A few weeks ago, I was browsing Facebook and came across a the following contest offered by Baofeng. I had a few minutes to spare and thought I would knock out a submission. The story is entirely a work of fiction, but the motivation and spirit behind it is something that I share in common with everyone in the WN4RC Amateur Radio club.
One Baofeng radio is never enough… Show off your collection and compete to win this year’s latest releases!
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Share a photo of your Baofeng(s) in the comments, or tell us your best Baofeng story!
Ends June 29 → https://www.baofengradio.com/giveaway
“The Bear, the Blizzard, and the Baofeng”
By Evans Martin (N9ELM):
Most people pack snacks and maybe a flashlight when they go hiking in the Rockies. I, however, pack a Baofeng UV-5R — not because I expected trouble, but because I’ve read enough survival stories to know better.
Trouble came anyway.
Three miles from the trailhead, with a storm rolling in and my phone showing No Service, I was congratulating myself on escaping the modern world when I stumbled across a full-grown black bear rummaging through a very shredded backpack.
Not mine, thank the Lord — but someone else’s.
Heart pounding, I crept backward down the trail and ducked behind a rock. I grabbed my Baofeng and switched to the local repeater frequency I’d programmed weeks earlier — you know, just in case. I transmitted:
“This is KJ1234, I’m on South Pine Trail, about three miles in, and there’s a bear tearing through someone’s gear. Looks like someone might be in trouble.”
A second passed. Then a crackling voice:
“Copy that, KJ1234. This is KE1234. We’ve had reports of a missing hiker in that area. Stay put — we’re dispatching Search and Rescue now.”
While I waited, I kept my squelch low, earpiece in, listening for updates. I warned another couple of hikers on GMRS channel 16 to turn back. The bear eventually lumbered off, annoyed at the lack of granola.
Twenty minutes later, a Search and Rescue team arrived — guided in by my GPS coordinates, relayed over VHF, clear as a bell.
They found the hiker, sprained ankle, half a mile downhill.
Before they left, one of the rescuers asked me, “You a ham?”
“Sure am,” I said. “Brought this little Baofeng just in case.”
He grinned. “Well, today, just in case saved a life.”
Why It’s Memorable:
Not every day you use a $30 radio to outsmart nature, alert authorities, and help save a stranger — all while dodging bears and blizzards. My Baofeng didn’t just make contact — it made a difference.
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