BAOFENG UV-5RM PLUS GPS Ham Radio Handheld, 10W Long Range Two Way Radio, Airband NOAA FM Multi-Band Receiver, 640CH 10 Zones, with 2500mAh Type-C Rechargeable Battery, Speaker Mic & Programming Cable

This is my fifth Baofeng radio, and I also own handhelds from ICOM and Yaesu. Each brand has its strengths, but I keep returning to Baofeng for one simple reason: practicality. Much has already been written about the Baofeng UV-5RM Plus GPS handheld. This review focuses more on additional insights and what stood out to me personally: As a woman who often carries gear in a purse, large tote, or backpack, I appreciate how lightweight and compact Baofeng radios are. While this particular model weighs slightly more than my others, it’s still comfortably portable. It’s ideal for everyday use, travel, hiking, and events. Whether I’m heading to a convention, a park outing, the beach, a hike, an outdoor sports game, or just running errands, it’s easy to slip this radio into my bag without a second thought. This radio feels fantastic in the hand—solid, sturdy, and well-balanced. The buttons are large and tactile, and the knob turns smoothly without requiring much force. As someone with carpal tunnel and arthritis from years of typing, I really appreciate the ergonomic design. It’s easy to hold and operate without strain, which is a big plus for anyone with similar hand or grip issues. I also appreciate the larger buttons on the keypad—great for both hands and eyes! As others have noted, the Baofeng UV-5RM Plus is a standout upgrade to the classic UV-5R, offering tri-band capability, a larger color screen, USB-C charging, and expanded frequency coverage—all at a budget-friendly price. For me, at under $40, this radio is outstanding—an absolute steal. It’s not only a total win as a personal purchase, but also an ideal gift for fellow hams or new enthusiasts I hope to inspire to explore amateur radio. You’re getting a rugged, feature-packed handheld that rivals radios costing three times as much or more. It’s perfect for beginners, emergency preparedness, or seasoned operators looking for a reliable backup. Baofeng continues to strike a rare balance between affordability, portability, and usability—especially for someone like me who values gear that fits seamlessly into everyday life. Functionally, Baofeng radios offer solid performance for the price. They’re reliable for local communication, easy to program once you know what to do, and compatible with a wide range of accessories. They’ve consistently held up well over time. Bonus: Outstanding Customer Service One of the most underrated perks of choosing Baofeng is their stellar customer service—not just from the Baofeng support team directly, but also from their resellers and partner vendors. Whether I had questions about compatibility, needed help troubleshooting a cable issue, or wanted clarification on programming steps, their friendly support teams were responsive, knowledgeable, and genuinely helpful. It’s rare to find that level of attentiveness in budget-friendly tech, and it made a big difference in getting up and running smoothly. That kind of service builds confidence, especially for newer users navigating setup for the first time, or when an Elmer isn’t readily available. Programming Tip: Avoid Prolific Driver Problems (Important!) Do NOT use the programming cable that comes in the box—it often leads to driver headaches, especially with Prolific chipsets. Instead, invest in a reliable FTDI-based cable, such as the BTECH PC03 FTDI Universal plug or Baofeng’s official FTDI cable. These are plug-and-play across Windows, Mac, and Linux, and they eliminate the hassle of installing outdated or incompatible drivers. I mention this after having to switch cables due to running into Prolific driver issues—the included cable wasn’t even recognized by the radio. Once connected, I downloaded the radio's file for programming. After running into issues with CHIRP, I manually copied and pasted the repeater settings from saved radio files I’d used with my other Baofeng radios into the downloaded file for this unit. Bottom Line: Don’t Overthink It—Just Get One This radio delivers far more than its price tag suggests. So if you’ve been on the fence about the Baofeng UV-5RM Plus, it's time to click the "Buy Now" button!

Works great, love the built in USB C charging port on the battery. The menu is quite a bit different than the other Baofengs I have, not sure if I like it. Sound quality is really good, far better than the old UV-5R that everyone has.

I took the BAOFENG UV-5RM PLUS GPS with me on a recent trip to Alaska, and it exceeded all expectations. The 10W output and multi-band capability gave me crystal-clear communication even in remote, rugged terrain. I was especially impressed with how well it performed in areas where cell service was nonexistent — this radio became my lifeline. The GPS function and NOAA weather alerts were invaluable for staying informed on changing conditions, and the long-lasting 2500mAh battery easily powered me through long days without worry. The Type-C charging was convenient, and the included speaker mic and programming cable made setup straightforward. Despite the cold and unpredictable Alaskan weather, the radio never faltered. The build quality feels solid, the controls are intuitive, and having 640 channels and 10 zones means I could stay organized and connected no matter the situation. This isn’t just a great value — it’s a piece of gear I now consider essential for outdoor adventures. If you need a reliable, long-range handheld radio for serious use, the UV-5RM PLUS GPS is a winner.

Incomplete feature set and firmware (software v2_0_02, hardware v1_0_4). APRS cannot be configured via menu, packets are empty and invalid as seen by Direwolf. Only option for APRS is ON/OFF - no where in the menu is it able to set call sign that I can find. Programming software (5RH PRO CPS v1.21) direct from Baofeng web site also seems incomplete. APRS section always throws an error, and almost all previously stored values are lost, including call sign. With all that broken, I dont even want to deal with programming the zones and channels with their CPS. At this time, there is no CHIRP support. The only advantage and feature this has over the regular 5RM Plus, is the ability to send your location to another compatible Baofeng radio, (just a handful of models) and request their position. Until they get APRS, their firmware situation, and CPS working, I would not advise this radio. Wish I could leave no stars.

Solid radio. I like the concept and enjoy being able to clone signals from my other radios with the push of a button. I just don’t like that the range is extremely lacking. If I figure out how to increase communication range, I’ll revise my review

Radio works very well I like the way the display is and the gps seems to work very good too this radio is a great radio for anyone but you gotta have your ham licenses to operate this radio. Hopefully in the future the radio will be on chirp so it can be programmed easier. The weather radio works great and this radio doesn’t come with the cradle charger only a usb charger. All together I recommend this radio to anyone great radio.

Radio is great, once you replace the shorty antenna that comes with it. I bought a Nagoya NA-320A tri-band and now the radio actually receives local repeater transmissions very well. The display is so much better than the 5R, albeit it is fairly useless in bright sunlight, but I will take it over the mono colored displays on other models. One thing that seems to be a growing trend with Amazon is sending out used returned items as NEW. Mine arrived in an obviously used condition (bent box, poorly packed, and missing the peel off screen protector sheet that is on brand new units, the radio had been programmed and was not even reset to the factory settings). I would like to think this is a one off, but as I said, it is a personally experienced trend with Amazon. If there had been the slightest damage it would have been returned.

Baofeng 5RM Plus with GPS. This hand held radio can TX/RX in 2m, 1.25m (220Mhz), 70cm, and GMRS frequencies. The radio uses your standard 5RM batteries and can be charged via a USB Type-C port in the back which is very nice and you don't need a cradle. This kit comes wit an external mic, earpiece, belt clip, and standard 6" antenna, and USB data cable (K1 type connector). I double check and so far this radio isn't supported by CHIRP yet so you have to download and use the factory CPS for now. As mentioned before this radio can TX/RX in the 2m, 1.25m, 70cm, and GMRS frequencies. I tested the radio out with a SWR meter and in the 70cm and GMRS band, this radios output close to 10 watts which is very nice. On 2m it's around 7.5 watts which is more than enough and on the 1.25m band, around 5 watts. One of the main features of this radio is the GPS features of this radio. Though the radio menu clearly display it can do APRS, I turned this feature on and monitored it with my other APRS capable radio and the website and did not see my location on there. Also I believe this radio GPS will only work with other similar radios, but for sure this HT doesn't really put out the real APRS info but the GPS does work. This radios is built just like any other radios in this price point and is packed with features you don't find in other radios that cost 2 to 5 times as much. The one thing I wish they would do is that the supplied antenna, is pretty mediocre and I don't suggest you use it. Tested this on the Comet analyzer and the reading is all over the place and I couldn't get a close and good reading of 50ohm or where the antenna resonates at. Other than that poor antenna, I replaced and tested the radio with a name brand dual band antenna and this radio works really good. I plugged in several local 2m, 1.25m, 70cm, and GMRS repeaters all of which is over 45 miles away. I was able to make contact with the repeaters and audio quality was excellent. Though my mouth was about 3 to 4 inches away from the radio/mic. I was told the mic gain could be bumped up a little more and it would be perfect. The radio is super easy to use with all the necessary buttons all layout in the front. Another thing, I did notice this radio doesn't have the built in light (another plus) and the GPS now sits where the light would. Overall, I'm knocking this radio kit 1 star off due to cheap and mediocre antenna. It's a great radio that does a lot and has a lot of features but it was hamper by the bad antenna. Replace this antenna with a well made aftermarket dual band antenna and you will have a nice handheld that pretty much covers all bands on the spectrum.