Best Handheld HAM Radios

The BaoFeng UV-5R MK5 is that no-nonsense package that offers robust devices with abundant features yet without any bells and whistles.

To get the ball rolling, the radios come equipped with Low, Medium, and High energy modes that allow you to conserve the battery charge when necessary. Using the programming cable, you can reset and customize these devices according to various needs and preferences.

The selectable frequency steps range from 2.5 to 25 kHz, with 1.25, 2.5, and 5 kHz increments available to you. With the semi-duplex mode, you can watch two channels, monitoring two different frequencies (even on different VHF/UHF bands), with the radios giving priority to the first station receiving an incoming call.

We can talk about the low-IF digital audio processing unit that keeps the sound quality stable and sharp even with varying reception conditions. We can also talk about the amp's low crossover distortion and low quiescent circuit current. The standard features like the LED flashlight, keypad lock, low-battery alert, and more go without saying too, these are premium radios we're dealing with.

Without going into obscure, minute details, the BaoFeng UV-5R MK5 packs two powerful and versatile transceivers and receivers that you can recommend anyone from beginners and survivalists to emergency specialists.

The BTECH UV-5X3 is filled to the rafters with different functions and features that most portable HAM radios are not offering.

Despite the classic design, the model's loaded with new firmware tools and menu updates that you'll be accessing with the dual-line LCD screen. First, the screen will be able to display both the channel name and the frequency at the same time, so you can synchronize the screen and have more available information at once.

Second, the updated version lets you add and remove channels from the scanning list, with ease to boot. Removing nuisance channels from the scan list will be as simple as accessing the new-and-improved menu and choosing the channel you want to kill, so to speak. To add more, the device allows you to add, change, and remove the privacy tones and adjust the power levels, streamlining channel modifications so that you do not have to delete and recreate them anymore.

Even taking everything above into account though, the product's crown jewel, its crème de la crème is the ability to scan through specific frequency ranges. Through the menu, you'll be able to select the frequency step, allowing the device to scan by increments from 2.5 to 50 kHz, which means you can scan the receiving band within seconds without scanning the whole band.

In short, the BTECH UV-5X3 is everything its predecessors were but more intricate, more programmable, and more intuitive.

The BaoFeng UV-82HP is the company's more basic model, designed to accommodate beginners first. Having said that, we would not recommend confusing basic with primitive because the device is anything but that.

To begin with, the model lets you select between single and dual PTT, so you can choose to transmit on two frequencies when necessary. You'll also be able to choose between three power levels: 1, 5, and 8 watts, conserving the battery and extending the charge to at least 6 hours.

Not unlike its more expensive relative, the device allows you to add useful channels and remove nuisance channels from the scan list. More than that, the radio will even let you give these channels alphanumerical names so that you can easily find and identify them next time.

We're not addressing the flashlight, the emergency alarm feature, and the lockout option because, again, this is not some primitive product, so we're expecting these tools. What we're not necessarily expecting at this price bracket is the model's shock-resistant construction, with responsive controls and durable buttons.

Though the VFO mode here is somewhat awkward, the BaoFeng UV-82HP more than earns its keep, following the playbook deployed across much more expensive models.

The Greaval UV-5R is as much about the device as it is about the whole package. Despite the affordable price, aside from the portable HAM radio, you receive two 2100mAh li-ion batteries, a programming cable, RH-771 high-gain antenna, SRH805S short antenna, the company's original antenna, a hand microphone, an earpiece, a car charger adapter and a power adapter, not to mention the standard belt clip and hand strap additions. With these tools and accessories, you're prepared for any trip.

Even one battery can last between 12 and 20 hours, which means that, with the two, you'll remain available despite any emergency situation. The short antenna will prove perfect for short-range, indoor use, while the high-gain antenna, though soft and flexible, is pretty tough and durable and will also boost the range almost tenfold.

You can choose between the keypad and the supplied programming cable to program the frequencies but not without entertaining the notion that the programming software might present certain challenges.

Besides that, the Greaval UV-5R will not present any challenges, not with its many accessories, not with its high frequency range, and certainly not with the backlit screen and comfortable controls.

Measuring 7 x 6.1 x 3.9 inches, the BaoFeng UV-5R Plus is not among the most compact portable HAM radios. This is not the device you can shove inside most pockets, which is the biggest issue we have with this product. Aside from that, the symbols on the keys do not always last but that's the case with most mid-range radios. Somewhat offsetting this issue is the model's durable encasing that you do not have to be gentle with, at all. Plus, there are these ribbed inserts on the sides that allow you to hold and use the device even with wet hands.

For the most part, this is the company's simplest, most straightforward HAM radio, with the full-color LED screen, accessible controls, but not too many features. You do not have an emergency alarm. The low-battery alert has not been added too. On the upside, the LED flashlight is bright and lets you switch between strobe and steady illumination modes. You cannot lock the keypad but, on the upside, the model's coverage reaches the same ~5 miles that more expensive radios are offering and also lets you access no less than 128 channels.

To sum this up, the BaoFeng UV-5R Plus is what you start with, figuring out how HAM radios work before moving to the more feature-rich models (but only when you need those extra features because most users seldom utilize them).