The new Baofeng UV17R has gotten a lot of mixed reviews since it’s launch, so I thought I’d share my thoughts about it and why I’ve chosen them as a budget fleet radio solution.
The Need for Cheap Comms
There are some fantastic radios on the market, but for most of us they are out of budget. If you’re a hobbyist, professional, or serious user, it may be worth the price to pick up a high quality transceiver, but again, that’s not for all of us. Budget radios lower the barrier to entry for ham radio beginners and the preparedness community as a whole.
They are also much more cost effective to replace than higher end offerings, so they may be useful in hazardous environments where the risk of damage to the radio is likely (though the other route would of course be to go with more durable equipment). Additionally, they can come in handy for events or group activities where having multiple radios is more important than high-end features.
Limitations of Budget Radios
Before we go any further, we need to consider the drawbacks inherent to this class of radio. These are after all entry level offerings that will always be inferior to higher tier models.
Spurious Emissions and Interference
When you get on the air, you want to transmit the cleanest signal possible, both to ensure your message is readable and to reduce the chance of interfering with other operators. Unfortunately, many of these cheaper radios don’t produce the cleanest signal.
Not as Durable
Another common issue is poor construction. Budget radios are made with replaceability, not longevity in mind, so you have to be realistic about how much abuse they can withstand. They also often lack an Ingress Protection rating, meaning they probably won’t hold up to much use in the rain.
Limited Features
Lastly, these radios aren’t going to be as feature-rich as most modern transceivers have become. Obviously you can’t expect DMR capabilities out of a $50 radio, but you may miss out on other features like cross-band repeat, APRS integration, and more.
My Requirements
- Under $100 Per Unit – Being on a tight budget, I didn’t want to spend more than about $100 per unit (ideally under $50 to account for accessory costs).
- Dual Band – While FRS/GMRS and MURS radios have their place, I wanted to go with dual band VHF/UHF radios for my fleet.
- Programmable by Both Software and Keypad – Next up, they had to be programmable by both the keypad and software like CHIRP. This would allow for convenient programming at home while still allowing changes to be made in the field.
- Large Color Display – Lastly, while not exactly a functional requirement, I wanted a decently sized color display. After getting spoiled by my Wouxon KG-UV9D+ I didn’t want to go back to a monochrome display like the UV5R had.
Why the UV-17R
As with most in the preparedness community, I’ve had my share of UV5Rs and even a few (moderately) higher end radios such as the Wouxon KG-UV9D+, but none of them quite fit the bill for a decent, cost effective fleet radio.
Price Point
When amassing a fleet of radios on a budget, price is almost always the deciding factor. For my fleet, I ideally wanted to go with radios under $50, which while limiting, included numerous Chinese radios.
I picked up several of these UV17Rs in September 2024 for under $20 each, and the price still tends to fluctuate between $17 – $25 for these radios. That’s roughly half of what I paid for my first UV5R! The cheaper of these did not come with type-c rechargeable batteries, but still come in under-budget overall.
Features
- USB-C Charge – A big selling point for the UV17R was the USB-C rechargeable battery. The type-c port on the battery makes recharging in the field as easy as plugging it into a power bank or standard phone charger, rather than requiring a cradle. I’ve always hated charging cradles for field use as they take up an unnecessary amount of space and aren’t easily adapted to battery power. A downside of their design however is that the batteries aren’t as easy to swap out. While only requiring a single screw to be undone, it’s still not as convenient as a tool-less design.
- Easy to Program & Use – Assuming that you’ve used other Baofeng models in the past, you’ll find the menu system on the UV17R familiar and intuitive, but with a few extra shortcuts. A long hold of the [ 0 ] key will tune you to the NOAA weather channels for instance. The UV17R has a slightly different keypad layout, but it’s still quite intuitive and familiar.
- Dual-Band and Tri-Band Variants – There are also both dual-band and tri-band variants of the UV17R on the market, usually priced fairly similarly. This gives you a little extra flexibility with frequency selection, enabling you to use the 1.25 meter band in addition to the 70cm and 2 meter you’re probably familiar with.
- Flashlight on Bottom – I’ve never been a fan of flashlights on radios, but the Baofeng took a unique approach with this one. First and foremost, it’s on the bottom of the radio, not the top. This is likely a more practical location for it, though its not something I find myself using. What is a neat touch though is that the flashlight button (which also functions for the alarm) is marked with an icon, making it less likely to activate by mistake.
- Custom Splash Screen – While purely aesthetic, I got a kick out of flashing a custom boot screen onto my radios featuring the MWS logo. A more practical approach may be to have radio specific information (like the radio’s ID) displayed to quickly tell units apart, but the possibilities are endless.
Build Quality
While the UV17Rs aren’t the most rugged radios, they are a leap forward from the UV5R. They feel much more sturdy in the hand, which I believe is due to a different type of plastic used for the radio’s housing. And of course there is the color LCD display – again a huge aesthetic advancement over the UV5R and is easier to read.
While I doubt they would service more than a couple drops, and I wouldn’t trust it in the rain, they are priced to be replaceable and fill the need for an ultra-budget fleet radio. I no doubt plan on upgrading to something more rugged in the future, they fill the need for now.
When to Upgrade
Obviously the UV17R isn’t an end all be all solution – you’ll likely want to upgrade at some point. Here’s a couple points to take into consideration when debating between the UV17R (or similarly priced radios) and more expensive models:
- How frequently do you plan on transmitting?
- Are you okay replacing broken units or is durability more of a concern?
- Do you tend to operate in inclement weather or extreme conditions?
- Do you need radios that support digital voice / data?
- Do you need cross-band repeat or other advanced features?
Personally, I view my UV17R’s as a stop-gap solution and plan to fully replace my fleet within 3-5 years. But for the short term, the benefits for expedient emergency communications outweigh the limitations.
Final Thoughts
If you can afford better, by all means do so. But don’t think that the UV17R and similarly prices radios don’t have their place. Budget radios fill an important gap, whether it’s for beginners, backups, or situations where cost outweighs top tier features. Remember, communication is about utility first, and even inexpensive tools can serve well in the right circumstances.