Baofeng UV-22 HAM Radio (and GMRS???)

Link to purchase this radio: Baofeng UV-22 on Amazon 

Quick Summary: Cheap radio made even cheaper because it includes accessories you may need anyways for other Baofeng. CHIRPS programmable, can operate on GMRS* with no modifications or mars mod needed... it's got potential, but I am sorting through it and it sure as heck isn't waterproof, I'd barely call it water resistant.

The Full Story Of How I got here:

HAM radio loves it's gatekeeping. Whether it's the absurdity of the questions you are asked on the technicians license exam or the generally high cost of entry for the radios most enthusiasts approve of... there's a barrier of entry to the hobby. Baofeng is breaking down that barrier with some pretty killer and very affordable handheld radios, such as the UV-5R mini (which I need to review soon. At $35 or so for a set of two radios, that can do VHF/UHF and GMRS frequencies*, all without any custom modification... these radios are taking the market by storm!

For me, the progression onwards from the UV-5R to another radio came with a lot of desired requirements. The exceptionally simple and friendly UI of the UV-5R was important, and I wanted a radio with at least moderate waterproofing for use. Size definitely is an issue as I am taking this on adventures like skiing or mountian biking, so hauling up a brick sized radio wasn't going to fly. I also need dual watch/listen so I can have my wife on GMRS* on B and a nearby ham repeater on A. Then, consider that If the radio can't be that for certain tough and may die... I'd prefer it were priced disposably. Added bonus points for CHIRPS programmability and even more bonus points for having a USB-C charging option.

These requirements combined left me with either very expensive Yaesu options (one of which I'll be getting) or... the Baofeng UV 22.

Initial Thoughts on the Baofeng UV-22 & Comparison to the UV-5R Mini

So given the only radio I've had before this is the Baofeng UV-22 and a bunch of really crappy bubble wrap GMRS radios... all I really have to compare the UV-22 is the UV-5R mini. The most obvious immediate difference is the the Baofeng UV-22 is of course bigger. There's pros and cons to that, as the UV-22 benefits from normal human size buttons and a screen big enough most humans can easily read it, but it also weighs a bit more and takes up more space.

The Baofeng UV-22 also got a bigger battery, so we can assume a slightly longer life as well. While the UV-5R mini dissappears in a pack, you'll know the Baofeng UV-22 is there. That said, it's not exactly that much more weight and the dimensions are still pretty compact for a radio. I'd say the UV-22 is compact, and the mini is sub-compact.

Programming The Radio - How It Can Be Done

So there isn't any good documentaiton out there on this, so allow me to be the first! This radio CAN be programemed with CHIRPS! I've done it, I know for a fact it's possible, and the experience is quite nice, especially if you primarily operate in the CHIRPS environment like you probably already do for the UV-5R mini!

So to start with, you need a USB cable for connecting to your phone which costs $8.59. The UV-22 ships with a cable however, so consider the radio $8.59 cheaper if you need the cable already for your UV-5R mini! 

Begin by READING your radio with the read feature. It'll ask for the vendor and model, and select Baofeng and the UV-5RH. Why the UV-5RH? Welp it's pretty much the same radio, but 10w and a bit bigger... so they likely reused 90% of the same parts assembling this one and thus there's crossover between the two.

Next up, program in a few channels, ideally adding some local repeaters near you as found on Repeaterbook and maybe even adding in GMRS channels* if you want

With the initial state read and saved, don't forget to click the settings tab at the top! I find it is nearly always worth making some adjustments like DO NOT enable voice (it's annoying), adjust menu quit timer so you aren't getting kicked out of a menu if you stop to think, and set the backlight timer to a similar time as menu kick out so it all just chills out at once.

Next up, WRITE to the radio. You'll do so by clicking Radio > Upload to radio. It'll prompt you for a few basics, you'll click continue, it'll prompt you of the order to follow on the radio (which I've found to matter less than advertised) and... you've succesfully written to your radio using CHIRPS!

Initial Testing Woes

Doing some initial testing, my wife commented that TX was clearer than the UV-5R mini, so there's some value in that. When listening into NOAA weather though, I had a problem immediately. The audio came in very choppy. Even listening to my local NOAA weather it would cut in and out. Squelch being turned off helped, but I would discover the SMA connection for the antenna was a bit loose and waving the radio around reliably caused audio to drop intermittently.

Given I'm by no means a radio expert, I consulted AI, and they mentioned it was possible the SMA connection to the motherboard wasn't sorted and/or had enough strain relief there. Given the radio was $35... I figured why not take it apart and see if I could do anything about it? I can solder and do a few other basics, let's see what happens if I strike out on my own with this puppy?

Teardown, and "Upgrading"

The frame itself is a nice aluminum frame which is cool. The knobs and SMA connector slit into the frame to support it, but... the fitment is pretty meh and not terribly confidence inspiring

Quick aside: let me me confirm for certain for you all that this case has just about nothing for waterproofing. The knobs, the microphone holes, the whole case has no O-rings and in general mating surfaces were not gasketed. There's no way in heck this is waterproof.

Here you can see the attachment of the SMA connector to the board and its... a modest glob of solder. Now I'm told this isn't exactly crazy, apparently the stress shouldn't be transferred via the soldered joint to the PCB and so it's infact superior that this is loose... I can't say for certain if that's the case or not, but I can say that I redid the soldering on this joint to increase it's strength.

Here you can see the underside of the PCB, with it screwed into the aluminum frame. The aluminum frame is still meant to take the lions share of the work supporting the SMA cable, but the tolerances are just too general and thus prone to wiggle issues.

So what was my ultimate solution? Resolder to be certain, and then add RTV Sealant and lots of it.

Why RTV sealant? Well it dries to a firm supporting layer, but it has some give to it unlike epoxy. It'll provide support and cushion and flex along with adhesion... or so I hope. I'll honestly report back if this worked along with the resoldering.

One thing I can say for certain with the RTV sealant is I put it EVERYWHERE on the reassembly. Between the frame and the case, the headphone cover plate, the top of the frame and the case... you named it I sealed just about anything and everything I could to prevent ingress. Then for even further overkill I put rubber O-rings under the knobs to further resist water ingress.

NOW this unit can claim water resistant... but waterproof? This wasn't even close and surely still has a long ways to go.

So How Does the Radio Actually Work?

So I can't provide a long term review yet of the device. I've gotten it, done a few mild tests, as usual heard nobody back on my local repeaters but did hear back from the repeater itself... and then took it apart to try and sort the radio out and waterproof it better. I've now got to wait 48 hours for it to dry and then probably a week or two of testing... so stay tuned until then, and especially tuned for the long term review!

*A FootNote & Big Fast Asterisk about GMRS on HAM radios

You should already be aware that dual-band ham radios like the UV-22 do not have Part 95 type acceptance for GMRS. They are designed and certified as amateur radios, even though many of them can technically transmit on GMRS frequencies.

Because of that, you cannot legally transmit on GMRS with this device, regardless of whether you hold a GMRS license. How Baofeng continues to sell radios that ship unlocked for these frequencies while most other manufacturers lock them down is… unclear, but that’s the current reality.

What is always legal is receive-only use. You can program GMRS channels with Duplex set to OFF and use the radio strictly to listen. That works perfectly fine, and yes, your wife can still tell you it’s time to come back to the car and stop shredding — ask me how I know.

In the real world, many people do transmit on GMRS with radios like this. Most of them act far more respectfully than the standard GMRS users who are are unlicensed, never identify, and treat GMRS like glorified walkie-talkies. The GMRS license, by the way, is $35 for 10 years with no test. You'd be crazy not to get it. It's also good for your whole family.

If someone chooses to operate anyway, the bare minimum courtesy is to make sure the radio is programmed correctly: proper power levels, narrowband where required, correct offsets and tones, and not splattering over other users. At that point you’re arguably doing more to respect the intent of GMRS than a huge percentage of “legal” users who never bothered to learn how their radios work, don't know their callsigns or never got one, and/or are just being dickheads

My personal take: the spirit of the GMRS rules seems to be about simplicity and interference prevention, not punishing people who understand RF and operate responsibly. The restriction on front-panel programmability appears aimed at preventing accidental misconfiguration, not stopping technically competent users from behaving well on the band.

Take that for what it’s worth — know the rules, understand the risks, and decide where you personally land. I'm not your mom, this decision is your own and you are informed.