With Para's permission, I wanted to start a thread of general/generic questions regarding 2-way hand-held radios. The two currently running threads are separated into either HAM or GMRS radios, but this thread is for questions that apply to both!

First Question: I finally got around to trying the little earbud/microphone ear-clip piece that came with my Baofeng UV-5R8W radios, and the sound quality is about like two tin cans with a string between them... basically useless! Is there another option for one of these that has decent sound quality that is compatible with Baofeng and similar radios?

I know I had another question or two but cannot think of them right now, so let's start with just this one to kick things off...

Not sure how good they are, some look like the same ones we got with the radio, but if you go on Amazon and type in Kenwood radio earpiece several different styles and makers show up. Hopefully someone has a good recommendation, looking to replace mine too.

quote:

Originally posted by bronicabill:
The two currently running threads are separated into either HAM or GMRS radios, but this thread is for questions that apply to both!

Had no idea Para's first thread was ham only- it started as an emergency two-way radio thread for ham/GMRS, and his 2nd one on GMRS handheld radios in different price ranges only. Guess I didn't get the memo.

As far as ear bud/mic clips, depends on the connector, which can differ with different manufacturers. AFAIK, you can buy them made from Midland, Motorola, Impact, XLT, etc, and also single muff and double muff headset/mics.

My go to standard for ham radio microphone/headset is Heil. Just a very little more expensive than generic type but the audio response is specifically tailored for this use. For Bao Feng the headset is HTH-K. If it fits for your type of use you can thank me later as I am sure you will be pleased with its' operation.
As an aside, the ham radio community recently lost our friend Dr. Bob Heil. In ham radio vernacular he became a "silent key".
Dr. Bob was an operator for many years and was the founder of Heil Sound which was a manufacturer of professional microphones for recording and live performance. His mikes were used by many notable performers, Joe Walsh of the James Gang band and now the Eagles, being one. Joe is also a ham radio operator. Bob invented many performance and recording devices that you have likely heard. The talking guitar box used by Peter Frampton and Joe is possibly the most widely known. Dr. Bob was also an accomplished musician in his own right and was best known for his theater organ skills.

quote:

As an aside, the ham radio community recently lost our friend Dr. Bob Heil. In ham radio vernacular he became a "silent key".

bettysnephew, I was also about to recommend checking Heil Sound offerings when I read your comments about Bob. I was unaware that he had died recently. We used to chat on the local repeaters frequently back in the 80's and 90's and then intermittently as changing hobby interests and available time allowed.

Bob was a fixture at local hamfests and was generous with his time, often putting on lectures on various subjects of interest to hams which were always well-attended. His company's amateur products grew exponentially over the years and are very well regarded within the ham community. He'll be missed.

In my experience with portables and ear pieces, you can get good sound quality out of them by simply buying a high quality earpiece. But you may spend almost as much for a good one as you did for the radio - and you can also buy an adapter that will allow you to route the audio to a headset - I used to have a pair of Peltors that has an audio port for phones a mic that I wore when shooting with some of my friends

Any earbuds or headset with a 2.5mm phone jack will work for listening.
if you also want to talk, focus on a set that uses a K1 style plug.

edited to read 2.5mm vice 3.5mm per the pinout diagrams.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ltz400,

quote:

Originally posted by oddball:
<<snip>>
Had no idea Para's first thread was ham only- it started as an emergency two-way radio thread for ham/GMRS, and his 2nd one on GMRS handheld radios in different price ranges only. Guess I didn't get the memo. <<snip>>

No explicit memo was given, only implied as I understood it as things developed. The first thread BEGAN as both HAM and GMRS, but seemed to develop into HAM only, especially when Para started a GMRS-only thread.

Again, this was my understanding of it, and if Para disagrees then I apologize profusely! He did not correct me when I posted a question in Sig Forum Office about which thread to post in, or start a new thread on General Questions, so hopefully I understood correctly... I certainly do not wish to put words in his mouth, or make life more difficult for him.

Another general question (actually two questions)...

One complaint I have about my BoofWang UV-5Rs is the fact that in channel mode, I cannot determine the frequency that channel is operating on.

A) Is there another comparable HT that allows you to see the frequency as well as channel?

B) Does it really matter at all, or am I just being anal about it?

Thanks!

quote:

Originally posted by bronicabill:
Another general question (actually two questions)...

One complaint I have about my BoofWang UV-5Rs is the fact that in channel mode, I cannot determine the frequency that channel is operating on.

A) Is there another comparable HT that allows you to see the frequency as well as channel?

B) Does it really matter at all, or am I just being anal about it?

Thanks!

I don't have my UV5r in front of me right now, but I think menu options 21 and 22 will allow you to change whether the display shows the frequency, channel number, or channel name for the top and bottom displays respectively.

quote:

Originally posted by bronicabill:
Another general question (actually two questions)...

One complaint I have about my BoofWang UV-5Rs is the fact that in channel mode, I cannot determine the frequency that channel is operating on.

A) Is there another comparable HT that allows you to see the frequency as well as channel?

B) Does it really matter at all, or am I just being anal about it?

Thanks!

Try this:




Additionally, the more expensive Wouxsun radios will do what you want.

Thanks guys, but I figured that part out. What I was looking for, and I guess I didn't clarify it well, but I'd like to see the channel name (MEDFLT1) as well as the frequency they are operating on.

Per "ltz400", it looks like I need to look at WOOK-sun radios for that option. Will have to decide if it's worth the price difference or not, or whether I'm just being anal...

Cheers!