Baofeng UV-82HP Review

The Baofeng UV-82HP is a much taller radio than the UV-5R. This means it fits in the hand a little better, especially if you have larger hands. When I originally reviewed the UV-82, I mentioned that the plastic felt cheap in comparison to the UV-5R. I still think that’s true, although this newer radio feels slightly better.

Probably one of my biggest annoyances with all radios based off this design, is the dual PTT button. I have never been a fan of dual PTT buttons, but this one is especially annoying in that the top button angles down slightly while the bottom button angles up slightly. The result of this is the bottom button is extremely easy to press and fits right where my finger falls on the side of the radio, whereas the top button just feels awkward.

All the buttons work quite well on the Baofeng UV-82HP. They are well spaced, have just enough resistance, and have a nice little snap when you press them. The knob on top rotates very smoothly, and has very little slack in the switch. This radio includes one of my favorite little features, a shield on the side of the volume knob, which prevents unintended volume adjustments. Unlike some radios, the blue text on the keys is a little lighter and is therefore not as hard to read.

The LCD display appears to be the same on all of this model’s radios, and also appears to be shared between the UV-5R models. The one downside is the actual LCD panel appears to be set further back from the glass than on radios like the UV-5R. This causes more of a shadow across the screen unless you were looking straight on at it. Other than that, the LCD is reasonably well lit, easy to read, and provides more than enough information for a basic radio.

One thing I found interesting is that the Baofeng UV-82HP uses the same BL – 8 battery has several other radios in this style, however, it appears to be labeled 2800mAh. This is nonsense. In all the BL-8 batteries I have tested, those that were marked 1800mAh, and those that were marked 2800mAh, the average actual capacity was more like 1300mAh with a maximum of about 1500mAh. Of course, this is not unusual for inexpensive Chinese radios.

Programming the radio is very straightforward, either from the keypad, or with the computer using CHIRP. A standard Baofeng programming cable that has worked with most of these radios since at least the UV-3R. The radio’s menu system is a standard Baofeng menu so it should be easy enough for anyone to use.

As of this date, the Baofeng UV-82HP is still sold brand new. What I find unusual about this is it seems that none of these kits come with USB-C charging capabilities. I personally do prefer the drop-in charger which comes with it, but that’s not very convenient when traveling. Fortunately, USB-C charging BL-8 batteries are reasonably common online, as are AAA battery cases, which are unusual for most Baofeng radios.

Performance:

As for performance, this is where things get interesting. Let’s start with the antenna, which is a slightly above average factory dual-band antenna. Translating that into English, it’s not that bad. For the typical user it would probably work just fine, whereas power users are going to want something nicer.

Power output of the Baofeng UV-82HP shows 3.4 Watts on 2 m and 4.5 Watts on 70 cm. This compares to 4.5 Watts on 2 m and 1.4 Watts on 70 cm for the original UV-82. The vast majority of people I know do more on two meters than 70 cm, making this radio substantially less powerful for daily use. If, however, you do a lot of work on 70 cm, this radio has almost three Watts more power to work with. I had to run these numbers twice because they are completely backwards in my opinion. Don’t ask, I don’t know.

The spectral analysis looks extremely similar to the UV-82. Both radios have a reasonably good concentrated signal for a radio in their price range. This radio seems to sputter a little bit right as you key up, but it clears up pretty quickly. I doubt very seriously you could hear this if you tried.

The Baofeng UV-82HP really surprised me when it came to spurious emissions. Most cheaper radios, especially Baofengs, tend to have terrible spurious emissions. While this radio certainly is no Yaesu or Kenwood, the spurious emissions it emits is a fraction of most Baofeng radios. This means you get more power transmitted on frequency, and electronics that will probably last much longer than radios that emit more spurious emissions.

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One thing that may be obvious, if not I’ll mention it here, is that the radios based off this design all share batteries and accessories. The BL-8 battery, belt clip, antenna, microphones, and programming accessories, fit all the radios that look like this one including the UV-82, MURS V2, and GT5. While not nearly as prolific as the UV-5R, it still has a large amount of accessories to choose from.

Conclusions

Would I recommend this radio? As always, that depends. The radio feels good in my hand as long as I use the bottom vfo for everything, functions very well, programs easily, has a good size battery, and has good transmission characteristics. I like the larger size compared to the UV-5R. It is also kind of nice that this radio comes in black, blue, red, yellow, and camouflage.

Where the Baofeng UV-82HP falls short, is it how much power it puts out on the frequencies I tend to use, and the substantial increase in price over the almost as good UV-5R. If I was going to spend this kind of money on a Baofeng radio, I would probably go with the UV-9R Plus instead.

Here are some reviews of the Baofeng UV-82HP!