There's always a cheaper radio

Note the ‘Scrambler’ feature printed on the box, which isn’t mentioned anywhere else.

Are you a miser? Talking through your nose to spare your teeth? Good news: there’s always a cheaper radio. A whole lot cheaper.

I already knew of the existence of these radios, but saying that I was interested…. not really. No LCD, no VFO, just 16 channels, typical for radios intended for professional use. Programming is only possible by software. As usual, these radios come from China and pop up under various names. The most well-known variety is Baofeng BF-888S, the other one is KOQI. A few customer reviews exist, mainly on Amazon.com, and these look favorable.

Prices vary from $54.55 for 2 pieces on eBay to $216.50 for 10 pieces on AliExpress.com. That’s only $21.65 / piece! If I wouldn’t be drowning in hand-helds already…

There should be VHF versions available too, but I wasn’t able to find them, at least not on eBay.

General specifications:
50 CTCSS/105 CDCSS
VOX
Voice Prompt
PC Programmable
Emergency Alarm
Intelligent Charging
Battery Save
Low Voltage Alert
Time-out Timer
LED flashlight

Please note that this is a ‘Frofessional Transceiver’.

Frequency Range: 400-470MHz
Channel Capacity: 16
Channel Spacing: 25KHz
Operated Voltage: 3.7 V
Battery  Li-ion   (1500mAh)
Battery Life (5-5-90 duty cycle):   About 8 hours
Frequency Stability: ±2.5ppm
Operating Temperature: -30°c-+60°c
Dimensions (L×W×H) (with battery,without antenna): 110×50×32 mm
Weight (with battery + antenna):  198g

Transmitter
RF Power Output: 3W
Modulation: F3E
Spurious Emission: ≤65dB
Audio Distortion: ≤5%
Transmitting Current: ≤1.3A

Receiver
Sensitivity (12dB SINAD): ≤0.20 uV
Selectivity: 55dB/50dB
Inter-modulation: ≥65dB
Adjacent Channel Selectivity: ≥60dB
Spurious Response: ≥60dB
Audio Power Output: 1000mW
Audio Distortion: ≤5%
Standby Current: ≈15mA (with battery save on)

Video:

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