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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

I have purchased a Baofeng AR-152 but I am have no luck programming it for a buddy of mine, I bought it as a gift for him seeing that he has a HAM ticket and I wanted to program it for him and I have not been able to find the software to program it, Chirp doesn't have that particular radio within its system. Does anyone have a software link for this particular radio?

I have two baofeng uv9g radios. I have programmed them both with the correct tones for all the repeaters in the area. I can transmit and receive on simplex between the two fine, and when using a repeater, I can work it just fine and talk and listen, but the other radio tuned to the same channel will not pick up that radio. Is there something I'm missing besides a more expensive radio? I took them both to six flags in bowie maryland and on simplex channel 1 they worked perfectly. I can work Towson repeater from most everywhere I go, but when I'm on repeaters these radios don't communicate with themselves, and I'd really like them to for use with my wife as intended.

These are certified GMRS radios and are Sold in Pairs Programing with Chirp is ok But can't Change channels 1 through 30 as They are preset Here's the question How far will they go on simplex I live in an area where there are Big Buildings within the city ?

This is digested from the User Manual, and refined with experience. Hope it's helpful to anyone trying out this model. Copyrighted material used with permission. Good Luck!! Randy Knowles, KAA 8142. GMRS-50X1 Settings.pdf

History: Purchased Baofeng to listen to police radio - can't as its encrypted and digital. Looked into getting HAM License, looks too hard and my family members worn't ever take the test - since I only want to converse with family members found GMRS. Paid for license and did range test with my son (he has another Baofeng) and only got half a mile. Live in Bluffton, SC with no GMRS Repeaters at all. Questions: 1) Can Ham repeaters be set up to dually support a GMRS frequency if I ask nicely? Or can they only repeat one frequency at a time? 2) What needs to happen so I can talk to my family 10 miles away? 3) If I only use my 5 watt Baofeng to chat on GMRS channels and only listen to HAM channels is that OK legally? Thanks all! I'm happy to be part of this forum! Nick WRFF874

Please forgive me in advance, for the length of this post describing my situation and concerns... I'm new to GMRS and am concerned about safety for each of my family members. When traveling, there are many things that can go wrong and put the safety of a loved one at risk. With this in mind, I am in the process of putting together a Vehicle Emergency Kit, which consists of a first aid kit, and as many things I can think of to fit into a small backpack, that could help someone cope a little better in almost any emergency situation; and when an emergency takes place, the ability to have communication to get help is very high on the list, so as a last resort in the event that they have no cell signal, phone battery is dead etc., I'm putting a 2-way handheld radio, extra batteries, N-771 long range antenna etc. in the kit. Wanting to be in compliance with GMRS approved radios, I searched online every way I could think of, but cannot find Anywhere, a list of Which radios are approved for GMRS. When looking at radios on Amazon.com I came across the BaoFeng/Btech GMRS-V1, saw it had a keypad for programming so I bought 6 of them to put one in each kit, even though they were more costly than I had hoped; but of course I asked myself "how much is the safety of my family members worth?". I've spent hours upon hours searching for all the GMRS frequencies I could find in the state of Oregon, entered all the information needed (I think), using the Chirp programming software. I got all the frequencies programmed into the GMRS-V1 but continuously ran into the issue that I could not get the + 5.ooooo frequency duplex to be saved into the radio. I entered the information manually and it seemed to work, but when I went back to that channel to confirm I did things correctly, it was back to 000.000 time after time. I searched for help on this and found out that what I didn't realize is that you can only program receivable frequencies! With this being the case, there seem to be many GMRS frequencies throughout the state that are Not on the list of FCC approved frequencies permanently programmed into this particular radio, which in my case, is limiting the ability for my family members to be able to call for help if at all needed. So, at this point, I will be returning the radios and looking for another. I am contemplating at the least, getting the BaoFeng UV-82 5 watt radio, but am considering the UV-82HP for the extra 2 to 3 watts in case 5 watts isn't strong enough to reach out for help. For occasional use, I plan to get a couple GMRS radios and hopefully when my wife goes to town and I'm at home, we can keep in contact. So now my biggest concern is: These radios will be tucked away in a small backpack and never used, unless "IF" someone finds themself in an emergency situation and as a last resort, needs to use the radio in an attempt to call for help. But, I am worried about getting into trouble with the FCC for any transmission that may or may not ever take place on these radios. Again, I apologize for the length of this post, for those who were willing to take the time to read it. Anyone have any thoughts?

today ordered baofeng uv-82hp camo color cannot wait to get this radio anyone else have this uv82hp ?

As a General class Ham and licensed GMRS radio operator, I had the choice to make when getting my first radio, I required GMRS repeater pair access so for budget concerns i chose the Baofeng UV5RE dual band so called "cheap Chinese radio" I have used this radio and a 2nd UV5RE with an elderly neighbor who has no phone and is in poor health. to maintain contact and offer assistance when needed. this person has fallen shearing the sma-f to BNC quick connector twice now, has slept on the radio and submerged it in water several times. and all around abused the radio beyond anything i could do to it in normal use. and I must say for less than $50 this instrument is built like a brick S#!t house. the soft rubber keys have faded on the 2nd unit. mine are still like new. I occasionally use a pair of needle nose pliers to tighten the antenna jack on both radios and I expect mine to last years, his not so much. but we will see.