The
Baofeng UV-5R +Plus is a cheap amateur radio handy-talky (HT) that is
NOT type-approved by the FCC to operate on unlicensed
FRS (Family Radio Service) frequencies, nor is it type-approved by the FCC to operate on licensed
GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) frequencies. Both of these services have very strict transmitter power and antenna limitations as well as requiring type-approval by the FCC, which the Baofeng import does not have.
Read this Wiki for further enlightenment.
I don't know much about radios, but we use frequencies between 150.000 and 450.000 my antenna rated at 136-174/400-520MHz
Licensed radio amateurs (Hams) and the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) know a LOT about radios and how the frequency spectrum from DC to light is parceled out and regulated by the FCC. The amateur radio portion of that spectrum is minute compared to all the others using the entire spectrum, but it is jealously guarded lest it be taken away from us.
Because the FCC is under-staffed and under-funded for its task of policing the radio frequency spectrum, Hams self-police their allocations of spectrum. So, your use of unlicensed and illegal transmitters will likely go unnoticed until some Ham notices your presence, or until you infringe on the spectrum someone else is entitled to use. Once a report of illegal or interfering operation has been filed with the FCC, it will eventually get investigated. This is a lottery you do not want to win.
Your FD should have licensed transceivers (for its base station) and licensed HTs for its volunteers. Stick with those, even if the Chinese import does appear capable to operate on your assigned frequencies (channels), which are not amateur radio frequencies. Licensed Hams can do whatever they want to their BaoFeng HTs, such as adding external amplifiers and multi-element directional antennas, but Hams too are restricted to operating within their assigned frequency limits and maximum power output. In general, modifying or adding an external antenna is not something that can be legally done to a type-approved FRS or GMRS radio.
You might also want to read this article on
MURS (Multi-Use Radio Service) which is similar to Citizen's Band radio but operating on just five channels with 2 W maximum power output. And
here is a discussion about using the BaoFeng HT on MURS.
Hop - AC8NS