Baofeng UV-17R Review: The best $25 radio that you can buy. 

I would like to see the hacks to open up the radio. I want to carry one radio that can do ham bands as well as GRMS bands.

Great replacement for the UV5R. USB would be the deal killer for me, I hate having charging cradles all over the place or having to find the right one. I have several UV-13Pro/TP--8Plus radios I keep in the cars for weather and local repeaters and the USB is why I got them. The same charger as my phone and when they sit for a few months I know I can still use it.

I have a UV-17 "Pro V2" now, about the same except has USB-C on the battery (and also has the charging cradle). Character size is the larger style in both VFO and memory modes. Very pleased with it. Way more sensitive than the Quansheng K6.

I really enjoy listening to your videos. In fact, I bought the Yaesu VX-6R based on your review and operating videos. Keep up the good work!

I thought the UV5R flashlight was dumb until I was inside a home depot during a severe thunderstorm, and all the lights went out.

Great review of this radio, thanks! Could you possibly do a video on how to manually program this radio? A step by step for setting up a repeater frequency and then saving it to memory would be great.

Got the PRO today from aliexpress for 29$ shipped! Got a 6 dollar coupon from Honey and wow cool! Thanks for the video! I have two UV5R 8watt models and I like the new updated version of that radio with the 17R. Helpful video as it helped me decide to purchase this radio! Cheers!😁

The restaurant you were referring to where the waiters were carrying radios, they're most likely using the MURS frequencies which do not require an FCC license

The black on white display on the UV-5R is more useful to me because with daylight you can see it all the time without any interaction. Transflective displays are a very efficient design which does not have to be changed. But I understand the industry. The displays are there for decades and optically they may seem old. I have a smartwatch with transflective design. Much more convenient than the OLED displays that have to be switched on/off all the time.

According to the Amazon listing, the UV-17r I just ordered does have USB charging capability.

My UV-17R battery has an USB charging port just above the mounting screw. And it cost $29 plus tax from Amazon on 8/23/23 when ordered. It is just as heavy as my IC2AT, which is a real change in quality from the clunky UV-5 series. And no, I haven't ordered a spare battery yet because I see no need for one. I have several Baofeng models to fall back on from the UV-5 series to the BF-888 with spare batteries for all. I think I've supported China's militarization enough.

I think the only benefit of the 5r over the 17r is how easy it is to unlock it to also transmit on gmrs channels

I think few years ago, the Senhaix 8800 probably pioneered the flashlight at the bottom of the radio.

I purchased the 17R after watching numerous videos, and I am not versed in radio but I do really like the inexpensive model I have, didn't think I would be all that interested in the topic, now though , I think it's really cool. Have become more interested and watch all of the radio reviews, fascinating.

The non-expedient battery change is the deal killer for me. It seems like Baofeng has to include at least one built-in deficiency with every radio they produce,

I think few years ago, the Senhaix 8800 pioneered the flashlight at the bottom of the radio.

I just purchased a couple of these. They're a replacement for a couple of old UV82's. Mine came with USB C charging. Don't get a hand held without it. The backlit keypad is as good as they get. RX audio is pretty good, too, but it's no hi fi rig on FM broadcast. It definitely has a piezo electric speaker. Selectivity on FM broadcast isn't anything to write home about either. It's a little "broad banded", for want of a better term. TX audio is fine on UHF simplex but I haven't given it a go on 2m. I live in a low RF environment so the receiver works fine in my location. Your mileage may vary. Stock antenna is pretty average, at best. I have the Baeofeng "Abree" copy which was optioned and it is a big step up. The radio is not small, by any stretch of the imagination. It's takes up a fair bit more volume than the 82 or the 5R. This is not a "pocket" radio. It could definitely be smaller. Battery life is yet to be determined but my initial impression is that the 82 is better, and I don't think that I'm wrong. I haven't performed any harmonic testing or power testing. If rumours are true, I'm too scared to test for the former. That said, power levels seem to be more than adequate so I wouldn't even bother testing those. The screen is adequate, but it's not good. You will quickly know whether it's time for a visit to the optometrist or not. Front keypad programming is easy but I don't know how easy it is to programme using software as the programming cable that I ordered with the radio never turned up! The usual features of dual watch, dual frequency display are still there and in my opinion, the Japanese need to take note. And as much as the broadcast radio isn't good, it's a lot better than nothing. Japan, take note, once again. These things are a long way from perfect, but they're by far and away a lot further away from being bad. If it's toy money that you're spending, not grocery money, you wont be disappointed.

First sensible review where somebody has pointed out that these radios are all “white label” and made under contract. I’m getting tired of radios being derided as “a fake Baofeng” or similar without realising these brands are all buying off the shelf patterns and just doing a few cosmetic mods and slapping on their label. Nice review mate.

I purchased a two pack of These. They both have USB C CHARGING. . Though I don't care about the many functions of, it's a family radio system. Something anyone who lives off grid needs because of the USB C, charges from solar energy. When living off grid, you escape society... You are only interested in your immediate group. This radio has a FM radio and NOAA WEATHER channels...and HAMM RADIO in case of emergency. A 17 mile range with the large antenna is pretty good... I'm in contact with my people who go to town 12 miles away. For Rural life off grid... this radio works.

Got this same radio today and the software must have been updated as the frequency font is larger now in VFO and memory. Takes up most of the screen on upper and lower options. Great little radio its about the same size as the Wouxun 935Plus GMRS with a 1.5 inch screen. CHIRP and RT Systems is yet to support programming.

Got started with the uv5r and never looked back… it still ticks and I sometimes hook it to a mobile antenna in my beater and make contacts but other than that it collects dust. After seeing this radio I think I’ll buy a couple to sit as a distant back up to my yaesu Vx-6r

Interesting comment on the font in channel mode. My baofeng BF-18H does this as well and I imagine the reason the font is smaller is that you usually name the channels in channel mode and if you used a large font then in a lot of cases the name wouldn't be able to fit on screen hence the small font???? Not sure but it's a possibility I reckon 🤔 Great vid by the way, very comprehensive and tells it like it is which is why I love your channel. Keep em coming! 😎😎😎👍

I already had the UV5R and I just got the UV17R. Unlike the one you're showing, mine has the usb-c plug-in and cable. It's not the 'pro' or'plus' model, just the UV17R. I was also able to program all the GMRS, FRS channels right out of the box. One more thing, if I long-press the flashlight button, there is a very loud siren! I'm very much an amateur and on my way to getting my license. I wonder why the difference between my 17r and the one you're showing. Hmmm

Nice treatment, thank you ! I could not see the display. Hoping you would open the case, have a look at the pcb and component layout, maybe some chip numbers. All the uv 9 Rxxx are the same on the inside, and very hackable. The uv s9 is arguably thier best radio. $25 bucks is a large amount for me. Cheerz.

The UV-17pro it will plug and play with no issues and you get more capacity than the battery that comes in the the Base Model UV-17r.

Yes. The UV-5R is not the best-looking radio out there. But to me, the UV-5R is the Volkswagen Beetle of the ham radio world.

Thanks for the nice review. Long press doesn't give you Moni....gives you open squelch. Moni is squelch closed + ctcss or dtcss off.

Excellent video! I hope to see UV21 from you.

Geeezzz, now I gotta have one! Another Baofeng I don't need but I do!!

The Radioddity GS-5B has the flashlight on the bottom so you can see where you are walking as you are using the radio.

I got the UV-13 Pro V2 WHOLLY BECAUSE ITS USB C. Complete non-starter nowdays if its not USB C

I bought one from Amazon, the second harmonic was only 17dbc down from the carrier on 2m. Totally illegal to use in any country in this world without using external filters. I ended up sending it back and getting my money back. Baofeng needs to take their engineering serious and not cut corners with the harmonic filters.

If Baofeng could speed up that scan speed, I’d buy one this very instant. That has been my main complaint about Baofengs.

The jumbo battery will keep the uv-5r popular. Those batteries last for dsys

Good reveu. Its a good product. Wood be well souted for outdoors activities. Im starting to collect these ht radios just like my small worldrecievers😂. I like it you sharing your thougths, just a lot of extra info! Greetings from holland the netherlands🇳🇱👍😉

I got my 17 a couple of days ago, but to my surprise the radio was a UV-17BK (BK?)! never heard of that model before!, though it looks just the same as the 17R, works ok, think 4 or 5 bands? - but the Airband sux, and yes, i know the Quangshen has superb Airband now with alll updates, but i can listen to the planes with an app in my phone! - and i am good with this 17! -- 73, Levi in Sweden ( i have USB-C charging in the battery)

Needs to be unlockable for gmrs and chirp capability. I'll snatch it up in a heartbeat. Thank you for the video. Right now, GT-5R for the win.

nice video,, the screen and the navigation characteristics are almost the same as my Radtel rt-470..it does the same thing with the font went switching to vfo mode,, press and hold the "menu" button .. looks like a nice radio ,, again "your best bang for your buck" from fang!

However various tests show that uv17r only has about 5 watts peak output but the uv13r v2 had close to 10watts....

the range dosent go as high as the uv5r . i wouldnt be able to hear the police channels in my area. im sticking with the uv5r

Great review. This radio is now supported by Chirp Next.

Has anyone found a TX unlock for this?

The lights on the bottom of the radio is a great idea. Can this radio run on a scan mode. ???

All I need to know is: does it have SYNC option to display freq & channel name simultaneously?

i had a tornado run through my city yesterday and lost all communications with family im jus wondering if one of these would be good for a bad situation i dont need anything special jus the ability to communicate over a 5-10 mile radius

Why the handheld devices don't use 2 18650 cells? Should we ask for this?

I will take an A36Plus any day over this. Why? Well the A36Plus can be legally used as a GMRS or Ham radio. It also has frequency copy, which is a must have feature in my opinion. The A36Plus wins, and there really is no debating that. You give me the choice a billion times, and I am taking the A36Plus a billion times.

Scott, I don't mean to be rude, but only Americans call it "Bay o feng". It's "Bow Feng" just like Bao bun. This display looks like it would be very difficult in sunlight.

I just got a pair of UV 17r"s from Amazon it came with two antennas, what are they for? One says FM/136-174/400-520MHz, the other says it is an ABBREE antenna FM /136-174/400-520Mhz. the first one is 8" long and the other one is about18" long

oh boy! cant wait to buy one so my ham folks keep complaining I can't transmitt and the frequencies should only be used for boring stuff!

Nice improvement the last thing i need is another Bfeng radio I’m going to order one now

TL;DW.. is there a way to lockout channels from the scan via the front panel and can you tell me how fast is the channel scan??? With 999 channels I would hope these features are there.. are channels in banks at least that can be locked out?

The uv-5r older ones are unlocked I have both of them they both have their uses I do like my uv-17 pro gps much more but that one was $31.83 shipped to my house my uv-5r was $15.45 shipped aliexpress they take forever to get here uv-17 is a different animal

I have the UV 17 not R not pro it has a different display and usb C port on the battery for charging. but I cant find programing software to work with it. tried the UV17R and chirp no go.

You should take a look at the Baofeng UV G30 V2, it's a very interesting radio😊

Is this good for a beginner? Would i have to download anything out the box?if so is there any other radio out there that doesn't require ito download anything...

my 17R doesnt have the same font issue between VFO and channel mode just tested it. (mine says firmware 1.04 and hardware v01)

Hi, I ordered this radio after seeing this video and when it arrived it to my surprise the manual says BF-17. This is my first baofeng so I am no expert but I was wondering if anyone knows anything about the BF-17? The build is quite similar to the UV-17R.

Nice video , hopefully your review the 17Pro soon , thanks

& btw, once again, I'll say an EXCELLENT review, but I did wanna say I've never heard anyone say, while on the air (including myself) that they had a "Bay-O-feng"; instead, it's always "Bow-feng," LOL! Of course, it's just pronouncation & no big deal! (Heck, maybe all of us have been saying it wrong!) 😃🇺🇸

does anybody know what’s the difference between the normal search and the one you press and hold the blue button? it says search search on the display

Thank you!!! Good save on the NON waterproof AND NON usbc!!! What's your recommendations for cheap emcom waterproof dual tri usbc? 17pro?

Looking for a 10 miles range walkie talkie. Do they do the job ?

Have you tested it for harmonics? Its the wirst radio in the 17 series

Ok ,ok ,but what about tx and Rx ,any spurious emmision still there??? Like uv5r ?

The new Baofeng is a lot like Hytera in style now.

Enjoyed the video! Can you charge the battery off the radio or does it have to be on the radio to fit in the cradle? Keep up the good work 👍 73 kd5dxn

doesit recive and transmit on air band?..if no to transmit can it be un locked scott?..thanks russ

Regarding chirp programming, does anybody know what vendor and model to use to download/upload to this radio?

Do you have a video on how to program this radio with their software?

Looks nice but is it legal from the spurious emissions standpoint?

Can The GMRS channels be programmed into the 17f?

I would personally prefer they remove the flashlight and FM radio from these devices. Frankly, I don't reach for my ham HT when I need a flashlight or want to listen to FM Broadcast radio. Having those features usually indicates cheap hardware.

Other than the spurious emissions, they don't seem bad

Which one is better, this one or the UV5RH / BF5RHM?

What do people use these for? I have a uniden p25 digital scanner for police and fire. If this isn’t digital then what is everyone listening to?

I always hated my Baofeng 88. Felt Cheap my wife is an amazon Vine reviewer and got me the 17R for free. I was like. "Yea baofeng is junk (The part I said to her was) "Thanks honey!" but when it came. WOW. I always loved my Wouxon because it was a heavily made plastic tank. The 17r is so nice. 25 dollars is throw away good too. Watch that screen. I had one came with a big scratch on it. Currently looking for solutions to put a screen protector on it. Even if I have to use trimmed to size packing tape.

I can accept everything you say abour UV-5R but not that it is ugly. You just can't say that. It is cheap, poor quality, flimsy, clunky, it will break apart when you drop it etc. The UV-5R is classic now, not ugly.

Baofeng UV5R is still the best baofeng. If you are a beast user you might want something hackable where you can open all bands. This is not Baofeng, but same price and a beast and a devil where it comes to amateur radio.. Im not gonna share more info because it might not be legal in your area, but if you are enthusiast you will know what to search for and 100% you will find it!

Thanks for the review, and 73!

S9 plus radio bought and sold the same month. Never liked it. Buying this radio tomorrow.

No flashlight! I'm out. Dose it use Glock mags?

What’s the distance in talking with someone?

He was not having lunch with the flashlight guy

The screen/font on the 17 Pro model is way, WAY nicer. That alone might be worth the extra 15 bucks for people.

Your video has been up for eight days as of this writing, and you have more than ten thousand views. Amazon (Radioddity) has increased the price of the UV-17R from $25 to $29 (coincidence??). One problem with rave reviews is that they tend to raise the prices of products. I'd pay twenty-five bucks for the UV-17R, but not $29. It's a nice radio and I'd recommend it for people just getting started in ham radio, but I don't need it in my collection just yet. If the demand subsides, eh, possibly; however, I think the Tidradio TD-H8 is a much better buy all things considered.

Is the speaker port on the top? If so that could be nice in a pouch

Can it transmit on MURS? GMRS? For $25 it's a financial gamble for really cheap hams and junior radio pirates.

Thanks Scott

Darn I just bought a yaesu ft-65

Is there a tri-band version?

It's $25 because demand is down. Reason being, people aren't buying radios without RT Systems or Chirp support. The Baofeng CPS doesn't even have support for inport/export of CVS files. And writing codeplugs without Excel is a pain in the ass.. No 2 ways about it. With that said, the A36 that you don't like shines in that department.

Great review, may have to think abt getting one!🤔😃🇺🇸

Baofeng UV-17proV2 is The best $25 radio that you can buy.

Some people don't realize many vendors can sell the same product on Amazon. The Amazon vendor I got my 17r from sent me a radio that looks like this radio. However the display is not the same. The menus don't even come close to matching what is mentioned in the manual. It was open box, without bags sealed, no protective film on the glass, and the manual had obviously been used a bit, called had been re-wrapped. Given those factors it was obviously open box, despite being listed as new. Just be careful.

The small lettering in memory mode a deal killer for me…poor vision.

Amazon says this radio is IP54 rated

I'm not familiar with the acronym "mcom" - what does it stand for?

Is this a confirmed/official Baofeng radio? I have seen reports of the other UV17/18 variants as builds for other companies (Socotran, iirc). Nice review. I just purchased a new charger for my uv5r and should’ve just sprung for one of these 🤣.

My UV-17R came with a USB-C charging port on the battery.