Cheap Programmable VHF Radios

[Scooter]

I bought some cheap Chinese handhelds from Amazon. Now let me clarify up front that I don't intend or want these to be replacements for proper good traditional handhelds from companies like iComm. I'm simply experimenting with them as an extra tool to have in the field. Let me give you some background on what I got:

The handhelds that I ordered (which I ordered almost ten months ago now) are a model by Retevis, a Chinese company. They were sold on Amazon, but I don't see any Retevis radios there anymore, just accessories. The model is the RT-5R. They're based on a different Chinese model, the Baofeng UV-5R, which is still listed occasionally. Both radios, mine models and the UV-5R's, were/are around $60 each before shipping/tax.

I see some others on Amazon right now by a Chinese company called YiYan. It looks so similar to my Retevis that I wonder if it's the same manufacturer with a name change. The model is the YI-UV66. Based on the product description it looks like it's probably the same radio and programming. This model is priced around $70 each plus tax/shipping.

To use these effectively, you also need to buy a programming cable. It's possible to punch in VHF frequencies by hand because they have a full keypad, but it makes more sense to program a set of dedicated channels. I don't see a YiYan programming cable on Amazon, but I see the one for the BaoFeng UV-5R family. It's only $8 and you only need one to program as many radios as you want. Even though it's a different manufacturer, I suspect it would still work for YiYan radios, but you might want to buy BaoFeng UV-5Rs to be completely safe. I think I'm using the BaoFeng cable with my Retevis radios, except it's not here so I can't be sure.

The software is a bit archaic (literally loads and looks like it's a Windows 95 program with chunky old 16-bit color). It only took me about 2 hours to figure it out and to manually type in 100 radio channels into a spreadsheet in the program and then save them and upload to the radio. Once you have that all figured out and saved, each subsequent radio takes about 3 minutes to program from the same data file. If you're computer-savvy, you'll be able to figure it out. You'll still encounter some minor frustration, but you'll be able to figure it out. I know that I did test programs with just half a dozen channels a couple times, closing the program and re-loading my channel list and making further edits, before I took the plunge to enter all 100 channels. I didn't want to have to type all that info in twice. And if I remember correctly, the software doesn't save your file in exactly the same place that you'd expect. Figure out where the program directory is, and save to that, so you can see the channel file that you've saved.

I didn't give these radios a proper field test with my planters because I didn't end up figuring out the programming until I had free time in August, but I have no reason to believe they won't work decently in the field. I've used them sporadically in the bush for other work, and their range is probably going to be fine within a block unless someone is in the very bottom of a deep ravine on the coast. If you order Pelican 1020 model cases, the radio will fit inside with the antenna unscrewed, and it's quite compact. These cases are only about $25 each, and have a clear front option. I'm sure you could get a larger case which wouldn't require unscrewing the antenna, but it would be more annoying to carry around.

I don't think they're going to be suitable for full-time use for a foreman. Although the YiYan YI-UV66 says that it's submersible, I believe that the moisture and humidity of a planting environment would kill these radio. Heat and dust might also be problems eventually. That's why I say that I don't think it would be feasible (or wise) to stray from established rugged handhelds such as iComms for full-time use by management staff. But for a situation where you just need to leave a radio at someone's cache so they can call if they are close to finishing a piece, or have a first aid problem, I think it's a good solution. I have a dozen of these radios and Pelican cases, so I'm going to be able to spread them out among all my crews next summer. I've successfully programmed them to match the key 100 channels on our iComm handhelds, so they now have all the RR and LD channels, plus several dozen other common channels that our regular clients use.

Here's a list of specs on the BaoFeng UV-5R:

Features
25KHz/12.5KHz Switchable (Wide/Narrow Band)
FM Radio (65.0MHz-108.0MHz)
Large Inverted LCD Display
LED Flashlight
High /Low RF Power Switchable
VOX
50 CTCSS/ 104 DCS Tones
Tone searching/scanning
Dual standby
PC programmable
Transmitter time-out timer(TOT)
Busy channel lock-out(BCLO)

UV-5R SPECIFICATIONS
Frequency range:
[TX] 136 - 174MHz, 400 - 520MHz
[RX] 136 - 174MHz, 400 - 520MHz, 68-108MHz (FM Broadcast)
Channel Capacity:
128 Channels
Channel Spacing
25KHz (wide band)12.5KHz (narrow band)
Sensitivity
≤0.25μV (wide band) ≤0.35μV (narrow band)
Operation Voltage
7.4V DC ±20%
Battery:
1500mAh
Frequency step:
2.5, 5, 6.25, 10, 12.5, 20, 25, 30 and 50KHz
Antenna:
Antenna Connector: SMA-Female / Antenna Impedance: 50Ω
Accessory Connector:
Kenwood 2 Pin Standard
Stability:
±2.5ppm
Output power:
5W / 1W
Audio Power Output
700mW/10%

There's additional info at this page: https://baofengtech.com/uv-5r

I'll share my observations on how these radios worked out after the 2018 Interior season. I'll also do an assessment of how well they held up to a planting environment when being used casually and stored in the Pelican cases most of the time (I don't anticipate any problems). If anyone else tries them out, I'd appreciate if you could also share a review here.

I've attached a photo showing one of the radios in the Pelican 1020 case (with antenna unscrewed). Below it is another radio with the antenna in, and I also printed copies of the frequency list to keep in each case.

[rumham]

How did this radio work out this past season?

Thanks!

[Scooter]

Quite well. We didn't use them much in the rain, but could have them on site in the rain and bring them out for a quick call if necessary, thanks to the Pelican cases. My foremen asked about them quite quickly during the pre-season, hoping to be able to use them again this year to drop at planters' caches.

[Scooter]

I don't think they're listed on Amazon.ca anymore, but you can still buy them on the American site (.com) and have them shipped to Canada.

[Sunwatersoil]

For any prospective buyers. The RT-5R has an orange button with the word CALL inscribed on it and located just above the PTT button on the side of the device. CALL puts out a siren to all devices using the same frequency/channel until the button is pressed again. Our helicopter pilot really did not like when it was accidentally tripped on account of the siren sounding similar to an on-board emergency signal that would signify that the helicopter was having a problem. We switched to using our ICOM radios exclusively for the remainder of the day. Of the dozens of times using these handy radios this was the first I can recollect in which we were trying to use them during a heli-show.

These are not a substitute for our more durable ICOM radios but help complement when crews are spread out or split up and there is a need for more communication.