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The Baofeng UV-9R Plus is a dual-band (2m/70cm) waterproof radio and my favorite cheap Chinese radio despite its flaws. Keep reading to find out why!
In the world of cheap radios, it is almost always about the UV-5R and for pretty good reasons. Rarely do you hear about a better standard dual-band Baofeng than that ubiquitous radio. The Baofeng UV-9R Plus is, in my opinion, a better Baofeng than Baofeng.
The first thing I really liked about the Baofeng UV-9R Plus radio is that it is waterproof, or so they say. I am not about to test that out as I really like this radio and don’t really want to trash it. Maybe later. Any way it goes they obviously made an attempt at water resistance and that is good enough for me.
I don’t really need the Baofeng UV-9R Plus to be waterproof but I really like the idea of not having to worry if I get caught in a downpour or drop it in a puddle. After all, some radio operators are into Skywarn and this necessitates being able to transmit in bad weather.
Waterproof or not, when I pulled the Baofeng UV-9R Plus out of the box there were two things that immediately jumped out at me; the belt clip and how it fits in my hand.
The belt clip is the same idea is the one I use on my Yaesu FT-270 tank, and I love that clip. This one is not quite as sophisticated but close enough that I really like it. The idea is two pieces; a knob on the back of the radio and a separate belt clip with a receptacle for that knob. The Baofeng UV-9R Plus one clicks in and out with a little resistance while my FT270 will not come out unless you turn the radio upside down. I like the FT270 version better but for the price, this one will do just fine.
The Baofeng UV-9R Plus has a hard, rounded cover on the right side where you would expect to find the jacks for a headphone and mic. This cover is screwed closed and covers a flat panel of electronic contacts, no jacks are found on the radio at all. This of course means that you have to have a special Baofeng UV-9R Plus programming cable to program the radio, and it also means that there are no points of ingress for water or dust, smart.
The designer of the radio also made this rounded cover just the right curve to fit between my right index finger and thumb, making the radio extremely comfortable and stable in my hand. With no belt clip on the battery, my hand just wraps around this radio like it was made for me.
The menu system and keypad keys are virtually identical to most other Baofeng radios and so are really easy to use if you are already familiar with them, and easy to learn if you are not. The Baofeng UV-9R Plus has one quirk that kinda miffs me; in order to switch from VFO to memory mode and back, you have to turn off the radio, hold down the MENU key, then switch the radio back on.
Since the radio was already slightly larger they went ahead and upgraded the Baofeng UV-9R Plus battery to a 4800 mAh battery without making it too large or heavy. That’s right, 4800 mAh. Every time I write that I have to pull the battery off and look because I don’t believe it either, but that’s what it says.
One thing you need to know, if you look online you will see ads for Baofeng UV-9R Plus 18w, Baofeng UV-9R Plus 18w, or any number of other output wattages, they are all wrong. The radio might be 5 watts and is no more powerful than most other Baofeng radios, with the included antenna as a load mine was putting out just shy of 4 watts on 2m.
Photos
Baofeng UV-9R Plus Test Results:
| Screen readability | Very Good |
| In-hand feel | Excellent |
| Included antenna | Very Good |
| Construction quality | Very Good |
| Belt clip | Very Good |
| Programmability | Very Good |
| Transmit audio | CLICK TO LISTEN |
| Maximum power output (2m/70cm) | 3.75 watts/2 watts |
| Size | 275 * 64 * 45 mm |
| Actual weight | 9.6 oz |
| Baofeng UV-9R Plus manual | CLICK TO DOWNLOAD |
| Programming software | CLICK TO DOWNLOAD |
| Baofeng UV-9R Plus Overall score |  |
| FEATURES: | |
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Conclusions
GET THE BOOK!
I hope you enjoyed my Baofeng UV-9R Plus review!
Thanks for the review! The “sales promo power output” was confusing … 5,15,18,20 …. why not just say 100Watts!
I noticed some sellers claiming digital D-star mode. This seems to be only FM mode …. would you agree?
Interesting, and thankyou for your review. I bought 3 UV9R (not the +) and they have all died, all of the same disease. None lasted, all were gone 6 months. the TX dies even the one I was running on low power. and on its own antenna. Ok they are cheep,, but even NZ$70 each, adds up with 3 of them. so was wondering if the + was the same board. Any Ideas?? ZL1XRZ
I honestly don’t know. My UV-9R lasted quite a while, almost a year before I sold it still working. I would venture to guess that these do not have very good quality control and so ones bought at different times might have different reliability. They will never be a Yaesu or Kenwood, but at their price point, I wouldn’t expect them to. I am surprised you had three fail that fast. Serious bummer.
Maybe my 9RPlus is counterfeit… the battery claims to be 8000 mAh at any rate and I’m almost sure that’s not accurate. Funny thing is, I love the belt clip too… because mine does as your other one does… it locks in and can only be taken out if turned upside down. It wasn’t always that way, however. See, the little nub on the radio that slots into the clip… is keyed and can only be screwed into the radio in an up or down orientation for use with the belt clip. Check it out if you still have this radio or on any others with a similar belt clip.
I have a number of UV9RPlus radios and, even though you point out they don’t transmit with quite the power as the UV-5R and 5R+, the power difference is negligible, and the feel of the radio in the hand (and how it’s carried) is perfect. And you won’t transmit any further with the 5R/+, nor will you receive any better.
My biggest problem is that you’ll get a flutter at times with the FM radio, but nothing very objectionable. My radio is a bit beat up from carrying in the pocket and I’ve listened to it in the shower a few times.
Once, it fell into the tub when I accidentally hit the antenna, and though I pulled it out and dried it off, it got a bit wetter than I would have liked and soon stopped working on frequency mode. I bought another and it’s been fine. Whether it was the fall, the water or both, the original one has been in a box ever since. It still plays the radio, though.
The BEST part of the UV-9RPlus is 1) its range, which is great, and 2) its transmit key. I wish my more expensive radios had that type of PTT button!
I can’t program my uv9r plus in chirp. any idea why is it?
You are going to have to provide a lot more information than that. What specifically are you trying to do that does not work?