Recommended
Radio
for Club Events |
 The
Z Series club recommends the Baofeng UV 5RT radio. This is the radio
our Z Series club uses to communicate from car to car while on tours.
There are many suppliers and the prices are competitive - usually
around $30. The club's original group purchase was from
MTC Radio, where the transaction was done in an honest and friendly
manner.
[For a limited time, we have some
Baofeng radios available for purchase from the Club for $35.00.
Contact our president PAUL EBEYER
to express your interest.]
To use it for Club events, you need to
have your radio programmed by our Club radio expert, Loren Shirk; you
can contact him by clicking HERE.
It's simply a matter of getting it into his hands. Just contact him
and plan to meet up with him at the next event or make other
arrangements. After Loren programs
your radio it will automatically boot up to channel 3 (the channel we
use for touring) when turned on.
The radio comes with a
comprehensive instruction booklet in the event you want to use the
radio for purposes other than our car club touring.
As received, the battery needs to be
charged and the package includes a wall charger and ear bud with PTT
(push-to-talk) switch.
We prefer our members do
not use the voice activated mic
because wind noise activates the mic and locks up the channel so
nobody can use it.
These radios have 10
times the power of the more common FRS/GRMS radios and that extra
power
allows
communications over greater distances and also improves audio quality.
If you still have an older FRS/GRMS
radio it's compatible with the Baofeng. But of course if you
don't already have an FRS/GRMS radio, or want the increased range and
audio quality, we suggest you start with the Baofeng since it's very
reasonable in cost.
There are some
accessories that will make your Baofeng perform even better than the
stock version:
-
Consider a much more powerful battery.
The Baofeng comes with a 1900 mAh (mili
amp hour) battery but there is a 3800 mAh battery available, which
means you can go twice as long between charges. You may
want to order one or more of these to ensure you never end up with a
dead battery
while on tour.
Here is a link to one vendor
and
here is another place to buy them. There are likely others as
well.
-
The short antenna is
good for close proximity, but not especially good for long
distance. The more antenna, the better the reception. There
is an improved,
7.5 inch antenna that will enhance distance and
audio functions of the Baofeng UV 5RT, or you may want to get an
even longer 15.5 inch. The
caveat to that is you will also more easily hear others in local areas
talking, and many times more 'static' as your receiver is more
sensitive and is trying to receive inadequate signals. If the
top is up on your car
it reduces transmit and receive.
-
You might also want
to consider a
power cable that
plugs into the power outlet in your car (cigar lighter). Note: when
using this device, your radio is running directly off your car's
power, but it does NOT charge the radio's battery.
-
For more info on radios,
email our radio expert, Loren
Shirk.
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