- 5RM Ham Radio Handheld (Upgraded of UV-5R) Walkie Talkie Long Range

Overall I am really pleased with the Baofeng 5RM radios. Baofeng switching to this slightly larger form factor from the old UV-5R frame was not only an improvement in fit and feel in the hand, but also brought some solid functional improvements as well. More RF power offering slightly better range coverage (remember--2x the power is NOT 2x the distance!). More memory positions. AM airband reception (even if slightly compromised by conversion to FM). Drop in base or USB-C charging flexibility. Much improved color display and easier to see/use menu functions. And FWIW, my 5RM's arrived with full VHF/UHF TX capability for the stated band coverage. Are the 5RM's perfect? No, they aren't. Stated power of 10W on high is actually about 8W in my case, but this is likely to vary by individual radio. (Not a big deal to my as I typically run mine on the medium 5W setting and see somewhere north of 4W depending on actual frequency but have the little bit of extra 'oomph' on high if needed). Seems to be the same with spectral purity and the actual radio you receive. But all things considered they're a reasonably decent radio at an affordable price point. As for me and my 5RM's, they serve the purpose for me as many who I suspect buy an economy radio like this: they're great to throw in the car for 'just in case'. They're reliable enough to take along on outdoor adventures without worrying about should they take an unsurvivable (for the radio) tumble--you're out a lot less cost than one of the 'big 3' radios. Don't overthink the merits of a dual band HT at this price point--just go ahead and buy a set and I'll believe you got your moneys worth just as I feel. Pic showing the 5RM beside another typical size HT.

The Baofeng 5RM stands out as an excellent multi-band radio, offering versatility and user-friendly programming through Chirp. Its capabilities span FRS civilian frequencies, GMRS band, 2-meter, 1.25-meter, 70-cm, and even Airband. Navigating its features is a breeze with the intuitive main menu, complemented by a vibrant color display featuring large characters. The radio's functionality, including dual monitoring frequencies and compatibility with repeaters, is easily customizable. While the 10W power is commendable, especially for local use in 2-meter, 1.25-meter, and 70-cm bands, as a HAM radio operator, caution is advised in certain frequencies due to power levels, notably in FRS and GMRS frequencies. However, this radio impresses with its extended battery life, convenient USB-C charging, and the inclusion of a desk charger. While the default antenna might not be top-tier, a simple upgrade to a Nagoya antenna enhances performance inexpensively. Other useful features are One Key Frequency Match, 999CH memory, and a 2500mAh Battery. In summary, the Baofeng 5RM offers exceptional value at an affordable price, rivaling features found in radios costing significantly more. It's an ideal choice for beginner radio enthusiasts, combining quality and affordability.

For the price, I'm really happy with this so far. If you are new to Ham radio, I think this is a great starter radio for UHF/VHF analog FM voice. For full transparency, I also bought a Nagoya NA-320A Triband Antenna for around $20 to use with this, so I have not used the antenna it came with. Also, I already had a BTECH USB programming cable, which is not included with the radio, which you can get for around $20, also, if you want to use programming software. I was able to program in my local repeaters with the free CHIRP software with the usb cable I already had. You can program the radio without the cable and software, but they make it easier. I could hit several local repeaters one of which is about 5 miles away. I like the built in NOAA Weather radio feature, so I no longer have to use memory slots for my local noaa frequencies (although this one has around 999 memory slots). The bigger screen and battery capacity are nice of course. I like having all three 2M/1.25M/70CM bands on one radio (although, I believe you have to get a different antenna to be able to use 1.25M/220Mhz). I'm really glad they kept the FM Radio function and they upgraded the flashlight. The USB-C charging option is really nice. I have not explored the AM Aviation feature yet. For $30, it's hard to complain too much about anything.

The flash sale two pack was an amazing bargain for what these are. These are a step up from the Baofeng UV-5R. The menus and programming are similar, so if you are familiar with those, setting these up is no issue. UNITED STATES DISCLAIMER: These are designed and intended for licensed ham radio operators, but anyone can own them as long as you don't transmit. There are several options if you don't want to take a relatively easy test and pay a fee but you need different radios for those options. Buyer beware. I would strongly recommend getting the free CHIRP NEXT software and an ABBREE programming cable. The cable doesn't make you do the silly driver dance required by the Baofeng and clone cables that all use the same outdated, pirated control chip that causes your computer to have fits. If you want to trade a little more convenience and use your phone Bluetooth to program these, I highly recommend the Tidradio Bluetooth prgramming adapter and the ODMaster phone app. It requires more work to import or program contacts, but it works. Decent reception and transmission on 2M on the supplied antenna, and I was able to key into all the repeaters I normally use on 2M and 70cm. Decent receiver signal, monitoring FRS channels locally wasn't an issue. The antenna is not at all tuned for 1.25M or airband...fixing that hopefully with a dual band for those. Broadcast FM reception was OK...a small mono speaker doesn't do it any favors, but more than adequate for news, weather, sports, and talk. Same thing with the weather radio band...only got one super clear, one fuzzy and barely discernable, and one that was a hash of static. Meh. Good enough for a one handheld solution. The buttons are soft to the touch and somewhat rubbery but not sticky. They have good positive feedback, so you can work the radio even with the input beep turned off. I like that you can easily change the screen to display battery volts rather than brand when powered on. Pretty chunky if you are used to the smaller handets, but feels good in my medium sized hands. Love the USB-C battery charging feature. Perfect inexpensive, adequate throw it in the bag radio that does it all well enough. Minus one star because the signal purity is know to be a bit off on the second harmonic on 2M on these.

This is a great little radio that receives a wide range of frequencies. I really like that I can listen in on the aviation bands and keep track of the air traffic near the airport. It does not transmit on the aviation band. It does transmit on the 2-meter and 440 bands. This radio is easy to program via a third-party free software, which you can download from the internet. This is a great radio for the price and won't break the bank if you drop it or lose it. There are a ton of features packed in this little radio.

A lot of radio for the money. A lot of radio period. How they're able to make such a capable radio and sell it at this price just astonishes me. It's a price point where I'd expect child toy walkie-talkies. But this is a serious radio. FM broadcast band, weather band, aircraft, Amateur bands, FRS, GMRS, law enforcement, public safety, even our local school bus dispatch frequencies are all easily accessible. Programming it via the keypad is a bit tedious, but it's easily programmed with Chirp. Check with your local Amateur radio club's website, they may well have a file you can download to teach it all about local repeaters and simplex channels. Although the included antenna is adequate, a Nagoya NA-771 extended it's range noticeably. Repeaters that were difficult to reach became loud and clear. You really can't go wrong at this price.

Cheap and effective. Volume and clarity far exceeds expectations. Was able to program on FRS frequencies, as well as ham frequencies using cable and software. Make sure to turn down power if using on frequencies outside ham bands.

The first radio I received had a strange issue, when the antenna was fully screwed into the top of the radio, the receiver would go silent and the radio would not transmit a signal. I found if I unscrewed the antenna about a half turn the RX and TX came back. I even tried a different antenna and I got the same results, something was clearly wrong with the antenna connector on the radio. Amazon quickly sent me a new replacement radio and it works well so far. No, the radio doesn't put out 10 watts, but it does do a solid 8 watts on VHF and 6.9 watts on UHF and a surprising 5.5 watts on the 220 band. However if you're going to play around on the 220 band you will need a tri-band antenna that covers the 146/222/446 ham bands. The included antenna does NOT cover the 220 band. Why I gave the radio only 3 stars, no 220 antenna and poor aircraft band performance! I found that the AM aircraft band receive needs some improvement. It suffers from receiver overload on strong signals, but is mostly usable but not great. For the price, its still worth the money. Also the USB C battery charging port works great and the radio is easy to program with the popular CHIRP software and the color display screen looks nice. Maybe Baofeng could fix the aircraft band receive issue with a firmware update and supply a tri-band antenna with the radio in the near future. It would be a 5 star radio for the price it they did that.