Baofeng UV-5R LCD repair
Cheap enough to throw away -> Cheap enough to repair yourself!
I've had my Baofeng UV-5R for about three years or so now. Last winter, it must has fallen from the side pocket of my backpack, as later that evening, I found it lying in the snow in the car park for our apartments. It was lying squarely in a tyre track. I dug it out of the snow and ice and turned it on. It went *bee-beep*, lit up and ... the LCD was trashed. It was set to the local repeater, so I gave it a try. It seemed to work OK, just no display.
Now, I've read in so many places that these things are cheap enough to throw away if they get broken. For some folk, 30-something EURs, USDs or GBPs might be nothing, but for others, it's still a significant investment. I kept the radio, but it just sat on the shelf gathering dust.
After a while, I gave it some thought and searched for replacement LCD displays. Amongst the search results I found this: LCD Display for BAOFENG UV-5R UV5RA-PLUS UV-82 UV5RE DM-5R
I also found this video on youtube: LCD Replacement Baofeng UV-5R
I did a quick search for reviews & comments about the website/store and found nothing untoward.
So, I ordered the display. It cost USD 6,00 (which was just over EUR 5 for me). it arrived in the post after a couple of weeks.
I followed the video and changed the display with no trouble. Just one comment, this video shows changing the whole thing, backlight and all - the LCD I got from the 409shop was just the LCD screen. It took me about 30 minutes, as I dropped one of the small screws and keeping the LCD, rubber contact strips, backlight and metal frame altogether was a bit fiddly.
Anyway, it works now.
30-odd Euros saved and one less lump of electronic waste