) to be sure to get a real one...just be aware that supplies on most real Baofengs are very short right now, and that the only places that have them right now are mainly the counterfeits.

Personally, I'd drop the few extra dollars and buy a Yaesu FT65R or an FT4XR, both in the $70 neighborhood.

**4191775** · January 21st, 2021, 08:00 AM

Originally Posted by UTM

Anybody have experience programming a UV-5R or UV-9R using CHIRP freeware on a Mac? macOS Big Sur v11.0.1 to be specific. Thanks.

The UV-5R is a good radio and I only got CHIRP to work on a Windows 7 PC. I was able to communicate in a heavily urban area while in a car to another UV-5R that was in a house at a miles distance. Note that I could tell that this was about the max range in that environment. Both radios also had NA771 antenna, not the standard antenna they come with.

I hope this helps.