For today’s review, I am taking a look at the BAOFENG K6 Tri-Band Long Range Handheld Ham Radio which was released in 2024.
BAOFENG, the company from China that has taken handheld radio by storm for many years because of its low prices and to the chagrin of handheld enthusiasts who dislike how popular this brand has become and dislike it more as it became the entry hardware purchase for handheld radios (may it be GMRS to Ham Radios) for many. And because they are so cheap, people collect them like characters on “Pokemon Go” because of the colors, the style, the features and of course, that absolutely low price.
The thing is, not many people want to or can spend for the top Japanese brands ala Kenwood, Yaesu and ICOM or American brands such as Midland, Cobra, Motorola and others. It’s important to know that you are not going to get $300 quality with a $20 handheld radio. But unless you are a hardcore enthusiast who owns a spectrum analyzer, for many people, this is their first foray into the hobby, these handheld radios definitely offer way more than why your parents or grandparents had when they were into handheld radios and it’s great to have one as a survivalist and making sure you have a goto device, especially during emergencies.
So, with that established, let’s begin the review.
Today, I am reviewing the BAOFENG K6 Tri-Band Long Range Handheld Ham Radio. This comes with the radio with a 771 antenna, an air-band antenna, speaker, ear buds, a strap, A 2500 mAh lithium battery, USB-C charging cable and cradle charger.
The frequency range for this radio is:
TX【136-174 & 220-260 & 400-520MHz】
RX【FM 65-108 MHz;
VHF 136-174MHz; 220-260MHz
UHF 350-390MHz, 400-600MHz】
TX【VHF, UHF, 1.25M (220-260MHz)】
RX【1M: 350-390MHz, Airband: 108-136MHz, NOAA: 162.400-162.550MHz】
And yes, it also comes with a flash light and alarm.
It’s important to note that this is a ham radio. A ham radio requires a license which you need to pass a test in order to transmit on it. But if you are using it just to receive and not transmit, that is fine.\
So, let’s take a look at the radio.
The display features a circular pattern different from other BAOFENG handheld transmitters. The display has a classic look utilizing a blue backlit with black letters.
V/M button in orange, A/B channel selector in black.
The #/Z continues to scan frequencies like previous BAOFENG devices and holding the */key to lock if held down for a few seconds. The 0/SQL button, hold it down to access the NOAA weather alert frequencies.
To access the stop watch, go into the menu, third press down (down arrow) and select stop watch again with the menu and then menu again to start. This uses also the classic pattern.
This radio comes with a cradle to charge but it can be charged via USB-C. I will say that any new ham radio, you should make USB-C a priority. It’s easy to charge on your car or at home, you can connect to a charging power bank. So, I’m glad this radio has USB-C charging capabilities.
The lithium battery is 2600mAh, which is fantastic considering most of BAOFENG 5W offerings use 1800mAh and great for this Tri-band radio.
On the left side, you will see the PTT button, and two additional buttons in orange under it.
The first button with a simple press for a second will give you FM radio. Hold it down for a few more seconds and the light above the handheld will start flashing and an alarm can be heard.
The second button allows you to turn on the flashlight on the top. Fixed light, strobe light and also to turn off the light.
Top of the K6 is the flash light, where you connect the antenna and also the volume control. This device utilizes only antennas with an SMA-F connection, that means the part protruding under the antenna has a hole on it, as the device has a male pin sticking out.
You get different types of antenna, but the most important one is the 771 antenna. 771’s are dual-band amateur radio antennas designed for both 2-meter (VHF) and 70m (UHF) amateur radio frequencies. You will see it comes with an air-band antenna, to receive and transmit signals within the frequency range used by aircraft communication systems (between 108 to 137 MHz). Some may want to invest in a triple band antenna, but for the most part, unless you are near an airport and a lot of planes, more than likely you will be sticking to the 771 dual-band antenna.
On the right side of the device is a flap which has a K-plug connector, this is where you plug in the data cable to connect your radio to your computer, a speaker (ie. walkie talkie like speaker) and ear buds.
With that being said, the radio supports CHIRP or you can manuall program or use one key frequency copy.
I always use CHIRP, it’s so easy. So, with this radio, fortunately this one comes with a data cable. But for testing, I use a different USB data cable (sold separately), specifically a Baofeng/Abbree data cable with a CH340 Chip. This allows me to connect the radio to my computer via Chirp. Not all data cables work the same but this cable has allowed me to connect to nearly most all of the radio I own. So, I like this cable a lot!
Once the data cable is inserted to the side of the Baofeng (make sure the cable is pushed all the way in), go ahead and click on radio on top and download, select Baofeng and for radio, select K6 and allow for downloading.
It comes with frequencies but you can delete or leave them there and add your own. I use websites such as RadioReference[dot]com to search for frequencies in nearby counties. From police, medical, airports, you name it. I search for those within 300-400 miles and I start inputting the ones I want onto CHIRP.
The BAOFENG K6 allows for 999 memory channels which is a plus!
On Chirp, you can select Memories to enter the frequencies, while Settings allows you to set the settings. You can do this on the K6, but I find it much easier to do it all on Chirp.
So, for settings, to save batteries, the screen will go dim quickly but I set it to last a little longer. You can select English or Chinese voice. You can select how long you want your backlight timer to go. To turn off beeps. For channels, I like A to always show the name of the frequency I am visiting, as I like to put the name and know where I’m going. Channel B is straight frequency, which I set.
For scan mode, (when you have it scanning all frequencies), I select carrier mode, so it will find whoever is on and stay on it until no one speaks for a certain amount of time. So, there are a lot of settings that you can control. Including disabling TX (Transmit).
But when you are done, save and upload the data back to your radio. And that is it! Very easy!
Of course, one of the bigger selling points for some people is the “Secret Menu” of this device but the secret menu is not needed if you connect and go into the CHIRP settings.
Why should I consider the BAOFENG K6?
First and foremost, it’s probably the cheapest BAOFENG handheld transmitter that is multi-band and you get so much for the money. On sale, you may find this handheld transmitter for $17-20, so keep on the lookout as the K6 does go on sale often. The other positive aspect is that it includes a better battery that can be charged via USB-C, so this device can be take on the road and you can charge easily charge it via your car, power bank or powerstrip (if it offers USB-C charging ports).
I actually own two of these, one is labeled as NA-K6 and this one is K6, same radio, same battery, same functions. But I will say with my original NA-K6, the display screen fell out and perhaps the glue was not strong enough. I can’t say that it will happen to this device, but if you live in an area with high heat, definitely would not leave it in a hot vehicle or hot garage, as certain adhesives may not hold.
Again, this is an under $25 device. You get a lot bang for the buck with this handheld transmitter and it’s one, if not the most cheapest multi-band radio in the market. And because it’s so inexpensive, it makes for a great survival radio to have extras of.
While the UV-5R’s were seen as the affordable goto BAOFENG device, for almost the same price and more functions + USB-C charging, the BAOFENG K6 Tri-Band Handheld Ham Radio is recommended, if you can get it at a low price!
