FAQS
Do I need a licence to purchase any of the radios you sell on your site?
You do not need a licence to purchase any of the radios that we sell, but you will need one if you wish to use them to transmit on any of the frequencies they cover. The licence required will depend on the frequencies you wish to use, and certain frequencies may not be available for use in the UK. Only two-way radio equipment that conforms with the PMR446 standard can be used licence free in the UK & other EU countries. It is not legal to transmit with any other equipment on the PMR446 frequencies, even if the radio is able to do so. Some of the frequencies covered by our radios may be allocated to government-, military- or other users, and transmission on such frequencies is strictly prohibited. The reception of any messages transmitted on those and other frequencies may also be prohibited by law. For further information please consult the website of the UK's radio spectrum regulator Ofcom.
There is an excellent FAQ covering the UV-X4 & UV-3R series of radios at the following Yahoo user group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/UV-3R/
I'm struggling to understand what all the UV-5R menu options are for.
Jim Unroe, KC9HI, has compiled a very comprehensive guide to the UV-5R memory system which he has kindly allowed us to make available for download – you can find it on the Downloads page of our website under the UV-5R heading.
How do I add a CTCSS or DCS access tone to the repeater frequencies programmed into my UV-5R's memory?
Please download the "Tips for UV-5R Menu System & Manual Programming Instructions" from the Downloads page of our website under the UV-5R heading.
I've installed the programming software but I can't change the COM port to the one that's been allocated by Windows because the settings are greyed out.
You need to run the programming software in adminstrative mode. Right-click on the program icon and select "run as administrator"; you should now be able to change the COM port settings.
The speaker mic/headset on my UV-5R doesn't work.
Make sure it's plugged in properly - the plug often needs to be pushed in very firmly in order for the pins to make proper contact.
The LED on the UV-5R charging base does not change to red when I insert the radio/battery.
The LED should flash alternately red & green until the radio/battery is inserted. When the radio/battery is inserted it should change to red unless the battery is already fully charged, in which case it will be green. It may be necessary to switch the radio on & off or wiggle it slightly against the contacts to get the LED to change red & start the charging process.
How do I check what firmware version is installed on my Baofeng UV-5R?
Hold down the 3 key while switching the radio on - the firmware version will be shown on the LCD display, eg. BFB281.
Can the firmware on my UV-5R be updated?
Unfortunately not, sorry.
What is the difference between the various Baofeng UV-5R models, such as the UV-5R, 5RA, 5RC & 5RPlus?
Apart from their appearance, nothing - internally they are all identical.
You do not need a licence to purchase any of the radios that we sell, but you will need one if you wish to use them to transmit on any of the frequencies they cover. The licence required will depend on the frequencies you wish to use, and certain frequencies may not be available for use in the UK. Only two-way radio equipment that conforms with the PMR446 standard can be used licence free in the UK & other EU countries. It is not legal to transmit with any other equipment on the PMR446 frequencies, even if the radio is able to do so. Some of the frequencies covered by our radios may be allocated to government-, military- or other users, and transmission on such frequencies is strictly prohibited. The reception of any messages transmitted on those and other frequencies may also be prohibited by law. For further information please consult the website of the UK's radio spectrum regulator Ofcom.
There is an excellent FAQ covering the UV-X4 & UV-3R series of radios at the following Yahoo user group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/UV-3R/
There are similar Yahoo groups covering many other amateur radio models including the UV-5R.
I'm struggling to understand what all the UV-5R menu options are for.
Jim Unroe, KC9HI, has compiled a very comprehensive guide to the UV-5R memory system which he has kindly allowed us to make available for download – you can find it on the Downloads page of our website under the UV-5R heading.
How do I add a CTCSS or DCS access tone to the repeater frequencies programmed into my UV-5R's memory?
Please download the "Tips for UV-5R Menu System & Manual Programming Instructions" from the Downloads page of our website under the UV-5R heading.
I've installed the programming software but I can't change the COM port to the one that's been allocated by Windows because the settings are greyed out.
You need to run the programming software in adminstrative mode. Right-click on the program icon and select "run as administrator"; you should now be able to change the COM port settings.
The speaker mic/headset on my UV-5R doesn't work.
Make sure it's plugged in properly - the plug often needs to be pushed in very firmly in order for the pins to make proper contact.
The LED on the UV-5R charging base does not change to red when I insert the radio/battery.
The LED should flash alternately red & green until the radio/battery is inserted. When the radio/battery is inserted it should change to red unless the battery is already fully charged, in which case it will be green. It may be necessary to switch the radio on & off or wiggle it slightly against the contacts to get the LED to change red & start the charging process.
How do I check what firmware version is installed on my Baofeng UV-5R?
Hold down the 3 key while switching the radio on - the firmware version will be shown on the LCD display, eg. BFB281.
Can the firmware on my UV-5R be updated?
Unfortunately not, sorry.
What is the difference between the various Baofeng UV-5R models, such as the UV-5R, 5RA, 5RC & 5RPlus?
Apart from their appearance, nothing - internally they are all identical.