Retevis RT85 Long Range High Power Ham Radios - Dual Band Walkie Talkies with VFO, DTMF & VOX - Emergency Preparedness Handheld Radios with Flashlight - Perfect for Camping, Hunting & Family Survival Gear (2 Pack)

For years, hams have chosen the venerable Baofeng UV5R as "the cheap HT of choice" for good reason. After buying these Retevis RT85's though, spending some time playing with one, and closely examining it's performance and features I have to say there's a new sheriff in town. While the UV5R isn't a "bad" cheap HT, the RT85 is better in EVERY way I feel. Let's start with the PRICE. For $29.99 (I caught them on sale for $23.99) for a PAIR, you're basically buying one and getting one free. Even the cheapest UV5R I've ever seen was $19.99 and that was just for one. All of the features are pretty much the same as any other dual band HT. CTCSS encode/decode, scan, memories, CHIRP programmability, included drop in charger, etc. The scan speed is certainly "slow", but that isn't a problem unless you have 50,000 memories programmed in and use the scan feature a lot. I don't. My biggest balk, albeit a small one, is that the battery does not have USB-C charging capability like many of the newer handhelds do these days. I think there's a spare/replacement battery out there though that will fir the RT85 that does have a USB-C port on it. A minor inconvenience, but none the less, if we are picking it apart, I might as well mention it.Even the BELT CLIP is better quality than that of the UV5R, which, let's be realistic here, doesn't say much.The RT85 out of the box does not come with GMRS/MURS transmit capabilities. You can program the frequencies, and you can even press PTT and the radio will transmit, but it will NOT be on the programmed frequency. However.. There is a specific keypad sequence you can use to unlock it. Google is your friend.Some key points that I REALLY like, the antenna connector is a STANDARD SMA. Not the wonky SMA male like the Baofengs have. So any "normal" SMA antenna will work with it. A nice touch, because the included antenna is mediocre, but works fair. An upgraded "big daddy" antenna will definitely be a nice accessory though. Obviously, CHIRP programs these too which is a big plus and makes thing easy. The display is also STUPID bright on it's highest setting which makes seeing it outdoors easy. It is dimmable though so you don't need a welder's helmet to look at it. The biggest for me is HOW IT FEELS in the hand. It doesn't fee cheap. Sure, it isn't a Motorola Astro Saber, but it feels solid. It feels better than a Baofeng. I'll go out on a limb here and state It feels comparable to my Icom IC-V86, which is an absolute unit.For the price, you cannot go wrong, and even at a higher price point, you STILL wouldn't go wrong because it's just all around a better handheld than the UV5R ever thought about trying to be.