Also known as: UV-5G Plus, UV5G Plus
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The Baofeng UV-5G Plus is the value outlier in GMRS: around $30–40 buys a 5 W, repeater-capable handheld with a legitimate FCC Part 95E certification (FCC ID 2AJGM-5GPLUS), a 2500 mAh battery, USB-C charging, a color screen, and CHIRP programmability.1 That certification matters — this is Baofeng playing by the rules, unlike the gray-market UV-5R crowd illegally keyed up on GMRS. What $35 doesn’t buy: consistency. The Baofeng QC lottery and cryptic menus are part of the deal.
Key takeaways The most radio per dollar on this site. 5 W GMRS, repeater channels, ~999 memories, VHF/UHF scanner receive + NOAA, USB-C, big battery — for Baofeng money. Honestly certified Part 95E, ships GMRS-locked. Transmitting needs the $35 no-test GMRS license (10 years, covers family). Caveats: unit-to-unit QC variance, a mediocre front end in RF-dense areas, classic Baofeng menus, no waterproofing. Rankings: best walkie-talkies.
Overview
Baofeng’s ham radios earned a reputation as the radios people illegally use on GMRS. The UV-5G Plus is the legitimate answer: certified under Part 95E, shipped locked to GMRS transmit, and sold as Baofeng’s mainstream GMRS handheld through Radioddity and Amazon. Transmitting still requires the GMRS license — $35, 10 years, no test, covers your immediate family; receive (its wideband VHF/UHF scanner side included) is free to anyone.
The spec sheet reads like a $100 radio’s. 5 W — the handheld legal max. The 8 repeater channels plus roughly 999 programmable memories for custom tone/split combinations, so it’ll follow you across every open GMRS repeater in the state. Wideband receive covers VHF/UHF (receive-only) plus NOAA weather. The 2500 mAh pack charges over USB-C, and a 1.9” color display replaces the old Baofeng segment LCD. CHIRP support means you program it from a PC in minutes.
The honest half of the ledger: Baofeng’s quality control is a lottery — audio, squelch behavior, and spurious-emission cleanliness vary between units. The receiver front end overloads more easily than a Wouxun’s near strong transmitters. The menus are classic Baofeng-cryptic without CHIRP. And the same unlock culture that makes CHIRP handy also makes these radios easy to modify for out-of-band transmit — which is illegal; keep it in its shipped GMRS-locked state.
Channels, power & battery
- Service: GMRS, Part 95E certified, FCC ID 2AJGM-5GPLUS — a real grant, stated because much of the import market can’t say the same.
- Power: 5 W max.
- Channels: 30 GMRS channels (simplex + repeater) + ~999 memories; CTCSS/DCS tones programmable per channel.
- Receive: wideband VHF/UHF scanner receive + NOAA weather.
- Battery: 2500 mAh Li-ion, USB-C.
- Programming: on-radio keypad or CHIRP.
- Durability: no meaningful IP rating — not a wet-weather radio.
GopherTrunk alternative
The UV-5G Plus’s scanner receive hints at a hobby GopherTrunk serves fully: FRS/GMRS is analog narrowband FM at 462/467 MHz, and a ~$30 RTL-SDR running free GopherTrunk monitors all the channels at once, records every transmission with timestamps, and shows you which local repeaters actually carry traffic — worth checking before you program splits into this radio, or even before spending the $35 on a license. GopherTrunk can’t transmit; it’s the free receive-and-log companion, not a replacement. The learning path lives at Learn RF & SDR.
Who it’s for
- Buy the UV-5G Plus if you want maximum GMRS capability per dollar — repeaters, memories, scanner receive — and you’re comfortable with CHIRP and the occasional QC roll of the dice. View on Amazon →
- Buy the Baofeng GM-15 Pro instead if you just want the cheapest repeater-capable GMRS radio and don’t need the big battery or color screen.
- Spend up to a Wouxun KG-935G for a real receiver and sane menus, or a Rocky Talkie Expedition Radio for IP67 ruggedness. Full rankings: best walkie-talkies.
Sources
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Baofeng UV-5G Plus product page — Baofeng, on Part 95E certification, 5 W output, repeater capability, memory channels, wideband receive, and USB-C charging. Also listed at Radioddity. ↩
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a license for the Baofeng UV-5G Plus?
To transmit, yes — it’s a GMRS radio, and GMRS requires the FCC license: $35, valid 10 years, no test, covering your immediate family. Listening (including its VHF/UHF scanner receive and NOAA channels) requires no license at all.
Is the Baofeng UV-5G Plus legal on GMRS?
Yes — unlike Baofeng’s gray-market ham radios that people illegally program for GMRS, the UV-5G Plus carries a real FCC Part 95E certification (FCC ID 2AJGM-5GPLUS) and ships GMRS-locked. Used as shipped with a GMRS license, it’s fully legal.
Does the UV-5G Plus work with GMRS repeaters?
Yes. It includes the GMRS repeater channels (467 MHz inputs paired to the 462 MHz outputs) plus programmable memories for tones and splits — the cheapest reliable route onto a local GMRS repeater.
Can I program the UV-5G Plus with CHIRP?
Yes, CHIRP supports it, which makes setting up repeater tones and channel names far easier than the on-radio menus. Note the honest caveat: the same unlock culture can make Baofengs transmit out-of-band, which is illegal — leave it in its shipped GMRS-locked state.
Is the Baofeng UV-5G Plus waterproof?
No — it carries no meaningful IP rating. Treat it as a fair-weather or in-vehicle radio; for wet environments spend up on an IP67 radio like the BTECH GMRS-PRO or Rocky Talkie Expedition Radio.