Baofeng UV-9G GMRS Radio (2 Pack), IP67 Waterproof Outdoors Two Way Radios, Long Range Rechargeable with Programming Cable and RA-MD2 Antennas, GMRS Repeater Capable, Support Chirp

We go wheeling a lot and get in to some remote washes and high walled canyons. These work perfectly in those situations and since few use CB radios anymore, these are a great replacement. They are fairly light, sound great and have excellent reception and broadcast quality. The batteries hold up well and you can easily plug them into you 12v accessory plug to charge while both using or just recharging. The head/ear pieces are an excellent touch for almost hands free operation allowing you to keep at least one hand on the wheel at all times.

Radios work well for the average consumer straight out of the box. (Note: FCC license required due to extended power and range. But licensing is fast, cheap ($35.00) and easy if you can work a 1980's-style website at fcc.com and have a valid e-mail address.) They are pre-programmed to easily operate for the average consumer. But also they are loaded with all the advanced features available in GMRS radios for the nerds that choose to program them. (Your kids will be listening to music on them within an hour...I promise.) These radios have a lot more power and range than the bubble-wrap family radios you can buy anywhere. The instruction manual is very well written in English (instead of Chinglish.) They have the standardized GMRS channels so you can buy as many of these radios as you wish and they will all talk to each other on the same channel, as well as other GMRS users. The nerds can do all their advanced programming right on the keyboard or can download the programming software downloaded from the manufacturer with a Windows based computer if they choose. The only things I don't like are recharging-related. (These radios ran strong 14-hours on their first charge.) I've seen and would liked to have had radios that used a standard phone charger with a USB plug where you can charge them on the go anywhere there is a USB powersource. (But then they would not have been waterproof. Manufacturer claims these can survive being submerged in 1m of water for 30 minutes.) With these you're stuck with waiting till you get home to the charger base or bringing along and hoping you can find a standard 110 outlet. (This may be an unpopular feature for doomsdayers, off-gridders, and overlanders being chased by zombies but teen-agers will love having their default excuse of claiming their "battery was dead and no charger" when they should have called or answered.) I'm not a fan of this charger base either because it does not snugly fit the radio. You have to make sure the radio is in perfect alignment with some tiny tracks in the base for it to begin charging instead of just shoving it in the hole. But my gripes are petty and ones I accepted having a radio I could get wet. I'll make no claims as to range because there are so many variables (terrain, obstructions, RF interference, etc.) that can affect that but with 5 watts (instead of .5 watts the family radios have) you can expect much much better. And for 40 bucks a pop? Come on! These get 5-stars!

Radio quality seems really good. The book is better than some Chinese manuals, but still is lacking detail. Appears to be written as a reminder for someone who has already figured everything out or has used similar radio's in the passed. No issues with battery life yet, but very little transmitting. Mostly just listening at this point. I do like the size, those tiny ones don't give me a warm fuzzy feeling and the really tall ones only seem practical in professional settings where long battery life is a necessity. Once I become fluent with the keyboard and or figure the chirp software, this should prove to be a great Radio.

I wanted a couple of relatively inexpensive and rugged GMRS radios to use on Jeep trail rides. I chose the Baofeng UV-9G based on information I found from other sources on the internet. Baofeng is a Chinese company with a reputation for being cheap, but I figured these would get me started and I could upgrade later if necessary.I was surprised to find the UV-9G to be a well-built, sturdy feeling radio. It is IP67 rated, so it should survive anything I can expect to encounter "in the field". Speaker sound quality is good, at least to my ear, and it is loud enough to be heard over a rumbling Jeep on a trail. The belt clip is annoyingly large and makes the radio uncomfortable to hold in the hand when it is attached. But it has a quick-release mount on the radio, so you can leave the belt clip on your belt and slide the radio out as needed. It allows the radio to swing freely on your belt which I like.My kit included two radios and two antennas for each radio. The longer antenna is impractical for belt carry or inside a vehicle, but the performance is good. I was able to reach a repeater 53 miles away from my back yard with the longer antenna. The shorter antenna is more than adequate for short-range comms, Jeep to Jeep for example, and more convenient to carry and use.The UV-9G operates on all GMRS channels, including the ones that overlap FRS channels. It transmits at 5 watts (5W) on channels 1-7 and 15-22, and 0.5W on channels 8-14 which are the FRS channels. It also transmits at 5W on the repeater channels.The base GMRS channels and eight repeater channels are pre-programmed. You can add "DIY" channels above those. I have pre-programmed mine with all of the local repeaters, including any CTCSS tones needed to access them. I used the CHIRP software instead of Baofeng's software. There's a bit of a learning curve, but it's easier than trying to program memory slots from the radio buttons.Shortcomings: It would be nice if channel names could be longer, and a USB port for charging on the battery would be my top two changes. Neither of those is worth removing a star.If you want a low-cost and very functional GMRS handheld radio look no further. And if you get these radios (or any GMRS radio), get the GMRS license from the FCC as well.

Delivered on time and was better than expectations!!!

Great price and good product. Baofeng fixed rx issues regarding coming on narrow band. Easy menu to navigate so far.