I'm going to dispell much of my fellow operators opinions about this unit.Please ignore comments made in the Ask A Question section..A majority of commenters are inciting fear, because this unit is actually quite good if set up correctly. Thier sore spot is the fact that this unit can do things normal radios are not supposed to do.Here is my review...1. This radio IS FCC approved..but not fully.2. The 8 watt claim is more like 7.4- 7.6 watt, but this is still excellent for such a little radio.3. You DO need a license to talk on the ham radio frequencies, but you do not need one to talk on the FRS/GMRS frequencies.4. Manually programming this is a pain..but not impossible. I highly recommend getting the cable and using chrip.5. The mic sucks..( an additional reason for the trash talk) a new PTT ( push to talk) is highly recommended.6. The antenna ( rubber duckie) is actually quite good.7. The housing is plastic..not metal, so if your close to other radios..it will experience issues.An additional issue is since this is a plastic housing significant drops will damage this radio.8. Battery life is EXCELLENT.9. The interface buttons are small..with tiny letters. This is a give and take..I personally being older with fat fingers find this annoying.My wife however finds no issue.Overall this is a excellent prepper/ beginner radio.Yes, it has it's down sides, but what radio doesn't.