including shipping from Hong Kong around $50.
programming cable is 9 bucks I think.
73
Colin, V A6BS
----- Original Message -----
From: "Gerry Leary" <[log in to unmask]>
To: "colin McDonald" <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, September 19, 2011 8:50 PM
Subject: Re: baofeng UV-3r first impressions
> How much does it cost?
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "colin McDonald" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Monday, September 19, 2011 7:29 PM
> Subject: baofeng UV-3r first impressions
>
>
>> Hey all:
>> I got my hands on the baofeng UV3r dual band last night.
>> First impressions are good. the radio is very small, well built and has
>> great tx and rx audio.
>> As a size reference, the radio is the same height as a standard bick
>> lighter, about an inch thick and perhaps 2.5 inches wide.
>>
>> It has 4 buttons on the front, two buttons on the left side, and the PTT
>> on
>> the left side. It has a single pin speaker mike/data jack and the
>> charging
>> port on the right side.
>> On the top is one detented control knob that you must pull up to
>> turn...push
>> down and it locks into place.
>> The antenna jack is a standard female SMA type.
>> TX audio is clear and crisp, and rx audio is more than adequit.
>> When you enter the menus, it always lands on menu number one. The menus
>> and
>> settings do wrap, but they will always land on number one, and the
>> default
>> setting of 0 or off when you enter each setting.
>> The power button is rounded, compared to the other 3 buttons on the front
>> which are rectangular.
>> The PTT, mode, and light buttons on the left side are all different
>> shapes,
>> and are tactily different from each other.
>>
>> I've been trying to get the programming software to work with JAWS.
>> Everything shows up with jaws, except the most important part, where you
>> edit each memory channel.
>> That too is doable, but it's tedious...once you understand how to access
>> the
>> RX, TX, tx tone and rx tone, and wide/narrow fields, you can use the
>> mouse
>> clicker, escape, and space bar to access each channel to edit it.
>> I have tried to examine the .dat file that is produced when you save your
>> settings, but it is all jibberish...unlike other dat files I've seen
>> which
>> can be edited in a common notepad text editor.
>> If I can get a better handle on the programming software, I'll post my
>> comments, and write up something for Icanworkthisthing.com.
>> Programming by hand is nearly impossible, unless you wish to try and
>> count
>> by 5, or perhaps 25KHZ steps. You can set the programming software to
>> tell
>> the radio to set the VFO on a specific frequency, then set your step size
>> in
>> the menu's to 25KHZ. Then, you can turn the knob on the top to your
>> desired
>> frequency, counting from your preset frequency.
>> The actual programming of a memory channel is as easy as on the TH F6A or
>> IC
>> T90...press a button, select the memory channel, press another button and
>> it's saved.
>> However, locating the correct frequency is more difficult as the radio
>> has
>> no keypad for direct entry.
>> You can also set the FM broadcast radio frequency via the software, so
>> that
>> the first time you access the FM radio, it'll be on your chosen
>> frequency.
>> You then just need to count in 100KHZ steps on the top knob to locate the
>> station of your choice. The radio will go back to the last known station
>> when you return to the FM radio.
>> Also, if you have the FM radio on, and the frequency you were monitoring
>> before becomes active, the radio will automatically switch back to what
>> ever
>> frequency/channel you have it set to...then, when the frequency goes
>> quiet
>> again, it'll return to the FM radio until you exit the FM radio.
>> It also has a built in flash light function, not that it is much use to
>> most
>> of us hi.
>> But you can use the flash light without having the radio turned on.
>> Power settings are done via both the initial memory programming, and via
>> menu 7...high and low...high is 2W output on VHF/UHF, and low is half a
>> watt
>> on VHF and UHF.
>> It's more like a self programmable commercial radio than an amateur
>> radio.
>> There is no reverse function, there is no DTMF function, there is no
>> keypad.
>> I've got weather channels programmed on certain channels so that I can
>> have
>> an audible reference point to know where I am...for instance, I have
>> weather
>> programmed in on channel 1, 162.400, then 10 common ham freqs programmed.
>> Then, channel 12 is weather again, and after that are another 5
>> frequencies.
>> Then, weather again in channel 99...so I know that if I hear weather on
>> two
>> channels side by side, that one is chan 99, the next is chan one...then I
>> just have the ten ham freqs memorized in order as I have all my radios
>> programmed the same.
>> Then, if I hear only the one weather channel as I'm flipping through, I
>> know
>> I am at my next block of frequencies...which are also memorized in order.
>> This is pretty much the only way to determine where you are as you
>> obviously
>> can't just press 001 or 000 to go to a specific channel.
>> So, from an accessibility, and blind user stand point, not great, but
>> from a
>> cost and usability and over all cool stand point, excellent.
>> Great for "local" amateur/FRS/GMRS communications.
>>
>> Radio comes with a lanyard strap, a speaker mike ear piece, a belt clip,
>> a
>> desktop charger for the battery, a VHF and UHF antenna *they're two
>> separate
>> antennas*, a 3.9V 1500MA battery and the wall wart charger.
>> The radio will run off of 11 to 16V dc so you can run it straight off
>> your
>> cigarette lighter or power supply. You can charge the battery by
>> plugging
>> the charger into the radio, or by taking the battery out and dropping it
>> into the desktop style charger.
>>
>> 73
>> Colin, V A6BS
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