Range dropped and eventually radio is dead

I don't generally like Chinese radios but baofeng makes a great radio and I find it hard to believe it has anything wrong. have you dropped or pressed heavily on the scan button on this radio? how long have you had it? do you have a copy of the manual? what model is it?if you could answer my questions I may be able to help you, I have been using baofeng radios for years and prefer them to my yaesu radios. on the off chance that you have a bad unit, I have encountered 2 in five years and baofeng repaired both without question free of charge.

A quick google search yielded a theoretical range of 2 miles. This range is as the crow flies, and assumes an unobstructed open area, with no interference. In practicality, the radios will reach from one side of a side to another maybe a bit further. When Outside on a clear day in a city a football field or two will probably be the max. The range greatly depends on where you are located; buildings, power lines, and cars will interfere with the signal.

Hi,

These radios don't use repeaters as far as I'm aware, but they put out a hefty 25 watts of RF power, but like all radios, this is based on LINE OF SIGHT, in other words as long as you don't have obstructions, buildings, hills, trees and the like between you and the recieving station, all should work well, on the other hand, if there is terrain and/or other obsticles, then this greatly impacts on the radio signal being transmitted.

Best solution is to get to a high vantage point, i.e,. on top of a tall building or hill and Tx away.

I hope this has been of help to you.

Regards,
Peter

reset it to 2.5 watts

Loss of range usually indicates a programming problem, such as having the radios on a near, but not exact frequency; or issues with the antennas. Check your programming and see that the frequencies/PL codes match one another, and that the users are on the same channel as one another when using the radios. Also check the power output setting (if it is visible to you in the programming software). These radios even on low wattage should be able to talk line-of-sight up to 2 mi. However, with VHF any obstacles greatly reduce the range.

If the radios worked fine in the beginning, and are failing now, you have to think back to what might have changed along the way. If you feel no changes have been made by you or the users, then you may have a bad radio in the mix, and it needs repair. (Flat rate usually around $85 USD)

It is doubtful their is anything external effecting the range. If you had radio interference, you'd likely have problems with static, general noise, and your radio's receiver opening up even when no one is transmitting.

Best regards.

Try disconnecting the battery and note if the voltage drops.
If it does, the battery is not holding a charge.
If it keeps its voltage, the problem lies in a minor short in the mower.
You have to determine which item has the problem first.

Is this helpful?
Gary

There's a line fuse inside the radio, mounted on a PC board. CAUTION: disconnect the set from power before opening the case or poking around inside. The fuse could be bad, but these sets are notorious for losing the power transformer. If the fuse is ok then you are looking at a $100 repair fee from Bose. You might want to check out the new HD radios -- better sound, MUCH lower price.

Bill B.

In reality, handheld radios will talk line-of-sight up to 2 miles. When talking in and around buildings, the range can be reduced to as low as 1/4 to 1/2 mile. For optimal range, be certain to hold your radio with the antenna pointing straight up (perpendicular) to the ground. Height and placement of antenna determines range.

All that being said, many radio manufactures make claims of 5, 10, 18, 25 miles. These claims would be true if one radio can see another, such as talking from a mountain top to a valley. In the real world, we deal with curvature of the earth, hills, buildings, etc.

TalkAbout radios and the other FRS radios operate on 1/2 watt FRS, and 1-2 watt GMRS frequencies. Business radios on the other hand operate on up to 4 to 5 watts of power. The power does not always equate into extra range, it does however, provide much greater clarity in the fringe areas.

Hope this answers your question.

Could be due to air blowing the mic or something but please remember that usually transmissions are fuzzy,