BaoFeng UV-5R Upgrade Version UV-5XP Extended Battery VHF UHF Two Way Radio 7.4v 8W Dual-Band Walkie Talkie 2 Pack

Pros:The UV-5XP is a nice radio and is very similar to the UV-5R.It has a nice weight and a good feel.Battery and charger are interchangeable with UV-5RUSB charging cradle, can be charged with an emergency power bank.Marked as Part 90 (business band) compliant.We use several BaoFeng radios and the UV-5XP is superior to the UV-5Rs.Neither Pro nor Con:Cheesy, shiny plate, they're easily removed and painted.The 2000ma battery is thicker than the UV-5R battery and they made no change the the belt clip so at the top of the battery, the clip is closer than at the bottom of the battery so if you wear a thicker belt, it may put stress near the hinge on the belt clip, the screws are long enough so that a spacer can be inserted to make the gap more uniform.Chirp doesn't have a profile for the UV-5XP, however, you can use the UV-5R or the F8HP. The 5R profile only gives you two power settings and the HP profile gives you three power settings.Cons: Compared to other BaoFeng radios, there are no cons and I would highly recommend these radios to others.A previous version of this review complained about the power output, this has been corrected.

Update (6/14): I am removing 2 stars after measuring the output of the radio.On one of the radio, the Low setting was putting out around 2.8W instead of 1W. On the Medium setting, I measured 5.6W and about 6.3W on the high setting.On the 2nd radio, the Low setting measured 3.6W. The Medium and High both measured 5.6W- did not change at all which I think this radio might be defective.Original: This is my 3rd purchase of Baofeng radios. My other 2 sets where from Mirkit, their models UV-5R MK5 & UV-82. For the purpose of this review, I will refer the radios in this review as XP and the Mirkit’s as MK5.In comparing the XP vs MK5, I’ve found very minor differences. Here’s what was similar:1. Firmware (Ver. BFB-298)2. Menu options3. 8 Watts w/ 3 settings: 8/5/1 or H/M/L.4. Baofeng branded antenna 7”5. Belt clip, tether strap, manual6. Size7. Programmable using a FTDI cable (Btech and Mirkit) and the latest Chirp software. On this note, it was a breeze to clone the settings from the MK5 directly onto the XP.As for differences, here’s what the XP had that the MK5 did not:1. Battery 3000 (vs 1800 mAh)2. A Band button3. USB compatible charging cradle (vs AC wall wart)4. Larger, slightly heavier. It’s about an 1-1/2” longer which IMO, felt better in my hands and my kids. Surprisingly, it wasn’t significantly heavier.Other differences:The casing is different. Faceplate in the XP is more rounded with a flush LCD display. In comparison to the MK5, it has a more squarish look with a receded LCD screen. In addition, the XP has a chrome plate. Personally, I prefer the MK5 but to each their own.Another difference is that the base are slightly different. While the 1800 mAh battery is interchangeable between the XP and MK5, the 3000 mAh battery is not- it does NOT fit the MK5.Lastly, the charger base stations are different. The XP uses an USB charging cradle whereas the MK5 is the standard AC wall wart. IMO, the XP wins in the category. That said, there is a slight difference in power output- the XP cradle puts out 400 mA vs 500 mA on the MK5. So, in theory, the MK5 will charge about 25% faster than the XP does. Note that the XP and MK5 batteries can be charged by either cradle, so they are interchangeable.I lack the test equipment to test the actual transmit power output and I have not yet conducted a field test on range. I will do that soon and share my findings.Overall- based on the initial comparisons, the XP is an amazing value and the best bang for the buck. I bought the pair of XP’s for $56 vs a single MK5 for $40.

When I bought these radios, I was shopping for a pair of chargers for my UV-5R. As it turns out, the pair of these radios was only $15 more than the two chargers, so I bought the radios. That puts the radios at $7.50 each with extended batteries.The batteries do NOT fit the UV-5R, but the 5R batteries fit these 5XP radios perfectly.The standard duck antennas on these radios are noticeably better than the duck that came with the 5R, but the receive sensitivity on these radios compared to a very old Icom. But, what do you expect for 1/5th the price?These are knock-about radios, and I have yet to not be able to hear something where I needed the extra sensitivity of the more expensive radios.I live next right at 1 direct mile from the local repeater which is in the center of most of my stomping grounds, so I just leave it on 4 watts. I did get a chance to test it from a distance where it was reported that the 8 watts was an improvement to 4 watts.The belt clip still sucks. I purchased extra clips when I broke the one on the 5R when I first got it. The replacements are thicker plastic and more sturdy, but the steel pin still wants to slide out. I recently painted the pins with finger-nail polish to see if that would keep them from sliding, but I haven't used the belt clip since then so I don't know how well it works.I now have the 5RV and two of these 5XP radios, two working chargers, two standard battery packs and two extended battery packs. The standard batteries fit on all three radios perfectly. The extended batteries work on the 5XP radios but do not fit the 5R.After being charged, the standard batteries will charge for a very short time after being stored for one week, but the extended batteries won't even trigger the charger to charge at that time.I only used one of the radios extensively one day since I got them. That day, the battery indicator still showed a full charge and it when I checked on it 20 minutes after plugging it in to the charger. I usually leave one of the radios with a standard battery pack on my desk to monitor a rarely used local repeater. If I tune it to an FM Broadcast station, the radio will interrupt when the repeater transmits. I usually leave the radio on a rarely used local repeater frequency during the day, occasionally turning on broadcast radio for an hour or two. I randomly rotate batteries during the week, so I don't know how long the batteries last this way. However, I think I last rotated the batteries Friday, and today is Wednesday and the battery indicator shows full charge. I'll rotate the batteries today.I don't know how long the extended batteries work. I only used the radio in transmit heavily one day on the extended battery and 20 minutes after plugging it in the charger, it was charged.The FCC label is BOGUS! These radios are NOT FCC approved, therefore, they can only legally be used in the USA by Licensed Amateur Radio Operators within the Amateur Radio bands! NO EXCEPTION!The FM broadcast radio receiver sucks! They are pretty weak receivers, which means in this rural town, it only picks up about 3 stations clearly during the early morning and 2 during the rest of the day. Fortunately, one of those stations I like. In a city or near a radio station, you will probably not notice.When asking for quality reports from other hams, I am told that my audio is a little weak, and a bit bassy on one radio, and not the other, but I don't get any complaints when using it to communicate.I have two little "go kits" in bank zipper-bags (ask your bank for one, sometimes they give them to you for free, or you can buy them for about $3 at Walmart.) In each bag, I keep one radio, an extended battery pack, a duck and an extended antenna, and an earpiece mic. In one bag, I also have a hand speaker mic and programming cable.When I go somewhere, I usually have one radio with me, and the two packs in the car.

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