Baofeng Radios and Amateur Radio

PrepperStuff: Controversy, Arguments and Opinions

We all know that there are opinions out there, and like…. other “things” we have… we all have one. When it comes to these cheap Chinese built radios, there are certainly a multitude of opinions. Remember, these articles are not always “How-To”, but the thinking person will always be able to use information for “Survival” and “Preparing to Survive”.

Here’s we’re going to boil this down rapidly.

A radio is a radio. You get what you pay for. Not all radios are equal to one another. Not everyone can afford a top-of-the-line, $13,000 handheld rig. Not everyone wants to use “cheap junk”.

There. That’s the bottom line.

Amateur Radio is first for most, a hobby. For others it’s a way of life. For some it’s a means to an end, Emergency Communications. For still others, it’s about a bunch of nerdy people sitting in their parents’ basements, eating pretzels and drinking beer… (Oh, wait, that’s what they say when they want to insult us isn’t it?)

Most of us are long grown, out of our parent’s basement, have our own homes (or in my case at one point, my ship) with a tower, masts, antennas, and various radios on various bands.

What the Baofeng has is a cheap and simple way for the new, inexperienced, and probably budget minded ham radio operator to get on the air, until they can get a new, more expensive radio.

You will hear Hams putting down these radios. You will hear myths about “You can’t use those on Ham Radio!” - which is simply completely untrue. In fact, we, as Amateur Radio Operators can take ANY radio, any type, any make, model or band and convert them into the Amateur Radio Bands, as long of course as we follow the rules about spurious emissions and things like splatter, bandwidth and so forth. So, let’s put that myth to rest now. (Remember if it is not specifically against the law, then it is legal.)

Without going into the extreme details of bandwidth, channel spacing and so forth, you can legally use most Baofengs.

The best part about a Baofeng in that respect is… well, it ALREADY COVERS the VHF and UHF bands for Amateur Radio in the USA. All you have to do is program it.

Technically, it’s not legal to have amateur frequencies and, say GMRS on the same radio. Then again, we’re not talking about “normal times” here. Also, note it is NOT LEGAL to use the Baofeng on GMRS frequencies either. (They are not type-accepted by the FCC to use on those frequencies).

In real life we train for worst case scenarios. In the military, we trained for absolute worst case, being in full MOPP gear, during duress, under attack, weapons at ready and still performing the mission. With luck, we will never be in or near such conditions in Amateur Radio - but I’ve been close, operating near fires, while the local fire agencies are putting them out, passing message traffic regarding injuries and damages, being chased by a tornado I was supposed to be chasing, hail as big as baseballs, and in the middle of a car accident on the highway. So, things happen.

The real reason I have and use Baofengs has nothing to do with Ham Radio specifically. I can use one on Marine VHF frequencies, another on GMRS and a third on Amateur Radio bands as back up to my regular radios, and if I need one of any of those particular bands to hand off to a crew member on the boat, or leave sitting in a car/truck as a spare in case my batteries die in extreme circumstances, I have that back up. Do I USE them on those frequencies? No. Could I in an emergency? You bet you can. Are you going to get fined? Probably not. Especially not in a true emergency.

(So - for those Sad Hams that will still scream awful things about my opinion, remember, I have mine, you have yours. You stick to your opinion, I will stick to mine!)

There is a rumor, or more appropriately “A Myth” that Baofengs are completely illegal to use in the USA. This too, is false.

This morning, on reddit, Noji, KN0JI, posted the text of an email exchange that he had with Scott Stone, Deputy Chief, Mobility Division of the FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau. Noji asked,

Does Part 95. 591 mean that all Baofeng UV-5R and UV-92 radios (which can transmit [on] FRS and GMRS frequencies) will become illegal to buy or sell in the U.S. after September 2019, even for amateur use?

To which, Stone replied,

No. Those devices to not have Part 95 certification, so they are not authorized for use in FRS or GMRS. i.e. they are not capable of operating under this subpart. They can be used by amateurs, but only on amateur frequencies.

Please read the full article mentioned above, as there was some back-and-forth. But, honestly, the FCC says no, they are NOT illegal for Amateur Use.

In SHORT, Amateurs can build their own gear, from scratch, from kits, or from junk, they can use ANY radio and convert it INTO Amateur Bands legally. That means any radio manufactured, unless they are specifically “out of specifications” (meaning they put out unwanted spurious emissions) are completely legal for you to use in the Amateur Band. As I mentioned above, those radios are capable of transmitting in bands which they are NOT authorized by the FCC (that means Marine VHF and GMRS/FRS). Note this does NOT make them unable. It simply means the companies have not paid the FCC money or gone through the “rigorous type acceptance” routine required. :)

I would advise you, the dear reader, to do the most important thing related to anyting you want to do, and don’t take anyone’s word for anything, not even mine. Look up regulations, if they exist. If there is something questionable, whether it is possible or not, then you should always check with knowledgeable people - then DOUBLE CHECK the facts yourself.

We all learn things over the years, which we later find were not true, or we were misinformed. Or given inaccurate information. Obviously this is my blog/substack and I certainly have my opinions, and my own education. But, it doesn’t always mean I am always right either. I DO however strive to ensure that information I provide is truthful, accurate and fact-based.

NOW that we’re through that, let’s be very clear. Follow the FCC regulations for your respective service, be it Amateur Radio, or Ground Radio Mobile Service, or whatever the service is. There are Regulations for them. Read the regs. Know them.

Then understand that outside of the “real world” of day to day operations, there are circumstances beyond our control that will cause those regulations to be thrown out with the bath water.

While we are Amateur Radio Operators and we do operate under the regulations, we know that one day, in a different time, and an uncertain future, that everything you know, every thing reasonable you do, will become unreasonable when it comes to survival.