BAOFENG BF-F8HP (UV-5R 3rd Gen) 8-Watt Dual Band Two-Way Radio (136-174MHz VHF & 400-520MHz UHF) Includes Full Kit with Large Battery

Rugged and well built. Since I use this radio for security work and wear it attached to my belt and under my shirt, it would be nice if the antenna was shorter. It is very difficult and arduous to program without a "Patch Cord" to connect it to a PC. In the documentation, it appears that programming is only compatible with a PC, not a Mac. That is disappointing. Fortunately one of the members of my team had a PC with the App for offline programming. Still a good unit, well built, and would recommend it. Just be aware of the programming issues.

I purchased this radio, and then purchased another almost two month's later. I have found it to be a good, reliable radio transceiver with pretty good function sets, as well as excellent frequency ranges for the various U S radio services bands. It has capability to receive all the Personal Radio Service (PRS) bands (GMRS, FRS, MURS and some Ham frequencies), and transmission is excellent too for a handheld. Radio programming is fairly easy using CHIRP program (easily found on the web), but you WILL need the USB Programming Cable for Two-way Radio to connect to your computer (available here for $11 or so) for programming. You don't need name brand, as connection is a standard one: two-pin to USB. I also bought and use extension microphone/speaker, which I recommend too (Baofeng BF-S112 for $6.00); although again no brand name is necessary as it will accept standard two-pin connection. Extension mike is both speaker and mike, so it can be clipped to shoulder level, requiring much less volume to hear (many cops are so outfitted), while radio is clipped to belt or waste band. You will need a license from FCC to use GMRS at full power, and you MUST adjust settings to low power to lawfully use unlicensed FRS and MURS bands. There are big fines and penalties for not following regulations, so you need to pay attention to that!! License is easy to apply for at FCC webpage. Radio holds 127 memory locations for user-defined frequency, power, friendly name and other settings, and licensed GMRS users can take advantage of the many repeaters available, which can theoretically give 50-mile range in ideal settings, while radio alone can transmit from 5-20 miles, depending on conditions and terrain. I installed a 6 foot antenna on top of my roof for use at home, and it adds a remarkable amount of additional transmit and reception capability. People buying this sort of radio will do well to understand it IS a powerful radio with a vary wide range of frequency capabilities, and some are highly restricted; meaning you can get into a world of trouble for transmitting on them, even by mistake!!! The FCC isn't too understanding nor indulgent for users offering "I didn't know!" They can give you little memory aids to help you, by means of fines up to $75,000 and a year in jail...So DO NOT screw around! But those things show you what this is: A radio that means business! You can listen to any channel without any license, but don't exceed power allowed for FRS and MURS and get a license for full-power (this radio's full power) GMRS usage! FCC Part 95 regulations are available on their website (FCC.gov), which will explain all of your abilities and responsibilities for GMRS, FRS, MURS and other designated PRS frequencies. I would recommend thinking about a longer portable antenna for carrying this around to enhance user capabilities, but the stock antenna is still a good one, so you don't have to. Battery holds a good charge so far and gives a long cycle of use, and radio comes to clip to secure it to your belt, coat, purse, whatever. All in, I am very happy with this radio (rather both of them!), and I recommend it without reservation; BUT buyers have to use it lawfully and with license for anything beyond FRS or MURS; using low power settings for those unlicensed bands!

As a new ham radio operator, I bought this BAOFENG BF-F8HP 8-Watt Dual Band VHF/UHF handheld radio at the suggestion of my son! He had done some research and thought it was a good choice. I think so, too! It is an exceptional radio for the price you pay for it! (I also bought a Baofeng UV-82 as a backup radio). I have the rubber-duck antenna that came with it, and I can sit under my tin roofed house and reach the repeater on medium power! I use it in my car with a tiny, magnetic roof-mounted antenna, and have no trouble hitting repeaters as far as 25 miles away. I also bought the extra microphone with the kenwood plug and built-in speaker, which makes it a joy to use in the car when travelling. I also bought a couple of extra antennas to replace the rubberduck antenna with, but have found that they're not really necessary. This little BF-F8 will reach out and touch someone.Don't worry about any reviews that you might've read about it being difficult to program, or that it's quirky to learn how to use the little radio's functions. I bought a USB programming cable with a kenwood plug, and use it to program all my handheld Baofeng radios with Chirp, which is a free download. And if there are any little quirks about the features, it didn't take me long to get used to using it, and now it's a breeze!If you need a little dual-band handheld transceiver, or even several of them for your family to communicate with when a few miles apart, this Baofeng BF-F8 is a great little HT, and I highly recommend it.