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86-595-86752889
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86-595-86752889
Currently
the only repeater OCHEART operations are primary on is the WR6AAC
Repeater on 224.220, not all the members have 220 capability at this
time, so I thought I would do a comparison review of two of the handheld
radios that I have. The Kenwood TM‐F6 and the Baofeng UV‐5RX3.
The Kenwood TM‐F6 has been around a long time and has been
superseded by the Kenwood D74A which has APRS and digital modes on the
three bands. The Baofeng UV‐5RX3 has recently come on the market a
tri‐band version of the earlier UV‐5R dual-band VHF / UHF radio.
I have made my measurements with an IFR‐1200SS Service Monitor.
Just to make the receiver sensitivity measurement comparable with
something you can do at home, I used squelch level 1 as the benchmark so
when it broke squelch at level 1, I entered the signal generator output
levels. Since I have 3 RX’s (SN: A03537, A03915, and A03233) I
documented the range of the reading from all three.
|
Measurement |
Kenwood TM‐F6 |
Baofeng UV‐5RX3 |
|
Receiver Sensitivity |
|
|
|
146.520 |
.1 uv |
.08‐.13 uv |
|
223.500 |
.13 uv |
.13‐.18 uv |
|
446.000 |
.13 uv |
.12‐.13 uv |
|
Transmitter Deviation |
|
CTTSS / Microphone |
|
146.520 |
700 / 4.2 Khz |
580 / 5.0 Khz |
|
223.500 |
860 / 4.1 Khz |
580 / 5.0 Khz |
|
446.000 |
820 / 4.0 Khz |
590 / 5.0 Khz |
|
Transmitter Power |
EL / L / H |
L / H |
|
146.520 |
.020/.290/3.90 W |
2.7‐3.6/5.1‐5.4 W |
|
223.500 |
.020/.280/3.70 W |
.8‐1.3/4.2‐4.8 W |
|
446.000 |
.020/.250/3.40 W |
1.2‐1.6/4.1 W |
Overall, both radios performed well and had good quality audio, the Baofeng had slightly hotter transmit audio but was limited to 5.0 Khz of deviation which is good. The Baofeng did not have nearly as good filtering of harmonics on 2 meters and 1.25 meters.
Looking at the cost the TM‐F6 sold for about $350, while the new TH‐74A is at $549 but does have digital and APRS. The Baofeng UV‐5RX3 is currently selling for $44.99 and is a fantastic option for a tri-band handheld radio. The Baofeng comes with dual-band VHF/UHF and separate 220 antennas, I highly recommend ordering the optional tri‐band RD‐371 antenna for $9.99. The stock battery is 7.4 V at 1800 mAh, I ordered the BL‐5L battery 7.4 V at 3800mAh for $16.99 so I would never run out of battery in the field.
The programing of the Baofeng radios has improved over the years and
direct frequency entry and menus are much better. The downloaded
software for programming is also straightforward and seems easier than
CHIRP. I highly recommend the radio, I have 3 of these radios, where
else could you get a tri-band radio, drop-in charger, high capacity
battery, and antenna for under $75?
Take a look at www.baofengradio.com for more information or contact me directly.
Joe Orrico
WB6HRO
WR6AAC Repeater System
