Update June 18, 2024 - We no longer carry Baofeng products, and our support for this brand is retired..

We receive a lot of support requests regarding the installation, operation and troubleshooting of Baofeng products, most notably the Baofeng programming cable and software. Interestingly, many of these queries come from folks who didn't buy the products from us. They may purchase their amateur radios and accessories new or used from an auction site, other online retailer or a company based in China, then contact us for support. Some find us by searching for support resources on the web, some mistake us for the manufacturer, but a surprising number of folks are sent to us by the very entities who sold them the Baofeng radios and accessories - our competitors!

Programming the Baofeng UV-5R can be accomplished easily with the Baofeng programming cable and CHIRP software. However, if the correct programming cable and driver are not used, it can become an issue. Unfortunately, counterfeit radios and cables exist and it is not uncommon to receive a clone or counterfeit product from an unauthorized reseller. This is why it is important to verify the validity and source of the equipment before you purchase it.

If you did not purchase your Baofeng radios from Buy Two Way Radios, please understand that we were once a Baofeng dealer. We were not the manufacturer. Although we did sell Baofeng products and the licensed amateur operators on our staff do tested and used them, we did not design or make the radios ourselves, and we no longer sell Baofeng products, so we are unable to provide support for them, especially if the products were not purchased from us. While we are unable to support products purchased from our direct competitors and other retailers, we do support products purchased from us, such as TYT and Wouxun.

We no longer sell Baofeng radios, and do not support them. If you need support for Baofeng products such as the UV-5R, we still have a few legacy resources for Baofeng radios that are available to the general public. These resources are listed below.

From our blog:
A Real Baofeng UV-5R Owners Manual
How to install the Baofeng USB cable driver and software

From our podcast:
The Two Way Radio Show TWRS-54 - An Introduction To Amateur Radio (This episode features a review of the Baofeng UV-5R)
TWRS-67 - The 2013 Rock Hill Hamfest (This episode features a review of the Baofeng BF-F9)

From our videos:
Baofeng UV-5R Amateur Radio Unboxing
How to connect the Baofeng UV-5R amateur radio to the Tram 1185 mobile antenna
How to check the firmware version of the Baofeng UV-5R

You can also request assistance in our Two Way Radio Forum, a support community of two way radio experts and enthusiasts. The forum is online 24/7 and is monitored by our staff at Buy Two Way Radios.

The Open Source project known as CHIRP is used to program Baofeng radios. More information about CHIRP is available at http://chirp.danplanet.com/projects/chirp/wiki/Home and complete instructions for programming the Baofeng UV-5R are available at http://www.miklor.com.