Radio Ham Radio Handheld AR-5RM 10W Long Range Rechargeable Tactical NOAA Weather Two Way Radio Walkie Talkie for Adults with Programming Cable,USB-C Charging for Survival Gear Hunting,2 Pack

These are rugged radios with a nice collection of accessories. I just started my journey into Ham Radio and grabbed this kit to get started. There are a few antenna options as well as ear pieces, a programming cable, wrist straps and charging stands. Do yourself a favor and download the CHIRP software from their site. This made programming the radios with various repeaters and local municipality frequencies. Shortly after uploading the frequencies, I was listening to my local fire dept as well as a nearby repeater. I also set up a channel for basic walkie talkie use for around the property. I believe this will be a great option for prepping. I purchased a rugged Apache case to store everything to keep at the ready if needed in an emergency. I will update my review if anything changes in the upcoming weeks.

The BAOFENG AR-5RM 10W Handheld Ham Radio is an outstanding choice for both beginners and experienced users. Right out of the box, it feels well-built and solid, with a rugged design that can handle everyday use. The 10W power output gives it great range and clear reception, even in challenging environments. It’s easy to program, and the dual-band functionality works flawlessly. The battery life is impressive, lasting hours on a single charge, making it a reliable option for emergency situations, outdoor adventures, or general communication needs. For the price, this radio delivers excellent performance that competes with higher-end models. Whether you're a prepper, hiker, or ham radio enthusiast, this is a fantastic handheld radio to have. Highly recommended!

Major value package it’s easy to setup your radios on chirp. You can listen to air traffic transmissions. It has fm, weather band, great radio to learn on.

Useful for outdoor activities and essential for disaster preparedness. The 10W power and long range work well, and the NOAA weather feature keeps me informed. The Type-C charging and programming cable are convenient, and the two-pack is great for team use. A good choice for reliable communication, but lacks harmonic dampening. Sturdy design, acceptable battery life for a very low price.

For the price these are pretty damn decent radios. The speakers are tinny and muffled so you may want to use a headset. Both radios seem to cut out with the weather service at odd angles with more than one antenna so might be my residence. Have not broadcast with these yet as I'm not licensed, but I may test them on a seemingly vacant freq just to see range etc. Have not been out to try repeaters yet. Based on the antennas, chargers and items and what I've used them for so far I already find the cost totally worth it, your mileage may vary based on your specific needs. But they're sturdy, I've carried one in my bag for weeks now no issues and I am not ready on my gear, I did accidentally turn one on and drain the battery somehow. One complaint is that the broadcast button is VERY easy to accidentally push but the cap is easily taken off and put back on which helps. Just beware if you're on a critical service channel you may hot mic your environment. The batteries lasted longer than I expected and I got the better part of a day listening only and not scanning or broadcasting and as such I had the TX level set to the lower setting.

Love this things. They are amazingly affordable for the amount of features included. Now, I am not a sadHAM so take what I say with a grain of sault if you are a sadHAM. I use these, basically, to just listen to some of the things that go on in my area. Now, a lot of the bigger organizations have moved to digital so there are a lot of things I cannot listen too. But I can listen to things like the air traffic control from the small airport that is about four miles away in a suburb with a lot of buildings and trees that get in the way of the signal. For the size, the range seems to be great for receiving. I can't speak to the range for transmitting. This set came with the cable to program the radio with CHIRP which is really easy. Just connect the cable to the radio and computer and it has no issues with connecting and uploading/downloading information to and from the radios. The build quality seems really good. I have had two other Baofeng models and this one seems better built than those did. I realize quality control with products like this can be hit or miss. But the specific radios I received feel well made and work fine. The radios aren't the most intuitive to use at first. But you get used to it. Just make sure you have a computer to program them because trying to program them with the buttons and menus on the radio is time consuming and not at all intuitive.

Great deal! The radios have lots of features - they even work on 220. The only issue is that, in menu setup mode, the screen is really hard to read. But it works fine with Chirp, so you can easily set the parameters that way. One note - the folding tactical antennas require that the stubby "loading coil" is first attached to the radio, with the folding antenna attached to the top of the coil.

Ridiculously low price for fun gadgets- Range was not as good as expected even over open ground- 1/2 mile on most channels at "Full Power" on the relevant channels that allowed it. seemed to be about the limit at least of FRS & BRS channels. with reading up on which of the included antennae are best for your channels I am not a licensed HAM so did not try that part at all. The free CHIRP software (Easy to get from the Internet) using the included USB adapter cable readily programs the units for preset banks of channels even including marine VHF for use around marinas and also can listen on Air bands around airports (PLEASE do not try Transmitting which MAY be possible So Do Not Even Try) These units are NOT fcc approved even for the FRS & BRS channels simply because the ham and air bands are also present and they could be used 'outside their regulated channels' Will work 'out of the box' but for most enjoyment some research and understanding is needed.