Reddit reviews BaoFeng UV-3R 136-174/400-470 MHz Dual-Band Ham Radio (Black)

You can get it shipped Prime from Amazon

Though I don't know if it's the latest of the UV-3R.

I own one, it's a pretty neat little HT. Though I'd go with DaProf's advice and get the UV-5R. Twice the power @ 4W and it has keypad entry. Programming the UV-3R isn't hard, it's just annoying. I'd spend the extra $15, find one of the dime a dozen Chinese sellers on eBay and snag one with free shipping. Mine shipped very quickly and I got a USB programming cable with it as well as a SMA -> BNC to hook it up to my J-Pole and came out to like $55 shipped.

China has what you need.

Baofeng UV-5R, $35 a pop.

Alternatively, the UV-3R is a cheaper and smaller radio with fewer buttons to diddle with.

In the US, these radios are FCC Part 90 certified, meaning they're legal for use on licensed commercial (business) frequencies. In Canada, they're similarly certified. I can't verify the validity of that doc so do more research before Industry Canada comes knocking on your door.

The radios you use are programmed by the supplier - each channel is a different frequency. The only ways of knowing the frequencies is to ask the supplier, test the channels using a scanner/frequency counter/spectrum analyzer, or most simply by looking up your business's radio license and frequency allocation information if possible.

Once you know the freqs, you have to program the radio. You can do that with the buttons, or with a computer using a program called CHIRP and a programming cable. Lotsa documentation exists if you want to take this on.

That's the whole thing.

For example, the Baofeng UV-3R is $32.92 (+free shipping) at amazon (http://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-3R-136-174-400-470-Dual-Band/dp/B006J4G49C)

>The BaoFeng UV-3R dual band radio with FM transceiver, Mini size. Latest version with 18 menu items, S-meter and dual display and dual band antenna. It is a micro miniature multiband FM transceiver with extensive receive frequency coverage, providing local-area 2-way amateur communications along with unmatched monitoring capability. Functions and Features: LCD Menu Operations, Dual Band/Dual Display, Wide/Narrow Bandwidth, FM Radio Built-in (87.0MHz-108.0MHz), Emergency Alarm, Low Battery Alert, PC Programming, VOX (Off/1-9 Level), 99 Channels (1 Emergency Channel), CTCSS/CDCSS, Battery Saver, Power Capacity Display (ON), Backlight ON/OFF/Key, FM Radio Channel Storage, High illumination Flashlight.


Another version, the 5R is less than $36 http://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-136-174-400-480-Dual-Band/dp/B007H4VT7A

You can spend as much or as little as you want, for the most part. These are just two examples of many.

http://smile.amazon.com/Baofeng-UV5R-136-174-400-480-Dual-Band/dp/B007H4VT7A?sa-no-redirect=1

http://smile.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-3R-136-174-400-470-Dual-Band/dp/B006J4G49C?sa-no-redirect=1