BaoFeng UV-5RE Plus Dual-Band 136-174/400-480 MHz FM Ham Two-way Radio, Improved Stronger Case, More Rich and Enhanced Features (2013 Enhanced Version)

BaoFeng UV-5RE Plus Dual-Band 136-174/400-480 MHz FM Ham Two-way Radio, Improved Stronger Case, More Rich and Enhanced Features (2013 Enhanced Version)..

Grab Now BaoFeng UV-5RE Plus Dual-Band 136-174/400-480 MHz FM Ham Two-way Radio, Improved Stronger Case, More Rich and Enhanced Features (2013 Enhanced Version) By BaoFeng

Most helpful customer reviews

110 of 114 people found the following review helpful.
So-Called "Newer 2013 Model" Baofeng UV-5RA Models
By CDC
As a buyer of well-over 300 Baofeng radios (and counting) for the group I belong to (not all of which were purchased through Amazon but many were), I'm always amazed at the lengths some sellers go to to hype their products as being "newer" or "better" than other models, or perhaps (to give them the benefit of the doubt) they just don't know any better.

First, the Baofeng UV-5R series (including the original and still extremely popular UV-5R, I'll explain why in a minute) is what is normally referred to by many as a SDR radio (or software defined radio). While not a true SDR product (you can't use it with your computer to control the radio's functions or scan a wide amount of VHF/UHF frequencies with it), none the less a large chip is programmed on the circuit board built inside each radio. That chip determines what capability the radio itself can perform.

Every UV-5R series radio has the ability to transmit from 136-174 MHz on VHF and from 400-520 MHz on UHF in both narrow-band and wide-band modes (very useful for the occasional FRS or MURS use, which requires narrow-band mode to work correctly).

Every model does "at least" 4W on VHF/UHF from the factory, but occasionally you'll get a batch that does 4.5W or even 5W out, but the difference between 4W and 5W is minimal at best. A 4W radio with a better antenna will easily outperform a 5W radio with the standard crappy antenna that Baofeng ships on ALL (including the UV-5RA, -5RAX, and -5RAX+) models.

Baofeng DOES NOT program those chips any differently for the UV-5R vs. any other UV-5R series (including the UV-5RA). Version 307 of the firmware (which is the most current release I have in any of my radios) works EXACTLY the same way as previous older releases of firmware at least back to the 295 release (over a year ago), so any claim from a seller that this release provides additional features (at least from a user's perspective) is simply BOGUS, since the firmware inside both radios have the same features. In fact, my UV-5R radios with the 307 firmware release is EXACTLY the same radio (inside and within the firmware) as my UV-5RA radios with the 307 firmware release.

Second, you CANNOT in any way upgrade the firmware (unless you count buying a different radio and it comes with a different firmware release), so again the claim in the listing from some sellers that you can is simply BOGUS.

Third, you can believe that two thinner pieces (glued or screwed together on the faceplate of the UV-5RA) is somehow stronger than one thicker piece of plastic (on the original UV-5R series) if you like (and maybe it is), but I haven't seen that in real-world use from my own UV-5RA units. The standard UV-5R units that we use seem to hold up just as well (when dropped in the desert dirt or rolling down a hill) as any other Baofeng radio we own and use.

Fourth, and my biggest issue with all of the non-standard UV-5RA, UV-5RAX and UV-5RAX+ units, is that NONE of the Baofeng battery accessories (except the little 1800 mAh standard battery) work WITHOUT modification (unless you use a Dremel tool to grind or cut off part of your extended battery that works on the standard UV-5R - but won't work on your UV-5RA, UV-5RAX or UV-5RAX+).

Getting new UV-5RA units that don't work with Extended 3800 mAh batteries (without modification) doesn't make my group happy. That may not bother you, but NONE of the sellers of the non-standard UV-5RA, UV-5RAX, and UV-5RAX+ units ever seem to mention that lack of hardware compatibility in their listings, so buyer beware!

BTW, NONE of the "AA" or "AAA" battery shell packs work on the UV-5RA, UV-5RAX, or UV-5RAX+ units either, so that's 3 different battery accessories (including the 3800 mAh extended battery) that you can't use on these radios without hacking them with a Dremel tool (but they all work without modification on the original UV-5R units).

So "if" you want a "pretty" radio (as my wife calls it), buy one of the various versions of the UV-5RA (or -5RAX, or -5RAX+) with the shiny face plate and live with the fact that you'll be modifying ALL of the battery accessories you buy later in order to get them to work. Oh, you should see how well that shiny faceplate lights up when a flashlight hits it in the dark, just the thing you don't want for night use.

Virtually every guy in our group ends up carrying a standard UV-5R and giving the UV-5RA, -5RAX, or -5RAX+ to the wife or kids, since the wife and/or kids rarely care about the other accessories working and they (the wife and kids) tend to like the "pretty" radios, but again there is NO INTERNAL difference and NO EXTRA FEATURES in the UV-5RA, -5RAX, or -5RAX+ units (other than a different looking shiny faceplate) vs. the original and still wildly popular UV-5R (which I refer to as the M16 of radios, as all the accessories you match it up with just plain work).

Now you know the real background on these radios.

72 of 73 people found the following review helpful.
Great Radio...Great Price.
By Ice
Been a ham operator for 36 years and have seen and used all sorts of radios. This one is really good for the price.
Really can not believe they are so cheap in price.

Radio has some of the loudest receive audio in an HT then I have ever heard. Audio output is 1000mW which equals 1 watt. Transmit audio is clear and crisp. Radio for me was easy to program, granted you should do some reading in advance and use appropriate cable drivers and software. I preferred to use "Chirp" software as it is less troublesome then BaoFengs own software.
I had ready programmed by second day of use. Programmed in many ham repeaters and local fire and police frequencies. Through the software, I was able to program alpha tags for each frequency in memory. You can program up to seven alphanumeric names per memory channel. Through software, I programmed all ham repeaters to be skipped when I am in scan mode. This enabled me to only scan my local police and fire frequencies. My computer is using Windows 7 Professional software.

The cable I used was Baofeng Programming Cable for BAOFENG UV-5R/5RA/5R Plus/5RE, UV3R Plus, BF-888S (Newest Version, Support WIN7,64 Bit). B00CP0I474
This one is the one made by BaeFeng with proper Prolific chip in cable. Others might have issues with counterfeit Prolific chip in cable. I did not want to take a chance with cheaper cable, so I bought the one I just mentioned.

Make sure you use correct Prolific chip driver. I used Prolific PL-2303 Drivers 3.2.0.0
System Requires 32 / 64 bit Windows Vista / 7 / 8. Check out [...]

These sites have lots of great info:

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Hope this helps all who are thinking about this radio. It has exceeded my expectations.

PS. Also has FM radio built in....works well.

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful.
More than you expect for $50, but not perfect
By William R. Sweeney
The UV5R is a miracle. How can so many features be sold for so little?
What you get is a pretty decent in-town repeater radio.
It's no Kenwood or ICOM, but it does work.
It's tiny antenna isn't so great for rural repeater or simplex use.

Pro:
Decent sound/transmit audio.
Seems well made, good guality feel transceiver.
Talking prompts for buttons for night.
Good battery life
Uses Kenwood HT accessories
Can actually hit the satellites with dual band
Works with CHIRP shareware programming software(still in beta only)
FM radio and light can be useful

Con:
Low gain OEM duck, reverse SMA connector limits replacements
Cheap charger has easily bent/broken contacts. No car charger available.
Incredibly bad manual, complex to program manually
Poor included software
Transmit for more than a few minutes, and the screen goes dark (LCD temperature issue)
USB programming cable is often made with counterfeit chips, may have issues with Win7 driver install
USB response does not always work, buggy upload/download, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't
Seems a bit sensitive to impulse noise.
Firmware not upgradable, new firmware is already out but older radios may not have it

But hey, its a knock around who cares about it radio for $50. REALLY

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Philips Rich Bass Neckband Headphones SHS5200/28 (Replaces SHS5200)

Philips Rich Bass Neckband Headphones SHS5200/28 (Replaces SHS5200)..

Grab Now Philips Rich Bass Neckband Headphones SHS5200/28 (Replaces SHS5200) By Philips

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207 of 213 people found the following review helpful.
Great
By Ethan Jacobs
I wear these a lot , cause I walk dogs for a living. There are three great things about this product.

1. The bass quality is superb, I compared it to my old headset, which I threw out into the highway. It's because there is more airflow allowed to the speaker via three ducts

2. The cord is nylon wound.. yeah. it is not going to strip easily and is really durable.

3. Phillips attached a piece of elastic to give some added 'give' in case of random tugs. It works, and has save me about 7 times in a week.

The design is great too, they are comfortable, but not after a LONG time.
you wouldn't want them (or any behind the head phones) on a plane.

A great buy, they're gonna last too.

73 of 74 people found the following review helpful.
The full rundown
By Steve Sanchez
I read a lot of the reviews before buying, they were helpful, but there were a few things I don't recall seeing. I always assume the more expensive the better, but these suprised me. I'v owned high end Bose, Sony, Sennheiser, not saying these are the same, but for the price they are incredibly clear. The highs and mids come through crisp.

The cord on one end is perfect, and you may not see in the pic, but it is a threaded cord, not rubber, which is great because I have had other cords chewed on by cats and even my toddle in the past.

The fit is a little tight because these are non-adjustable, the reflective part of the band in the back is flexible so that is how it adjusts, otherwise you are stuck with one size fits all. And it isn't really all that reflective.

The foam on the earpiece is so comfortable, it is like a stiff foam, it does not seem like it will start crumbling apart or peeling. I use there exclusively for exercising, and these do not make my ears sweaty at all, even when I am dripping in it.

The only reason I gave four stars is because, and I did not see this anywhere, they are open air. That means anyone around you can hear what you are listening, I mean word for word. I would not have bought these for that reason. I have guilty plessure for some music like anyone may (Lady Gaga) and I don't want people hearing what I am listeing to, but they will. You just have to consider how loud the music in the gym is, or if you are outside even better. But I figure with so many other people wearing theres, they may not hear yours. I know this open design is for increased airflow (eliminate sweat) and increse the bass (which it does) so you get to take the good with the bad.

They sound good, look good, the threaded cord on one side is perfect, the foam is very comfortable but stern, but that open air design suck, but for the price I am going to keep then. The price is just to good not to keep them, even if I look for high end models later. If these were closed ear, that would have been it for me, score. But, these are good, really good, you will be suprised because the price, but get them, they are better than the price being asked.

202 of 215 people found the following review helpful.
A great set of headphones, but with a weak headphone jack
By Amazon Customer
In the past I have had absolutely no problems with these headphones at all. In it's original form they were rugged and took all kinds of abuse, and it took me 2 1/2 years to finally wear out the last pair I had with the original type of jack (the grey version which jutted in an L-shape), which I did modify by removing a small bit of the connector in order to use it with my iPhone without a problem. The audio quality has been consistent and good and I couldn't ask more from a headphone set which cost me only around $15 on average.

However in the last ten months, I have purchased three sets of this model, and managed to break them all in some way, because of a simple change.

In order to get a "Made for iPhone" mark, Philips changed out the hardy grey L-shaped jack connector for a black one designed to fit the first-gen iPhone socket which is best described as utilitarian at best. The rubber used to create the jack is certainly not on par at all with the original model and is incredibly malleable compared to the original model. The first two sets ended up having the portion where the jack and the cord connected broken, causing the audio to stutter. The third set, the actual jack broke in half without too much pressure applied after an accidental hard pull. This is unacceptable for me as I use it in many settings, including my iPhone, my iPod, and a laptop.

Until Philips addresses the problems with the current generation model with the current jack, I cannot recommend purchasing what is otherwise a fine set of headphones. I'm really hoping as the first-gen iPhones find their way to the dustbin of history and you can now connect any set of headphones to later iPhones that Philips brings back the original connector type. I really prefer the L connector to the current cheap straight connector which has only caused me to switch brands after four years of loyal use for these headphones.

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