BTECH, BaoFeng BL-5 Battery Eliminator for for BF-F8HP, UV-5X3, and UV-5R Radios

As previous reviewers have stated, the top center battery terminal can easily come loose, touch another terminal and short out the pack. *I have not experienced this.* Although I have taken the precaution advised and glued the top center battery terminal in place so that it does not wiggle free. See photos. After this quick fix, it works safely and as expected. With 6x NiMH the battery life is considerably longer (2-3 times) than the 1100 mAhr Li-ion supplied with the Baofeng UV-5R. Another gripe about this product is how loose the snap mechanism is securing clam shell design together. I can pull the two apart pretty easily without hitting the release button. And also... please please please use the included dummy battery when using alkaline (1.5V) AA batteries!! If 6 alkalines are used, the radio will intentionally not work due to the higher total voltage being outside the operating range. Many people have given this product bad reviews because they didnt read.

This is a great backup that uses AA type alkaline batteries for powering your radio. As a ham that never knows what situation I might be facing for an emergency, this is very useful. I, and most people have a cache of AA batteries that I keep all of the time. This means if I drain my rechargeable batteries, this can be deployed with some fresh AA batteries to keep me on the air.

Great life. It works for hours. Just wish I had an outdoor antenna to extend my range. It is used mostly inside. Do you have any suggestion for apartment dwellers that are enclosed with no roof access. Trying to figure out how to configure an outside antenna with side slide windows. Any suggestions w/b white helpful.

Bought a cheaper TENQ one and had to return it. It did not provide enough power on transmit and the radio would turn off and back on when key was released.(7.4V or so idle) This is the one by Baofeng and is designed differently. The pcb is in the DC jack portion not the battery adapter portion. It provides 8.5V which is clearly what the radio needs. The batteries and this unit state 7.4V but they all put out about 8.5V. I will be replacing the coiled cord which I really dislike and putting in a long straight cord. I have included a collage of a tear down of this unit which will hopefully be of some use. UPDATE: 2/19/15 The radio began rebooting on tx on 2m. There was a rattling sound from the plug. I opened it to find a large diode loose. It was either very cold solder joints or the part got hot enough to desolder itself from the pcb. I was able to fix it easily but def not worth the orig 4 star review I gave it. If I can find a way to add or update the pics I will add photo of the issue.

Christmas storm of 2022! Decided to really use it. Battery provided 35 hours are CONTINUOUS scanning and use. Was not turned off for just over 35 hours. Very satisfied.

Cant speak for the performance yet - Ill update that later. For now I just wanted to easy any concerns users of the Baofeng BF-F8HP: these do fit, though they are VERY tight. Im perfectly fine with a tight fit over a loose fit. You have to push the pack in very hard to get it to click, and it may take several tries to get used to it. Getting them off is slightly more difficult, but again, if it means a real good tight fit I dont mind so much. I do highly recommend removing the antenna before taking it off, as its too easy to want to pull on the antenna for leverage, and thats a very bad idea. No modification necessary for the Baofeng BF-F8HP on either of the two I own. The fit is VERY tight, but thats a good thing.

This is a key component of my poor mans mobile. Im posting this same review for all the other accessories of the build, but not for the radio which I love and reviewed separately. Heres the build:

This review is about the BL-5 AA. This battery pack should cost about half the price -- theres not much to it. And you will need to modify it as other reviewers have indicated, or it will short itself near the center-top, where the external contacts pass near the internal battery contact. That said, its very versatile. It works with both Alkaline and NiMH (e.g., Eneloop) batteries, which is the reason I bought it. I imagine it would suffice in an emergency. I only wish they would release a proper USB-compatible battery for these radios.

Only 1 battery from 2, please send the second one

At this price, a responsible radio user should have a few charged spares available for each of their radios, for any contingency/operation/emergency.