Baofeng AR-5RM Handheld Two-Way Radio

Good for new hams

Good radios from baofeng. For the price they are good entry level ham radios that cover 2M/1.25M/70cm. I like the larger battery that these come with compared to the older models and it definitely has a longer battery life due to it. The newer color LCD screen and newer firmware look great when you use the menu. I will say that I also like how when you enter the menu, it still shows your “A” screen and the menu scrolls in the “B” screen. Played with the “one button” frequency copy feature for the first time, do remember that you copy a repeater frequency from another radio, it will only show you the transmit offset, not the receive frequency for the repeater. Programming is pretty much like any other baofeng and thankfully it comes with a programming cable to help you program it faster. Definitely keeping these in my radio rotation.

Corb

September 4, 2026

My favorite brand of radios for a good reason

If you are putting together an off-grid comms kit or need high-powered handhelds for outdoor trips, this Baofeng AR-5RM 2-pack delivers reliable performance right out of the box.

I picked these up to keep in my emergency vehicle gear bag, and they met my expectations completely. Baofeng has always been a trusty brand for affordable comms, and the boosted 10W output gives these a noticeable range improvement over standard 5W units. Accessing local NOAA weather alerts works seamlessly, and having the included programming cable makes organizing memory channels simple.

Appearance-wise, they feature a rugged, tactical look with a high-contrast screen that remains readable outdoors. The materials consist of a tough polycarbonate body with heavy-duty side grips, along with a firm channel knob that resists accidental bumps. In terms of durability, the thick plastic housing and reinforced belt clips hold up well to drops, and the tactical holsters add extra protection while wearing them on a belt or pack.

You get a full 2-pack complete with individual charging docks, earpieces, holsters, batteries, a programming cable and even more for a remarkably low price, making these a great value. A solid, practical setup for survival prep, outdoor navigation, or general radio hobby use. Another huge Baofeng Win!

Fully Loaded Two-Pack of Radios

I'm a licensed ham, and love tuning around and listening in new places when I travel. I keep radios around just about everywhere. Both vehicles, my cabin, by desk, at work, etc. An extra two-pack is always welcome. At their price they are a good value. While the little mini's are starting to make a splash, these normal-sized Baofengs are still more comfortable to hold in my opinion. They have a pretty good range, especially with the longer antenna that is provided as an option. They are easy to carry, having a belt clip and a lanyard. Also in this pack are nylon belt pouches. They're a good option if you are worried about them getting snagged or pulling loose, particularly if you are hiking and have other things, like backpack straps that can get in the way.

Having multiple bands makes them very versatile, and their programing is versatile as well. Chirp easily downloaded the stock frequencies (shown in the picture), and then I just cut and pasted from another radio, and essentially cloned all of my favorites. It's a good quality radio from Baofeng - one of their better ones, with 1000 memory channels, that I tend to group by area (100s for one city, 200s for another, etc.). I've shown a picture of what's included. That's all for one radio, and there are two complete sets of what is shown (except for the bag of colored bands - only one bag of those). You can see that it comes with Baofangs little earpiece and also the external mic/speaker, which would be good if you were using the carrying case, since retrieving the radio from it at your belt is hader than when using only the belt clip. There is also a programing cable (not shown), so you can get up and running quickly. They have the desktop chargers (2) which are beginning to become somewhat obsolete now that most of them can be charged via USB-C, and the come with the two USB-C cables for charging.

A versatile, flexible radio that works well--with two major flaws

The anount of gear that cmes with this radio is amazing. Accessories that cost a lot are thrown in with this package as part of the deal, and what a deal it is. Two radios,, two batteries, four antennas, two belt clips, two U,S. flag adorned pouches, two USB-C charging cables, two outstanding speaker-mics, and programming software and a programming cable. And it is provided in a package that sells for less than I have paid for a single battery for other radios. It's an incredible value!

From a human factors standpoit Baofeng has come a long way. This transceiver has a superb menu system that is easy to understand and to use. Programming is a breeze with the provided software.

This radio is very flexible and versatile. It can charge from 120VAC with the provided drop-in chargers, or alternatively it can charge from a USB-C power port. Its portability is superb, owing to its small size and great design.

Transmit audio is excellent, as is receive audio. Receive sensitivity and adjacent channel interference rejection were nearly as good as the major brand radios.

The full coverage of both the 2-meter amateur radio band and the 70cm is very nice.

I very much liked the fit and finish which rival top-end commerical radios. All switches and buttons worked perfectly adn provided good tactile/audio feedback.

Unfortunately, the radio falls short on two counts, one critical.

First, the radio will transmit on many frequencies outside the ham bands. As I was listening to National Weather Service broadcasts on 162.4 and 162.475 MHz, I tapped the push-to-talk switch and found myself transmitting on NWS frequencies! That is simply unacceptable, as a trouble-maker could easily interfere with emergency medical, law enforcement, or other critical communications systems. (The good news is that the FCC vigorously pursues those who might interfere with those systems.) The radios--especially at such a low price, inviting uninformed or malicious actors with minimal expense--should have transmit inhibited except in authorized Amateur Radio Service bands.

Equally troubling is the fact that spurious emissions from the transmitter are not suppressed to the level required by Part 97 of the FCC rules. 97.307 requires that spurious emissions be held to below -40db of the intended signal. As you can see in the attached photo, this radio is egregiously non-compliant. The photo of a RIgol DSA 815 spectrum analyzer shows the spectrum of the test radio transmitting on 146.52 MHz in the two-meter amateur radio band. The spike on the left is the intended signal. The spike on the right is spurious (the signal's second harmonic on 293.04 MHz, only ~10db below the intended signal. That is grossly short of the required 40db attentuation.

This radiio is amazing in features and in value. Rregrettably, its major flows preclude me from recommending it.

Baofeng is quickly becoming the go-to name in HAM radios for good reason. Great set.

Baofeng has become the standard in entry level amateur radios. It has done this by being a great value for money while providing dependable electronics and power than amateur radio enthusiasts want. This model has plenty of power (10-watts) for a handheld radio - most transmit at only 5-8 watts (although there is no practical legal limit - well there is a 1500 watt limit but that is not really applicable to handheld units). You can program in your own channels so that you and your friends / group can quickly move to the same set of frequencies with minimal effort (CHIRP programming is possible - which is pretty much the industry standard). While there are better radios out there and even ones from same company with more features, I do not believe there is anything that will compete at this price point - whether you are just getting started or are a long-time ham radio expert, this pair of handhelds is definitely worth adding to your equipment. At 10w transmit power, you are getting a truly great comms range (for a handheld). Also, you are getting so many accessories with this package (holster, programming wire, multiple antenna options, desktop charger, and others that make this an absolute great value.

A larger updated version of the Beofeng uv-5r with more features, a color display, and more power.

This is a pair of Baofeng uv-5rh handheld vhf/uhf radios. I have the earlier version, the uv-5r to compare it to. The display is now taller and color as well. This makes it easier to see. The next change is it has 999 memories rather than 128, which can fill pretty quickly. This is a huge advantage. Next, a charger stand is included. It is also USB-C chargeable for 2 ways of charging. The battery is also larger at 2500 mah capacity. This still programs with chirp, however it can also be programmed via a clone app. A chirp interface cable is included.This is a nice feature if you need to program it on the go. I used CHIRP to program it like my other radios. The 10-watts output worked fine to transmit to a few local repeaters. I received good reports using this radio. It is a little taller than the regular version, but that is about the only size difference between the two. These come with a taller increased gain antenna and a smaller regular gain antenna for the radio. Two beofeng microphones are included. A soft case is also included.The receive is wide band to receive FM, NOAA weather, and the air band.So, I like the upgrades from the original version and the extra power available. It still fits in my pocket. So, it is a great value including many new features and accessories included.

Great Radio but...

Had to return this radio as I believe it was previously used. I was gonna ignore the blemishes on the screen (wasnt afforded the privilege of peeling off the sticker thingy on the screen.) and just deal

with it but the battery was not charged

when I received it. After charging, it discharged rather quickly. So I immediately

bought another one. I really do like the radio and it's features and a great price too.

Just can't justify keeping it if it has faults.

There is a difference between the first and second package. Second one came in a brown cardboard box wrapped in some green plastic. Had the screen sticker thing still attached and the battery holds a charge for quite a while.

You get what you paid for 🙄

I measured the harmonics at 146.52 MHz and came up with a -13.6 dB harmonic frequency. That is really bad! It should be -40 dB or more.

The battery also stopped clipping into the radio. I bought a neoprene cover for the radio to hold the battery in place. It appears what is broken is the catch on the radio, so just replacing the battery would not solve the problem.

Other than that for an inexpensive radio it works good, it is disposable, and expect some noise.

0:21

A great radio for what it is

This is a fine radio IF you understand what it is. Do not expect to be talking around the world or across the country.

First things first, definitely get another antenna for it. There are numerous options for a better antenna, I went with SignalStuff's antenna and counterpoise wire which increased the usability of the radio... still not magic.

Where this radio shines is for a new ham that wants to get their feet wet in the hobby without breaking the bank. I got mine before I got my FCC license while I was studying for it. I got to check out quite a bit while just listening. Once I got my license, it was great to talk with some local hams that chat every morning. I am a touch too far from my local repeater (antenna tower) for this radio, but when closer to the repeater, it did fine. Roughly 5-8 miles in my flat land.

Since I got this one, I also got a mobile UHF/VHF 2m/70cm radio. One thing I love about this handheld Baofeng is that I can sit in my home or even going for a walk a couple miles away from the car and use the cross-band repeater function of my mobile radio in my car as the main radio. I use the Baofeng, it goes through my much more powerful mobile, and then my signal hits the main repeater in my area. That's a feature of the mobile radio, but it's nice to use the Baofeng while using the better performance of my mobile, without having to hang out in my car.

Onto the details of the Baofeng AR-5RM. This radio is a variant of the UV-5R. There is a lot of info out there on the use, features, and how-to on the UV-5R that are a great resource for learning the use of the AR-5M. This radio has a lot of features.

Programming the radio is fairly easy. You can do it manually through the radio or you can use software through your computer. There are paid versions of the software as well as their is open source software, which I use and I have no complaints. You will need a USB to radio cable.

The radio is fairly lightweight, feels good in the hand with decent ergonomics.

There are better radios out there, however for the price, I don't think you can beat the Baofengs. Again, don't expect things that this radio isn't designed for.

The included battery is nice as lasts a decent amount of time. Receiving, it will last days. Transmitting uses more power and even then, short of talking a lot, the battery will still last days. They include a charging base however I don't use it as I just plug a USB-C right into the port on the battery.

The only real con with this radio for me, is seeing the menu in sunlight.

As suggested above, certainly get a better antenna and get a programming cable

Just another radio that works

UV5R big brother + air. The radio does what I wanted, its rugged, clear screen, I use as a truck radio, have usb-c charging so it stays in the truck

Works as advertised

Works the way I want it to. Just wish the buttons were a bit quieter and more rubber like the UV-5R but that’s just being picky.

Rene Estrada

June 22, 2025

Read the instructions for channel usages .

, overall the product comes as it shows and it’s great ! Reading the instructions helps a lot so I’m glad I purchased it just to be in the safe side of today’s crisis going on . You can hear all radio stations and the weather channel as you adjust the settings for finding it ! Just read the instructions.

Radio functionality:

Great and clear , when looking for the weather just connect the antenna and move around to find the good signal.

Feel:

Feels just like a walkie talkie , the weight is good and not to heavy . Comes with a clip to connect and a string to attach for other usages .

0:18

Disappointing receive.

Very poor receive capability. Same frequencies I'm used to having clobber through powerfully on other radios don't even break squelch 1 on these guys. They're fine for close range, maybe a little less than a mile, but if you have any significant distance they're no use. My uv5r radios will go 5 miles side by side with these in the same conditions at the same time. Pretty disappointed. My old radio keep getting used and these gather dust on the shelf.

great two-way radio for the price

Wanted to get a radio that’s better at picking up frequencies than the RadioShack Pro-164 while also being under 30 dollars. This Radio is really good at picking up the 1.25M band, as well as the air band, and everything else. I like how strong the transmitting power is, as well as the battery life. It is also very easy to program using CHIRP, has some cool features like the stopwatch function, USB-C charging, and of course, the flashlight all Baofeng radios have. I think it is pretty comfortable, although could be a bit lighter but that doesn’t really matter. Overall, I’d highly recommend if you like to scan, or talk some friends

Mansa

January 18, 2025

Ions away from an expert

I’m no expert so this functions perfectly for me. Hefty radio at an amazing price. In my area I can listen to the fire/emEMS dispatch. This is a HAM radio so I can’t wear only listen on those channels as I don’t have an amateur radio license. I did pay the FCC for a GMRS license so I could communicate on those channels and use GMRS repeaters. This is a great entry radio without breaking the bank. Works great as a hunting form of communication. I don’t have to worry about dialing numbers or losing a 1200.00 phone, with a 250.00 insurance deductible to replace it. The battery hasn’t ran out on me yet so it’s suitable for my needs. The sound quality is superb even with the supplied earpiece. I also found it’s easy to program and find upgraded/replacement parts if needed. These things are literally everywhere. WSGQ757

Tomasthanes

January 13, 2025

A lot of radio in a small package

This model radio is used by our MINI Cooper club to communicate from the "front of the pack" all the way to the back. It took about 10 seconds to configure the channels in the radio used by our club.

I did have one issue with the screws to hold the belt clip in place. I expected them to be in a small transparent plastic package in the box but, in fact, they were already screwed into the back of the phone. Good support.

Manually programming

I like the fact that on some specific frequencies it transmits 10 watts but on others it transmits 7.4 Watts sometimes as low as 6 Watts and that's on high power. I believe the antenna that's included does not match or is not matched correctly. The best part about the ar5rm is listening to the airband frequencies and 220 and 350 these are frequencies the old radio did not receive you can only receive those frequencies by the way, but you can transmit on the 220 350 of the gmrs frequencies also.

E.M.A.P.

January 4, 2025

A better BaoFeng radio, NOT FOR SAD HAMS

Here is the skinny on this new radio

It is basically an Upgraded Version of the UV-5R. Where it is different is in that it brings you expanded receiving frequency covering the aviation band, a larger battery 2500mAh compared to the UV-5R which comes with a 1800mAh battery. One of the best upgrades is it has USB-C charging (car, solar bank and more). BaoFeng has added their new one-key copy frequency function, making it easier to add new frequencies and for the Hams DTMF manual dial function. This is not a scan for repeaters it is to clone a buddies radio that is next to you! This new radio version boasts a larger 1.77’’ color display.

The Good and The Bad

I really liked the Type-C Rechargeable port it is designed on the back of the battery and has a dust cover over it, making it convenient for you to charge anytime and anywhere. When you go out, you can charge in the car, power bank, laptop, or any USB interface device, no longer worrying about low battery issues.

Easy to program using Chirp programming software: UV-17Pro.

I really like when the weather starts to look rough that this radio has the ten NOAA weather channels preprogrammed. . This function allows you to stay updated with the latest weather forecasts and alerts, helping you make informed decisions. No more trying to remember the frequencies.

The ONLY UV-5 accessories that will work on the AR-5RM are the antennas and speaker microphones! This means the UV-5R batteries WILL NOT work on the 5RM series radios!

The Belt clip is made of thicker material than the UV-5 style however one flaw I dislike is they no longer have the inner lip to help hold it tight. The menu is in red so it is hard to see in sunlight. This cost it a star.

The AR-5RM has the ability to monitor the aircraft band: (108.0000 - 135.99875MHz) I've listened to air band with this radio. When you set it into the air band it automatically switches to AM, and will not transmit.

Lastly it has Voice inversion scrambling an analog method of obscuring the content of a transmission. It is sometimes used in public service radio Without a descrambler, the transmission makes the speaker sound like Charlie Brown’s teacher. So you want 2 radios to use it.

So I tested two radios and here are the findings.

Battery life testing:

On scanning mode, power saver off, TDR (dual scan) on, squelch set at 6 and High power with some transmitting it lasted 28 hours.

Turning the TDR off, not scanning, some transmitting, squelch at 6, Transmit set to high and the power saver set at 1.4 it lasted 36 hours.

Power output: High Medium Low

2 meter VHF144Mhz-148Mhz 7.1 5.1 1.6 watts

1.25 meter 220Mhz-225Mhz 4.0 1.7 1.6 watts

70 meter 420Mhz-450Mhz 7.9 5.3 2.2 watts

Combined testing of two radios in the GMRS frequencies 462Mhz-467Mhz gave an averaged of 7.5 high power 4.8 medium power 2.07 low power.

On the 2 meter band VHF144Mhz-148Mhz 9 high; 5.7 med; 2 low power.

My two cents is yes it is worth the upgrade. My SHTF supply is being upgrade!

William Garcia

December 20, 2024

Good radio, good range, this transmission was from 18 miles away.

A really good radio, I am a new ham radio operator and I do not know much of the information about ham radio, but this radio has made it really easy to use, and the licensing process it’s been really easy to understand everything. If you’re getting into ham radio, I would recommend this.

0:13

Happy. TX: 2 Meter, 1.25 Meter, 70cm , Air-band RX

Update Negative - painfull programming on the keypad. Really need chirp for programming channels- get the version with programming chord.

Update RX is not great compared to my other radios. TDH3 is better than this for RX.

Love it can TX 3 ham bands and GMRS. Need to test RX air band

Speaker sounds good. Color screen is nice.

This thing has some juice. It’s not much of a stretch pushing 10 watts.

Well worth the coin and get two or more.

Another positive is that you can input 12 characters in the name of the channel you program. It’s the only 220 radio I have and it works well.

I live in a repeater rich area of the burbs of Akron Cleveland megalopolis so this little guy comes in handy. All the programmable slots are a plus. Plenty of openings for common visits to relatives.

Just some guy..

November 6, 2024

Junk batteries

BATTERIES WON'T FULLY CHARGE.

What is the point of a radio if they can't hold juice to use them? Have had these for under a year and BOTH batteries now refuse to charge to full. I actually a singe pack liked it and bout a 2 pack as beat a rounds but even for the price its not worth it if they won't hold a charge to work! One only holds enough power to stay on for a few minutes and the other is on its way, maxing out at about 3/4th charge when being plugged in over night. When the first one started going I figured it was just a bad battery and my first thought was get a battery eliminator stick it in the car and use it just to monitor ect. Well turns out even know this is said to be a upgraded version of the original uv-5r they changed the battery and unlike the uv-5r they do not make a battery eliminator accessory for the UV-5RM.

I really want to like these radios but I don't see a point in a radio that won't hold a charge to ever use. Only got 2 stars because for the short amount of time I was able to use them they worked OK. Very disappointed

Spurious Emissions

While this transceiver is superior to UV-5R in design and firmware features, it's pretty spectrally dirty.

When transmitting on 220 MHz, transmitter can be easily heard on 440 MHz. Unacceptable.

Charger did not come with insert to fit my Radio!

Since the charger did not come with the insert for my radio, it's useless. Thankfully I can charge it with my USB cable, but it's frustrating that I'm unable it use the desktop charger.

Battery Overheating!! On regular 2h listening to local repeaters.

The battery pack, either off the radio, or on. Gets extremely hot. See vids with proof..radio is awesome but battery pack can burn your house down to Smithers. Is there any warranty/replacement/recall on this???..maybe a YouTube vid will get me some answers💯..

New favorite radio

Okay HAM Techs, preppers, and tactical larpers.

After owning several UV-5R, a UV-5Rplus, and a BF-F8HP (old favorite), I found my new favorite radio. It's still a Baofeng of course. It's the AR-5RM.

Reported 10, 7, and 4 Watts of power, yes there are higher power options in other brands but not at this price point. Transmits on FRS/GMRS/MURS (don't @ me about part 95, don't care). The display screen is MUCH easier to read and understand. 999 memory locations instead of 127. CHIRP Next compatible (currently in beta) with the same old Baofeng cable I've had for the last 10 years. It even feels substantially better built.

The charger is a similar base to the UV-5R/F8HP, but the 5RM is larger so can't use old charger. However, the battery has a USB-C connection on the back so the radio can be used while charging with USB cable.

As said it is physically larger than the UV-5R so carry options will change, but other accessories such as antenna, mike, speakers, headsets etc are standard.

Television Archives

March 25, 2024

The Best Baofeng yet

This is one of the best handhelds we have ever tested. Just incredible!! Puts out 10 watts and picks up and transmits much better than even the Tidradios. I will be updating as I go along but so far it's been great. Programming is easy with the Baofeng or Chirp Software. It's built well and has excellent audio on FM and AM. While I don't like to listen to AM bands it sounded fine when I tested it. The Stock Antenna works just fine. No need to upgrade. To save battery you can transfer the output from high to low. The Charger is excellent.

Yes, it IS a 10w radio!

First impressions are great. Solid built with many upgrades over the 5R and H6. Puts out 10.1 to 10.2 watts at 410-430 mghz. 999 channels, one button scan, 200mghz, ATC frequency monitoring (118-133), awesome color display, multi VFO mode (both A & B don't both have to be in three same mode), one button squelch off, and more. Awesome radio.

Derek

January 24, 2024

It’s like the UV-5R……. But better!!

The Baofeng UV-5R is the radio that many people who love walkie-talkies know about and probably even have since it comes in at such an incredible price! But Baofeng being into the next radio ideas have added another great radio to the lineup. This version adds a much nicer and easier to see screen! It’s bigger, it’s and LCD, it’s bright and it’s clear to read in the sunlight! Coming in with 8watts of power, it packs plenty of punch to get you heard on the air and talking with others nearby.

Seeing the updated Baofeng 5RM standing beside the older UV-5R shows how the overall design aspect stays true to that known Baofeng look but now with an updated design and features we can all appreciate!! If you’re new to walkie-talkies, this is a great option for a first as it supports programming through CHiRP which is a great software making programming quick and easy, or if you’re well familiar with walkie-talkies you’ll surely appreciate and enjoy what the Baofeng 5RM has to offer!

Good feel but with some issues

I love handheld ham radios! This one is no exception, but it does have some issues which I feel come with a ~$30 ham radio.

First the pluses: triband, big screen, chirp support, 999 channels, 10w, USB C charging.

Now the negatives: antenna isn't great for 1.25m, screen isn't bright enough in sun light, some spurs, USB charging is via the battery so can't use it with older batteries.

All in all it's a good handheld with lots of channels!

A much needed upgrade.

If you’re new to ham radio and want to upgrade from the uv-5r. This has more watts and holds 999 channels. I was able to hit a repeater 22.3 miles from my house. Obviously everyone will have different outcomes. This also transmitted on GMRS band, and it hit 2 area repeater with no issues. I love how I can charge with usb-c.