Sure, everybody knows that Baofeng is a cheap ,affordable HT for the Newbie that isn't ready or unable to afford equipment from the big 3. We are all aware of the recent FCC actions.... So The question is, Is the Big three somehow behind the recent actions. Is Baofeng's existance forcing the big 3 to offer more/better discounts? And. Is Baofeng doing the same thing that other manufacturers such as Mastercraft or Toyo Tires have done. Such as put out a product that is a good/excellent value for the money, Then after gaining a bit of name recognition/Market share, Begin to raise prices a tad here and there, along with making more improvements??...
The last time I checked, the "Big Three" didn't run the FCC. They could not possibly be behind the FCC's actions. The Baofeng radios are not "Good/Excellent" radios. Not unless you call a dirty radio with lots of spurious emissions "Good/Excellent." You get what you pay for when you buy a Baofeng. You get a $20.00 radio that will allow any kid to transmit on ham bands and National Weather Service frequencies just by saving his lunch money for a couple of weeks. You can take one Baofeng radio and break at least a half dozen laws by pushing the transmit button. That alone keeps the Baofeng out of the "Good/Excellent" category at any price. Baofeng actually sent me one for free just to "test" it. Unfortunately the ARRL beat me to the task. There is an old saying; "you get what you pay for." In the case of Baofeng, you get a lot less than you pay for. Some have gotten into serious trouble around here by transmitting on NWS frequencies. One local club has taken the repeater down a number of times because of kids playing ham and disrupting communications. Thats my opinion of Baofeng. I know a lot of people won't like it, but it is what it is. I'm not going to change my mind. Your opinion will most likely vary. I respect your opinion.
They have already had a major impact. Case in point, Yaesu. Look at all the sub $100 new models they have come out with. Icom has practically left the field of making HTs.
Last four I bought and tested had no spurious issues. Only a few dB worse than my name brands. But well within FCC limits. Receiver sensitivity also compared to name brand samples. Tested in a former Motorola lab. Baofeng radios are continually improved both in performance and reliability. It will be interesting to see if they try to up feature the radios or simply ride the bottom of the market. Rumor has it after Sept they will fully comply with FCC requirements and use firmware that restricts transmissions out of amateur bands.
I have quite a few 2m repeaters in my area. Most nights there is a net. A fair amount of local traffic on 2m. Even a digital net where people practice various digital modes along with a couple knowledgeable instructors. Even more when there are weather events. A couple local counties have very active ARES groups on 2m. Probably not the norm but the Philly burbs have activity. In a previous thread I related how a local ham who is elderly was house bound during a winter storm and lost power and phone. He asked for assistance on a local repeater and I responded. (This was in 2017 and unfortunately the gentleman is now a silent key a few months after the event.)
