I have had the UV5R for a while and I have been very happy with it. Some people hate them but for $30 dollars the UV-5R has been the best little HT for the money. Seems to work as well as my Kenwood and I don't worry about loosing or breaking it. Well I saw that a newer version in the for form of the F8HP was out and it was christmas so I figured I would give it a try. I read the reviews and saw where there were some early software issues but then saw that they were mostly solved. The reviews looked good, even better than the UV-5R so I ordered it from Amazon.
I have been running it for the last three weeks and it has been great. The antenna that comes with it is much better than the older unit so you do not need to get a replacement antenna to begin with. All of the old accessories work with it so I was off and running.
I got it and programmed with the Chirp software (daily build) . Copied the normal repeaters out of the old Baofeng and dropped them into the new Baofeng and was on the air.
What I have noticed so far:
Receive - Receive is better, MUCH MUCH better. I swapped antennas and in all cases the
F8HP is more sensitive than the UV-5R
Transmit - Cant tell if there is any difference at least with the repeaters in Tallahassee.
It works with full quieting, but that was the same on the UV5R. 5 vs 8 watts, can't
tell the difference so I leave it on medium power.
It actually came with a decent manual, but you could download a decent manual for the UV5R
So I guess the main question is it worth the difference in price. I paid $30.00 for the UV5R + a little for the better antenna, Lets call it $40.00. I paid $63.00 for the F8HP.
So is it worth $20.00 extra. If I was starting out, I would say yes.
Would I replace the UV5R if I was happy with it, No. If you want the latest and greatest and want a new toy, (like me) I would go for it.
Nice site & thanx for the fldigi stuff. 73 Bob W8RMV
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