Baofeng GT-3 Dual band ... ( First impression )

Just came this morning , and I would like to be all like its fantastic and all that ..

But I must say Im a little disappointed .

I dont know why they had to change the body so much , makes it hard to fit UV-5r batteries

It took a lot of work , but I got the UV-5r AA battery pack to fit the GT-3

At least now I have the option to run AA batteries .. On the + side , the AA battery pack makes the entire radio fit the hand better ...

Do you see anything ? Neither did I , and that makes removing the factory battery a pain in the proverbial ..

Yes , I did have to do something about that .

Removing the factory battery is as easy as can be now ..

Ok , I still dont care for the firmware ..

Why do you need to program semi duplex twice ( input and output freq )

Baofeng got it right with the UV-B5 , why cant they get it right with the GT-3 ? ( Because its still a UV-5r )

Yes , the GT-3 is a sheep in wolves clothing .

So far I have not noticed anything in use ( improvements ) , yes I know its supposedly got some new chips in it , it has a new set of clothes , and a new antenna ..

But you know what , I plug it into my 2 meter dipole ( 4 meters above the ground ) and there is no noticeable difference from my other baofeng radios ..

Bear in mind the GT-3 sells from about $60 to $80 USD , making it not the most cost effective baofeng .

Whilst the UV-5r sells from about $35 and up ...

Is the GT-3 twice as expensive as the UV-5r , well yes quite frankly , but is it twice as good , hell no .

To be fair , I have only had the radio for a few hours , but in that time , I havent noticed any difference what so ever and nothing to justify the GT-3's existence .

Its early days , and these are my initial thoughts ...

old4570 ( VK3FORK )

Yes I agree, I don't see very good reasons to upgrade from UV-5R to GT-3. But I think production of UV-5R has stopped. There still seems to be plenty of stock...

Wow , I hope they have stopped production of the UV-5r . all of them ..

The firmware is downright antiquated ..

I liked the UV-5r for its battery options , and I got the GT-3 for the price US $51.86 shipped ...

I was hopeful I could mod a AA battery pack to fit , and I did so ( running right now on Nihm )

Baofeng has a new radio , the BF-F8HP , but its currently only available in the US .. ( Which Sux's Chunks ) .. I contacted Baofeng about getting one , but the person I talked to is thick as a plank ..

Hopefully one of the HK online dealers will start selling them , so the rest of us can get a F8HP ( HP for high power ? ) anyhow its tri power , H M L :)

Thanks for the first impression. Is the UV-5r the best bang for the buck in this type of radio and where is the cheapest place to buy? I have quiet a few older Motorola and a few Uniden two way radios, probably 10 years old or older. How much of an improvement would the UV-5r be over the older Motorola’s?

Edit: Left the computer for a few and didn’t read your last post, so I should not get the UV-5r.

If you know what you need, and a UV-5R fulfills that need, then it is still a great choice. Yes, there are better and easier to use radios out there, but the performance/price ratio of the UV-5R is very hard to beat. And there are plenty of nice accessories, also at good prices. Cheap extra batteries, chargers and battery case for AA or AAA is nice. How many other radios offer that? Heck, a spare battery for some radios costs as much as a UV-5R...

If you don't know what you need your first radio will most likely be a very bad purchase. If it is a UV-5R, then at least it isn't an expensive first radio, and it will most likely still be useful. And it should make sure that you don't buy anything less capable for more... That may save you a fortune... ;)

Make sure to get a cable so you can program it from a PC.

Cheapest from Aliexpress, but I pay a little more at Banggood to avoid hassle.

Went to the Baofeng website and these were listed under Ham radios. Do I need a license to operate?

It depends on what frequencies you use. You can listen to anything, but if you don't have a HAM-license you can only transmit on some specific channels/frequencies. This varies some between countries. But the UV-5R may be a good buy even if you don't have a HAM-license. And if you get a license even better... You will have to do some research to figure out what frequencies you are free to use and how to program them into the radio. There is plenty of information specifically for the UV-5R on the Internet, so it should not be too difficult. There are a LOT of UV-5R radios out there...

For the low low price of $35 the UV-5r is a GREAT radio ..

Yes , In Europe - USA the rules vary greatly , and I believe there are license free frequencies to use .. Depending on country .

In Australia ( NZ ? ) You are required to be licensed ( VK3FORK here ) , amateur radio license . ( Just being in possession of one of these is a breach )

Back to the radios ... I like the UV-5r for the battery choices , if you want a better interface , more up to date firmware ( modern - user friendly - functional ) you may wish to look at a UV-B5 or UV-B6 ...

If your in the USA , the BF-F8HP may need some attention ..

Oh yeah , Troll Ebay for the best prices and watch for feedback scores .. Anything under 10,000 feedback might be worth avoiding ...

thanks for the review. :slight_smile:
i was planning to buy one but maybe i’ll search for wouxun

Looking at the specs it should be programmable to the 477mhz UHF CB range? 5w is within legal specs for that too. Ive got a couple of older Uniden (UH041) Id like to upgrade.

In Europe / USA this radio seems to be legal for USB CB ..

To the best of my knowledge , it would be a breach of the communications act to use a Ham radio for public frequencies ( people have been prosecuted for such )

The problem lays in the radio being able to operate outside the UHF frequency range ( Same in the USA I believe ) ...

Baofeng has software for locking the radio into Memory Mode , so if you program in the 80 UHF CB frequencies ( 70cm ) and the radio is unable to operate outside said frequencies then it would be legal for such ...

Unfortunately only Americans have access to such (1) Radios ( the right firmware ) and (2) the programming software to lock the radio ( correct firmware ) ... This is apparently proprietary , and is only available through one Baofeng seller in the USA ...

SO you would need to source the correct UV-5r from the states , and use the correct software to make ( program ) yourself a 80 channel hand held CB or walkie talkie ...

Yes I have done the research - I have contacted Baofeng about getting the software to lock the UV-5r to channel mode , and heard nothing back .

Next step is to see if the guy that writes the CHIRP software can mod his programming software to allow such ..

For now , the Baofeng is for licensed ham operators in Australia : There have apparently been a lot of problems with these radios in Australia as they cover Police / Ambulance / Fire frequencies as well a few others used by the Government . So the ability to limit the radios to amateur band plans is a plus ..

I have already programmed the GT-3 to 144-148mhz as well as 430-450mhz and it wont operate outside these frequencies , not even by accident . I also have all the 2 meter and 70cm repeaters programmed in for the state .

For your information only , the frequency range can be greatly expanded . The Baofengs will work well outside the frequencies listed by the factory ...

I guess this is why a few people have bricked ( killed ) their radios , trying for as much frequency range as they can get ...

I converted a UV-5r to a scanner , then when it could not transmit at all ( only receive ) I pushed the frequency range well beyond stock ...

They are a fun little radio for sure ...

> one Baofeng seller in the USA

Just curious, which one? I’m N6VSB

a couple questions about this-

First off can the radio be programmed as a trunking scanner or does it lack the hardware?

Secondly would it be able to be programmed as a scanner only on my frequency but still be able to transmit on other frequencies. Say if I wanted to set up a couple of these at different locations for people to be able to hear me on my frequency if I want to get their attention (but dont allow them to use my license) but then have it allow them to switch over to a public channel (or even GSM/FRS) for them to be able to talk back / to each other?

1/ No

2/ No

I would have to find it ...

Try a google search on VFO lock out ...

thanks’s

do you know of any equipment that can accomplish question #2 (doesnt have to be GSM/FRS at all, public frequencies would be fine). I’d really like to be able to get setup like that, where I can leave a unit at both my wife’s work and at our barn and be able to talk over those radios but because there’s other people there I dont care to let use my license so I’d only want them to be able to talk on the legal to transmit on the public channels but still hear me on mine.

Doesnt even have to be handheld.

Amazon has the BF-F8HP and the same store there sells the UV5RA in a pair with double everything for almost the same price. For the average user is the BF-F8HP that much better? Of course I want the F8 -it’s got more power, but for camping do I need that much more power?

Most likely, no. Better, and more fun, to have a few extra radios...

And if you temporarily need more range and want to have some extra fun, it is easy to rig two UV-5Rs to form an ad-hoc repeater.

Hoist them up high in a tree, possibly with better antennas, and you've suddenly got amazing range.

The only extra hardware needed is a cable with 2.5 and 3.5 mm plugs, so you can connect external speaker on one radio to external mic on the other.

http://www.amazon.com/Gino-2-5mm-3-5mm-Audio-Adapter/dp/B009PJG2TU

I thought you only needed one radio to function as a repeater… now it’s two with a jumper between them like a telomere on a dividing cell. Whycome ya’ gotta use two of them radidios to make a repeater?

Adobe, sorry I just realized you are in Europe and might not get the spelling to sound like the ignorant red necks of my humble heritage. Humor is tricky.