MP31 GMRS Radio Handheld Two Way Radio, Waterproof Rechargeable Walkie Talkies with NOAA Scanning & Receiving, GMRS Repeater Capable, 2-in-1 Type-C Charging Cable, Earpieces, 2 Pack

This radio is one of the best GMRS radios you will find. The price is right and you get two radios. I have bought over 10 sets of these and have given them to neighbors so we can have a way to communicate when the power or phones go down. We use them daily with a neighborhood check in. The radio is powerful and the sound is clear and strong. Charges quickly and charge lasts a couple of days with constant monitoring.

I've recently been bit hard by the GMRS bug and have bought a dozen or so radios from Baofeng, Tidradio, Motorola, Midland, Radioddity, B-Tech, etc. All these companies make good radios at various price points and features, but none really nail the "family radio" market. For the money and features, these BAOFENG MP31 radios are a steal in my opinion. What makes them the Goldilocks of GMRS radios for the family is as follows: Simple to use: Far too many radios force you into submenu hell and therefore if you don't have the manual handy (or incredible memory and recollection), you'll never figure out what to do. I love that these radios have no menus at all, and have only three buttons and a knob: push to talk, channel up, channel down, and knob for power and value. Waterproof or at least water-resistant: You'd be surprised how hard this is to come by in a low-cost GMRS radio USB-C charging with a splitter for convenient dual radio charging. This is so simple and so handy. Lastly, detachable antenna in case you want to upgrade to a tuned antenna for better range and/or clarity. My son and I are loving these BAOFENG MP31s.

Basic GMRS radios that’s easy to use. I was able to reach a repeater that’s about 18 miles away if I was outside. It was scratchy, but it did connect. I plan to keep these in our camper for campground communications.

Bought them for the 2024 Solar Eclipse (expected clogged cell towers) and they worked well over several km range.

Best bang-for-your-buck GMRS radios, can't beat ~$26 for the pair. Puts out 2 watts on the appropriate channels, and with a programming cable (not included), you can set privacy tones and get connected to local repeaters. The MP31 software locks the bandwidth and frequency settings, but if you save the setting to .xml and edit that in a text editor and re-open the edited .xml, you can change a few more settings. In a neighborhood setting, very clear radio-to-radio communication to a park 0.5-0.75mi away, and even a mile down the road (nearly line-of-sight). Can hear repeaters 20+ miles away (flat ground, but not line-of-sight), but doesn't have enough TX power to be heard clearly (still very static-y at that distance). There are contact points for these to be charged on a dock instead of USB-C, but I have not yet found a dock that fits. If anyone knows of one, that would be good info to have.

For family urban local 1 mile communications, it’s ok, but only 2 watts max. Battery will only last 6 hrs according to the manufacturer manual so buy extra batteries. This is not an emergency radio in any way. It is how ever water tight, not water proof so your ok in rain and snow. It is very small and light weight, but durable and should hold up well. If you’re looking for SHTF radio, go bigger and bigger batteries. This has only 1 size. It’s GMRS and requires a FCC license to use. Good thing is the license is just a form and $35 feet for 10 years and cover everyone in your family under that license. So, for the fair, camping in groups or a mile or so range, it’s ok. But not a survival radio.

Early days, not thoroughly field tested yet. But, they are simple and easy to use, compact, have a sold feel, and definitely transmit clearly from inside a large masonry building to outside. So far so good. Bought a second pair to have a set of 4 and they all communicate out of the box no issues. Sound is as clear as far more expensive Motorolas I’m accustomed to at work.

I bought these for fly fishing when my buddy and I get pretty spread out on remote rivers. Our previous walkie-talkies were ruined when they went for a swim. If these are supposed to be waterproof. So far, they have only been splashed, but they are working well.