Baofeng UV-5RA Dual Band 2m/70cm Radio Review

The Baofeng UV-5RA looks a lot like the UV-5R with a facelift. Is it basically the same radio, or have there been improvements? Read on to find out!

Not too long after the rise in popularity of the UV-5R I started seeing this Baofeng UV-5RA so I decided to pick a couple up and run them through some tests to see what made them different, the results are, not much.

Let’s start with the good news about the Baofeng UV-5RA and that is, it seems to use the same electronics, firmware, buttons, keys, knob, battery, and belt clip as the standard UV-5. I say this is good news because the UV-5R is a solid radio for its price.

What seems to be new is the plastics housing the electronics inside the Baofeng UV-5RA, particularly the front face. This actually is a downside because the top half of the front is now shiny like a mirror, and that is not something I want in my radios. During a sunny day, or at night with bright lights in the area, make the radio a challenge to read with all the reflections.

Other than that difference, the Baofeng UV-5RA is as far as I can tell a UV-5R in slightly new clothes. You can swap batteries, belt clips, antennas, programming cables, microphones, drop-in chargers, and pretty much everything else.

The programming menus on the radios are identical, you can literally export your configuration from CHIRP of your UV-5R and upload it right into your Baofeng UV-5RA with no changes (I did, if you try this, do so at your own risk).

One improvement they made with the Baofeng UV-5RA is the power output is increased. I am not sure this was changed because of the new model as much as it is my UV-5Rs are a couple of years older than my UV-5RA so it may be that all the newer Baofengs output a little more power. Don’t get too excited though, while the power increase is indeed a reasonable increase, it is not so much of a difference that you will see much difference actually using the radios out in the field.

I am sorry this isn’t much of a review of the Baofeng UV-5RA, it is a good radio for the price, just like its almost identical brother. The only differences are subjective. If you really want to know more about the radio itself, check out my review of the UV-5R. If you think you might like it, pick up a Baofeng UV-5RA and enjoy it!

Photos

Baofeng UV-5RA Test Results:

Screen readability	Good
In-hand feel	Good
Included antenna	Good
Construction quality	Good
Belt clip	Good
Programmability	Good
Transmit audio	CLICK TO LISTEN
Maximum power output (2m/70cm)	5 watts/ 2 watts
Size	245 * 59 * 45 mm
Actual weight	7.6 oz
Baofeng UV-5RA manual	CLICK TO DOWNLOAD
Programming software	CLICK TO DOWNLOAD
Baofeng UV-5RA Overall score

If you are interested, click here for an article on how I test radios.

FEATURES:
Frequency Range: 136-174 / 400-520MHz Dual-Band Display, Dual Freq. Display, Dual-Standby Output Power: 4 /1Watts 128 Channels 50 CTCSS and 104 CDCSS Built-in VOX Function 1750Hz Brust Tone FM Radio (65.0MHz-108.0MHz) LED Flashlight Large LCD Display High /Low RF Power Switchable 25KHz/12.5KHz Switchable Emergency Alert Low Battery Alert Battery Saver Time-out Timer Keypad Lock Monitor Channel Channel Step: 2.5/5/6.25/10/12.5/25KHz ROGER SET
PROS:	CONS:
The same radio as the UV-5R	The face is too shiny Nothing new from the UV-5R

Conclusions

The Baofeng UV-5RA is literally a UV-5R in slightly new clothes, nothing more. If you prefer the looks (I don’t like the shiny face), then buy this one. If you want something less shiny, get the UV-5R. Either way, excellent radio for the price.