My brother just bought me and himself a set of bf-f8hp radios for setting up two way communication while we are on long motorcycle trips. Now, this radio seems like overkill and I don't want to meet with anything illegal. How can I set this up?
Secondary question, what other cool stuff can I do with it?
Completely oblivious when it comes to this stuff, but I'm eager to learn.
From what I can tell, the BF-F8HP is very similar to the UV-5R. These links may help answer your question.
You didn't specify in which country you will be using the radios, and that affects the answer greatly. The world is a big place, and the Internet gets to most of it!
In most countries, however, the only way to use such a radio legally will be to get a commercial VHF or UHF license, or an amateur radio (ham radio) license. A ham radio license that lets you use such radios is pretty easy to get in quite a lot of countries, and often inexpensive. (In Canada, for example, it's possible to get a callsign for free or low cost, not counting whatever study materials you choose to get.)
These are great little radios. I really do like them. However, in the U.S., there seems to be no way to legally transmit with these radios without a license. Not even on the unlicensed bands since these radios are not certified for FRS.
My suggestion is to get a Ham Radio license. You only need a technician license for VHF and UHF and wouldn't require more than a day or two to study and pass the test. Good luck.
