$40 BaoFeng UV-5R Dual-Band Handhelds

mhiscox

Expedition Leader
For what its worth . . . .

A place called Global Cyber Mart, selling through Amazon, has BaoFeng UV-5R 136-174/400-480 MHz Dual Band FM radios on sale for $40 each. There are 250 Amazon user reviews, some very detailed, of this handheld unit, so you can decide for yourself if it's worth the money. There are also multiple internet sites covering it.

The sale is on here:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007H4VT7A?tag=dealnewscom&m=A3H7GPL9U124TQ;

I don't believe there's any way to know how long the sale will last; they seem to normally sell for $60-70.

I don't own the radio, so have nothing to offer by way of a recommendation. Just pointing out what many consider to be a good bargain.
 

stioc

Expedition Leader
Several of us on ExPo have them and they work perfectly. Especially someone looking to buy their first HAM radio on a budget can't go wrong with it.
 
I have one of these units. In my opinion its an ideal tool for trail communication when CB frequencies and transmissions aren't adequate enough.
 

98OzarksRunner

Adventurer
The reviews look good on it. I just ordered one as a 'backpack radio' - throw it in there and hope you never need it (keep the battery charged now and then). At that price, it's almost a 'single-use throwaway', which is what you need for a backpack/backup radio.
 

MobTuff

Observer
My friend has the Baofeng UV-5R and I have the UV-5R Plus. They're great radios! Don't be fooled by the price and where they are made. They really are great little HT radios. I'd highly recommend getting the usb cable and downloading CHIRP, makes programming it a breeze compared to the nightmare it is programming it on the unit. I also purchased the longer antenna (14.5") and have found it helps with stronger transmissions when you don't have line of sight. I like how I can program in names for my channels instead of frequencies. It's very rugged and it lasts me days of use between charges. I wish I had purchased it for my first radio and saved the extra money until i was sure about which mobile radio I wanted for the truck.

For a quality dual band radio at an affordable cost it can't be beat.
 

Yudda

Adventurer
The reviews look good on it. I just ordered one as a 'backpack radio' - throw it in there and hope you never need it (keep the battery charged now and then). At that price, it's almost a 'single-use throwaway', which is what you need for a backpack/backup radio.

better yet ... get the AA battery pack for it and a pack of batteries
and you could really pack it away and forget it.

http://www.409shop.com/409shop_product.php?id=109304
 

java

Expedition Leader
Tempted just because its so cheap! $50 with the programming cable?! but i do really need a HT? ive got a dual bander in my truck already......
 

mog

Kodiak Buckaroo
For $1.00 less ($38.99) you can get the 'newest' version UV5RA here (with an earbud) : http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C8780DW/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=AD8KB6G20MIR8
Or if you want it filled by Amazon for $2.00 more ($42.00) you can get the 'newest' version UV5RA here : http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009MAKWC0/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1#productDetails
..
And if you do get one. . .
Drivers for the USB programing cable (it seems all the drivers that come with the cables don't work):http://www.miklor.com/uv5r/UV5R-Drivers.html
Windows programing software: http://www.miklor.com/uv5r/UV5R-Software.html
CHIRP: http://chirp.danplanet.com/projects/chirp/wiki/Download
 
Last edited:

Javelinadave

Adventurer
The UPS driver dropped it off yesterday afternoon. I charged it up and tried to load in a local repeater. What a complete PITA! I then busted out the laptop and the USB cable that I ordered with it. 10 minutes later I was "on the air"!
Nice rig for $50. I hope it lasts longer than my Harbor Freight 12v compressor or recip saw.
 

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