Baofeng UV-5R Upgrade Ham Radio Long Range Two Way Radio UV-17R Walkie Talkies for Adults UV5RUSB Charger 999 Channels VOX with Earpiece,Flashlight Li-ion Battery

This radio offers some major design improvements over the previous Baofeng models. For one, the speaker is UNDER the kaypad. This is a terrific design change that allows the radio to have a much larger kaypad and a much larger display. The display is clear and bright. The second thing you will notice is that the flashlight is on the bottom side of the radio. I never liked having the flashlight on the top of the radio (I felt it made the radio look more like a toy) and now that it's on the bottom there is more room for two LEDs instead of just one. This makes the flashlight brighter. This radio has more water protection than many of the other Baofengs and that is why I purchased it. To help with the water protection the battery pack uses a screw that tightens the battery pack against the back of the radio to help seal the gaskets around the battery pack contacts on the inside of the battery pack. I sometimes work outside events and this will be very helpful if it rains. The final improvement I will list here is that the radio now allows for USB type "c" charging. There is a small port on the back of the battery pack that accepts a USB type "c" charger and means that the charging cradle no longer needs to be carried around with the radio when traveling. I will definitely use this feature when on vacation.Please note - a charging cradle insert comes with the radio and must be inserted into the charging cradle so that this radio fits the cradle. This is probably why someone else said their radio wouldn’t charge in the cradle.Also, this screen has mainly hues of blue but also has a small red arrow that shows up on the screen when a signal is being received on that frequency. Someone mentioned that other versions of this model have a different screen. That is true, another version of this same radio comes with a different screen that appears to have more colors but from what I can tell that version does not come with a battery pack that accepts USB type “c” charging. I personally like the screen that comes with this radio.Now for the small amount of "cons". The radio itself is larger than the other HT radios I have such as the UV-82. Not a big deal but I want to mention that here. Also, there is no clear indicator that the radio is on without leaving the display on all the time. I would prefer for there to be a small led light that allows me to see that the radio is still on without having to keep the large display on all the time. The final con I have is that the PTT button on the side of the radio is plastic. I'd rather see a rubber PTT button like the UV-82 but that is just personal preference.All in all, this is a great radio that offers enough design improvements over the other Baofengs to make it a worthwhile purchase. KC5YTX.

Looks great good Battery life, I recommend watching a few videos on how to use it before using it, along with reading the owners manual

The price was right, so I thought What the heck, and bought one. I love it! The USB-C is a huge bonus for me, so I don't need to mess with cradles and chargers. It's large and heavy enough to feel like a "legit" handheld radio and yet light enough to easily carry around, unlike my Yaesu FT-60R. It's become my default go-to radio now because it's got all the capabilities of a Baofeng (flashlight, FM broadcast, FRS/GMRS capable, CHIRP-programmable, easy manual programming, loud audio), and none of the drawbacks of the UV-5R, such as the need to program the squelch settings, too much capture effect, and lack-luster front-end. I do wish it came with Air band (pilot here), but for the price, I'm not complaining.

Nice, compact handheld radio

Usually I wait for a few days or more to write a review but this HT has some great improvements over previous models and I wanted to share this now.My first impression is I like the HT! It feels good in the hand and the audio from the speaker has a fuller range than previous models such as the GT-5R.I found the programming software at baofengradio dot com. I used the same programming cable on the UV-17R that I use on the GT-5R.**You must push the radio end of the programming cable until the bottom end of the plug can’t be pushed any further and you will notice the plug is at an angle but this does not effect programming**My HT has a spot on the volume knob where it becomes more difficult to turn but it did not effect the operation of the volume which remained linear. In the future I guess this could become an issue but for now all is good.I did a transmit audio check over a VOIP hotspot to a few friends comparing this HT with another one from “The big 3” and no one noticed any major difference. One person asked “wait which one are you on?” I guess there was no noticeable difference between the two!I like this HT!Pros: The speaker has great audio range and is significantly louder than the GT-5R. The display is very nice and easy on the eyes. The HT feels good in the handsCons: The volume knob is not an issue right now. I did however notice the receive compared to the GT-5R with the same antenna was not as good. Local repeaters and FM commercial broadcast band stations had static the GT-5R did not have. I’ll be using this with a hotspot that’s a few feet away so for myself it’s not an issue, for my application.I like the GT-5R a lot. I love the UV-17R. They’re both good HT’s for this price point.

This radio is an upgraded version of the UV-5r and works well for price. It's the one I carry on-site and for tower to ground work. A lot has been said about cheap radios and some of those opinions are justified, however, they have a place in the amateur radio hobby. It is a perfect entry-level H-T for the TECH and also perfect to go where you might not want to take your 500.00 H-T. Sound is Fine, rugged, and comes in different colors. There is a GPS model for those who want that feature.