Chinese VHF radios

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goeasy123

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There are a bunch of marine handhelds VF's on Aliexpress. Different brands, but look like the model is RS-36M. e.g. Socotran or Shiqun.

Anyone tried one? What do you think? Do they look like they have all the channels we need for Europe/UK?
 
If OP is referring to the Baofeng hand held. I and few friends have them. Very cheap for what you get. However not approved for any legal operation. This is partly because they have a facility for setting up to any channel in the VHF and UHF range. ie not just marine but many other services. (ambulance firefighting police Ham radio bands etc. ) All of which you would not be licenced to use.
I have mine set to just a few used VHF marine channels 16, 72,73,77 and it works fine. Internal lithium battery does not last a long time but is rechargeable from 12v or mains. The radio is tiny but is not water proof. Still at the price a good buy. ol'will
 
William_H said:
If OP is referring to the Baofeng hand held. I and few friends have them. Very cheap for what you get. However not approved for any legal operation. This is partly because they have a facility for setting up to any channel in the VHF and UHF range. ie not just marine but many other services. (ambulance firefighting police Ham radio bands etc. ) All of which you would not be licenced to use.
I have mine set to just a few used VHF marine channels 16, 72,73,77 and it works fine. Internal lithium battery does not last a long time but is rechargeable from 12v or mains. The radio is tiny but is not water proof. Still at the price a good buy. ol'will
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OP here. I don't think it's Baofeng. It's definately marine.... Ch16 button et al. £65 ish. Video here....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NptkEMLTESQ
 
William_H said:
If OP is referring to the Baofeng hand held. I and few friends have them. Very cheap for what you get. However not approved for any legal operation.
Click to expand...

Hi William

The use of communications is something I have to grasp.

I know what "Broadcast Band", "HF Frequencies", "CB Frequencies, VHF and UHF are but I just wonder why you would have a mobile VHF and when you would use it. (just wondering!)

I've been thinking of getting a Baofeng as they seem very cheap and I'd like to get used to using one. Any comment?
 
coopec said:
I've been thinking of getting a Baofeng as they seem very cheap and I'd like to get used to using one. Any comment?
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I have a Baofeng UV-5R III and it’s an incredible little transceiver. Subjectively. It has a high quality “feel” about it, nothing cheap at all.

It’s also very versatile in that it can operate within a number of frequency bands. I’ve found the life of the rechargeable lithium battery to be very good.

Out of the box it is pretty useless as the user has to program the desired frequencies. There are two ways to do this. “Manually” by following the instructions in the manual. I’m told that this process is exceptionally tedious, even once the notoriously difficult to understand instructions are followed.

The second and preferred way to program the radio is via a link to a PC. The free software CHIRP, has already been mentioned above.

You’ll need a high quality cable for the computer. This can cost as much as the radio! Cheap ones notoriously do not work and only lead to frustration.

There are a lot of CHIRP tutorials on YouTube. It resembles a spreadsheet and it doesn’t take long to figure-out how to cut&paste, import and export etc.

I’ve programmed mine with all UK marine VHF channels and 2m and 70cm Amateur bands, including my local Repeaters.
 
Thanks for that David.

Here is one 18W UHF and UHF WATERPROOF.

Screenshot_2019-11-30 18W Baofeng UV9R-ERA Walkie Talkie VHF UHF Waterproof Handheld Two Way Rad.png

What do you think of that?

On a cruising yacht would I use that to communicate with other yachts/shipping, contact Quarantine, make Mayday/SOS calls(?), call up the Yacht Club?
 
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That looks ok on the face of it. The listing shows that it operates on VHF which covers marine frequencies.

Probably worth downloading the CHIRP software and checking that the model is listed.

CHIRP is free but there’s a button to make a small donation if you’re so inclined. The FAQs page is good and it’s quite easy to post specific questions when you’re stuck. All very helpful.

No doubt a quick interweb search will give you a table of marine frequency vs channel, simplex or duplex and so on. It’s not difficult but a bit of knowledge is helpful. Post queries with CHIRP or on here.
 
Thanks for that David.

I will download CHIRP (and make a donation as I don't expect these guys to work for nothing)
 
coopec said:
Thanks for that David.

Here is one 18W UHF and UHF WATERPROOF.

View attachment 82077

What do you think of that?

On a cruising yacht would I use that to communicate with other yachts/shipping, contact Quarantine, make Mayday/SOS calls(?), call up the Yacht Club?
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I've a uv5r which works well for just listening in the anchorage. Both it and your link are illegal to transmit on marine vhf though, for good reasons.
Need to do the right thing and get a real one for that.
 
Andy Todd said:
There are a bunch of marine handhelds VF's on Aliexpress. Different brands, but look like the model is RS-36M. e.g. Socotran or Shiqun.

Anyone tried one? What do you think? Do they look like they have all the channels we need for Europe/UK?
Click to expand...

When you can buy an approved Standard Horizon HX210E for £90, why bother with a dodgy "bargain"? The HX210E has more power, a bigger battery, a strobe light, a built-in FM entertainment receiver, full CE certification and it comes with a 3-year warranty.
 
For similar price to what's quoted above ... I bought a twin pack of Cobra Handheld VHF's ... uses AAA cells so you can use dry or NiMh ...
Brilliant for keeping in touch with 'crew' when they go ashore ... call up Club / Marina etc. Even has VA hands free ... US channels as well.

In fact they get used for work as well when visiting ships etc. We used to have iCom ... but got fed up with the rubbish batterys and the battery drain even when supposed to be OFF etc. The Cobras are half the weight, smaller and although less range - still do a very good job.
 
pvb said:
When you can buy an approved Standard Horizon HX210E for £90, why bother with a dodgy "bargain"? The HX210E has more power, a bigger battery, a strobe light, a built-in FM entertainment receiver, full CE certification and it comes with a 3-year warranty.
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Well in $A terms that is X5 times the price of the " dodgy bargain".

Why shouldn't I go for a "base station" type instead of a handheld? Wouldn't the "base station" be more powerful having a bigger aerial?
 
pvb said:
The radio the OP linked to in post 3 is AUD$125 inc shipping. At the current rate of exchange that's about £65. Think your maths is slightly adrift!
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We are talking about the Baofeng hand held (not the one linked to in comment #3).

Read all the posts before commenting!:encouragement:
 
coopec said:
We are talking about the Baofeng hand held (not the one linked to in comment #3).

Read all the posts before commenting!:encouragement:
Click to expand...

You might be talking about a Baofeng, but my comment in post 13 was in response to the OP mentioning the Socotran. If you were to read all the posts you might be able to keep up!
 
coopec said:
The use of communications is something I have to grasp.

I know what "Broadcast Band", "HF Frequencies", "CB Frequencies, VHF and UHF are but I just wonder why you would have a mobile VHF and when you would use it. (just wondering!)

Why shouldn't I go for a "base station" type instead of a handheld? Wouldn't the "base station" be more powerful having a bigger aerial?

On a cruising yacht would I use that to communicate with other yachts/shipping, contact Quarantine, make Mayday/SOS calls(?), call up the Yacht Club?
Click to expand...

Answers to all these questions and more as you qualify for your mandatory short-range operator's licence. (Not sure of the precise rules where you are, but it's probably illegal to use a VHF without a licence for anything but emergency calls. You may also need a licence for the set itself.)

In a nutshell most leisure craft radio communication is by VHF, on various channels each of which is prescribed for specific purposes (emergency, harbour movements, communicating with marinas, with other vessels, etc.) A hand held in addition to a fixed set is useful: a) as back-up; and b) because the fixed set is usually below and you, when under way, usually are not. And, yes, a fixed set typically has greater range than a hand-held, because it can usually transmit at greater power, and its antenna is usually better and higher. VHF transmission is line-of-sight.

I daresay there are books available which will tell you all you need to know to attain a short-range qualification in Oz.
 
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