Review UV5R mini

Baofeng UV5R Mini

The UV5R Mini is the new miniaturized Baofeng 5W Dual Band handheld with 999 channels.

In the Box

- UV5R Mini Handheld
- 1600mAh Li-Ion battery w/USB-C charge port
- USB-C Charging Cable
- Belt clip
- Lanyard
- 3.5" Antenna – VHF & UHF

Note: Different Packages have different options:
     USB-C Charger (optional)
     Earpiece             (optional)
     Longer Antenna (optional)

Operation / Users Guide
     HERE (Under User Manual & CPS Software)

Frequency Summary
      78-108 (RX)
    108-136 (RX AM) using CHIRP SW
    136-174 (TX & RX)
    350-390 (RX)
    400-480 (TX & RX)
    480-520 (RX)
Note: This may vary based on the country and software

Features

1.44” color TFT Screen
999 Memory Channels (no channel banks)
5W Output Power
Broadcast FM
NOAA preprogrammed
Stopwatch
One Key frequency copy
Type C Battery Charging
App, Windows (CHIRP) programmable

Transmitter

The UV5R Mini has two power levels shown below. My audio reports have been excellent on both local repeaters and simplex.
Power levels listed below and were taken using a calibrated Bird Termaline wattmeter.

Receiver and Audio

The receiver sensitivity is very good. I found the receive audio is very good but a bit on the high pitch side due to the small speaker.

Aircraft Receive

This handheld is capable of receiving the Airband frequencies. The factory software will not allow the 108-136MHz band to be programmed, however these frequencies can be loaded using the CHIRP Software.

Channels / Zones

There are 999 channels. No channel zones are available.

Enclosure

The case has a solid feel and weight for its size. The dimensions are 4.2" x 2.0" x 1.5" (107 x 52 x 37mm) and weighs in 7.1oz (200g) with the battery attached. The display is a 1.44" TFT color.

click to enlarge

Keypad

The keypad buttons are pretty straight forward with the addition of a few Long Press keypad options. These functions are usually found as Programmable Key options.

Long Press options include:
- 0   (LP) Pre-Programmed NOAA Channels
- #   (LP) Starts & Stops Scan   (SP) DTMF mode
- *   (LP) Locks the Keypad       (SP) Changes TX/RX Mode

click to enlarge

Antenna

The handheld comes with a 4.5" dual band antenna shown below. The performance is good on both VHF and UHF but an enhanced antenna would be a definite improvement.

Top

The top has a basic configuration including the SMA antenna connection, flashlight and volume control.

click to enlarge

Side Keys

The first image shows the dual PTT and PK1. The PK1 only has 1 selectable option. A Long press opens the squelch while a Short press has 6 selectable options.
FM Radio, Scan, Search, VOX, Flashlight and SOS (flashlight).

The second image shows the standard K1 connector. This can be used for programming, remote Spkr/Micr, etc.

click to enlarge

Start Up Display

The standard Power On options are Logo and Battery Voltage, however the image is customizable. The required image format is 128w x 138h pix 24 bit BMP. The time duration however is less than a second. Not sure it's worth the effort.

Note: Factory software shows 128x128. This is incorrect.

Display

There are 3 display options that include Frequency, Name and Channel Number.
At this time there is no option for a single channel display.

NOAA

A long press of the zero '0' key switches the receiver to the NOAA weather channels.
A long press of the "#" key starts the scan of the 10 NOAA channels.
A short press returns radio back to transceiver mode.

A long press of the Menu key starts the stop watch option.

Search Frequency / Tone

Along with Channel Scanning and Frequency Range scanning, the UV5R Mini also has Frequency and Tone Scanning capabilities. When this option is selected, a nearby transmitter's frequency and CTCSS/DCS access tone will be displayed.
How Freq Search Works

GPS / Locator
The GPS function is not available in this model.

Software

There are currently three software options available for the UV5R Mini.

- Ola Radio app
        Bluetooth accessible. This app needs a lot of work.

- 5R Mini Factory Software
        Gets the job done but somewhat difficult to navigate.

- CHIRP Software    <<<
        Much preferred.


Airband Frequency List

A good reference to Aircraft Frequencies can be found at Frequency Lists.
The UV5R Mini will scan aircraft channels at a rate of approximately 5 to 6 channels per second.

Programming Cable

The UV5R Mini uses a K1 style cable where the UART chip is part of the cable. The standard K1 style jack allows for all previous accessories such as the QHM22 Spkr/Micr.

The preferred cable is one with an FTDI chip. (see below)

Battery and Charger

Included with the radio is either a 1600 or 2200 mAh battery. There is a USB-C charging port on the rear of the battery. There is also a USB wall charger available as an option. A standard USB-C cable can be used to charge from any USB power source. There is a charging indicator on the battery which shows Red while charging and Green when fully charged.

Note: This is a charging port for charging the radio's battery only. The USB-C port cannot be used as a power bank for charging other equipment such as cell phones, etc.

Summary

- Includes Airband (AM) receive capability (108-136MHz)
- 999 channels (no channel banks)
- USB-C battery charging
- Pre Programmed NOAA weather channels
- 3 Programming Options
CHIRP, App and Factory
- Small Size