A quick look at the new Baofeng UV-18 Pro Max a multiband GPS enabled rival for the Baofeng UV-17 Pro GPS.......who wins? I'll let you decide. Available for purchase here: www.aliexpress...
Thank you for your very informative video! Have to say however that the "Sean Connery" voice tops everything else! 73 from Greece! Also to add a note that you seem to be the only channel to have presented the UV-18 pro max - which seems to be a very interesting budget radio! Everyone else seems to be "fixated" on the Tidaradios H3/H8 (thanks to a very aggressive PR campaign from the company - which sends them out to everyone for review...) - So one more reason to watch your channel!
great video thanks, had just bought the 17 gps and seen about the 18pro max glad you pointed out the missing flashlight, which is clutch, will keep the 17 for sure, 👍
Any chance to test the Max harmonics? I saw other reviews of the 17 Pro GPS that showed a high harmonics levels. And have you seen any radios that can recieve on the 27Mhz band (listen in on CB).
They are similar but I have personally found the avaition reception on the UV-17 pro GPS to be superior to any of my Baofeng radios that can receive AM airband.
I am tempted to get the UV 18 Pro Max and see if It will log GPS positions of each radio as that is what its for from what I can tell from owning the UV17 Pro Gps also Terri's version is best and can change ya voice mine is Australian brightens up the day in dismal rainy East Anglia DE M7SEY 73 ps. advert says 10W
Can you please share the battery specs too? The ad shows 8800mAh, but that seems massive compared to anything else they sell. Also, does it actually have USB recharge, as it appears to be advertised?
Yes, I suspect that is a typo in the advert. The battery is actually a 1800 mah battery which is pretty typical for most of the newer Baofengs. Yes, it does indeed have USB-C charging on the battery. 👍
@@Jazz3006 .....no, not tried that but I imagine it is the same as my Baofeng BF-18H which uses the identical battery and I have never had any issues with that. 👍
@@Jazz3006 ....apparently because the radio uses a certain type of GPS module it can cause a drain on the battery. It's not a serious issue and just a fact that the battery will last longer with GPS turned off than with it turned on but the radio will still last an acceptably long time with it off or on so I'd say it's a non-issue and don't worry about it. 👍
I see 2 differences. 10w on the UV18 Pro Max instead of 5W on the UV17 Pro GPS and the waterproof rating ip57 instead of ip54. Am I mistaken? Is it really 10w?
I'll be able to tell you if that is true or not very soon as I am awaiting delivery of a power test meter BUT I would seriously doubt that it is capable of outputting 10 watts....maybe 7 at best but often the people who sell the radio often over exaggerate the claimed power output....watch this space....as for the IP rating....neither is very waterproof and I certainly wouldn't use either in heavy rain without some kind of protection. Thank you for your comments. 👍😎
Do we know what protocol the two radios use to transfer GPS data? I know the UV17rPro can send gps data directly to another UV17R Pro, but can the 18 pro max send and receive gps position to a UV17RPro ? If we could document the protocol it might be useful to create a APRS gateway
I'm not an expert on that but it is my understanding that whatever protocol it uses it limits GPS communication to radios of the same type eg two 17pro GPS or two 18 pro max. I have a 17 pro GPS and an 18 pro max and they do not communicate via GPS with each other unfortunately. ☹️
@@bigwill4423 Huh, seems like a real oversight to not allow at least the 18 and 17 to share the same gps location protocol. Still I suspect if we get enough recordings with a SDR it should be possible to reverse engineer the protocol.
Interesting radio. I will have to hold out to see if someone does an in depth test of power and emissions. Its hit and miss when dealing with the many different models and firmware versions of Baofengs and similar priced radios.
Hello , Happy new year . I have purchased the Baofeng UV18 Pro Max , I purchased it to use the GPS , I was hoping that the radio downloaded my GPS location from a satellite , but I can't seem to receive any satellite information on the screen ?, I guess I have to train up on how to use the Sattellite on this radio , there's nothing on TH-cam on how to program this radio on sattellite operation ?, & there's nothing on GPS operation in the handbook that comes with the radio ?.
Make sure GPS is switched on by going into "GNSS" in the menu. Then "long press" the red button top right on the keypad and this will put the radio into GPS mode. Give it a while to acquire the satellite as the time will vary on your location and how good a signal you are getting but it should eventually display your gps position. 👍
@bigwill4423 also looking forward to that, mine arrives tomorrow (I'm in Japan), don't have any way to test the power on it. Also..I messaged baofeng and sugested they put a geiger muller tube in it and give it a geiger function mode, they replied that they forward that to the technicians, if they actually do it that would really put them in front of all radio manufacturers.
Heej, how nice... you did the review of the pro-max, as you've told me. I'm watchin. And happy new year to you too. I don't thinik it's a killer for sacrificing the flashlight. I don't hear advanages onto the UV17 GPS pro.
I actually saw a video of the GPS UV17, you can actually send or request GPS from another radio!!! Don't remember the exact steps but he oppened gps on both and sent the gps to the other when he pressed transmit, then he closed the gps on the other (went to frequency screen) and from the other went to the gps list and clicked send I thing..and that sent a request signal to the other...he pressed and held the gps button to open the gps and sent the gps location to the other (sorry if I made any mistakes in the steps).
@bigwill4423 I ordered one a few days ago, did you have a look on yours if it's 10w and did you manage to test it by any chance? (The one I ordered is the 18 pro max gps just like yours and it said 10w..but I'm expecting it to be around 4.2w).
@@ExploringWithJason ...I have no means of testing it but I would doubt very much if it is 10 watts. 6 at best but probably nearer 4 if it's like other Baofengs.
@@bigwill4423 how many W is the label on the back of yours saying if you don't mind checking for me? When I was looking on aliexpress I saw the new UV-5R with the colour screen advertised as 7W, I checked the comments and some people tested it and were showing 10.2W on their equipment.
@@ExploringWithJason ...it says 10 watt on the label under the battery but i'd take that with a pinch of salt. Baofeng are notorious for over exaggerating the power output of their radios.
Thanks for the videos, always useful and interesting. I'd like to ask you something about this radio (I just ordered a UV-18 Pro Max with GPS). How to import memories from another radio to this Baofeng since it is not supported by Chirp and the original CPS program does not support copy/paste unbelievably? Do you have to write them down one by one? Thanks
It actually is supported by the latest version of chirp next but you have to select the baofeng UV-17 pro GPS radio. I prefer the "modded" CPS software myself as it simplifies inputting airband frequencies and organising and naming banks/zones.
It's not actually Miklor's it's just available for download from there. A very clever lady called Terri Kennedy is responsible for actually modifying the software and she did a brilliant job with it to the point that's it's far superior to chirp for programming this radio.@@giovenri
Got hold of one and have an issue where the radio switches on, but wont switch off using the power/volume control. Have tried reset , which works initially but then wont power off ,and the optional power save and no-joy. Have to take battery off the back each time.
@@bigwill4423 just for the fun of it, I tried another reset and it worked this time. Will see how it goes, funny how its always one or two resets with these devices...
Gee looks very nice! I ordered 2 from different sellers. Hope the Zone problem is fixed now where on previous models one couldnt select different Zones on A & B.
@@bigwill4423 Arrrrr thats a pitty. I hoped they would be sharp, notice it and sort it. Well annyway I received mine this past Saturday (good start to the weekend 😃). Looking good so far. I had my codeplug/configuration prepared in advance and transferred it to the radio as soon as I got it home. Enjoying the UV-18 Pro Max so far. I think the UV-18 Pro Max has a nicer body/casing than the UV-17 Pro.
Hello. I have a Baofeng BF18h. It doesn't show me in the menu that it has GPS. Does it not have GPS or does it need to be inserted additionally? Thank you
I'm HOPING the 18 Pro Max doesn't have the 1.25 meter tx issue that the 17 Pro GPS had but I'm waiting on delivery of a power meter before I can determine that Garry?
They're not identical, the uv-17 pro gps does not transmit on the 1.25m band whereas the uv18 pro max does. Some people say that the uv17 pro gps does a better job of modulating the air bands more clearly but i have yet to see a side by side comparison. Butbi have seen a video showing the zero transmit power for the uv17 pro gps on the 1.25m band.
Pelo que ele diz acima, e já ouvi dizer de outras fontes, o 17 Pro GPS é o menos pior de todos. Gostaria de saber como se compara com um Icom ou Yaesu FTA-450L, por exemplo.
No, unfortunately I don't have the necessary equipment to do that but hopefully as the radio becomes more popular someone with that ability will be able to give you a definitive answer. Hopefully the "bug" in the 17 pro GPS was a one off???? 🤔
There is a video showing the uv18 pro max emitting nearly 6 watts transmit power on the 1.25m band. Screw the flashlight... what good is a radio that doesnt transmit properly.
Yep, no issues at all on 1.25 meters on the 18 pro max. I did a separate video power testing it if you want to look that one up on my channel but off the top of my head I think it was about 5 or 6 watts on 1.25 meters.
@@drabfab3014 yep, uv17 pro GPS has had an issue with no transmit on 1.25 meters from the get go but it looks like they're now shipping it with the uv-18 pro max v1.03 firmware which seems to have resolved the issue.
Hi Big Will. Really enjoyed your video on the Baofeng UV-18 Pro Max. About 3 months ago i bought the UV-18 Pro before the Max came out. In your video when you turned on the UV-18 Pro Max and pressed the green menu button it shows a file menu. On my UV-18 Pro when i press the green button the menu shows up on the bottom of the screen when its in frequency or channel mode. The menu is only showing the 42 short cut settings. What programming software do i use to set the menu to look like the UV-18Pro Max. I would appreciate any advice that you can give. Thank you
....apologies if I was "long winded". I am just an amateur and my videos are unscripted and I probably do tend to "ramble on". I will endeavour to do better in the future.
Thank you for your very informative video! Have to say however that the "Sean Connery" voice tops everything else! 73 from Greece!
Also to add a note that you seem to be the only channel to have presented the UV-18 pro max - which seems to be a very interesting budget radio! Everyone else seems to be "fixated" on the Tidaradios H3/H8 (thanks to a very aggressive PR campaign from the company - which sends them out to everyone for review...) - So one more reason to watch your channel!
Sean Connery! Had to laugh at that one. 😁 Thank you very much. 👍
if you have watched the comedy "The Simpsons", its actually the same guy that makes the voice of "Dr.Hibbert!" - 73, Levi
I don't care about the flashlight, tx power spurs etc. if there's a Barry white voice none of that matters. Ready to see that Freak-wincy more baby
Please.I want.to look.your.radio.Airband.mode
great video thanks, had just bought the 17 gps and seen about the 18pro max glad you pointed out the missing flashlight, which is clutch, will keep the 17 for sure, 👍
Are you using the torch for spider mites??
Is it waterproof?
@@CrucesNomad1 No. Unfortunately no Baofeng radios are waterproof. Showerproof at best.
Your review of the radios was very complete, as well as the comments on the margins of the topic were very interesting. . Thank you
Thank you. 😎👍
Hi, can you make more videos on Baofeng UV 18 Pro Max to see how it receives and transmits
Will try my best. I intend to do a power test on it soon when I get the necessary equipment. Thank you for your comments.
Much appreciated @@bigwill4423
Any chance to test the Max harmonics? I saw other reviews of the 17 Pro GPS that showed a high harmonics levels. And have you seen any radios that can recieve on the 27Mhz band (listen in on CB).
@@Ishkatan unfortunately I don't have the equipment to test harmonics. The quansheng radios have the ability to receive 27mhz with altered firmware.
Which of the two baofeng has better reception in aviation? uv 17 pro or uv 18 pro max?
They are similar but I have personally found the avaition reception on the UV-17 pro GPS to be superior to any of my Baofeng radios that can receive AM airband.
But the baofeng uv 18 pro max is the quality of reception in the air band excellent, good or bad?
@@josemarcioromualdosilva ....I would say it's good.
I am tempted to get the UV 18 Pro Max and see if It will log GPS positions of each radio as that is what its for from what I can tell from owning the UV17 Pro Gps also Terri's version is best and can change ya voice mine is Australian brightens up the day in dismal rainy East Anglia DE M7SEY 73 ps. advert says 10W
I have purchased one now and sorted out the problem thank you
Can you please share the battery specs too? The ad shows 8800mAh, but that seems massive compared to anything else they sell. Also, does it actually have USB recharge, as it appears to be advertised?
Yes, I suspect that is a typo in the advert. The battery is actually a 1800 mah battery which is pretty typical for most of the newer Baofengs. Yes, it does indeed have USB-C charging on the battery. 👍
@@bigwill4423 Thanks! Any chance you have done a battery life test?
@@Jazz3006 .....no, not tried that but I imagine it is the same as my Baofeng BF-18H which uses the identical battery and I have never had any issues with that. 👍
@@bigwill4423 I was really curious about how much of a difference there would be between GPS on and off.
@@Jazz3006 ....apparently because the radio uses a certain type of GPS module it can cause a drain on the battery. It's not a serious issue and just a fact that the battery will last longer with GPS turned off than with it turned on but the radio will still last an acceptably long time with it off or on so I'd say it's a non-issue and don't worry about it. 👍
Hi I've tried to purchase one from AliExpress but will not deliver to UK. ?? Any ideas.Geff
That's strange Geff. Try another vendor on Ali, there are three or four. They delivered to me in the UK no problem. 🤔
I see 2 differences. 10w on the UV18 Pro Max instead of 5W on the UV17 Pro GPS and the waterproof rating ip57 instead of ip54. Am I mistaken? Is it really 10w?
I'll be able to tell you if that is true or not very soon as I am awaiting delivery of a power test meter BUT I would seriously doubt that it is capable of outputting 10 watts....maybe 7 at best but often the people who sell the radio often over exaggerate the claimed power output....watch this space....as for the IP rating....neither is very waterproof and I certainly wouldn't use either in heavy rain without some kind of protection. Thank you for your comments. 👍😎
Ask your friend Terry Kennedy if he can extract the GPS data from the digital burst and project it on Google Maps ?
...you'll have to ask Terri that yourself my friend as it's above my pay grade. You'll find HER on the baofeng uv17 pro GPS users Facebook page. 👍
Do we know what protocol the two radios use to transfer GPS data? I know the UV17rPro can send gps data directly to another UV17R Pro, but can the 18 pro max send and receive gps position to a UV17RPro ? If we could document the protocol it might be useful to create a APRS gateway
I'm not an expert on that but it is my understanding that whatever protocol it uses it limits GPS communication to radios of the same type eg two 17pro GPS or two 18 pro max. I have a 17 pro GPS and an 18 pro max and they do not communicate via GPS with each other unfortunately. ☹️
@@bigwill4423 Huh, seems like a real oversight to not allow at least the 18 and 17 to share the same gps location protocol. Still I suspect if we get enough recordings with a SDR it should be possible to reverse engineer the protocol.
Interesting radio. I will have to hold out to see if someone does an in depth test of power and emissions. Its hit and miss when dealing with the many different models and firmware versions of Baofengs and similar priced radios.
..so true...I await more findings! 😎👍
Hello , Happy new year . I have purchased the Baofeng UV18 Pro Max , I purchased it to use the GPS , I was hoping that the radio downloaded my GPS location from a satellite , but I can't seem to receive any satellite information on the screen ?, I guess I have to train up on how to use the Sattellite on this radio , there's nothing on TH-cam on how to program this radio on sattellite operation ?, & there's nothing on GPS operation in the handbook that comes with the radio ?.
Make sure GPS is switched on by going into "GNSS" in the menu. Then "long press" the red button top right on the keypad and this will put the radio into GPS mode. Give it a while to acquire the satellite as the time will vary on your location and how good a signal you are getting but it should eventually display your gps position. 👍
Thank you , that's much appreciated .@@bigwill4423
does it have password protection?
All baofeng radios can be protected by a passnumber if you want.
But the baofeng uv 18 pro max is the quality of reception in the air band excellent, good or bad?
I'd rate it as "good"
The uv18 pro Max hás a better reception of The air Band compared to uv17?
Or is the same?
@@bigwill4423
Do you know if all the 17s have gps I just bought one I don’t think it’s supposed to but it has the gps waypoint marker on the top of the shell
No, just the 17 pro GPS actually has GPS. The other models share the same case with the GPS marking on top but don't have the GPS module inside. ☹️
@@bigwill4423 ok thanks I just got a 17r mine will tx on gmrs frs and ham bands is that normal?
@@Crushbandicoot-wv8xb yes, it will operate on those frequencies although it is my understanding that the 17r is not type approved for GMRS/frs use. 🤔
Are the menus in english? Have to tested the actual power output? I would be interested in another video about the UV18 pro Max.
Yes, menus are in English. Will do another video when I take delivery of a power meter. 👍
@bigwill4423 also looking forward to that, mine arrives tomorrow (I'm in Japan), don't have any way to test the power on it. Also..I messaged baofeng and sugested they put a geiger muller tube in it and give it a geiger function mode, they replied that they forward that to the technicians, if they actually do it that would really put them in front of all radio manufacturers.
Heej, how nice... you did the review of the pro-max, as you've told me. I'm watchin. And happy new year to you too. I don't thinik it's a killer for sacrificing the flashlight. I don't hear advanages onto the UV17 GPS pro.
Thank you. 😎👍
Definitely need to get our heads together and start taking these apart.
Wouldn’t surprise me if the 17, 18, 5RH, 5RM etc are all the same inside.
@@M7EUP ...quite possible! 👍
I actually saw a video of the GPS UV17, you can actually send or request GPS from another radio!!! Don't remember the exact steps but he oppened gps on both and sent the gps to the other when he pressed transmit, then he closed the gps on the other (went to frequency screen) and from the other went to the gps list and clicked send I thing..and that sent a request signal to the other...he pressed and held the gps button to open the gps and sent the gps location to the other (sorry if I made any mistakes in the steps).
Yes, it is possible to send your GPS coordinates to another similar radio.👍
@bigwill4423 I ordered one a few days ago, did you have a look on yours if it's 10w and did you manage to test it by any chance? (The one I ordered is the 18 pro max gps just like yours and it said 10w..but I'm expecting it to be around 4.2w).
@@ExploringWithJason ...I have no means of testing it but I would doubt very much if it is 10 watts. 6 at best but probably nearer 4 if it's like other Baofengs.
@@bigwill4423 how many W is the label on the back of yours saying if you don't mind checking for me? When I was looking on aliexpress I saw the new UV-5R with the colour screen advertised as 7W, I checked the comments and some people tested it and were showing 10.2W on their equipment.
@@ExploringWithJason ...it says 10 watt on the label under the battery but i'd take that with a pinch of salt. Baofeng are notorious for over exaggerating the power output of their radios.
Thanks for the videos, always useful and interesting. I'd like to ask you something about this radio (I just ordered a UV-18 Pro Max with GPS). How to import memories from another radio to this Baofeng since it is not supported by Chirp and the original CPS program does not support copy/paste unbelievably? Do you have to write them down one by one? Thanks
It actually is supported by the latest version of chirp next but you have to select the baofeng UV-17 pro GPS radio. I prefer the "modded" CPS software myself as it simplifies inputting airband frequencies and organising and naming banks/zones.
@@bigwill4423 Thank you so much. By modded CPS, do you mean Miklor's?
It's not actually Miklor's it's just available for download from there. A very clever lady called Terri Kennedy is responsible for actually modifying the software and she did a brilliant job with it to the point that's it's far superior to chirp for programming this radio.@@giovenri
Got hold of one and have an issue where the radio switches on, but wont switch off using the power/volume control. Have tried reset , which works initially but then wont power off ,and the optional power save and no-joy. Have to take battery off the back each time.
That's not good. Looks like you have unfortunately got a bad one. If you can, I'd return it as faulty. ☹️
@@bigwill4423 just for the fun of it, I tried another reset and it worked this time. Will see how it goes, funny how its always one or two resets with these devices...
@@philnicholson7462 ...glad you got it sorted! 😎👍
Gee looks very nice! I ordered 2 from different sellers. Hope the Zone problem is fixed now where on previous models one couldnt select different Zones on A & B.
I'm afraid the zones issue is still the same. ☹️
@@bigwill4423 Arrrrr thats a pitty. I hoped they would be sharp, notice it and sort it. Well annyway I received mine this past Saturday (good start to the weekend 😃). Looking good so far. I had my codeplug/configuration prepared in advance and transferred it to the radio as soon as I got it home. Enjoying the UV-18 Pro Max so far. I think the UV-18 Pro Max has a nicer body/casing than the UV-17 Pro.
Hello. I have a Baofeng BF18h. It doesn't show me in the menu that it has GPS. Does it not have GPS or does it need to be inserted additionally? Thank you
Does not have gps ability, cannot be added either. Have to buy the gps 18 radio.
@@drabfab3014 Thank you
Does the UV18 pro max get NOAA?
It does, even though we don't receive NOAA in the UK.
Thanks Will. Not sure what advantage would be gained by investing in the new model, if they're identical, apart from the loss of the LED torch?
I'm HOPING the 18 Pro Max doesn't have the 1.25 meter tx issue that the 17 Pro GPS had but I'm waiting on delivery of a power meter before I can determine that Garry?
They're not identical, the uv-17 pro gps does not transmit on the 1.25m band whereas the uv18 pro max does. Some people say that the uv17 pro gps does a better job of modulating the air bands more clearly but i have yet to see a side by side comparison. Butbi have seen a video showing the zero transmit power for the uv17 pro gps on the 1.25m band.
Qual dos dois é o melhor em recepção na banda aérea ?
Pelo que ele diz acima, e já ouvi dizer de outras fontes, o 17 Pro GPS é o menos pior de todos. Gostaria de saber como se compara com um Icom ou Yaesu FTA-450L, por exemplo.
Did you test the output power on 1.25m? The 17 pro gps has a low power issue on that band.
No, unfortunately I don't have the necessary equipment to do that but hopefully as the radio becomes more popular someone with that ability will be able to give you a definitive answer. Hopefully the "bug" in the 17 pro GPS was a one off???? 🤔
Yes! That is info that would actually make this appealing compared to the 17.
There is a video showing the uv18 pro max emitting nearly 6 watts transmit power on the 1.25m band. Screw the flashlight... what good is a radio that doesnt transmit properly.
Yep, no issues at all on 1.25 meters on the 18 pro max. I did a separate video power testing it if you want to look that one up on my channel but off the top of my head I think it was about 5 or 6 watts on 1.25 meters.
@@drabfab3014 yep, uv17 pro GPS has had an issue with no transmit on 1.25 meters from the get go but it looks like they're now shipping it with the uv-18 pro max v1.03 firmware which seems to have resolved the issue.
Hi Big Will. Really enjoyed your video on the Baofeng UV-18 Pro Max. About 3 months ago i bought the UV-18 Pro before the Max came out.
In your video when you turned on the UV-18 Pro Max and pressed the green menu button it shows a file menu. On my UV-18 Pro when i press the green button the menu shows up on the bottom of the screen when its in frequency or channel mode.
The menu is only showing the 42 short cut settings. What programming software do i use to set the menu to look like the UV-18Pro Max. I would appreciate any advice that you can give. Thank you
Unfortunately you can't change the menu as it's part of the firmware.
Thanks for the info.
I was falling asleep. How long does it take for you to get to the point .
....apologies if I was "long winded". I am just an amateur and my videos are unscripted and I probably do tend to "ramble on". I will endeavour to do better in the future.
How Rude, this ain’t Fox News