I’ve been an amateur radio hobbyist for quite a few years now, and like many who have gotten started in the past decade, I started out with a Baofeng UV-5R as my VHF/UHF radio. Because these are so inexpensive and have an easy-to-use audio interface, you can do a lot of neat stuff with them, including APRS, digital communication (including sending/receiving email over the air!) and much more. In order to get this working, however, you need some way to interface a computer to your radio. Enter this great little CM108 to Baofeng adapter board!
The CM108 is an easy-to-find USB soundcard that works with just about any computer and OS out there, including Raspberry Pis and other single-board computers. It’s plug-and-play — you plug it in, and new audio devices show up. If you connect one of these to this adapter board, you get an interface that plugs directly into the radio. All you need is an extra headset cable — and they are a dime a dozen online. This prevents you from having to connect directly to the radio and also takes care of triggering the Push-To-Talk or PTT using a MOSFET.
If you’ve wanted to get into digital modes with your VHF/UHF station, this is a great way to get started. Pick up one of these boards, a CM108, and a spare headset cable (or just chop up the one that comes with the radio — that’s what I did originally!) and you’re ready to go. You can use software like FLdigi, Xastir, and Winlink Express to experiment with all sorts of neat digital modes!
And if you’re not an amateur radio license holder yet — what’s stopping you? The requirements vary by country, but a week spent studying and typically a small fee will get you on the air! There’s lots of cool hacking going on in the amateur radio space, so don’t miss out!
