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

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:

It is expensive for what it is, but the product seems legit. It works as described.

Used it on a Wide area FOX transmitter. Ran at 2.5W (Low setting) and transmitted for 30 secs of every minute for 4+ hours. Still running strong after that. Cant complain...

Meets my expectations, Im pleased with it.

Got exactly what I ordered. It arrived before the delivery time.

Im in a remote location, and had to study to find out that the supplied antenna was inadequate. The battery charging system is antiquated; once the battery is charged, you must remove it from the docking station or you will eventually damage the battery. The large battery you can buy separately has a plug to link it to a usb port (cable also extra), but no such luck with the supplied standard battery.

Over time, the cable has a tendency to pull out of the housings. I put a small zip-tie around both ends where they go into a bushing type thing. But as far as providing power to a Baofeng (or similar) from a cigarette lighter fitting on a car: It does the job well.

I purchased three of the BL-5L batteries for my UV-5R8W and stock UV-5R. All three I have stopped using within two months: - Battery #1. Failed to charge on the CH-5 stock charger. Returned and exchanged for a new one. That one stopped charging after two months entirely and I stopped using it when smelling smoke when the battery was in the charging cradle. - Battery #2. Stopped charging to full capacity and the charge cradle stuck on red/green alternating LED. Immediately stopped using it when smelling a burn odor from the battery and feeling heat from the enclosure. - Battery #3. Stopped charging to full capacity also, radio reads 2 of 3 bars charge max, and below the 7.4V nominal printed on the battery. If youre looking for a battery and kit for amateur radio, spend the extra to get a higher quality radio from any number of other manufacturers. All-in, the cost of replacing faulty Baofeng parts and ongoing maintenance to keep your UV-5R in working order is higher than getting a better quality radio with a safe battery.

It feels solid and it is great quality considering the price. I didnt have trouble locking it into place on my Baofeng F8HP like other reviewers have said. Anyways one big flaw I found with most all ham radios is the ability to charge the battery. I bought a HAM radio for emergency preparedness and one thing I quickly saw is that all I have is a wall adapter to charge the original battery. If power went out for a long time and I had no gas in my car then I couldnt use my radio. Ive modified most of my equipment to work with 18650 lithium-ion batteries. I have created a solar charger that can charge the 18650 cells so I can charge most of my equipment via solar when other methods are not available. So naturally I made an adapter for my radio so it can work off of 18650s. The original battery voltage is 7.4v and that is exactly what 2 18650 batteries provide, so all I had to do was solder on power connectors to the car adapter, radio adapter, and my new 18650 battery pack. So I can still plug it into my car if needed or use my 18650 battery pack to power my radio. See pictures for proof that it works! When I get survival gear I need to have it work in the middle of nowhere. Solar charging li-ion cells and modifying equipment to work with them is my solution.

I have an older Bao Feng UV-5R. The battery would not fit. The battery would not fully engage when insertion into the radio was attempted. I had to remove, with a Dremel tool, a portion of the case. It for, lack of a better description, the portion within a half ellipse area on the front of the case. After grinding this area away. the fit was good. The battery takes a charge well and holds the charge well. All in all , good battery. Would buy again.