Review UV17 Pro GPS

UV-17 Pro GPS     Description

The UV-17 Pro GPS is not a repackaged UV5R. It is a totally redesigned radio which includes:
- True AM Aircraft receiver
- One button NOAA channel access
- GPS
- 1000 channels with 10 channels banks
- High resolution color LCD
- USB-C charging


Very important Note:
The Basic UV-17 is being marketed under several model names, such as:
   UV-17    17 Plus 17 Pro 17L    17R    17 V2    17 Max
These are basic dual band (136-174, 400-520MHz), Mono display / no Aircraft Band / no GPS. *
Baofeng is mixing and matching models and features.

Described below is the full featured UV-17 Pro GPS.
This is the 6 Band model with 1.77" Color screen, GPS, Air Band (AM) and extra features. **

*    Uses v1.04 software P15UV
** Uses v1.2.4 software

Software can be downloaded from Software

In the Box

- UV-17 Pro GPS
- 1800mAh battery
- Charger Base with AC adapter
- Belt clip
- Wrist Strap
- U/V Antenna – 6.25" (16cm)
- User Guide – English

Frequency Summary

1.77”color Screen
Frequency Range:
   FM:   65-108MHz (RX)
   AM: 108-136MHz (RX) *
   VHF: 136-174MHz (TX & RX)
   VHF: 200-260MHz (TX& RX) **
   UHF: 350-355MHz (RX)
   UHF: 400-520MHz (TX & RX)

*   Specs read 130MHz AM
            Radio goes to 136MHz AM
**    Greatly reduced power (see below)

1000 Memory Channels (10 Channel Banks) 10x100
5W Output Power
NOAA weather broadcast Channels
GPS position and location Sharing
Dual LED Flashlight
IP54 Waterproof
Type C Battery Charging

Complete Feature List

Transmitter

The transmit frequency range of the UV-17 Pro GPS is both VHF 136-174 and UHF 400-520 MHz.
The power levels hold pretty close to the specifications. There are two power levels with a high of 5.0W.
My audio reports have been excellent on both local repeaters and simplex.
Power levels are listed below and were taken using a calibrated Bird Termaline wattmeter.

Important Note: * There is also a 200-260 MHz band that also allows transmit. The power level at 224 MHz is only a few mW. This said to be a design error where the 220MHz driver was fed into the uhk amplifies instead of the VHF. Prolonged transmitting on this band may cause damage to the handheld.
This has been verified by several other owners. The RF is going somewhere, but not where it should.

Receiver and Audio

The receiver sensitivity is excellent. I found the receive audio is very good with wide and smooth frequency response. This is due to 0.75 watt audio and the 1.5" (40mm) speaker.

Channel Banks

One nice feature is the 1000 channel capability broken into 10 channel banks. This is a major convenience when using the Scan mode. I personally have the channels divided into groups such as Local Ham repeaters, Travel/Vacation repeaters, Aircraft channels, etc.

Aircraft Receive

Based on the clarity of the reception, it appears the radio is capable of Receiving the AM Aircraft band. (108-130 MHz AM). I'm located between two major international airports plus several small local ones. With Ground to Air, Air to Air, UNICOM, Helicopter, etc. there's plenty to listen to when the local ham repeaters are not active.

Tone Search/Scanning

Along with Channel Scanning and Frequency Range scanning, this radio also has Tone Scanning capabilities. If you hear a repeater and aren't sure of the access tone, you can use this option to determine what the CTCSS or DCS tone is being transmitted by the repeater.

GPS Capability

The UV-17 Pro GPS supports both GPS and BDS modes. The coordinates and elevation measurements are exact as expected. This includes location sharing between two UV17 Pro GPS radios. The UV17 Pro GPS also has the ability to send GPS coordinates between two radios.

Verify GPS capability

To verify that your radio has GPS, Menu 4 should display GNSS to select the GPS options. When GPS is turned ON, a long press of the Blue key in the upper right of the keypad will display the GPS screen.

Enclosure

The UV-17 Pro GPS case has a good solid feel and weight, and fits the hand well. It weighs in at 10.3oz (292g) with the battery attached. Battery removal requires a small screwdriver. This provides a tight fil and helps with the IP54 waterproof rating. No battery sliding or pushing is required.

Side Keys

Along with the PTT button, there are 2 Side Keys.
SK1 has 2 functions
- Long Press = Flashlight + Alarm
- Short Press = Flashlight
SK2 has 2 functions.
- Long Press opens the squelch.
- Short Press only is Programmable.
The SK2 options are: FM radio, Scan, Search and VOX.

Keypad

The keypad buttons differ slightly between the two models. The standard model keypad has numbers and function keys, while the Pro GPS keypad has numbers and alpha characters. When programming channel names via the keypad, I found the alpha characters are much more practical. It also includes a keypad button for the preprogrammed NOAA weather channels.

Antenna

The included dual band antenna is 5.75" which is a fairly common size for a handheld. The antenna sweeps well and performs very well in the ham bands. There was a definite improvement using a Nagoya NA-771, especially when receiving the Aircraft frequencies. The 771 is about 10" longer (15.5"), so a difference would be expected., but I'll probably stay with the stock antenna for local coverage.

Top and Bottom

The LED lights are now found on the bottom of the radio. The top center is where the GPS antenna is located. Note the non-GPS version shows the GPS emblem but the does not have the function.

Display

The first main visual difference between the UV-17 Pro GPS and the plain UV-17 is the 1.77" color display. The Pro GPS resolution is excellent and easy to read.
There is also an in between model labeled UV17L with color LCD screen without the GPS.

UV-17 Pro GPS

Basic UV-17 (old) Basic UV-17 (new)
click to enlarge

NOAA

A long press of the zero (0) key switches the receiver to the NOAA weather channels.

Software

At this time (June 2023) the current software can be found at the Software by Model section of Miklor.com.
The handheld is also now supported by CHIRP.

Like most new radios, the factory software takes a little getting used to, but for the most part is pretty straight forward.
One thing that is annoying is the lack of a copy/paste function. If you desire to have the same channel in 2 different channel banks, you need to re-enter the information for that channel.

At the time of this review, the current Factory Software is BF-UV17 Pro GPS v1.2.4.
Factory software for other models of the UV17 series can be found at Software by Model.

UV17 Pro GPS
Airband Frequency / Programming

Using factory software
The radio includes the AM Aircraft frequencies between 108-136MHz. The audio is clear due to the larger speaker and .75W audio amp.

One of the shortcomings of the Factory Software is not being able to directly create airband channels. Their developer forgot to add the 108-136 MHz as a valid input range.
To get around this, you need to do the following:

- Using the factory software, create a 'Dummy' channel using a random valid VHF frequency.
- Add all other information, such as Scan info, Label, etc.
- Upload this information to the radio.
- Select the new channel added to the radio.
- Using the radio's Menu, change the RX Frequency manually.
(Menu / Program Channel / RX Frequency)
Both the Radio and Software will now accept the airband channel.

Modified Updated Software (Preferred)

There is a Modified Software Version for the UV-17 Pro GPS that is now available. This modified software allows direct programming of Airband frequencies directly from the software along with other enhancements..
This can be found at MOD124

Airband Frequency List

A good reference to Aircraft Frequencies can be found at Frequency Lists.

Programming Cable

The UV-17 Pro GPS requires a K1 style cable where the UART chip is part of the cable. The standard K1 style jack allows for all previous accessories such as the QHM22 Spkr/Micr.

If this error message appears:
"Please check all connections and communication port settings",
it is normally caused by the cable not being fully seated in the K1 connector. A very slight trimming of the programming cable might be required.

Battery and Charger

Included with the radio is an 1800mAh battery and charging base. A really nice addition is the USB-C charging port on the rear of the battery. A standard USB-C cable can be used to charge from any USB power source. There is a charging indicator on the battery which shows Red while charging and Green when fully charged.

Note 1: This is a charging port for charging the radio's battery only. The USB-C port cannot be used as a source for charging other equipment such as cell phones, etc.

Note 2: Some US purchasers have reported receiving charge cradles with Euro style AC plugs. Make sure US plug is included. If not, the adapters are available on Amazon.

Note 3: Currently, there does not appear to be a source for spare BL17UV batteries.

Pros

- Includes Airband (AM) receive
- 1,000 channels (10 channel banks)
- USB-C battery charging
- Pre Programmed NOAA weather channels
- Currently Supported by CHIRP software

Concerns

- Software has several bugs
       Does not program the Air Band frequencies via software
       Does not have a Copy/Paste function for duplicate channels
- Advertised as a Tri-Band radio.
       Does Not allow transmit on 220 MHz

Differences between Models

Feature / Model	UV17 Pro GPS	UV17 Basic
GPS	Yes	No
Frequency Coverage	6 Band	VHF UHF only
Aircraft Band (AM)	Yes	No
Channel Banks	Yes (10 x 100)	No (1 x 999)
Color Display	Yes	Mono
Channel Name Max	12 Characters	6 Characters
NOAA Weather Channels	Yes	No

Conclusion

The good news is that after over a decade, Baofeng has finally upgraded the design and firmware of their radios.

The confusing part is many of the newer models share the same basic look and model number. Although the UV-17 Pro GPS very closely resembles the plain UV-17 series described above, they are definitely not the same radio.

The software leaves a bit to be desired and the 220 MHz band was disappointing, but the Airband receive is a nice addition. The Mod124 and CHIRP software does allow for Air Band programming.