The Baofeng UV-5G Plus is the GMRS version of radios like the UV-5RM Plus and the 5RH Pro and the replacement for the older UV-5G. They share virtually all external parts (except the nameplate, of course), even the batteries. The question is, are they the same on the inside? Lets look at them and see if this is the same, or something different.
Just like the UV-5RM, the Baofeng UV-5G Plus is taller, wider, and heavier than its predecessor, the UV-5G, and even has a larger screen. It is about the same height as the UV-5R with the extended battery pack on it. There are some good reasons for this size bump.
The front buttons on the Baofeng UV-5G Plus are slightly larger, but have roughly the same feel as the older radio. The volume knob is about the same, a little stiff but fairly smooth.
The Baofeng UV-5G Plus is the GMRS version of radios like the UV-5RM Plus and the 5RH Pro and the replacement for the older UV-5G. They share virtually all external parts (except the nameplate, of course), even the batteries. The question is, are they the same on the inside? Lets look at them and see if this is the same, or something different.
Just like the UV-5RM, the Baofeng UV-5G Plus is taller, wider, and heavier than its predecessor, the UV-5G, and even has a larger screen. It is about the same height as the UV-5R with the extended battery pack on it. There are some good reasons for this size bump.
The front buttons on the Baofeng UV-5G Plus are slightly larger, but have roughly the same feel as the older radio. The volume knob is about the same, a little stiff but fairly smooth.
Not so for the PTT button, which seems much improved. It feels sharper, more positive, larger, and even works better when you are right on the top or bottom edge of the button.
One of the most obvious upgrades on the Baofeng UV-5G Plus is the new 1.77″ color screen, which is pretty bright and very clear. I am not a fan of these going completely black making it impossible to glance over and read your frequency, but that can be fixed easy enough in the menus, right? Not so fast. I could not find a menu option for the backlight or screen timer at all. Strange. We will come back to this later.
This larger screen allows the Baofeng UV-5RM Plus to display larger frequency numbers that make it easier to read from even a distance (assuming your screen is on). The layout of the screen seems like a reasonable copy of my Yaesu FT-3DR, just smaller and not as sharp.
While we are on the screen, the menu options are one place I am going to have to really call foul on this radio. For all the screen realestate and colors available, they tuck the menu under the first frequency line so it is using only half the screen. This, in and of itself, is not that bad, as the text is almost the size it would be on a UV-5G. The problem is that some genius decided to make it small, and dark red on black. Was the engineer trying to make it impossible to read?
And before you ask, no, you can not change the colors of anything on the Baofeng UV-5G Plus like you can the backlight in the UV-5R. At least not that I can find.
In the hand, the Baofeng UV-5G Plus feels like a UV-5G, but better. The slight extra width and thickness make it fit in my large hands better. I also like the larger and stronger clip, whose rounded edges seem to fit in my palm very well.
On a good note, the battery on the Baofeng UV-5G Plus is not only a large 2500mAh battery, but it has a USB-C charging port in the back. While I really appreciate the USB-C charging, I really dislike the lack of a drop-in charger. No, it will not fit in a UV-5G charger either. Bummer.
–Find out what battery fits the Baofeng UV-5G Plus with our battery finder tool–
Performance:
Now let’s take a look at the performance of the radio. This might really surprise you.
To start with, the Baofeng UV-5G Plus has a reasonably clean, more stable transmit signal than many of the cheaper radios. When looking at the spectrum analysis, you can see a little instability initially, but it quickly stabilizes and looks pretty good.
As far as the antenna that comes with the Baofeng UV-5G Plus, it clearly was designed primarily for GMRS but does have a little performance in the 2m range, probably to help it receive better there.
Power output is where the Baofeng UV-5G Plus really shines. The vast majority of Baofeng type radios I test measure 3-5 watts output, including models like the BF-F8HP. Over five watts? Maybe three Baofengs in all these years, including this one. The Baofeng UV-5G Plus actually puts out 7.5 watts to its antenna at on GMRS frequencies. That’s impressive. Read how I test radios, and you will see why that is such a rare occurrence.
Spurious emissions are actually pretty decent for a Baofeng in this price range, with only one out of spec harmonic, a little over 900Mhz.
Images:
Radio Specifics:
| Screen readability | Very Good | |
| In-hand feel | Good | |
| Included antenna | Good | |
| Construction quality | Good | |
| Belt clip | Good | |
| Programmability | Good | |
| Transmit audio | CLICK TO LISTEN | |
| Frequency accuracy | 462.5625 @ 462.5625 | |
| Maximum power output 2m/70cm | N/A / 7.5 watts | |
| Actual weight | 310g | |
| Battery advertised mAh | 2500mAh | |
| Battery tested mAh | 17800mAh | |
| Receiver sensitivity | 128dBm | |
| Screen brightness | 82.5lux | |
| Max audio level | 90.2db | |
| Radio manual | CLICK TO DOWNLOAD | |
| Programming software | CLICK TO DOWNLOAD | |
| Performance score | A+ | |
| Value score | B | |
| Ergonomics score | B |
Test Images:
If you are interested, click here for an article on how I test radios.
FEATURES:
- 999 Channels
- Large 2500mAh battery
- 1.9″ Color screen
- Wireless frequency copy
- USB-C charging
- GMRS TX/RX
- VHF/UHF RX (136-173.00 & 400-519.99)
- IXP4
| PROS: | CONS: |
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Earlier, I said we would come back to the fact that I could not find a place to change the backlight or screen time out, and here we are. I could not find it because it does not exist in the radio, it has to be changed in programming software.
OK, it’s nice that I can change it in software, but a royal pain for something so simple to be in software only. Particularly since this is the first radio I can remember that wasn’t a DMR radio that required programming software to change that function. Weird.
Anyway, the Baofeng UV-5G Plus is fully compatible right out of the box with CHRIP, and requires no weird cables, just a standard Baofeng programming cable like the one used for the UV-5R. I just used the “5RM” radio model in CHIRP and it seems to work fine.
Baofeng also has their own CPS (customer programming software) which I have linked to in the grid above. I wouldn’t use it, I would just download and use CHIRP.
Conclusions
The Baofeng UV-5G Plus is a good successor to the venerable UV-5G. It is slightly more expensive, and it doesn’t come with a drop-in charger, which I really like having. I also really do not like having to use the programming software to change simple options, and that red menu in small font is almost a deal-breaker for me.
On the plus side, the Baofeng UV-5G Plus is more comfortable in my hand, has a much easier to read screen when it is on, and puts out one of the most powerful and least messy signals of any radio even remotely in its class.
Do I recommend the radio? For the money, yes. It is an excellent choice for a cheap GMRS radio.
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