Baofeng (company)
 | |
Native name | 宝锋 |
|---|---|
| Industry | Electronics |
| Founded | 2001 (as Baoan Electronics Co., Ltd.) |
| Founder | Wang Jinding |
| Headquarters | , |
| Products | Radio equipment and accessories |
| Website | baofengradio |
Fujian Baofeng Electronics Co., Ltd (Chinese: 宝锋 or 寶鋒, romanized: Bǎo fēng), known as Baofeng, is a Chinese company which develops and sells walkie-talkies, radios, ham radio equipment, and their accessories.[1]
History
In 2001, Wang Jinding founded the company as Baoan Electronics Co., Ltd. in Nan'an County (Chinese: 南安, romanized: Nán'ān) in Fujian Province (Chinese: 福建, romanized: Fújiàn). From that time onward, the company gradually expanded its marketshare and entered new markets, for example it was certified to enter the EU market in April 2011. In 2019, the company adopted its current name, 'Fujian Baofeng Electronics Co., Ltd.'[1]
Products
Baofeng mainly offers portable equipment in the HF, VHF, and UHF bands, both handheld transceiver (HT) and traditional transceiver models. Its offerings include Amateur Radio Service, General Mobile Radio Service, and Family Radio Service models.[2]
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Popularity
In recent years, Chinese amateur radio transceivers have exploded in popularity among amateur radio operators due to their lower cost than comparable offerings from traditionally dominant companies in the amateur radio space, such as Kenwood, Icom, and Yaesu.[3]
In 2025, the American Radio Relay League, the main organizing body for Amateur Radio in the United States, even published a book on the use of Baofeng offerings.[4]
Russo-Ukrainian War
Baofeng radios have been noted for their use in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Radios such as the Baofeng UV-82 have been recovered from Russian soldiers in Ukraine.[5] Unlike military radios, the UV-82, and other popular Baofeng consumer radios, are not hardened against electronic warfare (EW).[5]
FCC Enforcement
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulates radio emissions in the United States, the second-largest Amateur Radio market in the world by the number of licensed amateurs.[6] In 2018, the FCC issued an enforcement advisory against the sale of two-way radios capable of operations outside of prescribed frequency bands.[7] This came on the heels of an enforcement action by the FCC against an importer of Baofeng radios, which, at the time, were capable of out-of-the-box operation on a number of different bands not allocated to the Amateur Radio Service.[8]
References
- ^ a b "About Us". Retrieved 2 August 2025.
- ^ "Online Store". Retrieved 4 August 2025.
- ^ "Why you should consider a Baofeng Handheld for Ham Radio". 18 December 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
- ^ "New Book Release: Using the Baofeng® Radio". Retrieved 4 August 2025.
- ^ a b "Russian Comms in Ukraine: A World of Hertz". Retrieved 2 August 2025.
- ^ "Amateur Radio Licenses World Map". Retrieved 2 August 2025.
- ^ "TWO-WAY VHF/UHF RADIOS MAY NOT BE IMPORTED,ADVERTISED, OR SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES UNLESS THEY COMPLY WITH THE COMMISSION'S RULES" (PDF). Retrieved 2 August 2025.
- ^ "ILLEGAL MARKETING OF UNAUTHORIZED RADIO FREQUENCY DEVICES" (PDF). Retrieved 2 August 2025.