The Baofeng UV-5R and UV-5RA were without a doubt the cheapest hand-held transceivers on the market. They were not the most sophisticated radios that you could buy, and they are definitely one of the hardest to program, but I have one and enjoy using it.
Now, Baofeng is shipping the the new UV-5R V2+. It has the following features:
- Frequency Range: 136-174 / 400-479.995 MHz. Metallic upgraded, durable housing. English user manual included.
- Upgraded 2014 Bright & easy to read two-color LED display.
- Compatible with UV-5R 3800mah and 3600mah extended batteries. More enhanced construction and features than previous UV-5R and UV-5RA.
You will need to replace the stock antenna. I suggest the Nagoya NA-771.
This is the next generation Baofeng HT. It has twice the output power than the UV-5R (8 W vs. 4 W for the UV-5R), which could make a difference when trying to access a distant repeater and give you more range when operating simplex. It also features a more robust case, a battery with 30% more capacity, the V-85 High Gain Antenna (twice the antenna performance), USA support from BTECH, and and an in-depth user guide.
The Baofeng BF-s112 speaker-mic makes it easy to speak and hear without lifting your radio. The rotatable clip in the back allows you to clip the mic everywhere you want. And, it’s only $7!
And, here’s an extended life replacement battery if you need it:
- NKTECH BL-5L 7.4V 3800mAH Li-ion Battery, portable, rechargeable.
- This extended battery not only gives you incredible battery life, but it also increases the size of the radio making it easier to hold and handle.
- Simply charge the battery and clip it into place to begin using your UV-5R today.
- Fits: Baofeng/Pofung UV-5R, UV-5R V2+, UV-5RQ, BF-F8, BF-F8+, BF-F9, BF-F9V2+, UV-5RA+, UV-5RO two way radio; TYT TH-F8 radio.
- Fits: Baofeng/Pofung UV-5RA, UV-5R Plus, UV-5RB, UV-5RC, UV-5RD, UV-5RE, UV-5RE PLUS, UV-5RS, UV-5RTP, BF-F8HP two way radio, etc.
A friend of mine asked me about this radio last week. I haven’t heard any first-hand reports, but it looks like a good deal. (We don’t have a DMR repeater here in Ann Arbor yet.) It’s gotten very good reviews on Amazon, with 74% of the reviewers giving it five stars.
Chinese mobile transceivers
It’s amazing to me how many of these Chinese VHF/UHF mobile transceivers that you can buy on Amazon. I have not used any of these, so I can’t personally recommend them. If any of you have purchased or used them, and have had good or bad experiences with them, I’d love to hear from you.
I was going to include transceivers made by the Japanese companies, but I found that the prices on Amazon are actually higher than the prices you pay if you buy from the normal ham radio retailers.
- Dual band: Transmit: 136-174MHz/400-470MHz
- Dual Display, 199 AlphaNumeric Memory Channels
- Voice Companding and Scrambler
- CTCSS, DCS, DTMF, PTT ID, VOX, Scan & More!
- 10W / 4W Selectable outputs.
- 50W/40W Full DualBand VHF/UHF Mobile Radio Transceiver!
- Full Twin Display and Receive, Cross Band Repeater mode too!
- Features CTCSS, DCS, ANI, DTMF, 2-Tone/5-Tone,
- Alphanumeric Display, 758 channels & more!
- Transmits 136-174Mhz & 400-490Mhz FM, Receives 200-260Mhz, 350–490 MHz, 108-180 MHz (AM mode selectable on VHF receive freqs for AirBand recption)
- Narrow Band compliant, Remote Mountable Faceplate,
- Lighted Keypad mic, Built-in Speakers in both Radio & Mic,
- Built-In cooling Fan, & More!!
- Frequency Range: VHF136-174MHZ UHF 400-480MHz
- Output Power: VHF 25Watt, UHF 20Watt
- MSK/2Tone/5tone
- Optional signal setting
- FM Radio Function,PTT ID,DTMF,Remote stun,Remote Kill,Channel Name set
- Lightweight(1KG, 2.20lb) and portable, easily to be installed on your vehicle.
- 200 Channels to store, supports both prgramming on PC or manual input directly.
- Dual band UHF/VHF range from 136-174 to 400-480, and high power 25Watt or 20 Watt is adjustable.
- LCD screen and micrphone keypad with full buttons are more intuitive and ease of operation.
- Main Functions including MSK/5Tone/2Tone/DTMF/CTCSS/DCS, Optional signal setting, FM Radio Function, PTT ID setting, Auto Lock, Remote stun, Remote Kill and Channel Name set.
- Smaller size but stronger power! Size: 118*98*35mm; Output Power: VHF 25Watt, UHF 20Watt
- Frequency Range: VHF136-174MHZ, UHF 400-480MHz
- FM Radio Function, PTT ID, DTMF, Remote stun, Remote Kill, Auto Lock
- CTCSS/DCS/5Tone/2Tone/DTMF
- The mini dual band car radio GT-890 is so convenient that the car power supply is provided.
- 50W/40W Full Quad Band FM Twin Display Amateur Mobile Radio Transceiver!
- Full Twin Display and Receive, Cross Band Repeater mode too!
- CTCSS, DCS, DTMF, 2-Tone/5-Tone, Alphanumeric Display, & more!
- Transmits 10M ( 29Mhz ), 6M ( 52Mhz ), 2M ( 146Mhz ) & 70cm ( 440Mhz ) Bands, FM, 50W/40W, Receives additional frequencies too! (AM mode selectable on VHF receive freqs for AirBand recption)
- Remote Mountable Faceplate, Full Direct Entry Keypad mic, 800 channels & More!!
- Light Weight:about 1KG (2.2lbs) for the radio
- Frequency Range: VHF136-174MHZ UHF 400-480MHz
- Output Power: VHF 25Watt, UHF 20Watt
- MSK/2Tone/5tone&Optional signal setting
- FM Radio Function,PTT ID,DTMF,Remote stun,Remote Kill,Channel Name set
- Quad Band Transceiver 10M(29)/6M(52)/2M(146)/70cm(440)
- RF Power 50/20/10/5W(29/50/144MHz) 35/20/10/5W(430MHz)
- Quad Bands Operation, Over 800 Memory Channels ,Cross-band Repeat Capability,CTCSS/DCS Built-in; DTMF Function
- Features Cross Band Repeater mode, 1200/9600 bps Packet Jack, AlphaNumeric Display, V/V, U/U, V/U.
- Frequency Range :RX:26.000-33.000MHz 47.000-54.000MHz 108.800-180.000MHz (108.800-136.995MHz FM) 320.000-480.000MHz 700-985MHz TX:26.000-33.000MHz 47.000-54.000MHz 136.000-174.000MHz 400.000-470.000MHz RF Power :50/20/10/5W(29/50/144MHz) 35/20/10/5W(430MHz)
- 1.VHF/UHF dual reception 2.DTMF encode/decode(8 groups selectable) 3.7 kinds of backlight selectable 4.Scrambler 5.FM radio built-in
- Frequency range : Operate Frequency: 136-174MHz Standard Frequncy: 144-148MHz) Operate Frequency: 400-470MHz Standard Frequncy: 430-450MHz Air band(RX): AM109-135.995MHz
- Memory channels 128 Bandwidth Wide:25KHz Narrow: 12.5KHz PLL channel stepping 5/6.25/10/12.5/25 KHz Operating voltage 13.8VDC±15%
- RF output power VHF 40W/20W(144MHz) UHF 35W/20W(440MHz)
- The mobile radio can use all kinds of car and free provide 4m panel Connect Cable
- Frequency Range: VHF136-174MHZ UHF 400-480MHz
- Output Power: VHF 25Watt, UHF 20Watt
- MSK/2Tone/5tone
- Optional signal setting
- FM Radio Function,PTT ID,DTMF,Remote stun,Remote Kill,Channel Name set
- Quad Band Transceiver 10M(29)/6M(52)/2M(146)/70cm(440)
- RF Power 50/20/10/5W(29/50/144MHz) 35/20/10/5W(430MHz)
- Quad Bands Operation, Over 800 Memory Channels ,
- Cross-band Repeat Capability
- CTCSS/DCS Built-in; DTMF Function
- VFO step setting:5/6.25/10/12.5/20/25/50kHz; 1750Hz Tone; CTCSS/DCS setting & scanning;
- 0-9 SQL grade setting; Frequency/Channel scanning; High/Mid/Low power selectable; Voice compander;
- Repeater offset shift; Keypad lock function; Contact book; Battery voltage display;
- DTMF/2 tone/5 tone; ANI ID; Remote kill/ stun/ activate/ revive; Emergenvy alarm; Wide/Narrow band setting;
- Busy Channel Lock-Out; Channel name editing; Reverse frequency; Talk around;
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DISCLAIMER: The links above are Amazon associate links, meaning that if you purchase the product after clicking on the link, I get a small commission on the sale. Unless otherwise noted in the product description, I am not personally endorsing the product.
Adam says
I don’t see the transceiver you are referring to at:
https://www.kb6nu.com/ham-gear/ham-gear-vhfuhf-transceivers/
Dan KB6NU says
Hmmmmm. I’m not sure what happened to the image, but if you click on the box, you’ll go to the Amazon page that does have an image and where you can buy the radio. It’s still only $25!
Brian says
Hello Dan,
I received my Baofeng UV-5R V2+ and antenna today. They were ordered using the link here, so you should get credit for the sales.
The first thing I accomplished while trying to program it was changing the language from English to Chinese- lol! But I’m sure it will work fine once I figure it out.
Thank you again for all your help!
Brian in A2
KE8EWN
Dan KB6NU says
I bet you didn’t know that you’d be learning Chinese by buying that Baofeng. Now, you can learn how to pronounce all of the numbers in Chinese! Thanks for purchasing through KB6NU.Com.
Christopher Goodman says
I have an old reliable Yaesu VX-7R, which I started out using ten years after I got my General license. It was no where nearly as cheap as the above gear, but I like it. If it was good enough for Walter Cronkite, it’s good enough for me.