BAOFENG AR-5RM 10W Long Range Two Way Radio Handheld Walkie Talkie with NOAA Weather Receiver, Rechargeable Battery, Type-C Charging, 999 Channels, DTMF & Frequency Copy (2 Pack) - Ideal for Outdoor Adventures, Emergency Communication, and Construction Sites

I've had this radio for some time and the longer I have it, the more I appreciate it. Like just about everyone new to this, I started with a UV-5R and it's variants including the UV-5R GMRS, UV-5G Pro, and M-5R. If you're looking for a HAM radio, don't waste your time with those. I've seen people write that this is just a UV-5R or M-5R in a larger case with a better display. No it isn't. It is a totally unlocked HAM radio and better in every way. I don't have a HAM license (I'm GMRS licensed) so I'm using it for listening and I can pick up Airband, 2 Meter, 1.25 Meter, 70 Centimeter but also frequencies in between and up to around 519Mhz. So, you want to listen railroad frequencies between 160-161Mhz or Marine frequencies between 156 and 174Mhz? You can. Military aircraft on 225-399.95Mhz? You can. It's incredibly versatile and it achieves the promised 10 watts on some bands. It's more durable, the speaker is more intelligible, it receives better, transmits clearly, it's USB-C rechargeable out of the box, Chirp compatible. Just be aware you need a HAM license to transmit with this, especially because of the higher power. Some GMRS/FRS shared channels are limited to .5 watt. MURS is limited to 2 watts. I've read the lowest power this radio is capable of is around 2.5 watts. At 10 this would seriously overpower them. I know people are dropping GMRS channels into this with Chirp but in doing so, the 5Mhz repeater offsets don't save correctly and you have to manually set them every in VFO mode every time. Also, because it is so unlocked, it would be very easy to step on EMS or other critical or licensed business services so you need to know what you're doing. I've had my eye on the new BTech UV-Pro HAM HTT for some time (about $165 on Amazon). I have two BTech GMRS Pro's and they're awesome. But I'm starting to think I'll buy a second AR-5RM at $28, because I can't imagine a totally unlocked radio like this will be permitted forever. It does have an FCC ID on the back, surprisingly. Then to advance my knowledge of HAM, I'll get a RTL-SDR USB software defined radio for my laptop... for listening and learning. That'll give me more functionality than any HTT. Note: An inexpensive radio at around $30, there are a couple cons. Like most HTT's with color screens, this is incredibly difficult to read in bright sunlight so be ready for that. And, like most inexpensive SOC homodyne receivers (especially the UV-5R's, it is very susceptible to front end overload. Using the stock antenna and/or if you live away from AM/FM broadcast sources, this isn't a problem. But I live two miles from two FM radio towers and 4 miles from Sky Harbor airport in Phoenix. When I add an upgraded Radtel Airband or any other upgraded antenna, all my Boafeng's go totally deaf. All that adjacent FM RF energy is too much. So for $20 I bought an Airband band pass filter and it works great. You can also buy an FM band rejection filter - for listening. But seriously, the UV-5R radios are popular but their audio quality is awful. Every time I go back to using any of mine, they comparatively feel like toys. So all but my UV-5G Pro, I'm giving them away. This AR-5RM feels more rugged, looks better. It's just a really cool little radio for anyone looking to learn.