![BaoFeng UV-5R Dual Band Two Way Radio (Black)]({"https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/610BMG9oV7L._AC_SX569_.jpg":[569,569],"https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/610BMG9oV7L._AC_SX385_.jpg":[385,385],"https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/610BMG9oV7L._AC_SX425_.jpg":[425,425],"https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/610BMG9oV7L._AC_SX522_.jpg":[522,522],"https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/610BMG9oV7L._AC_SX466_.jpg":[466,466],"https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/610BMG9oV7L._AC_SX679_.jpg":[679,679],"https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/610BMG9oV7L._AC_SX342_.jpg":[342,342]})
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
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