Baofeng is still one of the most popular walkie talkie brands on the market with their broad range of FRS & GMRS models.
When choosing your next radio, you’ll be interested in two key factors – the frequency range and the transmission range. The latter often leads people to wonder how far their radios can transmit and therefore their Walkie Talkie’s range!
In this quick article, we’ll list some popular Baofeng walkie talkie models to give you an insight into their range capabilities. We’ll then also cover off some good to know information about Walkie Talkie range to keep you transmitting and receiving wherever you happen to be!
What are you waiting for, then? Shall we look at some Baofeng ranges?
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Baofeng Walkie Talkie Range & Frequencies
| Image | Product | Range | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Popular budget radio
|
BAOFENG BF-888S |
Transmission range: 2-4km (1.25 – 2.5 miles) Frequency: 400 – 470 MHz |
Check Price & Reviews |
|
Good value for money
|
Baofeng DM-1701 |
Transmission range: 3-10km (1.8 – 6.2 miles) Frequency: 420-450MHz |
Check Price & Reviews |
|
Compact size
|
BAOFENG BF-T1 Mini Walkie Talkie |
Transmission range: 3-5km (1.8 – 3.1 miles) Frequency: 400 – 470 MHz, 65 – 108 MHz |
Check Price & Reviews |
|
Great for Inner City
|
BaoFeng BF-F9V2+ |
Transmission range: 2.5km in city center (1.5 miles) Frequency: 136 – 174 MHz, 400 – 480 MHz, 65 – 108 MHz |
Check Price & Reviews |
 |
Baofeng UV-82 |
Transmission range: up to 24km (15 miles) Frequency: 136 – 174, 400 – 520MHz |
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 |
Baofeng UV-5R |
Transmission range: up to 5km (3.1 miles) with line of sight Frequency: 136 – 174 MHz |
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 |
BaoFeng GT-3WP |
Transmission range: up to 8km (5 miles) Frequency: 400 – 520 MHz, 65 – 108 MHz |
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 |
BAOFENG UV-5X GMRS Radio |
Transmission range: up to 6km+ Frequency: GMRS |
Check Price & Reviews |
How far can a Baofeng transmit?
Now that you’ve got an idea of some of the popular Baofeng radios on the market & their range, we’ll run through a quick guide to maximising your Baofeng’s range, and see which factors affect it.
Typical Baofeng Performance
Baofeng radios are known as good entry-level radio with a good performance. These aren’t commercial or military-grade devices though and often centre around the 2-5km workable transmission mark, despite claims of transmitting up to 10km+.
Baofeng radios often receive good reviews on popular sites such as Amazon for their mix of solid build quality for their reasonable price. For this reason, they’re very popular with amateur radio enthusiasts or organisations that have basic radio communication needs.
It is worth doing your research though as a number of Baofeng radio models have been banned in places like the US and Europe due to their ability to transmit onto restricted frequency ranges. If you do decide to get your hands on a radio with these capabilities, it’s worth ensuring you have the correct licences and ensuring you can correctly operate the radio to avoid any trouble.
Factors Affecting Baofeng Performance
Like any radio, there’s a number of factors that will affect the transmission performance of your Baofeng radio. Here are the common ones and how to overcome them:
- Power – It’s simple – a more powerful radio will have a greater transmission range. Most Baofeng radios will sit somewhere between 2-5watts. Some radio models will have the ability to change your output power settings but remember, higher power will drain your battery faster!
- Obstacles – Radio signal is a delicate thing. Any obstacles that block that line of sight view between transmission and reception will cause performance to reduce. Even factors such as bad weather, direct sunlight and glass can cause major signal reflections and limit performance. Therefore the best way to maximise performance is to operate in any area with no obstacles and maximum your clear line of sight.
- Antenna – Alongside the radio body itself, the antenna is key to getting the best transmission and receiving performance. Stock antennas are often subpar, so think about upgrading to a better antenna for any Baofeng radio that you purchase. Also, remember that height matters. To maximize your transmission range, get it up in the air!
- Repeaters – If you’re still struggling for performance, a radio repeater will enable you to boost up your transmission range. There are several tips and tricks for picking the best radio repeater, but the key is to get a repeater with great power performance and placing it in a position that’s clear of obstacles.
Summary
Baofeng radios are some of the most popular on the market. They deliver reasonably good range performance given their budget price and solid build quality. You’ll expect to get a workable range of between 2-5km from any of their models, but if you avoid obstacles and upgrade the antennas, you may be able to get anywhere up to 15km!
