From the Channel: Baofeng 5RM Quick Start

Unboxed a Baofeng 5RM and do not want to read a 40-page manual first? This is the written version of the channel quick-start — the buttons and workflows worth knowing on day one.

Video: Quick start for the baofeng 5RM (December 24, 2024)

What the 5RM is

The UV-5RM is an upgraded Baofeng handheld — larger color display, USB-C charging, 999 channels, NOAA weather receive, one-key frequency copy, and CHIRP support (choose the 5RM profile when programming). In the video it is the radio I was carrying daily at the time: compact enough for EDC, capable enough for ham and GMRS work once programmed.

Display and dual-watch

The screen shows two lines — in my setup the top line is the channel name and the bottom line is the frequency. You can run dual-watch so both sides listen, or focus on one. The A/B button moves the red MAIN indicator between top and bottom; whichever side is MAIN is where you transmit.

Practical tip from the video: keep a busy local repeater locked on top, and scan your memory channels on the bottom with a long-press on #. Activity on the top repeater or anything the scan hits will pause and let you listen. Press # again to stop scanning.

Buttons you will actually use

• Side PTT (short press): AM/FM broadcast receive — already tuned in the demo.
• Bottom black button (short): Flashlight / strobe.
• Bottom black button (long press): Monitor — opens squelch so you can hear weak signals without changing your squelch setting.
• Lime-green button (short): Toggles Channel mode vs VFO mode.
• Lime-green button (long press): One-key frequency copy — hold near another transmitting radio to clone its frequency and tone data.
• Menu (green): Settings for the active frequency — offsets, tones, and saving to memory.
• Long-press *: Keypad lock / unlock.
• Long-press 0: NOAA weather band — scans weather channels if nothing is immediately readable.

VFO vs channel mode

VFO mode: Type a frequency directly (example in the video: 443.000). VFO scanning works but is slow — the radio steps in small increments across the band. Use the up/down arrows to change scan direction; # stops the scan.

Channel mode: Jump to a programmed memory by channel number (example: channel 123 might be a 147 MHz repeater). This is how you operate day-to-day once programming is done.

Saving a frequency to memory

1. Enter the frequency in VFO (or receive it via frequency copy).
2. Press Menu — the radio remembers where you were in the menu last time.
3. Find option 30 (save to channel).
4. Use the arrow keys to pick an empty channel slot — do not overwrite an existing memory by accident.
5. Press the green button to confirm, exit with the red button, switch back to Channel view, and verify the save.

Need a repeater offset or CTCSS/DCS tone? Set those in the menu before saving. The video walks through saving to channel 207 after checking that 206 was the last used slot in that bank.

Programming from a computer

The side panel has a standard Kenwood 2-pin jack. A USB programming cable plus CHIRP is the faster path for a full channel plan — import from RadioReference, paste from a spreadsheet, or start with the Tri-Cities frequency guide and CHIRP CSV.

First settings I change on every new Baofeng: turn off voice channel announcements, Roger beep, and keypad beeps. Your household will thank you.

Weather band caveat

NOAA receive is a genuine upgrade over older UV-5R models. In the video, indoor interference made weather sound bad — that was location-specific, not a knock on the radio. Test outside or near a window before you judge sensitivity.

Bottom line

The 5RM is still a Baofeng — learn the handful of buttons above and you can operate on simplex or repeaters the same day it arrives. For a full local channel plan, pair the radio with CHIRP and the free GMRS card or East TN frequency list. Gear link: BTECH / Baofeng Tech (affiliate).

Want another radio covered this way? Send a note or comment on the video.

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