Baofeng UV-26 Review

Buttons on the front are about the just a little bigger than many of Baofeng’s radios, including the venerable UV-5R, but they have more of a rounded top which makes them easier to center your fingers on, at least for me. They have a nice tactile and audible click when pressed. The V/M and A/B buttons have a small shield on the right side of them, making them harder for something to accidentally press them without interfering with your finger pressing them, nice touch.

On top is the requisite volume knob of the Baofeng UV-26, which is about the same size as the old UV-5R, breaking what seems like the latest trend of making the knobs huge. There is even a little bit of a shield over on the side to help keep you from accidentally adjusting the volume with your seatbelt, jacket, or door frame. The shield could be a little taller in my opinion, but it seems tall enough to catch most issues.

The other thing this radio brings over from some of the new designs is the PTT button, which is absolutely terrible off-axis. This means that if you press the top of the button, or the bottom of the button, you are probably not going to be depressing the center enough to engage the switch. The good news here is that just like with some of the other models, the way the radio fits into my hand makes my index finger fall just about exactly in the center of it so it works out. YMMV.

Most of the extra space on the taller Baofeng UV-26’s face is dedicated to the new 1.77″ color screen that many of the newer models have. This is also a reason you need a bigger battery. As I have said in several reviews so far, the screen is beautiful and displays data excellently, when the backlight is on. And just like those other reviews, I hate the facts that the menu text is a dark, dull red on black making it hard to read, and that the backlight turns off after five seconds and there is no way to change that without using programming software on a computer.

The menu system itself looks and feels like a typical Baofeng setup, with the exception that it is all crammed in the lower half of the screen for some reason. Some of the newer Baofengs like the K6 and K68 use the entire screen for the menu, which makes more sense for me.

–Find out what battery fits the Baofeng UV-26 with our battery finder tool!–

Speaking of programming, the Baofeng UV-26 is fully CHIRP compatible, although I had to select the UV-25 settings since there is no specific UV-26 entry. It uses the same old programming cable that most Baofeng radios have used back to at least the UV-5R.

Performance:

Antenna tests show that the one that comes with the Baofeng UV-26 is pretty bad on 2m, and a little better on 70cm. I never expect these to be really good, but this one is pretty bad. I would recommend you replace it ASAP.

Spectral analysis shows a reasonably concentrated signal that starts out pretty inconsistent, but straightens out a few seconds later. This is not at all uncommon on these budget radios, and really does not present any issues in real world use.

Transmitted audio is pretty clear and clean, with virtually no sibilance unless you get stupid with the mic.

Spurious emissions, however, are pretty terrible. At 146.520 the first harmonic around 200Mhz is only about -4dBm lower than the primary frequency, virtually throwing away almost 30% of your transmitted power. Then, when you look up the spectrum a little, you find four more harmonics, three of which are above -60 throwing away even more of your power. I guess it is a good thing it puts out 8w on 2m and 4w on 70cm, with so much of that power being wasted.

Images:

Radio Specifics:

Test Images:

• 10w power output
• Tri-band TX (2m, 1.25m, 70cm)
• FM radio, AM airband, UHF RX
• 1.77″ Color screen
• USB-C charging
• NOAA weather
• One key frequency copy
• 999 channels
• 2500mAh battery

The Baofeng UV-26, like a lot of the newer radios, comes in several kits. Some of these are strictly the radio, battery, USB-C cable, and manual. Others have a drop-in desktop charger and a 771 style antenna. If you are getting one, make absolutely sure it is the one with the extra antenna and preferably the desktop charger. Most of these are the same price or only a couple dollars more. Unfortunately I see vendors, particularly on eBay, not mentioning what is included and only showing a picture of the radio, and these never have all the cool accessories. When in doubt, ask before buying.

Conclusions

Would I recommend this radio? Not on a bet. I like the way it feels mostly, I like the color screen and larger battery, and I like the little touches like the shields for the knob and a couple buttons. What I can’t get over is the spurious emissions. Unfortunately, most people who use or buy this radio will never know that over half their power is going down the drain. Not to mention what all that is going to do to the electronics over time.

Am I against all budget radios because of spurious emissions? Not at all. But there is a difference between liking a little hot sauce on my tacos and eating raw Carolina Reapers as a snack. In other words, radios like my UV-5R have some, what I consider pretty bad, spurious emissions, but it is not even in the same league of horribleness as the Baofeng UV-26.

Here are some reviews of the radio!