 |
| Baofeng BF-888S Two-Way Radio |
This radio requires the PC03 FTDI programming cable to program Channels and Frequencies.
I bought these for the marine industry. There are so much chatter while moving around in port that we wanted something everyone else didn't have to work on. These seemed to be the answer.
I'll start with the products construction. It feels cheap but nothing has broke the 1st week of use. For $20 a unit though who cares when the other are $100 and only last a year in this environment.
Clarity
I think it is actually better then the expensive one we use, may be that chatter is eliminated so I can hear my deck crew better though. The ear piece is a heck of a lot better than I expected after reading the reviews. I didn't have a problem at all understanding the other person, never did anyone else. Crew likes them better then the old ones.
Programing
To program what freq. to use was easy. Be advised though, as stated, it doesn't use windows 8. Lucky a guy on the boat had windows7 and programing was done in a matter of minutes once we decided which freqs we were going to use.
Freq usage
This has been a touchy subject so I did a lot of research due to my work area. We have Helo ports around us along with USCG and various other agencies. All these things have certain freqs they work on so I looked up and used the business freqs and there are more than plenty to cover the 16 channels you can program into the radio. I just used 7 freqs (7 set on low power and the same 7 set on high power.) Also this radio works great for me because it will do VHF also. I can program the working VHF freq we use into the radio right along with the UHF freqs eliminated the use for two radios. If I need to tell the deck crew something I can tell them to switch to channel 8 and the client can't hear what we are saying. The old way was to call them on the VHF and tell them to call me on the house phone. It just keeps ships business personal.
VOX function
This is a great tool if in security and such but was non functional for my use. The mic is very sensitive even set on the highest level. The boat makes a lot of noise when docking due to all the screws and thrusters working and the mike would pick it up and constantly stay keyed. It works great, just not for what I use the radio for.
CTCSS/DSC function
Again not for me. It works and works as intended. I tested this by programing two radios with it and one without. The two radios that had it did not pick up the transmission from the one without. The one without could hear the two with it, just as designed. THE BIG PROBLEM is if the one was transmitting the other two didn't know because they couldn't hear the transmission. If they tried to report something the radio would not transmit because someone was using the freq. at the same time. I immediately decided to do away with this function. Moving a 300' boat in close quarters I need to hear my deck guys.
Busy Channel Lockout
This may fix the above problem but I didn't look into it. Have not heard any traffic on the freqs we are using so no big deal with interference.
Scan function
Didn't use but I'm sure it works as intended. Everything else has.
Scramble function
Tried to use it but couldn't get it to work. Maybe I'm doing something wrong. Again no big deal for what I intend to use the radios for so didn't spend much time on it. If for security I may have spent more time on it.
Microphone on headset
This thing is very sensitive and works great and is very clear. Tested it out at least 1 foot from my mouth and was told it was crystal clear from the other person. Very impressed with the cheap looking earpiece/Mic combo. As a matter of fact I ordered 10 more, one for each crew member, so everyone doesn't have to share earpieces.
Range
Well that is not a factor for me once it only needs to go 300' BUT, I did test it out inside the steel hull of the boat. Good thing is I was able to talk to the Engine Room from the bridge. Pretty impressive once the signal is getting though 4 decks of steel. The radios didn't like the actual engine room where the engines were but worked fine in the Control room. My guess is the engines are putting off a freq that the radios didn't like.
Belt clip
Again will see in time but the clip felt strong.
Instuctions
Not very clear on the programing but can be figured out pretty quick. I just played with it and clicked all the buttons. That's when I found the VHF freqs.
The Baofeng BF-888S Two-Way Radio come with a 12 months warranty. Brought to you by the leader in electronic devices as well as wholesale Walkie Talkies, CellBy.com.
Great radios for the price. Better build quality than I was expecting. After cycling the batteries a couple of times.I lent a pair to one of our survey crews. I told them not to baby them, I wanted a real world test. They listened. They are jamming the clips (clips are screwed the radio body) over thick belts. Each time they have brought me the radios to charge (charges have been lasting about 3 work days) they are carrying them by the antennas. The radios have been in the woods, on construction sites, and bounced around in the back of the pickup. The volume and clearity have worked in all situations. Have not dropped one in a creek yet. I am really impressed with this radios. At the price I got them, they are 12-15% the cost of the Motorolas I have purchased in the past. I took a pair on a family camping trip and got a range of about 3/4 of a mile, more than I expected. I highly recommend these units.
No comments:
Post a Comment