Anyone please a current comms / radio “guru” - looking to replace our current hand-held sets, our budget for 6 handsets + odds & ends = about £1000. We are looking (for durability, 5W power, suitable freqs, etc) at this handset - any comments / thoughts please?
Yes, not cheap, but we are looking at a “long-life” purchase rather than a basic fix, & we use our radio sets a lot.
We bought 12 x Wouxon UV9Ds and are very happy with them so far.
Around £199each but I trust them more than the Baufeng units.
I bought a Hytera unit (different model) to try it out but it seems to use a custom connector for remote mics. The wouxon and baufeng use a more standard connector.
We also transitioned to the Baofengs. Okay they may not be as reliable (we haven’t had any issues with ours) but at £25 compared to £200 you can replace or break them or even just have more of them without having to worry about them.
We have a set of Yaesu FT-60E radios. Work very well. Good battery life.
We have studded them to the Air Cadet frequencies, but still have freedom to use other channels ( with a licence) and can even use them to listen to airband (so useful for airshows / aviation training)
FT-60s is the Rolls-Royce of what you are asking for.
I have used Wouxun UV6 (via Martin Lynch & Sons) and can’t fault them (~£110 with speaker mic)
I also know alot rate the Baofengs.
the Wouxun is a cheaper FT-60 while the Baofeng is a cheaper UV6 - they all give or take do the same thing. talk to a person in the industry and they’ll tell you they have the same inners, the only difference being the quality of the parts (think budget>affordable>Rolls-Royce)
The UV6 is only available via eBay and Amazon style routes as its been replaced by the UV8, and UV9 - you might be able to get them cheaper now. I haven’t heard any negatives about the Baofeng tbf although if I had one critism they don’t feel as “sturdy” or solid as other units I have used – that said still to hear they are fragile and break on the second bounce from a careless grip of a Cadet’s hand.
For £25 a pop they are easier to replace than repair.
(the next question you’ll have is programming. As a Wouxun user I know the software provided is straightforward and simple to use, there are also plenty of other options available free for download. I suspect Baofeng will be the same but have heard no stories either way about their ease of programming)
I’ve been using a Baofeng UV-6R for about 8 years and not had a problem with it. For programming, doing it manually is a pain, don’t bother with the Baofeng software, use Chirp, a free download.
My Sqn has 10 of the same handest of which a couple of handests have had issues probably due to being dropped by cadets, but if looked after reasonably, they are good for the money.