Baofeng radio questions - 8w vs 5w UV5R

Frankie23 said:
I have a couple of ZARTEK ZA-730 UHF radios at home which we use to communicate when necessary.

My one Zartek's battery seems to have died now.

Instead of finding a replacement battery for the Zartek, are there any recommendations for getting another radio instead?

I see there's some mention of cheapish Baofeng radios in this thread; Are these still a no go?

I mainly want to use the new radio to communicate with the Zartek on UHF channels, but I'm not sure how to go about programming a different brand/make radio to the same frequencies as what the Zarteks use.

Besides the radio, where is the best place to source programming cables and the software?

Thanks!
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Takealot have them, otherwise if you are handy and have an old Arduino laying around make your own, thats what I did.
Download Chirp software, google for Zartek frequencies and away you go hopefully.
 
Jam Sandwich said:
Hows that Quongquangshangwong doing?
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Brilliant little radios. Love the fact that you can really customize them with open source firmware. The Baofengs were great little radios prior to the release of these UV-K5/6 radios. They dirt cheap, but can do more.

The frequency copy is pretty cool. So if you lazy, don't even need to program them, just copy the frequency when another radio transmit next to it, and you have the details to use.

That said, I easy hit the ham radio repeater over 30km away from me with just the stubby antenna, which is great. For the others I unfortunately need the base antenna to reach them.
 
Jam Sandwich said:
Hows that Quongquangshangwong on the left doing? That might be my next when if/when I manage to break this UV5R at work...
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Btw, all of them are technically the same radio, other than the one on the far right.
2nd from the left have a bigger battery, only difference.

The different models is just different lcd color and body color etc.
 
Tinuva said:
Brilliant little radios. Love the fact that you can really customize them with open source firmware. The Baofengs were great little radios prior to the release of these UV-K5/6 radios. They dirt cheap, but can do more.

The frequency copy is pretty cool. So if you lazy, don't even need to program them, just copy the frequency when another radio transmit next to it, and you have the details to use.

That said, I easy hit the ham radio repeater over 30km away from me with just the stubby antenna, which is great. For the others I unfortunately need the base antenna to reach them.
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Staff at work have those Baofeng BF888s and those things can certainly take a beating.
 
Awesome, thanks all.

But so what's the deal with the Baofeng 5w UV5R?

Is it stil risky to use? I mean, Frikkie (sorry ICASA) could be out to nail whoever dare use these on the public airwaves, right?

And where to get the programming cable for the UV5R (I want to buy, not make my own)?
 
Frankie23 said:
Awesome, thanks all.

But so what's the deal with the Baofeng 5w UV5R?

Is it stil risky to use? I mean, Frikkie (sorry ICASA) could be out to nail whoever dare use these on the public airwaves, right?

And where to get the programming cable for the UV5R (I want to buy, not make my own)?
Click to expand...
 
Frankie23 said:
Awesome, thanks all.

But so what's the deal with the Baofeng 5w UV5R?

Is it stil risky to use? I mean, Frikkie (sorry ICASA) could be out to nail whoever dare use these on the public airwaves, right?

And where to get the programming cable for the UV5R (I want to buy, not make my own)?
Click to expand...
It's stil illegal without a amateur radio license. That said, if you reprogram it to low power and the same zartek frequencies, chances are nothing will happen to you. Icasa is terrible at policing this.

The proper way would be to block illegal imports and blocking the sale of them from random shops.

So, just be responsible and it's probably something that will fly under the radar.

For myself, I got a license, but there is no way my family will get. So for that I got the orra license, and we just use responsibly.
 
Tinuva said:
It's stil illegal without a amateur radio license. That said, if you reprogram it to low power and the same zartek frequencies, chances are nothing will happen to you. Icasa is terrible at policing this.

The proper way would be to block illegal imports and blocking the sale of them from random shops.

So, just be responsible and it's probably something that will fly under the radar.

For myself, I got a license, but there is no way my family will get. So for that I got the orra license, and we just use responsibly.
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Thanks for that.

How does one go about obtaining an amateur licence and what are the costs?
 
Not illegal to own one, not illegal to switch 1 on, not illegal to listen in on one
It is only illegal if you push the button to talk on it.
Even in America they do not even go after people talking on them, it is just too much trouble, so unless you're in a static spot 24/7 talking on one then there is very little chance they will catch you.
 
UB40 said:
Not illegal to own one, not illegal to switch 1 on, not illegal to listen in on one
It is only illegal if you push the button to talk on it.
Even in America they do not even go after people talking on them, it is just too much trouble, so unless you're in a static spot 24/7 talking on one then there is very little chance they will catch you.
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So I do want to talk on it, but I only want to talk to my Zarteks on the public (PMR) bands/frequencies.

If I program the UV5R to use only 2 or 3 frequencies in the PMR band to match my Zarteks and don't mess around with any other licensed or restricted bands and frequencies, that should be mostly cool, right?
 
Frankie23 said:
So I do want to talk on it, but I only want to talk to my Zarteks on the public (PMR) bands/frequencies.

If I program the UV5R to use only 2 or 3 frequencies in the PMR band to match my Zarteks and don't mess around with any other licensed or restricted bands and frequencies, that should be mostly cool, right?
Click to expand...
If you're on the 'free' channels I do not think ICASA will ever pick that up.

 
UB40 said:
Not illegal to own one, not illegal to switch 1 on, not illegal to listen in on one
It is only illegal if you push the button to talk on it.
Even in America they do not even go after people talking on them, it is just too much trouble, so unless you're in a static spot 24/7 talking on one then there is very little chance they will catch you.
Click to expand...
Say that to the guy that got arrested for listening to radio signals next to an airport. In sa you can get arrested for listening. Our laws are different from the US.
 
Frankie23 said:
Thanks for that.

How does one go about obtaining an amateur licence and what are the costs?
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Before you look into the how, you probably should decide if it is what you really want. I think this is more important than the how.

Because, the only reason you should want the amateur radio license, is if you want to take up radio as a hobby. The course, and exam all will lead you into the hobby, and while it is very enjoyable, I don't think it is for everyone. You may rather just want to stay with the license free PMR radios, or if you want something other than a handheld that has more power, I would rather recommend looking into the ORRA (Off Road Radio Association) license, which will allow you more power. The license is easy to get, no exam, just a payment each year and you can get it on a website like https://www.4x4community.co.za/radiolicense/

So if you still interested in the amateur radio license. The how is simple.

Find the nearest Amateur Radio Club, they usually have classes to help you pass the exam. But yes, you do need to pass an exam and do a HF practical. All easy if you join a club's program. Example I used BARK (Boland Amateur Radio Klub). https://bark.org.za/kursus-rae/
I can't remember all the costs, but it does add up a bit.
 
Tinuva said:
Say that to the guy that got arrested for listening to radio signals next to an airport. In sa you can get arrested for listening. Our laws are different from the US.
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He got arrested for listening on his UV-5R? I wonder what SA law this is?
 
Tinuva said:
Before you look into the how, you probably should decide if it is what you really want. I think this is more important than the how.

Because, the only reason you should want the amateur radio license, is if you want to take up radio as a hobby. The course, and exam all will lead you into the hobby, and while it is very enjoyable, I don't think it is for everyone. You may rather just want to stay with the license free PMR radios, or if you want something other than a handheld that has more power, I would rather recommend looking into the ORRA (Off Road Radio Association) license, which will allow you more power. The license is easy to get, no exam, just a payment each year and you can get it on a website like https://www.4x4community.co.za/radiolicense/

So if you still interested in the amateur radio license. The how is simple.

Find the nearest Amateur Radio Club, they usually have classes to help you pass the exam. But yes, you do need to pass an exam and do a HF practical. All easy if you join a club's program. Example I used BARK (Boland Amateur Radio Klub). https://bark.org.za/kursus-rae/
I can't remember all the costs, but it does add up a bit.
Click to expand...
Thanks for that.

At this point in time I'm trying to work out whether I should just source a replacement battery for my Zartek or whether I should look at getting a completely new - affordable - radio (which is what landed me on the Baofeng UV5R).

I think the ORRA license is the best option, however what is the fuss around the Baofeng UV5R if its only programmed for PMR bands/frequencies? And if the UV5R is a no-go for transmitting on said bands/frequencies, what's the next best radio to get?
 
Frankie23 said:
Thanks for that.

At this point in time I'm trying to work out whether I should just source a replacement battery for my Zartek or whether I should look at getting a completely new - affordable - radio (which is what landed me on the Baofeng UV5R).

I think the ORRA license is the best option, however what is the fuss around the Baofeng UV5R if its only programmed for PMR bands/frequencies? And if the UV5R is a no-go for transmitting on said bands/frequencies, what's the next best radio to get?
Click to expand...
It can talk on banned frequencies and skip repeater stations
 
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