Baofeng reprogramming?

This definitely has the tinkering aspect in spades that speaks of Doom and an endless pursuit for perfection. Oh woe is me.

It's funny, the huge head unit/giant centre dashboard lump in my car is acting up and sounds like it's ready to die. When it does it will be replaced with an aftermarket bezel and a much smaller digital media head unit. That leaves a ton of space for radio(s).

Haven't even figured one percent of this out and I'm already finding new places to add hardware lol

If you don't know how to solder yet, you may want to watch some youtube ;D PL-259 connectors are expensive also, I have learned. Even the Chinese ones.

FWIW if you don't want that huge Nangoya NA-771 I highly recommend this expertpower antenna. It's much better than the stock rubber duck one.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008Y2SPH6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Also, the same company makes a 3800mAh extended battery that makes the radio easier to hold on to and last longer (TWSS...)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ATTVKFQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
If you don't know how to solder yet, you may want to watch some youtube ;D PL-259 connectors are expensive also, I have learned. Even the Chinese ones.

FWIW if you don't want that huge Nangoya NA-771 I highly recommend this expertpower antenna. It's much better than the stock rubber duck one.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008Y2SPH6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Also, the same company makes a 3800mAh extended battery that makes the radio easier to hold on to and last longer (TWSS...)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ATTVKFQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thanks! Already had the battery saved in my ebay watchlist and I'm getting the Nagoya antenna today, so we'll see how I like it.

Soldering I can do no problem, it's fitting in the spaces I'd need to solder in that's my issue lol
 
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nope
But any Bearcat or Whistler 800Mhz scanner will unless they use encryption...

I can watch livePD if I need to relive the glory days of police scanning
Per radioreference.com, Kernersville is listed as P25.
 
yep. Project 25 doesn't necessarily mean encryption IIRC.

Lots of cool SDR computer dongles and programs out there ;)





Y'all are killing me. Let me figure out 1/10th of the regular ham stuff before I involve a bloody computer lol
 
Oooh, oooh, just wait till you discover FT-8.

Ok, that's more or less exactly how they communicate out of line of sight and without satellites in Hammer's Slammers. Apparently I lived long enough to live in the capital F future!
 
I am an IT guy so always looking to click my way into easier stuff

I used to be an IT guy so any time you add a computer I assume it will be twenty or thirty times as frustrating as not using one. And the software patch you need will be missing.

Have you noticed how paper and time saving computers just mean you print everything out multiple times at the end of putting in data you could have just written down faster usually?
 
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Anyone have any real world experience with these?

https://www.buytwowayradios.com/leixen-vv-898.html

A guy I was talking to was thinking about getting one and it's an interesting price for a vehicle radio. Obviously antenna etc is more but.......... There's also a 25w version that goes for about $100.
 
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Anyone have any real world experience with these?

https://www.buytwowayradios.com/leixen-vv-898.html

A guy I was talking to was thinking about getting one and it's an interesting price for a vehicle radio. Obviously antenna etc is more but.......... There's also a 25w version that goes for about $100.
I am pretty sure its just a rebadged baofeng. And the 25watt chicom radios really out out about 20....look at the TYT reviews. I need a Bird Wattmeter ;)
 
I am pretty sure its just a rebadged baofeng. And the 25watt chicom radios really out out about 20....look at the TYT reviews. I need a Bird Wattmeter ;)

Like everything else, I take the reported power/speed/capacity/wooblyness as a guesstimate and marketing fluff and assume half of the stated total for pretty much everything. Nice little form factor, would actually fit in my little carvanthing.

Oh and finally remembered to turn on my radio and listen to Vagabond Ragchew (doing so right now). I wanted a baseline with the rubber duckie to see how much (if at all) clearer it is with the bigger antenna (Nagoya NA-771) for the Baofeng. Which by the way seems to have wandered off. It was supposed to arrive today but for the last three days its been "in transit to further shipping station". Since it was guaranteed delivery I guess I report it and get a refund tonight.

Anything else to monitor around here that folks could suggest?
 
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Well, these UV5Rs are actually pretty clever once you start poking about in the options. I found out how to exclude channels from scans, so now the radio automatically cycles through all my programmed stuff to listen to (potentially, most of it is pretty quiet) all by itself without stopping for NOAA and a repeater I have programmed that just seems to click to itself constantly.

I also figured out dual watch and how to set transmit priority for it (not that I'm transmitting, but figured I'd set that now). It is now much easier to just leave the radio on and scanning for stuff. Neat!

I'm moving to Rockingham County in the next week or so, and I'm picking up the N4IV repeater indoors here in Kvegas. It's a bit choppy but I can make out the conversations.
 
Glad you got it rocking! :)

This is GREAT!

I remember my buddies talking about Packet stuff back in the UK many moons ago. Considering we were still on Usenet back then it was mind blowing
 
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You're all a bad influence. SO............I bought a QYT8900D dual band mobile, hooked it up in my truck, went to Shelby yesterday in the heat, and took my tech exam yesterday. I passed :D

Oh. I also got a BF-F9 V2+, a cheap freq counter / wattmeter, and compared the 2 Baofengs. The UV5R V2+ is just as powerful as the tri-powers, and they're cheaper. Don't waste money on the tripowers, get a tri-bander like the UV5X :D

Also got a TYT radio on the way. The sickness is real. I'm looking at a Yaesu HT now on DXengineering.
 
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I remember my buddies talking about Packet stuff back in the UK many moons ago. Considering we were still on Usenet back then it was mind blowing

Another OF who remembers Usenet!

It's been re-invented as Reddit....
 
You're all a bad influence. SO............I bought a QYT8900D dual band mobile, hooked it up in my truck, went to Shelby yesterday in the heat, and took my tech exam yesterday. I passed :D

Oh. I also got a BF-F9 V2+, a cheap freq counter / wattmeter, and compared the 2 Baofengs. The UV5R V2+ is just as powerful as the tri-powers, and they're cheaper. Don't waste money on the tripowers, get a tri-bander like the UV5X :D

Also got a TYT radio on the way. The sickness is real. I'm looking at a Yaesu HT now on DXengineering.



Congratulations! That's really great... now we just need to get Da Brit to take his too!
 
Congratulations! That's really great... now we just need to get Da Brit to take his too!

In my defence I've been moving and still am. The lady I'm moving in with had three storage units, so it's taken a while. We're actually in the new place and have done a lot of the final settling, but we still have a ways to go.

Once we sort the local unit we've amalgamated her and my stuff in, I'll have time for something other than moving! Although with new bills I doubt I'll be spending any cash on hobbies for a bit until I find new and more local work.
 
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You're all a bad influence. SO............I bought a QYT8900D dual band mobile, hooked it up in my truck, went to Shelby yesterday in the heat, and took my tech exam yesterday. I passed :D

Oh. I also got a BF-F9 V2+, a cheap freq counter / wattmeter, and compared the 2 Baofengs. The UV5R V2+ is just as powerful as the tri-powers, and they're cheaper. Don't waste money on the tripowers, get a tri-bander like the UV5X :D

Also got a TYT radio on the way. The sickness is real. I'm looking at a Yaesu HT now on DXengineering.
Congratulations on passing your exam. I was at Shelby yesterday to tailgate and sold a lot of stuff. I bought a like new UV-5X for $17 and a real nice base scanner with CTCSS for $25. Other than the heat, it was a great day.
 
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