This is great! Thanks Patrick.

I only sent you an email directly to make sure you would notice it. :-) Definitely agree this should be public information.

Thanks again,

John KG4AKV

On Mon, Mar 7, 2016 at 3:34 PM, Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) amsat-bb@wd9ewk.net wrote:

John,

I saw your direct e-mail as well as this post on the -BB, but will answer you in the public forum for the benefit of others as well.

I have used a pair of the Baofeng HTs for working SO-50. I have tried two UV-5Rs, two UV-82s, and mixing one UV-5R and one UV-82. When mixing the radios, same or different models, I swapped which radio was used as the transmitter and receiver. I even posted a YouTube video with audio from working one hamfest demonstration with the UV-82/UV-5R combination in 2014:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cLx9h-vNRA

I added photos and slides with text to the audio, in making the video, as I did not have actial video of the demonstration. In the video, I went with the UV-5R for the transmit radio, since it has a two-way PTT that can directly key either VFO, and a speaker-mic that could also key either VFO directly. This let me put 145.850 MHz in both VFOs for working SO-50, using different PL tones in each VFO for waking the satellite vs. talking through the FM repeater.

A second UV-5R could work to make a full-duplex station for SO-50. Many have used two UV-5Rs, or a UV-5R with another Baofeng (or other low-priced Chinese-made HT) to make a full-duplex station. The price is obviously low enough to do that, without breaking the bank. It can be done, but there are almost as many that have had frustrations with the two-Baofeng setup for satellite work as those who have had success doing.

If the budget for the second radio is more than the price of a UV-5R or UV-82 type of radio, I'd recommend going to something like one of the traditional ham manufacturers, or possibly Wouxun - radios that generally have better receivers than the Baofengs, no matter which Baofeng model you choose. The unfortunate facts about many of the Chinese-made HTs - outside of possibly newer Wouxuns - is quality control on the assembly line borders on the nonexistent. One UV-5R might be working well and within the appropriate technical requirements for use on the amateur bands, where the next unit off the assembly line is horrid. There was a recent QST article that addressed this point, based on ARRL testing of HTs at Dayton last year. From my testing, I'd prefer to use a Wouxun KG-UV8D over almost anything Baofeng (or the other HTs based on the UV-5R, sold under a zillion different names), especially on the receive side. Even better, in terms of a Chinese-made HT, would be a Wouxun KG-UV9D - the one Chinese HT that seems to have a nice receiver that finally starts to approach what comes from the traditional ham manufacturers. The KG-UV8D and KG-UV9D will also work full-duplex for AO-85, where the uplink is on 70cm, but both fail for full-duplex using 2m uplinks (SO-50, LilacSat-2).

I have not put any of my Baofeng or Wouxun HTs (or the others from different Chinese brands) on test equipment. All of my testing is from buying the radios, trying them out, and seeing what happens when working the satellites. I have not tried the two-Baofeng combination for AO-85 yet, as most of my Baofeng testing was done in 2014 when we only had SO-50. I did more testing recently with Chinese-made HTs, trying to clear up some misstatements online on whether or not any of those HTs could be used to work AO-85 full-duplex.

73!

Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWk http://www.wd9ewk.net/ Twitter: @WD9EWK

...

Patrick in particular, I know you have done a lot of testing with the Chinese Radios, at least for AO-85, can you advise what this ham should get and which one to use for up/down to work SO-50 in addition to what they already have? I assume the purpose is to work full-duplex.