Customers say
Customers find the two-way radio to be nicely made and easy to program, with a bright and clear display. They appreciate its programming capabilities, with one mentioning the free CHIRP software, and consider it good value for money despite the cheap antenna. However, the battery life is problematic as it doesn’t hold a charge well, and customers report issues with sound quality, with one describing it as garbled and unintelligible. Additionally, the frequency range receives negative feedback, with multiple customers reporting transmission problems.
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A quick rundown of this product’s key features:
UHF/VHF Two-Way Radio: TX: 144-148MHz and 420-450MHz, and RX: 136-174MHz and 400-519.995MHz, as well as NOAA and FM reception. You can communicate across various frequency ranges, ensuring you stay connected in diverse environments.
Wireless Frequency Copy: The wireless frequency copy feature simplifies the process of programming your radio’s frequency settings. It allows you to seamlessly clone frequency configurations from one ham radio to another nearby.
User-Friendly DTMF Customization: The UV-17R allows you to edit DTMF settings directly by pressing the ‘#’ key. This method simplifies the process of configuring dual-tone multi-frequency signals, granting you greater control over your communication experience.
Wide and Narrow Bandwidth Options: Select between 12.5KHz and 25KHz wide band, or narrow band settings for compatibility and flexibility in various communication scenarios.
Feature-Rich Design: Equipped with a rechargeable 1800mAh battery, 999 channels for ample storage, 104 CDCSS, and 50 CTCSS codes, as well as dual watch capabilities. Additionally, a 1.77” TFT color display, 1-9 VOX, and 0-5 squelch level settings enhance user experience. FCC ID: 2AJGM-UV17.
Our Top Reviews
Reviewer: Rick Scholl
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Solid well built radio, Great customer service
Review: Sharkoo was the seller of this Baofeng radio. The radio works great. Initially I had a problem with a defective antenna. Echo at Sharkoo was extremely helpful and sent a replacement even though it had been a couple months since the order was placed. initially I had only used it to receive and when a couple months later I decided to transmit found that it couldn’t hit the local repeaters even though it seemed to hear just fine. I tried an antenna from a different Baofeng radio and it worked perfectly. So Echo expedited the shipment of a replacement antenna. So great customer service.Now lets talk about the radio. Its actually a very nicely made radio that actually has some weight to it. Some of the handhelds these days are so light that they can feel cheap. This radio feels like a good solid radio like an icom or a motorola. And i love that it can capture a nearby radio and tell you the radio frequency and PL tone that are in use. I would buy this again and frankly I probably will. Its easy to program and easy to use and it has 999 channels of memory so you can store in ranges. On mine everything in the 0-100 range is 2 meters, everything in 101 to 200 is 440. If you have different cities you visit you could program 200’s to be one city and 300’s to be another. If you cheat(and I have no opinion on this one way or the other and use it for GMRS you could put those from 900-999. The programming software chirp is free. If you don’t have a baofeng programming cable get one from baofeng for very little money. I program it from my mac. But Chirp runs on almost any platform. Its inexpensive but feels like a solid quality radio. Thanks for helping me with the antenna Echo at Sharkoo.
Reviewer: Jim
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Quality and speed galore!
Review: Great delivery and radios in perfect shape!
Reviewer: Logan Carmichael
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great little radios for Ham Radio purposes — does NOT work on FRS/GMRS frequencies
Review: I purchased two of these radios without really doing my homework — intending to use them as a cheap GMRS option (yes, with reduced power levels, etc. to keep it legal) and discovered upon their arrival they were locked-out of the FRS/GMRS range…it cannot transmit above 450mhz. I am a licensed ham, so this isn’t a big deal for me in the end and I ordered a different version that will work within my GMRS license parameters and these two just became “spares” for ham purposes (I stuck one in my work office and another in my go bag for a rainy day.So, aside from not working on GMRS, these little radios are pretty well-built and a definite upgrade by Baofeng standards. The antennas are kinda cheap, but overall okay. The screen is bright and clear, the radio feels as good as any “big name” radio out there in my opinion…and it works well on my local 2m and 70cm repeaters and simplex. The flashlight on the bottom is fantastic and the ability to receive FM broadcast band is a nice bonus, and I was able to program them with CHIRP with no issues. I only wish it came with USB-C chargeable batteries! So, overall, I have no complaints and the GMRS snafu is PURELY on MY PART for not reading the description better (it clearly says the freq range).
Reviewer: Mark0
Rating: 1.0 out of 5 stars
Title: An ok radio CAN be made at this price point – this one is NOT an example of that
Review: The Good, the Bad and downright Ugly:Coming in at less than $20 a copy on Amazon this is a very inexpensive dual band Amateur Radio. It can kinda-sorta be programmed by the keypad (very klunky) or with an additional cable (no included) via “CHIRP” a free HT programming APP that runs on WIN/MAC systems.There are plenty of memory’s to store ones favorite frequencies and the radio sports many or most of the popular options Amateur Radio operators look for. There is also quite a few accessories that this radio can share with other Baofeng & other OEM’s.Out of the box the first issue I found was there was no DC charging option included or available stock. There are accessory battery packs that have USBC charging (that also have Green+Red charge indicator LEDS) but is an extra. The 2nd thing I noticed is that without the backlight on, you can’t read or see the LCD screen. Other models/OEM’s radios don’t require a back light as this one does. Of note while the Squelch is not on a knob but rather on a menu, if the squelch is triggered the back light will come on, even if Tone-Squelch is not satisfied. (back light and ‘Green’ receive indicator will light up but no sound if the Tone-Squelch is not triggered)As mentioned a programming cable which may be compatible with a fair number of other OEM’s/Models does not come with it and is also extra.While looking for further programming information I came across a number of reviews on the UV17R, some of which were rather alarming or very least disturbing. Upon attaching my copy of the UV17R to a Spectrum Analyzer I was able to duplicate the results of others that actually looked at the UV17R’s transmission quality.The UV17R is what we’d call a “dirty radio” where in its harmonics are FAR ABOVE (IE: FAILING!) the FCC Part 97.307 spurious emissions standards! Frankly this radio ought NOT be sold for Transmissions in the USA WITHOUT further filtering of its output!!Since this radio was purchased on a “whim” during the Holiday season I have no issues with tossing it in the trash for what it is however I sadly invested in: program cable, batteries & antenna. At least the program cable might be used with other radios.Interestingly enough I purchased a Pair of another OEM’s radios for less than 2x what I paid for this one and ran them though the same testing and THEY PASSED. So it IS possible to meet FCC Part 97.307 spurious emissions standards at this price point. IDK why Baofeng is not.There are better radios out there that cost the same or less.(edit: added test results images)
Reviewer: WireNut
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: One button NOAA channels
Review: First off, I want to say that I DO NOT use this as a ham radio (I only have a GMRS license). I bought this solely as a portable weather radio. I have a stationary weather radio in our 2nd floor bedroom of our house to alert us of severe weather while we are sleeping. But, it is a little pricey for what it is. These radios are inexpensive and I bought 3 for roughly the same price as the stationary weather radio. I keep one on the main floor of the house, one in the garage, and one at work in my toolbox. The one button press for the preprogrammed NOAA channels is what really sold me on these. Sound quality is excellent. I have had no issues with the battery life or reception of the weather channels with the supplied antenna. Color screen is easy to see, but I have not tried it in direct sunlight.
Reviewer: alberto puente
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Se ven muy bien, para el precio que tienen , gracias
Reviewer: Alejandro Fuentes
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: En mi opinión es un radio muy bueno . Tiene demasiadas funciones que si o si te pueden ayudar en cualquier situación .lo recomiendo al 100% . Nota ver videos de como programarlo . En conclusión es excelente
Reviewer: No es fácil la configuración pero es buen radio, buena distancia de comunicación
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Muy limitada la banda VHF, podría ser mejor
Reviewer: JORGE SERRANO
Rating: 1.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: llego con los accesorios mencionados lo puse a cargar pero no prendió
Reviewer: Carlos
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Excelente buen alcance
Price effective as of Jun 27, 2025 18:38:01 UTC
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