BaoFeng Dual Band Two Way Radio

Last updated: December 31, 2019


The BaoFeng Dual Band Two Way Radio is a handheld scanner that can pick up 128 channels. The low price on this model makes it popular with those who simply want to give scanning a try. You can also customize your channel names, giving them names that mean something to you. There can be a bit of a learning curve with this model, though, making it not as ideal for beginners.

BaoFeng Dual Band Two Way Radio

We looked at the top Police Scanners and dug through the reviews from some of the most popular review sites. Through this analysis, we've determined the best Police Scanner you should buy.

Product Details

Key Takeaway: While not the best model for beginners, this police scanner can be customized, making it an attractive choice for intermediate users.

In our analysis of 57 expert reviews, the BaoFeng Dual Band Two Way Radio placed 7th when we looked at the top 13 products in the category. For the full ranking, see below.

From The Manufacturer

The BaoFeng UV-5R is a compact hand held transceiver providing 4 watts in the frequency range of 136- 174 MHz and 400-480 MHz. It is a compact, economical HT that includes special VHF receive band from 65 – 108 MHz which includes the regular FM broadcast band. Dual watch and dual reception is supported. The transceiver is a micro-miniature multiband FM transceiver with extensive receive frequency coverage, providing local-area two-way amateur communications along with unmatched monitoring capability.

Expert Reviews


What reviewers liked

Combines wonderful functional and operational features with a reasonable price.
Going for just $24, you get 128 channels and a frequency range of 136 to 174. You can customize the names of the channels and monitor 2 different frequencies.
This handset is strong and sturdy and has been built keeping in mind rough usage. The device’s ergonomic design and respectable looks are one of the best features.
The build quality is quite solid. This device has survived 3-4 drops so far, and it is still working fine.
It has three-way (FM, VHF & UHF) radio wave reception with complete frequency coverage.

What reviewers didn't like

This device might make an impression of being too complex to use.
Can be difficult to program.
Manual programming could be a lot better.
This has its downsides as well. For example, one option the software has that is not available through manual programming is to disable a stored channel for the scan function.
The only drawback we found in BaoFeng UV-5R is, it’s battery power. It can run in 1500 mAh batteries, which can last for 12-18 hours based on the power mood.
View our Police Scanner buying guide for in-depth advice and recommendations.

From our partners