SteveShannon

It depends.  If you mount them on the same mast with one vertically above the other they can be just a 14 inches (a half wavelength) or so apart.  If you place them on the same level then the transmissions from one antenna are much more likely to affect the other.  The signal strength goes down by 10 db (a factor of 10) for every foot of horizontal separation.
A foot of vertical separation is worth about ten feet of horizontal separation.

You can ask questions with an in-person class. Can't do that with a YouTube video and get instant feedback.

Starting with a base would be smart. If a base can't talk then a repeater wont fix that. Go with good cable and a decent antenna and you'll get a good idea on coverage.
 

Fixed it for you:

I did up a python script that will take a chirp csv export and merge it with a Retevis CPS export that you can then open in the Retevis software and load into the radio.  Until Chirp figures out how to support it this has helped me quite a bit.  I developed this on an unlocked radio but it very well may work on the other modes.  It just strips the header and encodes the CSV into the retevis format.  
ChirpImport v1.0.py

I am a huge fan of InReach and think everyone should have one, but if I could only pick one, it would be HF.  And it would be for the very reason you cite as a shortfall of HF.  People put way too much faith in satellite communications.
Per a survey by the Satellite Interference Reduction Group (SIRG), 93% of satellite communications suffer from satellite interference at least once a year. More than half experience interference at least once per month, and 17% see interference continuously during the day.  Often, equipment failure or malfunction, operator errors, even the antenna being block by terrain can cause failures.  There is even interference that can be generated by aircraft between the base station and the satellites.
I typically recommend both SatComms and HF, especially if you are using some kind of transportation (truck/SUV, horse, bike, etc.).  When SatComms is working, it is much faster and can provide details much easier with things like text and beacons. However, an all-band HF radio and a wire long enough to adjust for each band from 80m to 10m is a fantastic solution because if there is interference one one band, unlike an InReach, you can change bands to one that is working.  Also, unlike InReach, I don't have to worry about my device being properly ID'ed by the network or if my plan is actually configured and working (going back to operator errors).

Nice video.  10 meters from Death Valley to Ohio is pretty impressive. That’s the potential of HF radio propagation. 

Bullshit. That’s a cheap shot that paints all of us with the same brush.
Yes, there are those that simply memorize enough to pass the Technicians test, but they don’t hang around long.  There are still many who work within clubs to help provide backup long distance communications.  There are hams helping out during every tornado, flood, and hurricane. 

Nice job documenting the problem. Ignore the naysayers. They’re just upset because you’re smarter than they are. 

All types of communication devices can fail or not work due to location. It never hurts to have different modes of communications available to you. And I agree, never go out alone or at least let someone know exactly where you are planning on going.

Nice job documenting the problem. Ignore the naysayers. They’re just upset because you’re smarter than they are. 

Greetings.
If you have programmed your AR-152 radio with Chirp or RT Systems BAO-152 programming software, it is possible that your radio is malfunctioning and you won’t know it because your AR-152 will continue to appear to function normally. I need your help if you (1) have programmed your AR-152 radio with third-party programming software and (2) you own or have access to a VHF-UHF Power Meter. I have purchased a number of these radios and I believe that I have discovered a fairly serious problem that probably affects all AR-152 radios because, as far as I know, Baofeng is still using its original hardware design and A152V01 firmware version. But, since your radio still appears to operate normally, the true problem will be hidden from you.
Here’s the problem: When you first receive your new AR-152 it functions correctly. However, as soon as you connect it to either Chirp or RT Systems’ BAO-152 programming software and program the radio, a Transmit Power malfunction is triggered and, after this happens, there appears to be no way to restore the radio to normal operation.
One of the problems with this malfunction is that your AR-152 radio still appears to function normally. It can still receive and make transmissions. There is zero hint that anything is wrong. When you set TXP=High/Mid/Low, the little “H”, “M”, “L” indicators appear in the LCD and so on. When you push the PTT button, the little transmit icon makes it look like your radio is transmitting the selected power. However, the truth is very different and the only way to determine if your AR-152 is working properly after it has been programmed, is to measure its Transmit Power. If it works properly, setting TXP=High should always produce the highest Transmit Power and setting TXP=Mid should always produce more power than TXP=Low.
If you have not yet programmed your AR-152, I strongly recommend that you NOT do so. Configure its Memory channels only via the built-in menus and avoid programming it with external software and you will not trigger the malfunction.
If you have programmed your AR-152 with external software, I’d like you to do a quick Transmit Power test and report your results here. Any Surecom Power/VSWR Meter with a 50-ohm test load will work for the test. Here’s the test procedure:
Fully charge your AR-152 battery. Put your radio in VFO mode with a long press of the MENU key. Enter a VHF frequency (such as 144.000 MHz) and test the Transmit Power at each of the radio’s three TXP settings (High, Mid, Low). Make a note of the frequency you used and the Watts at each TXP setting. (Hint: The keypad shortcut to change the TXP setting without using the menu is a short-tap of the #/lock-keypad key while the radio is in standby.) Pick a UHF frequency (such as 462.600 MHz) and test the Transmit Power at each of the radio’s three TXP settings (High, Mid, Low). Make a note of the frequency you used and the Watts at each TXP setting. Describe the kinds of programming changes you made when you programmed your AR-152. Turn your radio off. Then press and hold the 3/SAVE key while you turn the radio back on. As soon as the LCD comes to life, release the #/SAVE key and the firmware version of your radio will momentarily appear. It happens so fast that you may need to do this several times so you can record your firmware version. Please include it in your post. (All of my radios have firmware “A152V01”, which I believe is version 1.) If your radio has the Transmit Power malfunction, you’ll discover that the Watts you measure do not match the TXP settings. When TXP=High, the Watts will be too low. When TXP=Mid or TXP=Low, the Watts will be the same and they will be way too high. The dangerous aspect to this is: You think your radio is transmitting its lowest power when you set TXP=Low. But, in reality you’ll be transmitting at nearly full power.
To help you visualize the problem, I’ve attached five graphs which illustrate what is happening. Each data point on the plotlines was measured by me. The before measurements were made before the radio was programmed. The after measurements were made after the radio was programmed.
The first graph shows the AR-152 when it is working correctly. This is how our radios should work.

The second graph shows the AR-152 after the malfunction has been triggered by programming the radio.

The third graph combines the first two so you can view both in one graph.

The fourth graph focuses on TXP=High only and shows its dramatic drop in level after the malfunction sets in.

The fifth (last) graph focuses on TXP=Mid and TXP=Low. The reason TXP setting are shown in the same graph is because, after the malfunction is triggered, the radio thinks they are the same setting and regardless whether you select TXP=Mid or TXP=Low, you'll get the same power level and it will be way too high.

Thanks in advance for your help. Together, I hope we can demonstrate to Baofeng that this malfunction is not an isolated incident and this will prompt them to give its solution their highest priority. If you know other AR-152 radio owners who have programmed their radios, please ask them to join myGMRS and add their Transmit Power measurements to this thread. Again, thanks!
Kind regards, RGB

My Experience with the AR-152
I first learned about Baofeng’s AR-152 radio a few months ago from NotaRubicon Productions’ YouTube video (from 07-Nov-2023). I was immediately drawn to the radio because of its gigantic 12,000 mAH (12 AH) battery and its ability to operate over such a wide frequency range which included Ham, Business, MURS and NOAA NWR frequencies in the VHF band and Ham, GMRS and Business in the UHF band. Plus it can receive FM Radio. This makes it an ideal two-way radio for use during an Emergency or Disaster when FCC license requirements are temporarily suspended for people in life-or-death situations.
Since then I have purchased a number of these radios from different sellers like Brushbeater and Kong Tone. The first thing I do with a new radio is test it to make sure it is working as intended. This includes Transmit Power tests. Every one of my AR-152 radios tested great and I was very happy with them. Then I programmed my first one using Chirp and the BF-F8HP profile (this is the profile recommended by Brushbeater and it is the ONLY profile that supports all three of the TXP settings (High, Mid, Low)). Chirp enabled me to expand the VHF and UHF frequency limits (as shown in a YouTube video by Indrid Cold on Brushbeater’s website) and I configured some Memory channels to facilitate further testing. Next, I returned to my Transmit Power testing to see how well the expanded VHF and UHF limits worked. This is when I discovered the problem. From that moment on, the Transmit Power of my programmed radio malfunctioned.
My first thought was that I must have received a defective radio. So I tried programming a second AR-152 from a different vendor and the same thing happened again. My second thought was that Chirp must be defective or the BF-F8HP profile is an insufficient match for an AR-152. So I found RT Systems’ BAO-152 programming software that is specifically made for the AR-152 radio. I purchased a copy and used it to program a third AR-152. The same thing happened again.
All three of these radios were brand new and had never been programmed before. I measured the Transmit Power of each of them and all three measured great before they were programmed. I purchased one from Brushbeater and two from Kong Tone. The likelihood of all three radios being defective seems rare. And remember, all three measured great before they were programmed.
I took the usual safety precautions so I could restore a radio—before I programmed it: I downloaded and saved its original factory settings using the programming software. Then, after the Transmit Power malfunction was triggered during programming, I did a full factory reset (RESET ALL) and reinstalled the original factory settings. This never fixed a radio. Once the Transmit Power malfunction was triggered, I could find no way to restore the radio to normal operation.
Yesterday (08-Apr-2024), NotaRubicon Productions posted a new YouTube video about the AR-152. It stated that the AR-152 is Chirp-compatible. However, I think my tests have shown the opposite. In fact, the current iteration of the AR-152 should not be programmed with any third-party software less you trigger the Transmit Power malfunction.
With your help I hope to document the extent of the problem. I have been in contact with Baofeng. They were very nice, but it took three messages, three radios and my detailed graphs to finally convince them of the potential scale of the problem. The last thing they told me was that they had forwarded my data to their “technical team”. However, Baofeng provides zero official support for the AR-152. It is considered a specialty radio which is only sold through select sellers. And they say those sellers configure their AR-152 radios differently for their markets. Therefore, they defer all technical support and warranty service to their sellers (in this case Brushbeater and Kong Tone).
I understand their position, but I think this problem, if widespread, is beyond the scope of their sellers and should result in a repair (if possible) or a recall and replacement (if repair is not possible). These are still the early days of this issue and it may take some time before Baofeng responds. As for radio differences from one seller to the next, my radios from Brushbeater and Kong Tone appeared to be configured the same.
Kind regards, RGB

A cable grip is the better method. But zip ties do work as long as you don't over tighten them. I agree that you don't want to over tighten zip ties.

(As I’m sure you know) The problem with zip ties like that is a zip tie concentrates too much force in a small area which can crush the foam dielectric, resulting in impedance issues and SWR problems. 
A cable grip is a better choice:
https://www.dxengineering.com/parts/tmv-hg-400t?rrec=true

Nice video.  10 meters from Death Valley to Ohio is pretty impressive. That’s the potential of HF radio propagation. 

You need a few more zip-ties on the cable. I imagine that's to try and take the weight off the cable connector at the base of the antenna.

I would agree with a slight clarification.  Good quality cables are available at Amazon if you know what you are looking for.  A person can buy Times-Microwave or M&P cables there, but you pay considerably more than you pay for the same cables from DX Engineering, Gigaparts, or Ham Radio Outlet.

He has definitely made a business out of it.  I heard that the reason the questions/answers are now public is because he sued to get them.  He uses them to assemble his books.  A new edition must be released every three years when the questions change. And he has a school for the purpose of training hams to upgrade.  And now ARRL is his publisher. He has done an excellent job of vertical integration.
 

I didn’t phrase my statement very clearly. Gordon West doesn’t compile the test questions for the amateur radio exams; he compiles his books using the test questions and answers. 

Just search Amazon for Amateur Radio License Exam Question Pool. I think they’re compiled by Gordon West.
Or download the questions and answers for free from https://www.ncvec.org 
But as a volunteer examiner I will tell you that the gnashing of teeth from people like wrkc935, incensed over the availability of the question pool is wasted gnashing. The pools are large (hundreds) with respect to actual number of questions on the tests and in my opinion it would be difficult to memorize 300 questions and answers without learning something about the concepts. 
Almost all the people I have administered tests to have had questions about the concepts if they have incorrect answers. Only one has not and he repeatedly fails on the amateur extra examination. I’ve offered to go over the questions and answers with him and I’ve offered to explain concepts but so far he hasn’t taken me up on the offer. 

I would agree with a slight clarification.  Good quality cables are available at Amazon if you know what you are looking for.  A person can buy Times-Microwave or M&P cables there, but you pay considerably more than you pay for the same cables from DX Engineering, Gigaparts, or Ham Radio Outlet.

He has definitely made a business out of it.  I heard that the reason the questions/answers are now public is because he sued to get them.  He uses them to assemble his books.  A new edition must be released every three years when the questions change. And he has a school for the purpose of training hams to upgrade.  And now ARRL is his publisher. He has done an excellent job of vertical integration.
 

He has definitely made a business out of it.  I heard that the reason the questions/answers are now public is because he sued to get them.  He uses them to assemble his books.  A new edition must be released every three years when the questions change. And he has a school for the purpose of training hams to upgrade.  And now ARRL is his publisher. He has done an excellent job of vertical integration.