Duplex on a Baofeng handheld

[gazsherminator]

Hi everyone, this is my first post so please forgive any glitches of etiquette, which of course I’ll try my best to avoid.

My question relates to handheld radios and in particular the Baofeng UV-5R, which I would like to use as a backup device. My problem is that I’m not very technical and I think the answer to my question might lay in the “offset” functionality of this device, but I don’t know for sure and certainly don’t want to cross any Ofcom rules and regulations.

So for certain services such as weather forecasts etc., we are now requested to use the Coast Watch service. The problem is that they use channel 65, which transmits on a different frequency to the one it uses to receive. So to talk to Coast Watch you need a duplex service. But the Baofeng appears to be a simplex device.

I purchased it thinking that as it tunes using frequency or channels, it would be great as a cheap backup, but when Baofeng say channel, they really mean memory location. I.e. it has nothing to do with the channel allocations as we understand them for UK shores communication.

The next step then is to understand if this device can be programmed to transmit on one frequency and receive on another without pressing anything other than the PTT button. Coast Watch transmits on 156.275MHz but receives on 160.875MHz. So can they be tied together on this radio to give me an effective duplex service or is communications with Coast Watch out of the question unless I use a dedicated marine handheld?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Gary

 

[Skylark]

Hi Gary and welcome to the forum.

The Baofeng UV-5R is a very versatile, great little portable transceiver.

First piece of advice is “do not try to program it manually”. It can be done but it is very laborious.

The easiest way to program it is via CHIRP free software.

https://chirp.danplanet.com/projects/chirp/wiki/CSV_HowTo

You’ll need a suitable transfer cable and it’s worth buying genuine as the USB plug contains a chip. Cheaper, knock-off cables notoriously give unwelcome glitches.

Send me a PM with an email address and I’ll send you an excel file, formatted to CSV (comma separated variables) with all U.K. marine VHF frequencies and channels, simplex and duplex

It’s then quite straightforward (but I will help by phone if necessary).
Open CHIRP.
Connect your transceiver, using the cable.
Upload radio to CHIRP. This will look like an excel page.
Save it in case you ever want to restore the frequencies that the radio had when you bought it.
Open the excel file (the one I’ll send you), cut and paste the Table into your CHIRP page.
Save this with a new file name.
Download the new file to your radio.

The CHIRP website gives links to YouTube video “how to”.

Where are you based?

 

[gazsherminator]

Hi David,

Thank you for responding to me so quickly and fully. It sounds like an easy fix to the problem which is great news.

I'm based down in Devon, around 15 mins from Sidmouth, Budleigh and Exmouth. Will PM you as suggested.

Thanks again for your help.

Gary

 

[Daverw]

+1, very easy to do with the Chirp software especially if someone sends you the spreadsheet

 

[GHA]

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Don't forget any radio transmitting on the marine vhf frequencies must be type approved, the baofeng certainly isn't. Legalities aside, if you don't really know what you're doing it might be a bad idea. Though the uv5r is a handy radio, I use one just as low power receiver to monitor 72 when anchored.

 

[Daverw]

Or to listen to channel 0 to be nosey

 

[pvb]

Or to listen to channel 0 to be nosey

 

[ProDave]

Can I piggy back onto this thread as we have someone with experience of these radios.

Can you assign "names" to the channels that you program into it?

I am thinking of buying one and programming all the 2 metre and 70 cm amateur channels, Marine channels, and the PMR446 band channels into it. (and perhaps a few others)

But I would prefer (particularly in the case of marine channels) for it to display a "name" on it's screen rather than the actual frequency.

Is this possible?

Also can you inhibit TX on a particular channel, e.g if you programmed channel 0 could you make that receive only?

And lastly will they do AM receive (air band)?

Thanks.

 

[ShinyShoe]

Can I piggy back onto this thread as we have someone with experience of these radios.

Can you assign "names" to the channels that you program into it?

Yes. I've done it - BY HAND - I didn't have the lead at the time. (Buy the lead - or you will use up your annual swear word allowance in a morning)
I've only programmed M1, M2, and PMR as it was for some shore based contact to a committee boat (all dodgy I know!(

Also can you inhibit TX on a particular channel, e.g if you programmed channel 0 could you make that receive only?

Yes - see: https://chirp.danplanet.com/issues/211

And lastly will they do AM receive (air band)?
Thanks.

Don't think so - will depend on the radio but not seen AM.

 

[Daverw]

As far as I recall it’s only FM, radio at home so cannot check.
I use my Ham handheld for normal use off the boat which does all in both FM and AM but a lot more money though

 

[ProDave]

As far as I recall it’s only FM, radio at home so cannot check.
I use my Ham handheld for normal use off the boat which does all in both FM and AM but a lot more money though

Yes I already have an old Icom dual band 2M / 70CM handheld. I just like the idea of one of these because they are so cheap, to do 2M / 70cm, marine band, PMR446 and perhaps rx on a few others all in one package.

 

[rszemeti]

Though the uv5r is a handy radio, I use one just as low power receiver to monitor 72 when anchored.

Out of interest ... do you mean monitoring 72 just in case some passing vessel feels the need to contact you, or as comms between the tender and the boat?

 

[GHA]

Out of interest ... do you mean monitoring 72 just in case some passing vessel feels the need to contact you, or as comms between the tender and the boat?

Liveaboards/cruisers anchored often use the most common intership vhf channel used by sailing boats in that area as a sort of communal mobile phone to keep in touch. The baofeng below doesn't have a great range so tends to just pick up the anchorage.

 

[rszemeti]

Ah OK, got it. I tend to use 72 between boat and tender, never heard anyone else on it ... I shall try it next time I am in a busy anchorage.

 

[Daverw]

Yes I already have an old Icom dual band 2M / 70CM handheld. I just like the idea of one of these because they are so cheap, to do 2M / 70cm, marine band, PMR446 and perhaps rx on a few others all in one package.

You would find the performance well short of your icom, as you would be operating outside of rules so to speak, have you looked at getting your icom opened up to outside Ham bands?

 

[elton]

My advice is just to take it slow, get to know it, buy a programming cable, and download Chirp. https://chirp.danplanet.com/projects/chirp/wiki/Download If you have Chirp, there are various download sources (eg https://www.g0lgs.co.uk/soft_info.php?AppName=CHIRP-UK-CSV) of files for various purposes. Yes you can program channel names, as whatever you like. I once programmed mine to transmit and receive on the opposite sides of the duplex channels (just as a matter of interest you understand). I've never transmitted as a shore station, but it's interesting to hear both sides.

 

[Skylark]

Can I piggy back onto this thread as we have someone with experience of these radios.

Can you assign "names" to the channels that you program into it?

I am thinking of buying one and programming all the 2 metre and 70 cm amateur channels, Marine channels, and the PMR446 band channels into it. (and perhaps a few others)

But I would prefer (particularly in the case of marine channels) for it to display a "name" on it's screen rather than the actual frequency.

Is this possible?

Also can you inhibit TX on a particular channel, e.g if you programmed channel 0 could you make that receive only?

And lastly will they do AM receive (air band)?

Thanks.

Yes, you can assign names and have these displayed on the screen, rather than their frequency. I use the name Ch 16, for example.

I also have an Amateur License and have programmed 2m and 70cm, simplex and repeater channels. I’ve named the 2m channels V40, for example, the 70cm U280 and repeaters by their callsign, for example GB3PZB.

Ch 0 is a simplex channel so I don’t think that you could inhibit transmit (but I’m not an expert). If it were duplex, it would be easy to inhibit the transmit/receive offset.

I don’t think it can receive AM airband but it does receive FM broadcast so BBC R2 is loud and clear

Standby battery life is also worthy of note. Stupidly, I left mine switched on last Sunday morning. Didn’t know this until Wednesday morning by which time the battery icon had 1 bar remaining.

 

[GHA]

Haven't checked but think this is the Marine frequencies, prob need to remove the .txt to get it to load

 

[GHA]

Ah OK, got it. I tend to use 72 between boat and tender, never heard anyone else on it ... I shall try it next time I am in a busy anchorage.

You might need to sail quite a few hundred miles south to find some cruisers first

 

[gus]

If trying to use a programming cable, you may likely find that the connection is dubious. Basically because there is a sharp shoulder to the hole in the side of the radio. Take a fairly sharp drill about 3/16 or 1/4 in your hand and chamfer the sharp edge which will then let the cable plug fit into the hole better.