Baofeng UV-B5, 409Shop or AliExpress?
Some people wondered if (apart from the price) there is any difference between these two sources. Actually there is. If you buy from 409shop, you will get the UV-B5 in a nice box, like this:
If you buy from AliExpress, like I did, the radio is delivered in a light grey box with no information printed on it. If you don’t care about the looks of packaging, it saves you $8 per radio.
*edit* 409shop also puts a headset in the box. If you care, buy there.
Irresistible where will it all end?
I will have to go to councilling soon!
When are they starting HF Radio production?
73 G1KQH
Rumor has that there’s a Chinese HF set, the Feitong FT-808. Nobody actually saw one in real life though. Vaporware…
See http://s3.zetaboards.com/copythat/topic/7467118/1/
Hi Hans, ik heb vanmiddag mijn UV-B5 opgehaald en ik moest 41,75 Euro betalen.
De programmeerkabel en extra batterij komen met enkele weken.
De porto voelt stevig aan en het bijbehorende antenne werkt goed, het lijkt iets beter als de standaard die bij de UV-5R zit.
73, Ben de PA2OLD
Nette prijs. je ervaringen met de antenne stemmen overeen met de mijne. Andere antennes leverden geen voordelen op.
Bij de UV-5R lag dat anders.
Uh… ik heb de manual na gelezen, maar ik mis de beschrijving van een druktoets.
Je hebt de PTT toets, dan de Monitor toets (volgens de beschrijving op pagina 9) waarmee de squelch opengaat (er zitten 2 puntjes op).
Maar dan… de onderste druktoets met 1 puntje, daar kan ik niets over vinden.
Als ik er op druk zie je ook niets in de display veranderen.
Wat kan je daar mee doen?
Niets. Op de B6 is deze schakelaar voor de zaklantaarn.
It’s very much the same in th UK. If you buy from Sinotel (the official importers) you get the radio and accompanying kit) cheaper and in the manufacturers box complete with a manual. If you buy from other suppliers (often at higher cost) you don’t tend to get the manufacturers box or manual, so the lesson is : check the manufacturers website to see who their official importer is – apart from any other issues the official importer is often the best provider of warranty backup.
O wacht, even, was dat de schakelaar waar mee je de verlichting wilde aanschakelen en zit daar al ontwikkeling in?
I see hear-say that Ali Express has defected products, one-offs.
Can anyone confirm or deny this before I buy from them?
http://community.aliexpress.com/threads/66753-For-your-own-sake-…
QUOTE:
Everyone has to understand Aliexpress sellers work in large teams for the Chinese factories who are trying to find a market for their defective products which have been rejected by the original company who commissioned the products .So all products sold on Aliexpress are defective in some way.Some more so some less so.But all are defective and are factory rejects. In the US we call them “seconds”.That’s why they are so cheap.
If this were true, I would have had eight defective UV-B5 radios. This is not the case, they were all brand new and free of defects.
I would advise though to do business with trusted sellers only. Look at their feedback rating and order history before buying. The one I ordered my radios from is OK for sure. See the review for links.
I’m sure there are sellers active on AliExpress who try to rip you off. The same happens on eBay or Craigslist all the time. If you’re paranoid, do business with local shops only.
You are more likely to get ripped off in the UK than by a Chinese seller. I have no problem with the Chinese, its just a case of like Hans says do your home work first!
73 G1KQH
http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/6410/phenomiix62013033.jpg
here’s what I’m gonna get.
If you could have a look, I think the parts will match that HT.
Thanks again for your help and great reviews!!
73′s
Looks fine, but I wouldn’t invest in those Nagoya antennas, unless you want spares. The stock antenna is excellent.
ok
is there any antenna better?
besides a yagi or larsen NMO mobile?
Is it better than the uv 5r antenna?
thanks
Yes, much better than the stock antenna of UV-5R. I tried the best after-maket antennas I have (NA-701, NA-666) and it didn’t improve anything. Feel free to try for yourself, you can always resell them.
wow thats depressing…what about SWR?
thanks
On the Optional Features there is a function called: “Fm Function”. I can not find the function of this.
There is also a label called: “Side Tone” what is this side tone doing?
Is there already better software available?
The radio works excellent and the modulation is also good, not like some UV-5R types softly but loud enough.
I also think that the battery has more than enough capacity.
There are now some new photos on my website.
Thanks for all the good work Hans!
Don’t know about the FM function (something with FM radio?)
With side tone they mean 1750Hz.
I ordered with Aliexpress an everything went fine: it took around 4 weeks to arrive in The Netherlands, but I noticed there is no earpiece delivered to my set in a brown box. So the earpiece might be a second difference between the suppliers !
You’re right. I actually didn’t notice, because I never use these crappy earpieces.
But has anyone taken both sets into the lab and checked them out for technical performance, out of channel signals and other stuff that OfCom will be interested in, even out of band junk. If the ChiCom set passes then maybe I would consider two
Check my review on this blog, which includes images of spectrum analysis. Hardly any phase noise, and harmonic suppression is not bad at all.
I recieved my B5 today from Zastone via Ali Express, as you described in a grey box. I think the workmanship is getting better all the time. One thing I do note the S Meter actually works, and is not the normal full on as with the UV-3 and UV-5 models..
Well done Baofeng 8/10
Can’t wait for the mobiles
73 G1KQH