I brought a beofeng some time ago but only managed to listen to UK FM
I have now realised at best 5km would be the best on the flat. Currently the radio doesn’t turn on a all even though the changer has its red light on. And I never actually heard anyone using VHF or UHF Anyway I understand that I can use software as repeater. Now can this be used to expand the range? Across UK or even the World?
Dumb I know but must be better than a mobile or cell phone
Thanks everyone
It can be used as a cross band repeater, but for what point? You’ve already discovered the range is poor and in your area there are few people. All it would do is let anyone in the proven small area communicate with others, with one person on UHF and the other on VHF. This also probably means accepting illegal operation as OK. This is a decision for you. It’s wrong, but your current usage of the radio is probably illegal in the UK anyway, unless you have a ham licence. Lots use them, but that doesn’t mean it’s actually allowed. Battery wise, it’s died. Quite common it replacements are not easy to find and are not cheap either. I sold my last UV-5 for less than the price of a new battery pack for one.
Range, with a superb high up antenna on the top of the one hill in your area could be a few miles. Network radios, cellphones and amateur DMR will get you the world sometimes, but your Baofeng is probably your own postcode.
Cool thanks, battery wise, yes it dead. No worries on the licenses I will get them anyway. I just thought a repeater could boast the range. I have moved to a hill top now so might make a difference and aren’t there clubs that people join so you can use there radios. Seem odd that we have forums like this but no one wanting to set up.I dint mind a 30 foot mast
Cheers
I have to say that I am still not sure why there are repeaters and repeater software? As I understand that you CAN by Beofengs that THE REAPEATERS PROGRANED
Cheers
Baofengs are the simplest radios to program - direct from the keypad. The trouble is twofold - if you don’t understand how to program the radio yourself - and it doesn’t need software - you could wreck somebody elses systems, or interfere with essential services, and the law requires you to be responsible. Repeaters belong to somebody - you might find one you could access and they will welcome you, but most won’t, and ham ones require exams and licences AND study.
People could program a radio for you if you tell them exactly what you want in it, but you don’t have that information? My 12 year old grandson can program a radio IF I give him the data to enter. Do you have the info? You thought you could talk to anyone in the whole world at one point - this suggests you are a beginner, and need to do a lot of research. For example, what repeaters do you have in your areas, and if you already have the radio, and live on a hill - you should hear stuff. You need to find out what you can hear before you try to transmit and join in. People will be very unhelpful unless you put in some effort and get at least the basics in your head.
Thanks, yes with three degrees with mechanical engineering PhD I’m sure I can manage, but you can buy radios that are preprogramed for certain areas.
https://rsgb.org/main/operating/beacons-and-repeaters/
Oh and no need for it to be a BAOFENG… Licences in the post 
Thanks you have been a great help, handheld or car fitted is required
I’m really confused now? If you want to buy a cheap radio, the dealer will be making mcDonalds happy meal type profit. I cannot imagine anyone programming a radio with UK repeaters and giving away or even trying to sell the codeplug. With DMR, it’s even worse - loading up just the UK ham IDs is a huge file - the people that compile these have to do them for every radio - so it’s a bit unweildy. If, like where I live, you only have a handful of repeaters, it’s a ten minute job, and it is supposed to be a self-training job - because fiddling with radios is the hobby - you studied for a licence, it’s on the way, and I hate using other people’s programming. The UK is much smaller than many countries but filling a radio with data that is probably 99% pointless, unless you have a job where you drive to new places all the time. even then, you also need to be good at geography to enable the local repeaters as you move about. The databases are excellent to build your codeplug from, but as you get more experienced, you’ll realise too many in the radio is bad - and wrecks your scanning. The radio in my van has 220 memories filled with stuff, yet most are frequencies I cannot here where I am. Worse, I also have marine band, so I have loads of those in my codeplugs. I have lots of radios, but gave up trying to have everything in every radio. I have a core now of maybe 10 channels.
A baofeng is a useful radio - for all kinds of radio use, including amateur, or business channels. I’m a bit confused by you not being sure why there are repeaters and repeater software?
If you really don’t want to set whatever radio you buy up, I’ll happily do it for you, but you’ll have to tell me what you want in the radio, and either provide the specs, or the websites where the things you want to do are listed. You’ve not said what licence you have coming? I’m guessing it’s a business one of some kind, but they usually get done on-line. Ham licences require you taking a test, and then they usually provide on-line documents for that. Your comments suggest you’re a novice and a bit confused, so sorry I unintentionally didn’t pick up on three degrees. As far as I’m aware, in the UK people rarely sell pre-programmed radios - they could, but if somebody spends a couple of hours typing in the frequencies for post code areas, that might take a couple of hours - which would make the radio a fair bit more expensive wouldn’t it? What I mean is that if I sell a radio to somebody in llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch (which oddly I have in the past few weeks) I’d have to get a repeater map, check what is active in say a 30 mile radius of the location, Google them to check the access requirements, then google the local radio clubs to find out what channels are locally in use, add the usual extra ones everyone might use and then type it all in. I’d never be able to do that for everywhere - hence why ham radios are rarely pre-programmed. DMR radios often have country wide codeplugs available, but which ones would you want taken out of the scan groups and other sections to make the radio more friendly. editing codceplugs down is just as long winded as starting from scratch. That’s why radio is hard work I think.