Bought two of these to use with my other car enthusiasts so we could communicate clearly without having to stay on the phone or text each other. And after tons of agonizing research it turns out these "technically" aren't suited for "legal" use...
It transmits too high of a wattage for FRS (family radio station) channels, and you cannot transmit on GMRS dedicated channels without a license. And even IF it met all of these requirements, it's not approved by the FCC! In the end my friends just tune into the FRS dedicated stations at unapproved wattage. I've heard it's hard to get the FCC's attention using something like this responsibly (not transmitting over emergency frequencies, etc.). I'm try not to encourage behavior like this but seriously? They are so insanely technical with how you can and can't use these things, I just want to talk to my buddies during a hike or drive! Which these things do okay at, here's the thing;
GMRS transmits much further than your FRS, but you do need a license to transmit over GMRS legally, ($75 for 10 years I believe) so even though this unit is capable of transmitting quite far, you're not supposed to. I cannot play devil's advocate with that because I have not transmitted on these frequencies so I'm not sure what you really can get away with. If you want to play it safe buy a FCC approved device and pay the licensing fee. I personally stick with FRS dedicated frequencies and those will reach about 1.5 miles maybe 2.5 in a clear line of sight at high wattage. I would say about 0.5 miles maybe 1 mile through buildings and such until the other persons voice became too distorted to hear (max distance estimate is generous). Which in my opinion isn't all too bad as long as you're not planning on using this for long distant communication.
For my basic use it works pretty well but you will need to do some research on setting these up, these aren't as simple as those bubble pack radios where they're ready to talk on straight out of the packaging. These need to be programmed and you'll probably need to fiddle with the settings first. I recommend buying a programming cable and downloading CHIRP as is made life a bit easier for programming! My main complaints are the lack of information given on this huge complex ordeal that is "two way radio", and also the charging bay it comes with is absolute cheap quality and is slow at charging. But other than that it's got a ton of features and is capable of a lot.
Pros;
Very convenient and powerful radio
Flashlight equip
Ergonomic
Cheap
Comes with a lot of accessories
Great entry level product
Cons;
Not really "legal"
Cheap charging bay
Not exactly out of the box ready
Does not come with programming cable
Not very informative about settings or usability
BaoFeng UV-5R Dual Band Two Way Radio (Black)
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BAOFENG
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- 128 Channels 50 ctcss and 104 CDCSS dual-band display, Dual Freq. Display, dual-standby, a/B band independent operation | High/low TX power selectable: busy Channel lock-out(bclo).
- Tri-color background light selectable: 0-9 grades vox selectable | FM radio (65.0Mhz-108.0MHz) | large LCD display.
- Keypad Lock: channel step: 2.5/5/6.25/10/12.5/25Khz | voice Companding: 50 ctcss/ 104DCS coder & tone searching.
- Emergency alert: 25Khz/12.5Khz switchable | LED flashlight: hight/low RF power switchable.
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From the manufacturer
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| UV-82HP (7W), High-Power +(3rd Gen) | UV-82C, Commercial, Employer Model | UV-5X3, Tribander Model | BF-F8HP (8W), High Power + (3rd Gen) | BF-F8+ Variants, (2nd Gen) | UV-5R & Variants (2nd Gen) | |
| Output | 7 Watt Max | 5 Watt Max | 5 Watt Max | 8 Watt Max | 4-5 Watt Max | 4-5 Watt Max |
| Speaker Output | 1 Watt | 1 Watt | 1 Watt | 700mw | 700mw | 700mw |
| Frequency Range (mhz) | VHF (136-174), UHF (400-520) | VHF (136-174), UHF (400-520) | VHF (130-179.99), 1.25M (222-225.99), UHF (400-520.99) | VHF (136-174), UHF (400-520) | VHF (136-174), UHF (400-520) | VHF (136-174), UHF (400-520) |
| Case Durability | Commercial | Commercial | Commercial | Commuter | Commuter | Commuter |
| Push-to-Talk: Single, Dual, or Both | Both | Both | Single | Single | Single | Single |
| Display | Tri-Color | Tri-Color | Tri-Color | Tri-Color | Inverted | Tri-Color |
| Disable VFO (Frequency) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| FCC Part 90 Licensed and Compliant for Commercial Applications | ✓ | |||||
| High Gain 7" Antenna | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Updated In-Depth User's Guide | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
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Product description
The BaoFeng UV-5R is a compact hand held transceiver providing 4 watts in the frequency range of 136- 174 MHz and 400-480 MHz.
It is a compact, economical HT that includes special VHF receive band from 65 - 108 MHz which includes the regular FM broadcast band. Dual watch and dual reception is supported.
The transceiver is a micro-miniature multiband FM transceiver with extensive receive frequency coverage, providing local-area two-way amateur communications along with unmatched monitoring capability.
Functions:
1. Frequency Range: 136-174 / 400-520 MHz
2. Dual-Band Display, Dual Freq. Display, Dual-Standby
3. Output Power: 4 /1Watts
4. 128 Channels 50 CTCSS and 104 DCS
5. Built-in VOX Function
6. 1750Hz Brust Tone
7. FM Radio (65.0MHz-108.0MHz)
8. LED Flashlight
9. Large LCD Display
10. High /Low RF Power Switchable
11. 25KHz/12.5KHz Switchable
12. Emergency Alert
13. Low Battery Alert
14. Battery Saver
15. Time-out Timer
16. Keypad Lock
17. Monitor Channel
18. Channel Step: 2.5/5/6.25/10/12.5/25KHz
19. ROGER SET
Specifications :
Frequency Range: 65-108MHz (FM Receive only); 136-174 MHz and 400-520 MHz (TX/RX)
Channel No.: 128
Frequency Stability: ±2.5ppm
Operating Voltage: DC 7.4V
Output power: 4W / 1W (Max 5W)
Dimension（W x H x D）: 100 x 52 x 32 mm
Weight: 250g （including battery, antenna）
Package Content:
1 x BaoFeng UV-5R (VHF136-174MHz / UHF 400-520MHz) Two-Way Radio
1 x 7.4V 1800mAh Li-ion Battery Pack
1 x Antenna 136-174/400-479.995Mhz
1 x Earphone Mic/Headset
1 x Belt Clip
1 x Hand Strap
1 x ENG Manual
1 x Adapter
1 x Desktop Charger (100V-240V)
Important information
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Customer Questions & Answers
Customer reviews
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Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2018
Verified Purchase
Don't be deceived by someone substituting the UV5RC for the UV5R. Personally I feel that is being deceptive.
Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2017Verified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2017
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Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2018
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Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2016
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Top international reviews
Ungnyei Konyak
Good one... Very helpful indeed.
Reviewed in India on June 2, 2017Verified Purchase
Edur Barrios
Buen producto
Reviewed in Mexico on January 10, 2018Verified Purchase
VU2PDA Anandkrishnan
A good Transceiver
Reviewed in India on September 2, 2017Verified Purchase
Ash
Go for it if you need it
Reviewed in India on February 21, 2019Verified Purchase
Jonathan cuevas
Un excelente radio
Reviewed in Mexico on April 20, 2019Verified Purchase
Asmodaevs
MAL
Reviewed in Mexico on June 16, 2018Verified Purchase
Ardillita pachecosa
Funcional y durable
Reviewed in Mexico on April 13, 2019Verified Purchase
Cliente de Amazon
ME ENCANTO ESTE RADIO
Reviewed in Mexico on November 20, 2017Verified Purchase
E.Cruz
Buen Producto!!!
Reviewed in Mexico on August 8, 2019Verified Purchase
Pavvan
Best Buy...
Reviewed in India on December 6, 2018Verified Purchase
Praveen Sonavane
Every novice HAMs choice
Reviewed in India on May 13, 2019Verified Purchase
Shauni
Muy buen producto
Reviewed in Mexico on January 9, 2018Verified Purchase
CyborG
Happy with buy and choice...
Reviewed in India on December 23, 2019Verified Purchase
Kristel Guiet
Uhf si es VHF quien sabe...
Reviewed in Mexico on June 5, 2019Verified Purchase
Daniel Sales
Qualidade ótima
Reviewed in Brazil on November 20, 2019Verified Purchase
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