The UV17R is probably not the best option out there. A similar radio with better emisssions and Airband is the BF18H (UV-18R), Check it out on my playlist! ua-cam.com/play/PLQQNWPUnngvfbCqE7gqjyVR4ITBNh1dJz.html
Im going to let all you hams in on a little secret. 90% of the uv-5rs being sold for the last 2yrs, has been brought by, not hams but people getting ready for a tactical situation. Ee are not here to step on the ham toes. We are just looking for cheap communication that works great at 1 to 10mil. These are training aids to us. So to all the hams, we appreciate you. If something ever gose down, we will have the capability to hear hams give information that will be crucial to Americans lives.
@@smug_cat1Ukraine...🤦😑😖🙈🙉🙊. Russia cannot lose sorry to tell yas and America we can't foot Little man's Big boat and his ole lady's jewelry shopping sprees anymore we're tapped out before we ever started. Make peace and get over the ego or whatever the furtherence of the insanity is, behind battling Russia ffs it's not gone happen. GOD speed y'all.
Wise response. Ham is no longer a hobby to show off technical knowledge. It's becoming a means to an end for people who are building 10 other skill sets concurrent to Ham radio.
Boy, I'm glad I didn't watch this before I bought my UV-17 Pro...because it's a year later and now it does have GPS, does have USB-C charging, came unlocked from the factory, does receive air band and it does work with CHIRP. Oh, and there are 10 banks to organize those 999 memories, which is HUGE. It works well on 2m/1.25m/70cm as well as GMRS frequencies. But a year ago, every point you made was valid and some still are. Especially about the color screen, it would be nice if we could actually do something with it! But for $22 at Aliexpress I'm giving all of my older Baofengs away. Sounds to me like they listened to you though, most of your points have been addressed!
@@HAMRADIODUDE I've got proper radios as well, but it's nice to have a couple knockabout rigs that I won't cry over if I drop them in the lake while kayaking. It does not do APRS. The GPS is pretty basic but it does acquire satellites quickly, even indoors. And at that silly price, I can't complain about its numerous shortcomings. Hey, I really appreciate your videos and contributions to the hobby. My 3D printer arrives today, your antenna winder will be among my first prints.
12:12 - "And as I told Baofang . Firmware fixes could do a lot of this. It just seems that they're not interested in fixing anything." Tells me everything I need to know.
I have the Baofeng UV-17 Pro with gps. I actually like the feel and the operation of the radio. A Kenwood, Yaesu, Icom, or Alinco it isn't however, it wasn't the cost of the others either. Yes the gps does work but not a lot you can do with it. It seems to me that Baofeng may be going the wrong direction with all these new models after the UV-17 Pro/gps. But that's just my option. Keep up the nice videos and thank you for all the time and effort you put into them. 73's N4ZDX
Not sure about not been able to do much with the GPS. I mean for $40, you have a potencial life saving feature. Seen your coordinates and calling for help with your precise location. I mean that’s a huge advantage over all others specially for the price range. SHTF situations GPS could be life saving. Just my opinion though.
@@darrellbeard2799 You are able to send your co-ordinates to other UV-17 GPS radios. It can actually "request" co-ordinates from another radio. There's not a lot of info online that I could find but it seems the compass view will also display the relative position of the other radio along with distance between them (I'll have to verify this when mine arrives). IMO That is a game changing feature at this price point ($40 CAD as of today).
Yeah, the UV5R had amazing appeal when it first came out ! It brought a lot of guys back into the hobby. That radio is just a FCC approved version hopefully keep them in the game !
@@johnwuest1412I'm not sure what Eric was talking about, but I do know that the uv5r is not approved by FCC to be used for GMRS. What I have heard is that the newer (last couple years) uv5r have to be modified to use GMRS.
I’ve had mine a few months and I feel it’s a definite upgrade from the 5r. Love the display and the bigger keypad. I still have the 5 r as well as icom hts which are obviously better radios. For the money, I like it. I don’t like that chirp doesn’t support it. But no problem entering the frequency manually. I usually only have 20 or 30 frequencies programmed anyway so no problem. Everyone has their on opinion on this radio. Don’t like cheap, don’t buy one 😊
The UV17 is not an upgrade. They've actually redesigned the radio. The UV8, etc. are upgrades, not not the 17. I just bought the UV17 pro (without the GPS0 because I got a really good deal on it. Not bad. I still like my Yaesu VX8DR better though ...
Baofeng has an opportunity here, they have xmas and holidays coming up, barely a day goes without hearing their brand name. This the right time to bring out a well spec'd model .. Something to shut-up the nah sayers, and reward the party faithful ...
2 days ago I received a QRZ-1 5 watt which looks exactly like the UV17R except that it has an LCD screen. Testing, I contacted a 2m repeater 10 miles away with the short antenna and inside a vehicle. Monitoring the repeater's output with a Uniden scanner, my voice was clear and distinct. Testing the 70cn repeater at the same 10 miles, the scanner heard the carrier activate but not my voice. I must admit that I've never heard anything else on 70cm with that scanner either.
I think this is a pretty good budget radio especially for someone who's just starting out with ham radio. The voice prompts are wonderful that's a great picture I have a gmrs radio with voice prompts and I love it as you mentioned great for the visually impaired like myself.
I really wanted to get an 18H (or R), but now I can only find 18L. So I have what's supposed to be an 17 Pro on the way. Hopefully it's at least little better than the basic 17. (And I admit, I mainly bought it for the "new" display.)
I'm ordering one after watching this. Baofengs bewildering product line and distribution practices have become pure monkey business. They may have launched the whole budget HT movement. But thats about all. I have a hard time taking them serious any more.
@@laszlokovacs8827 I still have no idea how to get a guaranteed legit baofeng and have it actually be what I ordered. All of the amazon listings for non-UV5R baofengs are sketchy with botted or brushed reviews, and are wildly expensive or too-good-to-be-true-cheap.
I purchased 2 17r's this past week. 1 from a Amazon return/over stock place and 1 from amazon. The one from the Physical store did not have the usb c port but the amazon variant did.
i saw this on another video about unlocking it, If it’s locked to just amateur bands, hold down PTT+SK2(button under PTT)+GREEN on powerup and it’ll unlock (General mode) after displaying “_” for a few seconds. To lock to just amateur (Part 97 mode) bands, hold PTT+5 on powerup. To see what mode it’s in simply just hold the 8 key on powerup. From working mode, long press 0 for voltage level.
@@HAMRADIODUDE yea was on a video about the uv-17 but maybe it only works on the older model seem like there was two different revisions of the uv-17. Thanks for trying it tho was curious if it would work
Thanks. You just stopped me dead in my tracks when you showed the third order harmonics. My biggest complaint when it comes to almost all of these Chinese imports. They should never be used to transmit on yet even hams that I know use them to transmit on when I show them on my spectrum analyzer how bad they are. The one Baofeng was only down 20 db for 3rd order harmonics yet hams use them. What a shame. Barry, KU3X
I'm loving these reviews... Is it time for a best of the budgets video? I kinda wish you would end the video with your choice so far. I trust your judgement, not that I need another budget HT but they are fun!
I have the pro version. It in fact has Air band, a nicer display, bands/zones, gps and USB charging on the battery. If you have a non pro version you should be able to buy a battery for the pro to get USB charging.
i just purchased a 17R and i am def not happy with it the no programming is huge and a deal breaker BAOFENG screwed this one up i will be doing a vid on this myself thanks for the info PTSR
I saw someone else test the scan mode and commented that the probable reason the scanned CTSS code was off was due to it transmitter being right next to it, which may have overloaded it. Supposedly the scan is maybe more accurate given a bit more distance from the transmitter.
@@HAMRADIODUDE however that's probably how most people are going to try to match it so if this is the case they really should be mentioning that in the user manual. Early days I guess.
I still wish that you could program a channel name on the radio. It seems like that feature was left out. I also hope that Chirp will support this radio in the future. I have an old UV5R that has had alot of wear. Now, I'm wishing that I just had bought a new UV5R.
CHIRP does support and you can program channel names, etc. get the latest version. if you have uv-17r, choose the uv-17pro option. you may need to add module 10648 (enter under HELP in the CHIRP program)
does anyone knows why this model cant transmit GMRS freq? I can do Amateur Radio ( trans and receive ) but on for GMRS I can only receive. I ended up using this model as a handheld scanner.
The handheld scanner feature is why I kept mine. It receives a bunch of frequencies outside the ham band. I think the transmit lockout is intentional as Baofeng was at odds with the FCC some time back. The radios were not type accepted for anything but ham radio (for transmit) but non hams were purchasing them for use on other bands. Pretty sure Baofeng blocked the transmit to save the US market ...
Running a UV-5R now as i'm working on getting my license - One thing I have noticed is the terrible RX even with an aftermarket antenna, do you have this issue? Or is it purely a bad antenna / Bad location issue? When I am qualified I am going to treat myself to another handheld may not be another Baofeng though
yaesu makes some good rigs as does icon. I'm not impressed with a lot of the chinese technology. I think they just haven't been into making it long enough to be really good at it. Like maybe twenty or thirty years or so as opposed to the Japanese doing it since the end of WWII when part of our treaty to end the war is they not develop war technology. It led to them becoming skilled at non defense related technology.
If you're going to treat yourself to a nice radio, the receive could be better. Whats your budget? Super Het receivers really bring a lot to the table. Cheers.
@@HAMRADIODUDE honestly, for a handheld, I don't want to be spending the earth on it, maybe max of £100 unless you can suggest something life changing?
I found this note over at ali express - "Note: If you need to program the walkie talkie, as UV20 is an upgraded version of the same series as UV17, you can download the programming software for UV17 on the BAOFENG official website to use it" I would assume its a UV17 with a different firmware, but I do not know. Good Luck!
AKA, there's no reason it should have registered said frequency. Maybe someone else with a UV17 can test this, because the radio is in fact locked to ham bands ' Analyzer has been tested and is functioning correctly. Why did you change your screen name?
Just an update. I confirmed with a new radio today. I am not transmitting out of band. What I think happened is the signal is not registering the peak before displaying on the table. With spectrum refresh not enabled, it just showed 142.500. I have confirmed with a new radio that even though it shows 142.500, if you zoom in to the signal, the peak is really 144.725-144.730. r
Maybe it's just the analytical nerd inside of me, but if I was conducting a test like this I would use a frequency in the middle of the VHF ham band (146.00 MHz) and also in the middle of the UHF ham band (435 MHz). I would also test at the low end and high end of each band. Doing all of these would provide a much more accurate and legitimate profile of the radio.
@johnwuest1412 oh trust me, I tested in the middle of the frequency as well, but my test was conducted/shown where the highest power output was detected
I have both UV-17 and the UV-17R PRO. Both are a lot better than the Yaesu FT-70D that you said was so great. I have had probably 60 radios over the years and the Yaesu FT-70D is by far the worst HT that I have ever bought.
My QYT 8900, mobile radio has a color lcd screen. I leave the background color set to White, and the font color to Black, because the sunlight washes the screen out, so bad! Color screens look great, if / when they work!
Please sir, I've been out of scanning a long time, my last ( and current) scanner is a Uniden 16 ch BC 144 XL and the only thing I can pick up is WX, what is the best new scanner that is close to my old one, without needing computer software and all that? Just want to hear PD, EMS, and airport. 🙏
That's a great question, but I unfortunately do not have an answer for you. Are the PD , EMS, and airport all using analog or did the recently switch to digital? I'll try my best.
@@Blackdog57 that sounds interesting. It's just dead air where it used to be audio? Have you checked radio reference to check the airport frequencies in your area? Maybe they changed recently?
New to the hobby, got my technicican license, looking for first handheld to tinker/listen/learn without spending a fortune. UA-cam research is exhausting, every time I think I've found a decent starter radio I find as many reviewers crapping on it. Help!
Good question. I don't have the radio handy but I thought it was just uncscrew that screw and the battery popped up from removal. If not, maybe there is a small button/lever towards the top of the backside of the radio, to help eject it. otherwise, at the moment, I am unsure.
@@HAMRADIODUDE a slight upward pry w/screwdriver worked; no marks. The battery to body fit joint is VERY hard to see, which is a good thing, in my opinion.
Mine is the Baofeng UV-17r and then got the RT software to go with it. RT is a little pricey but works great. I really like this radio, great sound and very comfortable, yes being older here I also enjoy the large screen. K9AAU
@@wb7ptr RT is invaluable for complex DMR radios, it makes programming an Anytone much more pleasant. Worth every dollar. This Baofeng is pretty simple though and now CHIRP works great with it. There is also a modified version of the Baofeng CPS out there that at least lets you enter air frequencies. For $22, I'm digging mine.
Yeah so Baofeng reached out to me and said "would you let your viewers know....." and they offered to send me a radio. So I got the radio, repeated what they said, then I did a review that was honest, even if not in their favor. I guess I'm totally confused on where you are confused. Thanks.
@@HAMRADIODUDE I'm an avionics test technician for a major aerospace contractor with 25 years experience. I've been working in the EMI lab as a lead tech for 5 years now. The test you're trying to replicate is Mil_Std 461 CE106. The main problem with your scan is that you haven't used any defined criteria for what's 'acceptable'. CE106 says not more than 6dBc for the first 2 harmonics, then not more than 80dBc for the remaining harmonics or -60dBm, whichever is greater. I'm quoting this off the top of my head, but I can double check and verify it on Tuesday. TL/DR: This wasn't a proper test, but your results are well within the limits of what's acceptable for military use and I've seen worse. I've heard a lot of horror stories about the Baofeng's spurious emissions and I've been curious to find out how bad they really are. If this is it, it isn't actually bad.
Here's the exact specs from MIL-STD 461G: 5.6.2 CE106 limits. Conducted emissions at the EUT antenna port shall not exceed the values given below. a. Receivers: 34 dBμV b. Transmitters and amplifiers (standby mode): 34 dBμV c. Transmitters and amplifiers (transmit mode): Harmonics, except the second and third, and all other spurious emissions shall be at least 80 dB down from the level at the fundamental. The second and third harmonics shall be suppressed to a level of -20 dBm or 80 dB below the fundamental, whichever requires less suppression. For Navy shipboard applications, the second and third harmonics will be suppressed to a level of -20 dBm and all other harmonics and spurious emissions shall be suppressed to -40 dBm, except if the duty cycle of the emissions are less than 0.2%, then the limit may be relaxed to 0 dBm
So again... your harmonics are below -20 dBm and this would be considered a pass... *However* since you don't know what your path loss is this result is too inaccurate to be valid.
@@GoSlash27 @GoSlash27 thanks. Taken from part 97.307(e) "For a transmitter having a mean power of 25 W or less, the mean power of any spurious emission supplied to the antenna transmission line must not exceed 25 µW and must be at least 40 dB below the mean power of the fundamental emission, but need not be reduced below the power of 10 µW. A transmitter built before April 15, 1977, or first marketed before January 1, 1978, is exempt from this requirement". I utilized the logarithmic equation to determine how much attentuation I needed, at the moment I don't have that information in front of me, but it was based upon the maximum power of the radio and it was 53 or 54 dB of attenuation . That satisfied my first requirement for the 25µW. With that, the Harmonic is well exceeding the 40dB requirement
As a visually impaired person, I can only read white text on a black background, so stop ripping on it, just because you want pretty themes. If you can't see that outside in the sun, you won't see it either with a different theme no matter what color combination it is. Hold your hand over the radio or get in the shade like everyone else. I can tell you, 99% of companies do not give two sh1ts about visually impaired people, so hats off to Baofeng for doing something for us including the voice prompts. Maybe they have someone in their family who is visually impaired, or actually did some research or just took the time to ask someone hey, how can we make this better? And someone spoke up and said if you just flipped the color screen colors, and add voice audio feedback, it would go a thousand miles for us....
Just out of curiosity, have you ever considered if the theme was black text on a white background and that was the only one available? Wouldn't you say something along the lines of "sure would be nice to be able to see this better". The thing about adding themes to a radio is.....it can satisfy everybody's needs. ooof. Thanks for the info about the sunlight and the screen though, I can appreciate that.
@@HAMRADIODUDE Well, I love being able to change the theme as much as anybody... but to a visually impaired person, black text on a white background becomes invisible. It would be like you looking at black sharpie writing on a lit florescent tube. The black writing just gets lost in the glare. If you handed me a piece of paper or book with words on the page, it looks like a totally blank piece of paper to me, even if I held it right up to my eyeball. And yet, on a computer screen with white text on a black background, I can read it just fine.
@@HAMRADIODUDE I've watched two dozen of videos of these handheld radios to supplement my rather useless shortwave receivers and I can't see a compelling reason yet to get one. Maybe a UV-K6 with upgraded firmware so it can actually receive the air band if I ever go to an air show ever again? ua-cam.com/video/WR7dGj9ffgM/v-deo.html Dunno. It just seems like the internet and cell phones have killed the radio hobby like... 40 years ago. I mean, people are watching your video on a desktop computer or their smart phone... and not their HAM radio. Just sayin! :-) HAM is dead, I'll take a Wifi access point over a handheld ham radio any day of the year. Cause I can actually do stuff on it static free on the other side of the world, in a time shifted way that does not have to be in real time. Who even knows where you are or when you will read this, it doesn't matter. Like a text message, it just works.
@@choppergirl Thanks, I can understand that. So what I hear is a quick button shortcut so it could be changed in the event that it isn't able to be seen. This, along with tones helps to be more accommodating. to individual needs. I think themes are a great idea because they allow for multiple options for multiple types of vision impairment. For example, VSS with white text on black backgrounds can be blurry and can cause migraines, a weird ringing in ears and sometimes vertigo. Definitely wouldn't hurt to have multiple themes to try to consider anyone. Thanks for the advice, I'll consider it when making another review.
i think the batteries are interchangeable beteween many of the Baofeng radios , so getting USB-charge should not be to difficult - (not including the UV5r) - and btw there are now a TON of variants of this radio on the market, take mine for example HAS the Airband, and Usb-c, charge, but looks exactly like yours, 73, Levi
My UV-17R has USB C charging supported and I have their built in NOAA channels with a separate button press which may or may not make a difference with the nagoya 771 antenna. I'm perplexed as to how you're exact model doesn't have USB C in the back...? UPDATE: I just found out that my UV-17R did get an update right out of the box and I believe it's prior firmware is 1.04 now upgraded to 1.011, which make this radio feel more promising 😁.
Press and hold the [0SQL] key to activate the NOAA weather forecast reception function COOL! I don't have the radio anymore, but this will help someone.
@@HAMRADIODUDE I definitely appreciate it. I subbed to your channel because I like the way that you present the information. As soon as I get home from work, I will look at your channel and see what other videos you have on other baofeng products.
The iv 17 pro has airband and a better display. But you have to het it from a Chinese shipper like dh gate or aliebaba or temu you will know the difference by the display that's the non airband one.
I have had my advanced class license since 1997. I love to make you younger guys think about how much this radio would cost in 1997. The tech in this thing from that prospective is unbelievable. No i admit in 2010 i sold my last piece of ham equipment. So i had been out of the game for a while. So when i buy this radio for under 30 bucks all i can think is "man this must be stolen" Cant wait to see what state of the art is now.
Good review. I had high hopes and ordered one a few days ago. Immediately measured the HORRIBLE harmonics. Even by eye, the unmodulated carrier is awful looking on a scope. Also, power out is highly dependent on battery voltage. Hard fail by Baofeng.
I hear a lot of people saying that. I will have to get a new UV17R and see if they changed something. To confirm, you do not have something like the UV17R Pro? thanks
Tye people that run Baofeng must be complete idiots. They make 20 different models of radios in a period of a couple of years. They mostly look different but all are pretty much identical on the inside and they just about all suck equally. One maybe two of the 20 versions end up being pretty good. This seems to be accidental though. So the best thing to do at that point? Focus on those couple that have solid power transmit and acceptable emissions. Start pumping those out and don't make more crappy ones. Or start putting the firmware and whatever specific board thats in the good ones in all of the rest. Not Baofeng though. No sir. Baofeng decides that we should push out the same crap 18 models with new colors cases and then put a tp or v2 or + on the end of the name and pump that trash out for 5 more years.
Honestly, why are we still talking about Chinese-made crap electronics that are (for most or nearly all models) not even FCC approved? Why? Yeah, they're cheap and easily obtained, but they throw spurious emissions and are not legal. The ONLY model that I'm aware of that meets emissions and is FCC approved is the GT-5R.
They are still a good gateway drug for Ham radio. If they decide they don't like Ham radio then oh well not much money wasted. I read somewhere that there is a ip rating. But I still would not use it in a storm or a life and death situation.
The UV17R is probably not the best option out there. A similar radio with better emisssions and Airband is the BF18H (UV-18R), Check it out on my playlist! ua-cam.com/play/PLQQNWPUnngvfbCqE7gqjyVR4ITBNh1dJz.html
Im going to let all you hams in on a little secret. 90% of the uv-5rs being sold for the last 2yrs, has been brought by, not hams but people getting ready for a tactical situation. Ee are not here to step on the ham toes. We are just looking for cheap communication that works great at 1 to 10mil. These are training aids to us. So to all the hams, we appreciate you. If something ever gose down, we will have the capability to hear hams give information that will be crucial to Americans lives.
Prepping got me into ham😅
First one was a uv5 plus
It's poopy
But also cheap and Combat test in Ukraine
Ham ops will be the shtf radio platoon sgts….much needed and skilled‼️‼️🇺🇸
@@smug_cat1Ukraine...🤦😑😖🙈🙉🙊. Russia cannot lose sorry to tell yas and America we can't foot Little man's Big boat and his ole lady's jewelry shopping sprees anymore we're tapped out before we ever started. Make peace and get over the ego or whatever the furtherence of the insanity is, behind battling Russia ffs it's not gone happen. GOD speed y'all.
Wise response. Ham is no longer a hobby to show off technical knowledge. It's becoming a means to an end for people who are building 10 other skill sets concurrent to Ham radio.
*dismissive wanking gesture*
Boy, I'm glad I didn't watch this before I bought my UV-17 Pro...because it's a year later and now it does have GPS, does have USB-C charging, came unlocked from the factory, does receive air band and it does work with CHIRP. Oh, and there are 10 banks to organize those 999 memories, which is HUGE. It works well on 2m/1.25m/70cm as well as GMRS frequencies. But a year ago, every point you made was valid and some still are. Especially about the color screen, it would be nice if we could actually do something with it! But for $22 at Aliexpress I'm giving all of my older Baofengs away. Sounds to me like they listened to you though, most of your points have been addressed!
Oh the UV-17 Pro? Yep, that's a different model. Glad you got the GPS one! Do you know if it does APRS? Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying it.
@@HAMRADIODUDE I've got proper radios as well, but it's nice to have a couple knockabout rigs that I won't cry over if I drop them in the lake while kayaking. It does not do APRS. The GPS is pretty basic but it does acquire satellites quickly, even indoors. And at that silly price, I can't complain about its numerous shortcomings.
Hey, I really appreciate your videos and contributions to the hobby. My 3D printer arrives today, your antenna winder will be among my first prints.
@@socallars3748 Hopefully the print goes well. I think i've reconsidered some thoughts / approaches of videos, since this one came out.. Thanks again!
I had high hopes for this. Thanks so much Sean for the great review !
12:12 - "And as I told Baofang . Firmware fixes could do a lot of this. It just seems that they're not interested in fixing anything." Tells me everything I need to know.
I have the Baofeng UV-17 Pro with gps. I actually like the feel and the operation of the radio. A Kenwood, Yaesu, Icom, or Alinco it isn't however, it wasn't the cost of the others either. Yes the gps does work but not a lot you can do with it. It seems to me that Baofeng may be going the wrong direction with all these new models after the UV-17 Pro/gps. But that's just my option. Keep up the nice videos and thank you for all the time and effort you put into them. 73's N4ZDX
Not sure about not been able to do much with the GPS. I mean for $40, you have a potencial life saving feature. Seen your coordinates and calling for help with your precise location. I mean that’s a huge advantage over all others specially for the price range. SHTF situations GPS could be life saving. Just my opinion though.
I agree. What I meant was not being able to send the coordinates over the air or the ability to do anything with them. Still love the feature though.
@@darrellbeard2799 You are able to send your co-ordinates to other UV-17 GPS radios. It can actually "request" co-ordinates from another radio.
There's not a lot of info online that I could find but it seems the compass view will also display the relative position of the other radio along with distance between them (I'll have to verify this when mine arrives). IMO That is a game changing feature at this price point ($40 CAD as of today).
Not having another UV-17r I wasn't aware of that. Thank you and I stand corrected. @@kobayashimaru8114
Yeah, the UV5R had amazing appeal when it first came out ! It brought a lot of guys back into the hobby. That radio is just a FCC approved version hopefully keep them in the game !
FCC approved? Approved for what?
@@johnwuest1412 approved for deez nuts
@@johnwuest1412I'm not sure what Eric was talking about, but I do know that the uv5r is not approved by FCC to be used for GMRS. What I have heard is that the newer (last couple years) uv5r have to be modified to use GMRS.
Hi buddy I'm from the UK and I think your channel is fantastic and informative. Keep up the good work.👍
Thank you very much for the review Sean, it's always great to see honesty with reviews, even if it's less than stellar news. 73
Sean, this is one of your BEST and most thorough reviews. Keep up the great work! 73
Much Appreciated!
This is a perfect video highlighting all the points I would expect you to hit. Thanks!
The original antenna, you showed, sounded very clear. Why change!?
I had low hopes and expectations and they were definitely met!
I laughed too hard at this. Thanks for that
@@HAMRADIODUDEppppppppppppppppppppppppl😅
I’ve had mine a few months and I feel it’s a definite upgrade from the 5r. Love the display and the bigger keypad. I still have the 5 r as well as icom hts which are obviously better radios. For the money, I like it. I don’t like that chirp doesn’t support it. But no problem entering the frequency manually. I usually only have 20 or 30 frequencies programmed anyway so no problem. Everyone has their on opinion on this radio.
Don’t like cheap, don’t buy one 😊
The UV17 is not an upgrade. They've actually redesigned the radio. The UV8, etc. are upgrades, not not the 17. I just bought the UV17 pro (without the GPS0 because I got a really good deal on it. Not bad. I still like my Yaesu VX8DR better though ...
Baofeng has an opportunity here, they have xmas and holidays coming up, barely a day goes without hearing their brand name.
This the right time to bring out a well spec'd model ..
Something to shut-up the nah sayers, and reward the party faithful ...
Ok so what do you recommend we buy for a first timer?
If Baofeng would fix spurious emissions, they would be rockin'. I wonder if the filters needed to do that would triple the cost.
2 days ago I received a QRZ-1 5 watt which looks exactly like the UV17R except that it has an LCD screen. Testing, I contacted a 2m repeater 10 miles away with the short antenna and inside a vehicle. Monitoring the repeater's output with a Uniden scanner, my voice was clear and distinct. Testing the 70cn repeater at the same 10 miles, the scanner heard the carrier activate but not my voice. I must admit that I've never heard anything else on 70cm with that scanner either.
I think this is a pretty good budget radio especially for someone who's just starting out with ham radio. The voice prompts are wonderful that's a great picture I have a gmrs radio with voice prompts and I love it as you mentioned great for the visually impaired like myself.
Sean, we love you man & you're Super Awesome
Chirp how has a driver for the 17r series
I really wanted to get an 18H (or R), but now I can only find 18L. So I have what's supposed to be an 17 Pro on the way. Hopefully it's at least little better than the basic 17. (And I admit, I mainly bought it for the "new" display.)
I’ll stick with the Retevis RT85. To me it’s the best budget HT.
I'm ordering one after watching this. Baofengs bewildering product line and distribution practices have become pure monkey business. They may have launched the whole budget HT movement. But thats about all. I have a hard time taking them serious any more.
@@laszlokovacs8827 I still have no idea how to get a guaranteed legit baofeng and have it actually be what I ordered. All of the amazon listings for non-UV5R baofengs are sketchy with botted or brushed reviews, and are wildly expensive or too-good-to-be-true-cheap.
I purchased 2 17r's this past week. 1 from a Amazon return/over stock place and 1 from amazon. The one from the Physical store did not have the usb c port but the amazon variant did.
Very interesting.
GT-5R for the win!
i saw this on another video about unlocking it,
If it’s locked to just amateur bands, hold down PTT+SK2(button under PTT)+GREEN on powerup and it’ll unlock (General mode) after displaying “_” for a few seconds. To lock to just amateur (Part 97 mode) bands, hold PTT+5 on powerup. To see what mode it’s in simply just hold the 8 key on powerup. From working mode, long press 0 for voltage level.
Just out of curiosity, was that for a UV 17R? That method does not work on the radio I have
@@HAMRADIODUDE yea was on a video about the uv-17 but maybe it only works on the older model seem like there was two different revisions of the uv-17. Thanks for trying it tho was curious if it would work
@@Captain_DinoMan Just took off out of the house, I will double check later this evening though, because I'm really curious. Thanks for the suggestion
did you get it unlocked i got 2 uv9r are they unlocked or unlockable @@HAMRADIODUDE
@@HAMRADIODUDEdid you guys ever figure out how to unlock it?
nice, thoughtful video man. big thanks!
Thanks. You just stopped me dead in my tracks when you showed the third order harmonics. My biggest complaint when it comes to almost all of these Chinese imports. They should never be used to transmit on yet even hams that I know use them to transmit on when I show them on my spectrum analyzer how bad they are. The one Baofeng was only down 20 db for 3rd order harmonics yet hams use them. What a shame.
Barry, KU3X
Does it have air band?
Howdy neighbor. I bought the L variant. It is bunk that the R doesn't have USB. It makes it worth it to order from China for the additional features.
I heard that also doesn't have airband, I think? 73
@@HAMRADIODUDE
No airband. 73
I'm loving these reviews... Is it time for a best of the budgets video? I kinda wish you would end the video with your choice so far. I trust your judgement, not that I need another budget HT but they are fun!
I just bought the UV-21 Pro V2 hope it'll be nice
I have the pro version. It in fact has Air band, a nicer display, bands/zones, gps and USB charging on the battery. If you have a non pro version you should be able to buy a battery for the pro to get USB charging.
Hi.. there is any way to unlock frequencies? Uv17 pro. Thanks
Not that I am aware of
i just purchased a 17R and i am def not happy with it the no programming is huge and a deal breaker BAOFENG screwed this one up i will be doing a vid on this myself thanks for the info PTSR
I saw someone else test the scan mode and commented that the probable reason the scanned CTSS code was off was due to it transmitter being right next to it, which may have overloaded it. Supposedly the scan is maybe more accurate given a bit more distance from the transmitter.
I can see that.. Front end overload creating inaccurate readings. Absolutely. Thanks.
@@HAMRADIODUDE however that's probably how most people are going to try to match it so if this is the case they really should be mentioning that in the user manual. Early days I guess.
At 4:55, finnaly someone showing that it has really some sort of RSSI. thanks!
Finally ? I think I was one of the first to make this video hihi. :D.
I still wish that you could program a channel name on the radio. It seems like that feature was left out. I also hope that Chirp will support this radio in the future. I have an old UV5R that has had alot of wear. Now, I'm wishing that I just had bought a new UV5R.
CHIRP does support and you can program channel names, etc. get the latest version. if you have uv-17r, choose the uv-17pro option. you may need to add module 10648 (enter under HELP in the CHIRP program)
does anyone knows why this model cant transmit GMRS freq? I can do Amateur Radio ( trans and receive ) but on for GMRS I can only receive. I ended up using this model as a handheld scanner.
The handheld scanner feature is why I kept mine. It receives a bunch of frequencies outside the ham band. I think the transmit lockout is intentional as Baofeng was at odds with the FCC some time back. The radios were not type accepted for anything but ham radio (for transmit) but non hams were purchasing them for use on other bands. Pretty sure Baofeng blocked the transmit to save the US market ...
If you want Baofeng without the "spurious emissions" take a look at their GT-5R
Totally.ua-cam.com/video/sGJpNOPrcNE/v-deo.html. Dave casler did a video also. Good stuff and nearly the same price as a tradition uv5r
is there any way to enable transmitting function just like on the ub-5r where you just have to turn it on holding 3 buttons?
Thought I mentioned it in the video: I did not get that to work.
Does the u v 17r have the capability to listen to two channels? If it does how do you activate it
Although it is dual display, it is not simultaneous receive. Have a good one!
Running a UV-5R now as i'm working on getting my license - One thing I have noticed is the terrible RX even with an aftermarket antenna, do you have this issue? Or is it purely a bad antenna / Bad location issue?
When I am qualified I am going to treat myself to another handheld may not be another Baofeng though
yaesu makes some good rigs as does icon. I'm not impressed with a lot of the chinese technology. I think they just haven't been into making it long enough to be really good at it. Like maybe twenty or thirty years or so as opposed to the Japanese doing it since the end of WWII when part of our treaty to end the war is they not develop war technology. It led to them becoming skilled at non defense related technology.
If you're going to treat yourself to a nice radio, the receive could be better. Whats your budget? Super Het receivers really bring a lot to the table. Cheers.
@@HAMRADIODUDE honestly, for a handheld, I don't want to be spending the earth on it, maybe max of £100 unless you can suggest something life changing?
i have what is labeled as a uv 20h pro. i can find any info on how to program it. anyone know? is it the same as the 17 pro
I found this note over at ali express - "Note: If you need to program the walkie talkie, as UV20 is an upgraded version of the same series as UV17, you can download the programming software for UV17 on the BAOFENG official website to use it" I would assume its a UV17 with a different firmware, but I do not know. Good Luck!
Any thoughts on the GT-5R PRO?
Radioddity just sent me one. I should have thoughts in about a week or two. Cheers!
Why are you transmitting on 142.5 MHz in your spectrum analyzer test for spurious emissions?
What's really interesting about that is, it's frequency locked, there's no way to transmit it of band
AKA, there's no reason it should have registered said frequency. Maybe someone else with a UV17 can test this, because the radio is in fact locked to ham bands
'
Analyzer has been tested and is functioning correctly.
Why did you change your screen name?
Just an update. I confirmed with a new radio today. I am not transmitting out of band. What I think happened is the signal is not registering the peak before displaying on the table. With spectrum refresh not enabled, it just showed 142.500. I have confirmed with a new radio that even though it shows 142.500, if you zoom in to the signal, the peak is really 144.725-144.730. r
Maybe it's just the analytical nerd inside of me, but if I was conducting a test like this I would use a frequency in the middle of the VHF ham band (146.00 MHz) and also in the middle of the UHF ham band (435 MHz). I would also test at the low end and high end of each band. Doing all of these would provide a much more accurate and legitimate profile of the radio.
@johnwuest1412 oh trust me, I tested in the middle of the frequency as well, but my test was conducted/shown where the highest power output was detected
I have both UV-17 and the UV-17R PRO. Both are a lot better than the Yaesu FT-70D that you said was so great. I have had probably 60 radios over the years and the Yaesu FT-70D is by far the worst HT that I have ever bought.
Cool.. thanks for the input. Cheers
Whats A really good radio handheld for clear Air band?
What's your budget?
@@HAMRADIODUDE$ 200-250, tnx, bro.
My QYT 8900, mobile radio has a color lcd screen. I leave the background color set to White, and the font color to Black, because the sunlight washes the screen out, so bad! Color screens look great, if / when they work!
Please sir, I've been out of scanning a long time, my last ( and current) scanner is a Uniden 16 ch BC 144 XL and the only thing I can pick up is WX, what is the best new scanner that is close to my old one, without needing computer software and all that? Just want to hear PD, EMS, and airport. 🙏
That's a great question, but I unfortunately do not have an answer for you. Are the PD , EMS, and airport all using analog or did the recently switch to digital? I'll try my best.
@HAMRADIODUDE I'm not sure, I just want a scanner without having to deal with software, I know my old Bearcat ( 1997) is analog
@HAMRADIODUDE I do wish I could pick up local airport, It's 2 miles away, but my old Bearcat won't pick that up either, just some Ham and weather
@@Blackdog57 that sounds interesting. It's just dead air where it used to be audio? Have you checked radio reference to check the airport frequencies in your area? Maybe they changed recently?
@HAMRADIODUDE yes sir, that's where I got the Ham frequencies from.
New to the hobby, got my technicican license, looking for first handheld to tinker/listen/learn without spending a fortune. UA-cam research is exhausting, every time I think I've found a decent starter radio I find as many reviewers crapping on it. Help!
What is your budget
I'd like to know how to remove the battery; yes, screw removed. Thank you!
Good question. I don't have the radio handy but I thought it was just uncscrew that screw and the battery popped up from removal. If not, maybe there is a small button/lever towards the top of the backside of the radio, to help eject it. otherwise, at the moment, I am unsure.
@@HAMRADIODUDE a slight upward pry w/screwdriver worked; no marks. The battery to body fit joint is VERY hard to see, which is a good thing, in my opinion.
So no GMRS on this?
I'm unsure. I think this radio was locked and the UV18R was not.. so the UV18R would have GMRS, and Airband.
You had me up & until you mention the rudicon guy. 😕LOL!
It sounds like he has you then.
Mine is the Baofeng UV-17r and then got the RT software to go with it. RT is a little pricey but works great. I really like this radio, great sound and very comfortable, yes being older here I also enjoy the large screen. K9AAU
The RT software is very pricey. For most radios, CHIRP works great. There's a few it won't program though.
@@wb7ptr RT is invaluable for complex DMR radios, it makes programming an Anytone much more pleasant. Worth every dollar. This Baofeng is pretty simple though and now CHIRP works great with it. There is also a modified version of the Baofeng CPS out there that at least lets you enter air frequencies. For $22, I'm digging mine.
Nothing like total confusion to start. Are you fronting for the company or not?
Yeah so Baofeng reached out to me and said "would you let your viewers know....." and they offered to send me a radio. So I got the radio, repeated what they said, then I did a review that was honest, even if not in their favor. I guess I'm totally confused on where you are confused. Thanks.
Also, the video is marked paid promotion, because they sent me a product.
Is that the spectrum of the UV-17R at 2:48? If so, it's not actually bad.
-Professional EMI lab technician
It is the actual screenshot. I'd be curious to hear more. Thanks
@@HAMRADIODUDE I'm an avionics test technician for a major aerospace contractor with 25 years experience. I've been working in the EMI lab as a lead tech for 5 years now. The test you're trying to replicate is Mil_Std 461 CE106.
The main problem with your scan is that you haven't used any defined criteria for what's 'acceptable'. CE106 says not more than 6dBc for the first 2 harmonics, then not more than 80dBc for the remaining harmonics or -60dBm, whichever is greater. I'm quoting this off the top of my head, but I can double check and verify it on Tuesday.
TL/DR: This wasn't a proper test, but your results are well within the limits of what's acceptable for military use and I've seen worse.
I've heard a lot of horror stories about the Baofeng's spurious emissions and I've been curious to find out how bad they really are. If this is it, it isn't actually bad.
Here's the exact specs from MIL-STD 461G:
5.6.2 CE106 limits.
Conducted emissions at the EUT antenna port shall not exceed the values given below.
a. Receivers: 34 dBμV
b. Transmitters and amplifiers (standby mode): 34 dBμV
c. Transmitters and amplifiers (transmit mode): Harmonics, except the second and third,
and all other spurious emissions shall be at least 80 dB down from the level at the
fundamental. The second and third harmonics shall be suppressed to a level of -20
dBm or 80 dB below the fundamental, whichever requires less suppression. For Navy
shipboard applications, the second and third harmonics will be suppressed to a level of
-20 dBm and all other harmonics and spurious emissions shall be suppressed to -40
dBm, except if the duty cycle of the emissions are less than 0.2%, then the limit may
be relaxed to 0 dBm
So again... your harmonics are below -20 dBm and this would be considered a pass... *However* since you don't know what your path loss is this result is too inaccurate to be valid.
@@GoSlash27 @GoSlash27 thanks. Taken from part 97.307(e) "For a transmitter having a mean power of 25 W or less, the mean power of any spurious emission supplied to the antenna transmission line must not exceed 25 µW and must be at least 40 dB below the mean power of the fundamental emission, but need not be reduced below the power of 10 µW. A transmitter built before April 15, 1977, or first marketed before January 1, 1978, is exempt from this requirement". I utilized the logarithmic equation to determine how much attentuation I needed, at the moment I don't have that information in front of me, but it was based upon the maximum power of the radio and it was 53 or 54 dB of attenuation . That satisfied my first requirement for the 25µW. With that, the Harmonic is well exceeding the 40dB requirement
As a visually impaired person, I can only read white text on a black background, so stop ripping on it, just because you want pretty themes.
If you can't see that outside in the sun, you won't see it either with a different theme no matter what color combination it is. Hold your hand over the radio or get in the shade like everyone else.
I can tell you, 99% of companies do not give two sh1ts about visually impaired people, so hats off to Baofeng for doing something for us including the voice prompts. Maybe they have someone in their family who is visually impaired, or actually did some research or just took the time to ask someone hey, how can we make this better? And someone spoke up and said if you just flipped the color screen colors, and add voice audio feedback, it would go a thousand miles for us....
Just out of curiosity, have you ever considered if the theme was black text on a white background and that was the only one available? Wouldn't you say something along the lines of "sure would be nice to be able to see this better". The thing about adding themes to a radio is.....it can satisfy everybody's needs. ooof. Thanks for the info about the sunlight and the screen though, I can appreciate that.
@@HAMRADIODUDE Well, I love being able to change the theme as much as anybody... but to a visually impaired person, black text on a white background becomes invisible.
It would be like you looking at black sharpie writing on a lit florescent tube. The black writing just gets lost in the glare.
If you handed me a piece of paper or book with words on the page, it looks like a totally blank piece of paper to me, even if I held it right up to my eyeball. And yet, on a computer screen with white text on a black background, I can read it just fine.
@@HAMRADIODUDE I've watched two dozen of videos of these handheld radios to supplement my rather useless shortwave receivers and I can't see a compelling reason yet to get one.
Maybe a UV-K6 with upgraded firmware so it can actually receive the air band if I ever go to an air show ever again? ua-cam.com/video/WR7dGj9ffgM/v-deo.html
Dunno. It just seems like the internet and cell phones have killed the radio hobby like... 40 years ago. I mean, people are watching your video on a desktop computer or their smart phone... and not their HAM radio. Just sayin! :-)
HAM is dead, I'll take a Wifi access point over a handheld ham radio any day of the year. Cause I can actually do stuff on it static free on the other side of the world, in a time shifted way that does not have to be in real time. Who even knows where you are or when you will read this, it doesn't matter. Like a text message, it just works.
@@choppergirl Thanks, I can understand that. So what I hear is a quick button shortcut so it could be changed in the event that it isn't able to be seen. This, along with tones helps to be more accommodating. to individual needs. I think themes are a great idea because they allow for multiple options for multiple types of vision impairment. For example, VSS with white text on black backgrounds can be blurry and can cause migraines, a weird ringing in ears and sometimes vertigo. Definitely wouldn't hurt to have multiple themes to try to consider anyone. Thanks for the advice, I'll consider it when making another review.
Are you aware of any vision issues that would pertain to people with a white text on a black background?
i think the batteries are interchangeable beteween many of the Baofeng radios , so getting USB-charge should not be to difficult - (not including the UV5r) - and btw there are now a TON of variants of this radio on the market, take mine for example HAS the Airband, and Usb-c, charge, but looks exactly like yours, 73, Levi
The UV17 radio battery will not fit the UV5, etc. Completely redesigned mechanism for attaching it to the radio.
@@wb7ptr i just wrote that in my comment, if you read carefully...
My UV-17R has USB C charging supported and I have their built in NOAA channels with a separate button press which may or may not make a difference with the nagoya 771 antenna. I'm perplexed as to how you're exact model doesn't have USB C in the back...?
UPDATE: I just found out that my UV-17R did get an update right out of the box and I believe it's prior firmware is 1.04 now upgraded to 1.011, which make this radio feel more promising 😁.
www.baofengradio.com/products/uv-17r
Press and hold the [0SQL] key to activate the NOAA weather forecast reception function
COOL! I don't have the radio anymore, but this will help someone.
@@HAMRADIODUDE yes I'm sure it'll definitely help someone make an informed decision on the purchase.
I bought a 2500 mAh replacement battery for the 17 and it has USB-C charging.
So the UV-17R has S E?
As shown in the video, yes.
Mine worked with chirp
It was a uv 17 something other than r. But it downloaded and uploaded.
Nice!
I WAS going to get it..... but NO UNLOCK???? Just cancelled my order. If I can't unlock it, I don't want it.
Okay. Glad I can make you informed of the radio
@@HAMRADIODUDE I definitely appreciate it. I subbed to your channel because I like the way that you present the information. As soon as I get home from work, I will look at your channel and see what other videos you have on other baofeng products.
@@willshepherd4544Mine unlocked…
Air band is cool... for about an hour!, to me. Its fun every now and then. But not a big draw...
Chirp now works with UV-17
Has anyone jailbreak this yet?
just use the chirp for uv17 pro non gps, works for me.
Look at the hood side of thing ya got a good flashlight. 😅
Good thing I have sunglasses.
I just got one off of Amazon and it does 220
Oh nice, maybe they are making changes.
I just factory reset the dam thing and can’t get it back to English language
Menu button then enter 18 on the keypad for the UV-17R. If you’re using the UV-17 Pro GPS, it’s Menu + 10 on the keypad.
The iv 17 pro has airband and a better display. But you have to het it from a Chinese shipper like dh gate or aliebaba or temu you will know the difference by the display that's the non airband one.
See you then
I have had my advanced class license since 1997. I love to make you younger guys think about how much this radio would cost in 1997. The tech in this thing from that prospective is unbelievable. No i admit in 2010 i sold my last piece of ham equipment. So i had been out of the game for a while. So when i buy this radio for under 30 bucks all i can think is "man this must be stolen" Cant wait to see what state of the art is now.
You said 'spurs'.
I said 'no' again.
Good review. I had high hopes and ordered one a few days ago. Immediately measured the HORRIBLE harmonics. Even by eye, the unmodulated carrier is awful looking on a scope. Also, power out is highly dependent on battery voltage. Hard fail by Baofeng.
Thanks for confirming what I saw, as I wasn't able to really find too many other videos with the harmonics.
Baofeng needs better engineers.
I got a quanching (or whatever)uv k5
For 14€ of ali
Especially since it gas the modded software
The baofeng is dead
Cool!
Spectral purity ? Is this radio FCC Type Accepted? If so, who cares?
Hey man, I don't know if you know this but I make videos and I try to give information to everybody who might be interested.. some people do care.
Do not condone violence or terror, doesn't Irish history show that Ireland had a groups of soldiers that would have sorted this out?
Who did I offend today?
I was thinking about buying a uv17r now not
Eats batteries like crazy
My UV 17 has a USB-C
I hear a lot of people saying that. I will have to get a new UV17R and see if they changed something. To confirm, you do not have something like the UV17R Pro? thanks
Looks like the UV17R PLUS may be what others have.. there is a difference..
I bought a UV17R and UV17R plus, it seems this was the UV17R PLUS that has USB C, the UV17 I just purchased, does not. Thanks for the update!
🙇🙇🙇🙇🙇🙇🙇
Tye people that run Baofeng must be complete idiots. They make 20 different models of radios in a period of a couple of years. They mostly look different but all are pretty much identical on the inside and they just about all suck equally. One maybe two of the 20 versions end up being pretty good. This seems to be accidental though. So the best thing to do at that point? Focus on those couple that have solid power transmit and acceptable emissions. Start pumping those out and don't make more crappy ones. Or start putting the firmware and whatever specific board thats in the good ones in all of the rest. Not Baofeng though. No sir. Baofeng decides that we should push out the same crap 18 models with new colors cases and then put a tp or v2 or + on the end of the name and pump that trash out for 5 more years.
And no keyboard ninjas I am not a yaesu or Kenwood elitist. Not by far. I own way too many Baofengs,Tyts and many others. Its just the truth lol
Honestly, why are we still talking about Chinese-made crap electronics that are (for most or nearly all models) not even FCC approved? Why? Yeah, they're cheap and easily obtained, but they throw spurious emissions and are not legal. The ONLY model that I'm aware of that meets emissions and is FCC approved is the GT-5R.
It is FCC approved
fccid.io/2AJGM-UV17
It is FCC approved as a receiver only. 😆
Anybody can have a youtube channel and pretend they are knowledgeable "influencers"@@IncaTrails
They are still a good gateway drug for Ham radio. If they decide they don't like Ham radio then oh well not much money wasted. I read somewhere that there is a ip rating. But I still would not use it in a storm or a life and death situation.
I bought 4 UV-17. 2 of them came with 22O mhz transmitable. 2 don’t. Wtf??
Use P15-UV to get a look-like who handles something like Chirp. You olny have to convert it with Chirp2CXF.
Thanks. I was trying to find something like that. Awesome!