This is the K5 Plus after a real day, not the bench. He programmed it in the CHIRP video and took it to Hamvention. He pulls the antenna off before he puts an eye out with it.
One Bar After Friday
Friday morning, about 6 a.m., leaving the hotel, he turned it on. It stayed on until about 5 or 6 p.m. Most of that was receive. He transmitted a few times. It was not put on a charger. It rode in the side of his backpack.
Channel mode. One bar left. The power-on screen said 7 volts. He is fine with that. The pack still charges on USB-C, and that port still will not program the radio. It did the job he needed and had juice at the end. Tonight it has to be reprogrammed. He wants a couple of local repeaters in it.
The Headset Goes in the Trash
The free headset is the complaint. In his words it is garbage, and he says it twice. The little box cuts out at the button every time a wire moves. Walking, it sometimes hits transmit by itself. Audio on a conversation drops in and out. He is throwing it away and buying a decent one. If you need a headset, do not plan on the one in the box.
The radio itself, after a day of actual use instead of shop tests, he still puts at $32 from Radioddity. The description has a coupon. That is the review. The backpack test is the part he wanted on camera.
Transcript
He is back on the Baofeng K5 Plus, as a follow-up to the programming video. He takes the antenna off before he pokes himself in the eye with it. They took the radio to Hamvention, programmed from the last video. Friday he turned it on about 6 a.m. leaving the hotel and used it all day, mostly receive, with a few transmissions. It has not been charged. He thinks he turned it off around 5 or 6 p.m. He checks what is left. Channel mode. One bar. The power-on screen showed 7 volts. He calls that not bad.
The battery is USB-C. He still wishes that port programmed the radio. It does not. For the way he used it, the pack lasted the day and still had a charge. He has to reprogram it for something that night, a couple of local repeaters.
The gripe is the free headset. He does not think it should be in the box. It cuts in and out at the button when you move one of the wires. Walking, it sometimes transmits on its own. Conversations cut in and out. He is throwing it away and buying a better one. If you need a headset, do not rely on the included one.
After a real day, in the side of a backpack, not a bench test, he still likes it at $32, from Radioddity, with the coupon in the description. He asks for questions and signs off.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long did the battery last?
All of Friday at Hamvention, from about 6 a.m. at the hotel to about 5 or 6 p.m., with no charge in between. Mostly receive, a few times on transmit, in the side of a backpack. When he turned it on for the video it still had one bar, and the power-on screen showed 7 volts.
What was wrong with the headset?
The free one in the box. Audio cut in and out at the button whenever a wire moved. Walking sometimes made it transmit on its own. Conversations dropped in and out. He is throwing it away. If you need a headset, he says buy one. Do not count on the included piece.
Can you program it from the USB-C port?
No. USB-C charges the battery. Programming is still the other jack. He said the same thing in the first look at the radio. He also needs to wipe the Hamvention channels and put in a couple of local repeaters for that night.