New toys

There is nothing like some new toys to cheer you up when things get a bit boring! The G4ILO shack received two new arrivals this morning. Actually there was a third, non-radio addition that came yesterday as well, but that will have to wait for another posting.

The arrivals are two new handies – one a Baofeng UV-3R+ VHF/UHF dual band transceiver (note the plus,) the other a Wouxun KG699E low band VHF transceiver for 4 metres. My original UV-3R has found a new home, whilst the Taiwanese “professional” radio I got for 4 metres is just a rubbish radio.

I haven’t had time to get to know the new radios. The Wouxun in particular is not intuitive and will require some intensive study of the manual. The Baofeng is functionally identical to the UV-3R Mark II but the build quality is much superior – on a par with the Wouxun and favourably comparable to the ham radio brands like Yaesu.

A major plus of the UV-3R+ is that you now get a professional grade drop-in charger. Besides a more rugged-feeling case it also has a metal belt clip – a big improvement over the flimsy plastic one that came with the earlier model. I believe that both radios use Kenwood specification accessories. This will be useful, if true, as I have two Kenwood radios as well. One of the first things I will have to do is find a wiring diagram for the programming cable because the one I made for the UV-3R Mk I has a 3.5mm 4-pole plug and is no longer useful.

Julian Moss, G4ILO, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Cumbria, England. Contact him at [email protected].

4 Responses to “New toys”

  • W3FIS:

    Check out the Baofeng user’s group on Yahoo. There is a FAQ that explains most of the stuff. Frankly, owning both the Wouxun and Baofeng, they are quite similar to program. Of course, in both cases, having the software and programming cables makes things go easier.

    /paul W3FIS

  • Matt W1MST:

    Hmmm… for some reason, I find my Wouxun to be easier to navigate than my Baofeng. Maybe it’s just that I’m more familiar with the Wouxun. I’m looking forward to getting my hands on the new Baofeng UV-5R, that’s for sure!

  • Mike VE3WDM:

    Good evening Julian, very nice radios and I am looking forward to your great review.

  • Michael N5TGL:

    Awesome. I’m seriously considering a UV-5R.

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