Upgraded BaoFeng UV-5R 8Watt Ham Radio Handheld - Dual Band Walkie Talkie with 1800mAh Battery & 771 Long Antenna - Full Kit Included for Outdoor Adventures, Emergency Communication & Hobbyist Use

I wanted to plan for communication after a natural disaster or hurricanes when all the cell towers get knocked out.The radio works so far. But the FM function did not work. Also I did not receive the whip antenna pictured and described in the add. I will use it for a scanner instead of sending it back.I like this radioIf your a new HAM looking for your first radio, or a seasoned HAM looking for a budget walk around radio look no further. This radio does just about everything you need without breaking the bank.First off this radio is quick and easy to get up and running using the included headphone/mic to USB cable and CHIRP software (choose the BaoFeng 5R radio in CHIRP). CHIRP allows you to search databases for repeaters and other transmitters in your area and quickly add them to your radio as well as backup your radio or clone to another radio.The radio itself has killer battery life if your prone to leaving it on all day to monitor the airwaves. I tested mine over the coarse of several days with the radio being left on for around 12 hours a day and even after 2 days the battery had barely dropped a bar. It has a second battery and a stand up charger so you will be running forever..The radio also gets out there pretty far for a handheld radio but the 8 watt output plus the better long antenna really helps. I was able to hit repeaters that are close to 20 miles away without much issue.Over all this is a solid little radio with a ton of features and power, and comes with everything you need to get up and talking. So I would definitely recommend this radio.great value, full kit includedReceived the radio promptly. It functions very well. The audio is very good. However, the push-to-talk button on the earpiece does not key the transmitter, so it is only useful as an earphone. Also, the #771 long antenna was not included as advertised.Was surprised at the distance I got between the two radios talking and being able to set channel frequencies without needing to be connected to software, for a beginner the manual you get is worthless for what can be done with this and the shoulder mic that comes with it doesn’t work to well.. if your talking and the plug gets pulled slightly the mic becomes dead I had to use rubber bands to keep it in.. the ear buds worked great thoughThis is a well build radio. AND this is a super deal. I ordered it to use as a police & fire scanner.The "Chirp" software and the radio does not offer a pause or lock out feature. The only way to lock out a frequency is to delete it using the key pads on the radio. OR, opening up the software, deleting the frequency and then uploading the new frequencies to the radio.It is acceptable to interference that breaks the squelch while driving down the road. I also ordered a shorter antenna. It quiets the radio down. However, you loose about half of the received distance. It works great! Love it.The battery life is great. No worries having two batteries. I ordered the larger battery. Wish I didn't. It really adds weight and size to the radio.So far, so good. Really wish it had a frequency lockout and pause feature. Even a primary frequency option would be nice.For the price. This is a pretty nice radio. Fun to pay with.