I am just going to start with the elephant in the room, this radio is not a tri-band radio, full stop. The Baofeng UV-S9 Plus appears to be a UV-9S Tri-Band with the 220MHz band removed and a very slightly different case. And I mean very slightly.
The Baofeng UV-S9 Plus is so close to the UV-9S that I actually have had people comment and tell me I had the name wrong. I had to send them the link to the Baofeng website to see the UV-9S for themselves.
Even when you dive down into the test results you can see that at best, the Baofeng UV-S9 Plus might be an iteration, and at worst the same radio but neutered.
I am just going to start with the elephant in the room, this radio is not a tri-band radio, full stop. The Baofeng UV-S9 Plus appears to be a UV-9S Tri-Band with the 220MHz band removed and a very slightly different case. And I mean very slightly.
The Baofeng UV-S9 Plus is so close to the UV-9S that I actually have had people comment and tell me I had the name wrong. I had to send them the link to the Baofeng website to see the UV-9S for themselves.
Even when you dive down into the test results you can see that at best, the Baofeng UV-S9 Plus might be an iteration, and at worst the same radio but neutered.
Power readings for the Baofeng UV-S9 Plus are a little better, the clarity of the signal is a little better, and the transmitted audio is a tad better. All of these take some work to actually see. As far as a typical user being able to distinguish the two in a blind listening contest, not gonna happen.
It still has the same cheap plastic feel, the same sharp edge on the pointless charging port on the battery, and the same cheesy belt clip.
And of course, the Baofeng UV-S9 Plus is just completely missing the third band that you see in all the advertising. I know what you are thinking, maybe my radio just has a problem, maybe I have to “unlock” the 220MHz band, maybe….just stop. The UV-9S has a second antenna in the box for use on that third band, this radio does not. They just plain do not have any intention of you using it on that third band, period.
One gripe I had about the UV-9S that seems to be “fixed” with the Baofeng UV-S9 Plus is that I can actually find the battery for sale. My guess is that the batteries are the same, but when I was doing the review for the UV-9S I could not find a battery that said it would fit the radio. This was a serious problem in my mind as once the battery had died (which is not that uncommon with these cheap Chinese radios), you were stuck out. At least with this radio, they released batteries that explicitly state they will fit it.
Images:
Radio Specifics:
| Screen readability | Very Good | |
| In-hand feel | OK | |
| Included antenna | OK | |
| Construction quality | OK | |
| Belt clip | OK | |
| Programmability | Very Good | |
| Transmit audio | CLICK TO LISTEN | |
| Frequency accuracy | 145.000 @ 145.000 | |
| Maximum power output 2m/70cm | 5 watts / 2.3 watts | |
| Actual weight | 215G | |
| Battery advertised mAh | 2200mAh | |
| Battery tested mAh | ||
| Radio manual | CLICK TO DOWNLOAD | |
| Programming software | CLICK TO DOWNLOAD | |
| Price based score 0-5 | 3 | |
| Overall score 0-10 | 3 |
Test Images:
If you are interested, click here for an article on how I test radios.
FEATURES:
- Frequency Range: VHF/UHF136-174Mhz & 400-520Mhz
- Dual-Band Display, Dual-Standby
- Output Power: 5 Watts
- 128 Channels
- Built-in VOX Function
- 1750Hz Brust Tone
- FM Radio (65.0MHz-108.0MHz)
- LED Flashlight
- Large LCD Display
- Hight /Low RF Power Switchable
- 25KHz/12.5KHz Switchable
- Emergency Alert
- Low Battery Alert
- Battery Saver
- Time-out Timer
- Keypad Lock
- Monitor Channel
- ROGER SET
| PROS: | CONS: |
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Conclusions
I am sorry, but I can not think of a single reason to buy the Baofeng UV-S9 Plus. It might be just a slight bit better than the UV-9S, but it is lacking one of its primary features.
It isn’t like anyone really uses the 220MHz band, that isn’t the point. The Baofeng UV-S9 Plus is supposed to be tri-band, it is not, and everything else about the radio is fair at best.
Save your pennies for a few more weeks and buy something like the Baofeng UV-9R that is built very well and waterproof to boot. You will get a lot more enjoyment out of it than you will this Baofeng UV-S9 Plus.
Here are some reviews of the Baofeng UV-S9!
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BaoFeng UV-S9 Plus where do I get a new charging base, failed after 3 months
Try this one https://ebay.us/J2BeGj
Looks like the article shows photos of UV-13R, not UV-S9.
You may be thinking of the 9S, which is different than the S9. The S9 and 13R share an extremely similar case.
https://www.besthamradio.com/baofeng-uv-9s-plus-tri-band-band-radio-review/
what is the difference ? in baofeng’s web site there is only one model and it is called UV-9S:
https://www.baofengradio.com/collections/catalog-analog/products/uv-9s
So either this review is not truthful, or the other one.. Or there are two models named 9s and s9 (even Baofeng do not list in official web page)
There are multiple models, and many of them are not made by a single “Baofeng”. I suggest you read https://www.besthamradio.com/is-your-baofeng-radio-a-fake-baofeng-radio/ for more information about ‘real’ and ‘fake’ Baofeng radios.
The UV-S9Plus is actually made by Abbree and branded as Baofeng. The 220 MHz – 260 MHz interval is unlockable in the radio: you press the PTT + MONI + VFO/MR and keep pressed while turning on the radio; this will make the radio display FACTORY on the screen, after which it will reset itself. After that, in CHIRP you have to modify the VHF maximum frequency limit to 260, and after that write the modifications to the radio; this makes the interval 136 – 260 available to transmit/receive. However, pushing the PTT on a frequency between 174 – 185 MHz will freeze the radio into transmitting and it must be turned off to reset. Same happens between 260 – 400 MHz, if you try it. The unlocking procedure is true for the UV-5R as well.
Interesting. I would love to know where you got the information that ABBREE manufacturers the UV-S9 Plus. My information says it is a Baofeng radio (complete with a Baofeng FCC ID of 2AU74UV-S9). In fact, ABBREE has the UV-S9 listed on their website as a Baofeng product complete with Baofeng logos and I see no mention of a UV-S9 under their ABBREE product pages.