Baofeng BF-F8HP

The Pofung / Baofeng BF-F8HP is a newer high power version of the Baofeng UV-5R. Many of the operations of the UV-5R will be identical or close to those of the F8HP.

Baofeng BF-F8HP 1, 4, 8 Watt 65 - 108 MHz Receive 136 - 174 MHz Transmit 400 - 520 MHz Transmit 128 channel memory

Operation

program channel into memory

1. While in FREQUENCY mode enter the channel frequency.
2. Press MENU+2+7
3. Press MENU and select the desired channel with arrow buttons
4. Press MENU to confirm channel selection
5. Press EXIT

NOTE: A new out of the box radio has some channels pre-programmed in. Changing channels 1-6 was not working until each channel was deleted from the menu. Delete is function MENU+2+8.

dual monitor

TDR (Dual Watch/Dual RX)

This radio is a dual watch radio with one receiver that can flip between two frequencies as opposed to higher end radios having dual VFO which would require two receivers.

The dual watch function can be enabled

1. Press MENU+7 (TDR)
2. Press MENU and select
3. arrow up and down to toggle dual watch ON/OFF
4. Press MENU to confirm
5. Press EXIT

FM broadcast radio

Like some of the other Baofeng models, this unit has a good quality extended FM broadcast band receiver. It covers 65Mhz - 108Mhz.

• Press CALL button to activate the FM radio; press again to deactivate. Press the *SCAN button to scan the FM channels.
• Toggle 65Mhz / 88Mhz by pressing the A/B button

When a two-way transmission is detected, the FM broadcast radio cuts out so the incoming communication has priority. One caveat though, you cannot Dual Watch the two transceiver frequencies. It will only monitor one of the two while in FM broadcast listening. It will monitor the last one which was active. So if you had watch monitor (A) active monitoring a UHF Ham frequency while listening to FM Broadcast, even with TDR set to ON, monitor (B) will not be watched.

Accessory

The accessory jack on the Baofeng UV-5R is a Kenwood compatible two(2)-pin design. Many imported radios use Kenwood compatible 2-pin connector including Baofeng and Wouxun. There are a number of similar two pin connectors that may look identical but are not compatible.

Computer Connection

You can use the Pofung software or you can use an aftermarket software called CHIRP.

When connecting the USB serial cable Windows XP begins "New Hardware Wizard." Allow it to automatically detect and install the driver. It will detect and install "Prolific USB-to-Serial Comm Port." Do this with the Baofeng radio turned on.

Now that a driver is installed you are ready to use either the factory software or the alternative CHIRP software to interface and program your radio.

Everything you need to download, and use either CHIRP or the Baofeng OEM software:

• https://baofengtech.com/download

Technical Support

Firmware Update

The firmware in these radios cannot be updated. The microcontroller is an OTP type. (One Time Programmable) Once 'flash' programmed at the factory, it cannot be changed.

Birdies

These radios use a 26MHz reference oscillator. These have been known to cause interference on the following frequencies which are multiples of 26. -> 156.0, 234.0, 416.0, 442.0, 468.0, 494.0 MHz.

Can only program empty channels

This is correct. If you wish to change the channel program you must first delete, then reenter, unless you are using PC software.

Manual programming of memory channels can Only be done while display A (top display) is selected.

select channels to skip when scanning

Selecting channels to be skipped during the scanning process can only be done via software. This cannot be done using the keyp

Hacking for Out of Band Frequencies

There is a lot of bunk information on this topic. Yes, you can enter frequencies that are out of the factory range using software. No, most of these will not work. It will display the frequency but it will not actually transmit or receive, most of the time.

VHF range 136-174 MHz  expands to  128-176 MHz
UHF range 400-520 MHz  expands to  384-524 MHz

Outside of the above range, the radio would either not transmit or was unstable. Receiver coverage drops off sharply to zero outside the factory specified range. Reference: Opening Up: the Frequency Range

Just being able to upload a given frequency to the radio and get it to show up on the display does not qualify it as being "unlocked."

External Resources

• Miklor Programming: Baofeng BF-F8HP