Baofeng 888S UHF Radio Field Test and Power Test
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- Опубликовано: 27 мар 2015
- Field test of the ultra cheap Baofeng UHF 16 channel radio the BF888S, a super cheap durable radio thats easily programmed with chirp software, see the radio reviewed and tested here.
This radio is sold in the UK for as little as £10, please note that the supplied dektop charger is fed with plain twin core bell wire that is not double insulated, it is advisable to sleeve this cable.
I got my radios from this ebay seller, they at least came fitted with a UK plug top and a 3A fuse, note that radios supplied with a euro plug are not fused.
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/29135397029...
I've bought 14 of these to use in a school to keep all classes in contact with office, impressed with quality.
So you can use 14 and all talk to eachother just fine?
Yep
Dude, these are 2-way radios. Not cell phones. Yes, everyone on the same channel can hear and talk to each other.
+Javier Martinez Most PMR and FRS radios use CTCSS (google it,) its tone coded squelch not all manufacturers use the same code, when you press the transmit button it sends out a tonecode, only other radios with this code will open the squelch to let you hear them.
Sure if you turn the squelch off and listen to the white noise you will hear everyone on the channel but most people dont want to do that and most PMR and FRS radios come with the squelch on as standard.
Its limited because it doesnt stop people trying to talk at the same time on the same channel but what what you can do on these radios is set the tone so that you dont hear other people you do this by choosing an uncommon tone.
So the answer to your reply is yes everyone could hear each other on the same channel but only if you listen with the squelch open and are happy to listen to white noise inbetween overs which most people wont do particularly in a work environment and there is no need a you are likely to only want to listen to people within your organisation.
Many manufacturers use the common tone of 67hz although some cheap sets let you change them as does this one.
Reece, how do you feel 1 year on about them? Any regrets?
Great video, subbed. Got a set of three with mikes/speakers and we use them professional on steel construction sites and maintenance and welding jobs on plants etc., often with crane operators. No experience with other brands but very content with this brand.
Thanks for being specific about your test. I'll be ordering one soon for the kiddos to use around town with their friends. I don't believe in them having phones to early so this will be perfect for them to keep in touch and checked on. Thanks for the great video. Really appreciate it.
glad you enjoyed, range in built up areas will not be as good of course.
Thanks for taking the time. I might just get this. Greetings from Vancouver island!
Thanks
kno ieman,how long do i charge the walkie talkie
@@rethikas14 only takes about 5 hours. Im happy with this purchase. Worth it.
Cheers good review, lots of effort put into this review i appreciate that. That price is crazy low wow!
Thanks so much 😎
I do like these radios and got some a good few years ago.Still working well now.
WALKIE TALKIE 2021 🔊
I love these decent quality cheap and talks 4 miles through houses all over my neighborhood easy on simplex
absolutely amazingly awesome review Sir....Outstanding job!!!!!!!!
hiya, I have received my Proster walkie talkies this morning, tested them out with my dad and they work perfectly fine walked into my local town center speaking to my dad on the radio and they worked fine in shops aswell..I was also picking up the police and paramedics on it aswell lol awesome
thanks for your review, was doubt with this product... till u saying great about this one... thanks mate
Great review video! I'd love to see a review of the Amcrest atr-22
love it. we have 6 of these from our local online seller for a cheap price. about 6$ each. and i'm surprised and impressed. the downside is the battery life. overall its a good buy.
Yes they are amazing value aren't they, I get the occasional comment from ppl saying Chinese junk etc, they aren't junk they are superb little sets that are so cheap it doesn't matter.
@@knoxieman hahaha. that is true. but nevermind those junk instructions. the item is great. we are happy with it.
Dennie Williams where did u get them for 6 dollars a piece ?
@@alphanomega2799 i bought it from lazada.com. similar to amazon. online store. but check it also from your local online store. the shipment came direct to china and delivered by their partner courier. im from Philippines so the price is inexpensive.
@@papadenz2022 ok thanks... but I just left the lazada website and the prices are ridiculous like over a 100$.. I guess they are cheap for u since u are there
I have a Baofeng UVB5 I have VHF boat radio frequencies,fire ems and police frequencies,
It has UHF frequencies,it hasnt had any problems it goes very very very far ranges when im listening to FD frequencies its clear as day ive picked up firefighters up to 71 miles from me and boaters ive picked up to about 72-73 miles from my dock on sunny days! Excellent radio
Channel 16 can be set and will scan all 16 (or whatever ones are set to scan) when set to ch16 and scan function is enabled...when scanning if it stops on an active channel and you transmit it will always transmit on the channel 16 freq. if it is programmed otherwise it will transmit on the highest channel number that is set. You cannot tell what channel the scan stopped on so it is only good as a receive scanner function...
Also make sure you get the right Programming cable with the chip in it.
The newer boafengs use a cable with no chip but the BF-888's need the cable with the chip in it.
thanks for the information about the baofeng bf888s I like your video so much
Just subscribed, thanks. M0BND, haven’t used my license for god knows how many years, keep thinking about it though. Thanks for the review.
What licence
I bought one of these and one BaoFeng UV-5R Plus to use at work to communicate :) Best regards
Hi Knoxieman, my local UHF repeater has a RX and TX frequency but I see only one Column for frequency, where in chirp do I set them seperate. 73
Hi again Knoxieman, did you ever get the beep function to work when programming the BF-888s handsets? Also does the busy lock feature work? Many thanks.
Great video and test I would definately change the power supply wire.....
Hi. Thanks for the great video. Do you know if the channel frequencies are reset to the factory settings if the battery runs out of power. Thanks
FYI, you can have a frequency programmed into channel 16 and still scan. I own 2 of these and tried it.
Ch. 16 is used for scanning too.
Great Video and Testing! Getting a pair of them too :) 55 & 73 from germany
Peter Grygorczuk Many thanks!! & Yes for the money they are amazing radios, you will have a lot of fun with them for sure!
There great for the price and they are really easy to use for as cheap as £10 and that anyone can use them without any previous knowledge/experience with other radios they are perfect for on site use.
Yes absolutely 😎
I’ve added this to my favourites playlist
Thanks for this video. It looks like you are using SDR# to record the test transmissions. Did you use a voice activated recording feature within SDR#, or simply record the whole time during testing? I'd like to perform similar tests but do not want to leave the program recording while I am away from the computer. Thanks again and 73's.
Hoq do you know if the radio was already programmed for the legal frequency? And if it isn't how do you change it?
I got 2 BF-888s the other day. Both work but on the one the battery wont stay in. The catches on the bottom are fine. A very slight pull and the battery come out. Any suggestions?
Great review nice to see a good well put together test I've also subscribed look forward to more.....
many thanks :-)
I've got the baofeng uv5r these look really similar to you're sets sure the one's I got from cash converters for £5.00 are very early ones in radio terms. ....
How to you set the power level via the software enabling these radios to be uk legal for PMR channels?
Hi Im a bit confused here so are any frequencies out side of the 446mHz range ok to use is that what the pmr thing means? I got some of these and a cable and it's showing they are preset from 450 to 469 so I dont need to change anything? Thanks
Very good review my friend I have a question are the BF888s compatible to connect to a repeater network
Thank's for your video, price in France is 21 € one radio, good radio
thanks, it is a great little radio amazing value for money.
estos radios son compatibles con los radios Kenwood tengo una base y me gustaria ver si me puedes ayudar si puedo meterlo a la frecuencia que maneja mis radios kenwood si son compatibles con esos radios me podrias ayudar si funcionarian
Hi +knoxieman , how do i programme it again so that I can use it in the UK please?
thank you
It's strange because I've used CHIRP to program my Baofeng UV-5Rs, and I've found that while the majority of the functions I've programmed the radio for actually go through, things like Busy Channel Lockout don't seem to work, so I wonder if it's the same case here, except with the power setting not being accepted by the radio vs my issue with the BCL feature.
Chirp is loaded with options that are not supported on a radio of these specifications. Don't have to be.
What program you use for hear and receive the signal in your pc?
Subbed. we need more like you, thanks for the review!
thanks and thanks for the sub, more reviews to come.
Awesome. If you haven't already, do you thing you could get your hands on the Quansheng TG UV2 and run it through the paces? I'm really wanting to get one but previous chicom experiences have be puckering up a bit...
Good one
I have installed my software but my devices show unspecified when I plug my radio in and when I open the software to read from the radio it doesn't show the 'com port' where as in the unspecified device it shows as com 6... what am I doing wrong? is it cause I am using windows 10? if so what software could I use that is compatible? (hope you can help!!!) thanks.
Hi ,
Do you think these vary from set to set ?...just bought 4 for my kids ...I do have ham licence but only M6 .
.regards
Del
Appreciate the video. I ordered a pair which came in this afternoon and was wondering how far the range was. Thanks for the demo.
Roddy Smith hey no problems they are great budget radios, enjoy :-)
Can you use them to talk to someone with the same radio like a walkies talkie? Without programming them in the US?
That was a great review! Thank you so much!
How you are tested , automatic voice sending! 10:45 what is this program? For PC?
+knoxieman Is the earpiece push to talk? Deciding whether to bye a push to talk earpiece with it so I can leave it in my pocket while speaking.
negusorigins I don't think so, I don't have these radios any more as they were given away as gifts, I'm sure none of the cheap headsets have inline buttons.
I should think that you could open up a repeater seven miles away on one watt with a dirty great antenna on the roof! How about using the antenna supplied with the radio?
Do you have a recommendation to make the wire safer, maybe another charger?
Good afternoon
can you help me? I want to connect two devices, the first device is the same as the one you have, while the other is different, but they are all from BAOFENG, thank you …
The Baofeng UV9r plus is my cheapy of choice 2-way though far more features. Have a couple of UV5r's but find the 9's even better built. How do they do these for the price?
I have the 888's for holiday family use, cheap enough not to care if you drop one and the kids love them.
What program software do you use to record your voice on distance test?
I like your field tests and all the ham radio reviews ;) I see you are using the AVAIR AV-400 to measure the output power. One question: what minimum power needs this SWR meter to deliver precise values for SWR? Is it usable for PMR devices, means for 0.5Watt? Or do you have other recommendations for such a SWR and power meter? Thank you
Yes it's very accurate and has a 0 to 5 watt scale so good for pmr
Does anyone know the PMR Frequency In New Zealand?
great insight thanks for uploading
Excellent video, thank you...
awesome video, im just wondering though, i live in the us, but i dont want to get my HAM licence, can you point me in the direction to get the frequencies i have to program into these radios as to not get hunted down lol
nice tune at the end
US low end limit is now 2 watts before you need a license. These radios are perfect.
hey bro !I am about to take a wire less set would you tell me which 1 is the good company
Nice little radios. Inexpensive too.
How to program this radio
I just want like two of these unit and they should just work. I don’t know how to program, these....
Hi! Great video, it made me buy 4x of them :). What software are you using around 11minutes? Thanks
*It is sdr# used in sdr radios software defined radios. hope u found it useful*
will these work straight out of the box though on an illegal frequency or do you need to program them for them to work?
yes they will still work
+knoxieman thanks. So what's the risk with the frequency. Is it a case of maybe bleeding over to one that's being used all ready or is it the uhf backup frequency if the police airwaves radios go down
Thanks for the review
We have exactly the same make and model variable power supply and swr meter. 73 MM0SDK.
Scared of a bad there
What the software u use that hear frequzeny radio
are these suit for trekking or hiking?
Ok then. Thank you for your help.
What about the 'new' Misuta 888s, their ad''s are quoting 3 watt power output, not the previous
+f4bscale Very likely not even some of the bigger UV5R variants dont put out 3 watts on UHF, you can generally take the power labels on the boxes with a massive pinch of salt, not that it matters as for the money they are great radios and all that extra watt or two would do in practice is just flatten your battery more, if range is a concern you need a better antenna on all these Chinese radios.
+knoxieman Thanks, I've sent for one so as to make a comparison. You are right about the antenna. I have worked my way through a few fake Nagoyas and they do improve performance a little. I now have a genuine Nagoya NA771 and it improves performance from, say 5 or 6/10 to 7 or 8/10 at 3.4 miles from a high point (almost line of sight). That's back to another 888s (original antenna) in a bedroom window.
Would these be okay for kids to use? Ages 7-16. Looking for cheap but good quality Walkie talkies for my brothers for Christmas.
Hello. How many kilometers can a radio receiver cover?
I have the Baofeng UV-82.
It is a dual band VHF/UHF.
I love it.
I can get out about 50 miles with repeaters.
Thanks for the vid.
timm2020 Oh yeah, KD8YWL
I have the baofeng UV-5r connected to the 888s with local PMR, but only mine the can reach the 888s at 7 miles distance. The 888s can't reach my UV-5r. Can you solve that problem?? (No CTCSS or DCS programmed on both radio)
7 miles even line of sight might be pushing it for the 888, some 888 firmware allows high and low power switching, you could try that, also reduce squelch level on the UV5R, you could also try better antenna on both radios.
Thanks for the little video on these radios,im considering buying a few for my business soon.....73 de vk4la
which channel would you recommend?
My 2 sets show red light but no voice on other set ...and 1st set also behave like this ...both of them show green...but no voice on otherhand but onlu red light glow ..plz help ..i never use them from 2 years ..
Thanks for the review. May I ask, what SDR software was that you used?
Cheers!
Chirp works well and its free
This radio can also be programmed to transmit and receive on vhf. It won't transmit well on vhf, but it will receive pretty good.
Mine dont on vhf
Can we communicate on 26-27 MHz band i.e, CB radio band on this device as the product shown on Amazon described it as licensed free in India..but I doubt it
Shubham Kumar hello no it won't operate on CB bands.
sorry but by any chance do you have the link to the video of how to program the radios? Thank you in advance.
+Arturo Ortiz If you search for programming chirp in youtube you should find videos that will help.
Which do you think was the best baofeng r5 of bf888
The box in the very beginning of the video says VHF/UHF. Are these dual-band?
No
2pcs bf888s model and 2 pics NA-771 high gain antina how many price ?
I have those radios one question when I got them they didn't come with a programming disk how can I program them out of the factory status.
download the program chirp from danplanet you can program them with that, you will also need the cable of course. The radios are often supplied pre programmed on frequencies that will not be legal for you to use in the us and UK so its important to change them to avoid causing interference.
thank u ill look it up
LOL at the RUclips closed-captions at 12:26! Good chuckle, and nice vid.
Me and car group want to use these for highway drives and what not
There's about 10 of use is this what we need just these or gotta add something?
+✱AT Productions✱ go ahead buy them on ebay 10£ each
Is theoud repitious noise ( music?) a youtube reqirement?
Can u use thees frequencies in the USA?
I lost the voice prompt on channel selection function. How do I get it back?
Turn the 888 off then press and hold the two orange buttons while you turn the 888 on again
What is the name of the song at the end? Great, informative video. Keep up the good work!
Thanks, the music is generated by the video editor program so doesn't really have a name as such
i bought 2 BF-888S but its GMRS frequance and Turkey doesnt accept this frequances. how can i change the frequances to PMR ?
By programming it.
I have a pair of these that I want to use as walkie-talkies when I go camping etc. I keep hearing the frequencies have to be changed, but what to? If PMR frequencies are a no-no because the radios are too powerful, which frequencies CAN we legally use in the UK? We only need them to keep in contact with eachother. Any advice would be good :)
+Walter Ego well its a tricky one to answer, legally you shouldnt be using them unless you are a licensed radio ham and even then not on PMR, however if you are going to use them and you are not a HAM it is essential that you program them on to the 8 PMR frequencies that way you wont cause interference, you still wont be legal but at least you wont be potentially causing havoc.
knoxieman Thanks for that - I certainly don't want to interfere with important communications somewhere. I wouldn't be using them often or for long conversations so PMR sounds the best way to go. Now we shall never talk of this again....... ;-)
hi knoxieman im interes for this boafeng how to buy there ? im living in albania
how can you able to lock the key-pad
Hiya I have a bf-666s does the same program software work from bf888 on a bf-666s cheers
Yes it does get the latest build of the software.
What kind of cheap radios or walkie talkies can I buy to talk to someone 15km away?
By the way, have you tried any other antenna on this radio.... like the Nagoya NA- 771 or NA-666?
Rui Delgado Yes tried the 771 made a noticeable difference as you would expect although it makes the radio less pocketable
Can you use straight out the box aslong as you have all on same ch or do you really have to download programs?
Yes you must re program the channels are all over the place otherwise
how do you set them low
I am in the United States and am a representative of a volunteer organization. We use these radios on business frequencies with a license. Besides being a bit quiet, they do their job fairly well.
I doubt they are type accepted for biz band use.
@@captlarry-3525 they are part 90 certified. Check the FCC database. Also this comment is 5 years old lmao… we’ve since started using Motorolas.