In the world of Ham Radio, the Baofeng radio is the pocket knife of radios – The cheap pocket knife that is. It is not the most expensive, or the most durable. But at under $30 for a handheld two-way ham radio it is cheap, and pretty good.
When people think about emergency and off-grid radio, they think of Ham Radio. What most non-hams don’t know though is that there are multiple levels and types of Ham radio. Most people think of the guy sitting in the ham shack calling “CQ CQ CQ” trying to reach anyone somewhere on the radio. The truth is – That type of Ham radio setup such as the one pictured here is an expensive configuration running easily into a couple of thousand dollars with complex antennas and tuning requirements. The complexity of these radio systems is what makes Ham Radio a more complex hobby.
Enter handhelds and the Baofeng radio. These radios are not as capable as the High-Frequency band radios (HF) that we think of from the movies. These little radios are handheld, short-range VHF/UHF radios that work in the same frequency ranges as over-the-air television and FM Radio. Operating radio to radio they actually have a relatively short range. Sometimes enough, but often too short of a range to do much good. But – Enter Radio Repeaters.
Radio Repeaters are operated by ham organizations, clubs, and emergency groups throughout the country. Chances are you have one within ten to twenty miles of where you live. These repeaters can extend the operating range of these little radios 10, 20, 30 or more miles allowing both two-way and one-way communication.
Legal Use
To legally use these little radios for transmitting you do need to have a license which requires study and testing – the passing of an examination to show you have a grasp of Ham Radio, and you understand the risks of interference and penalties that can go into ten thousand or more dollars by the FCC for illegal radio use. But – To use these radios for reception – That is completely legal. During a storm many emergency groups come to life using VHF/UHF radio over repeaters as a backup communications method to communicate with shelters, hospitals, the public, and to coordinate backup radio operations. During an emergency, you can tune into these frequencies and literally listen live to what is happening. During Hurricane Ian I was transporting an RV trailer to West Palm Beach monitoring these frequencies and hearing about tornado activity into the area I was driving, which allowed me to pull over and wait until that activity passed.
In the Prepper community, the Baofeng Radio is an emergency radio staple. For those wishing to listen to emergency radio operation they can also be a useful and inexpensive resource allowing you to hear emergency news as it happens.
For more information about these radios and using them, check out my book titled So, You Just “Bought a Baofeng Radio… Now What???”. I wrote the book for the new radio operator in mind to explain the basic operation of the radio and how to use it. You will be able to plug in frequencies and listed without a license, and will help to allow you to monitor what is happening during an emergency. Just remember though – Without a Ham license, transmitting is illegal due to interference it can create and fines do run high for what is considered harmful interference.
If you are interested in Legal two-way radio use watch for my upcoming article on CB Radio use and being able to use CB not only for local use, but for long-distance communication as well.