check the settings using chirp, I'm pretty sure you can change those buttons. I am pretty sure I disabled mine. I got 2 from amazon months ago and they came unlocked. I had to use the UV17R setting in chirp to program it as I recall. I have updated chirp many times since I programed mine so maybe it now has its own option? thanks for the video.
Great radio for the price really! I have ordered and programmed at least six of these for club members and friends. They all were open transmit and they all came with two antennas. The long one is a Tri band. I think the bottom button under the PTT is transmit power.
I have had mine since December. It is the " tactical " one they sold . It came with a. Folding abbree antenna. Along with the shoeter one . I like it. Compared to my uv5r . It is nice that lots of my stuff will go back and forth . I have headsets and things .
Just started to get into coms and I really appreciate your reviews. I am planning to get one of these and a pack of Bao's F22 (Frs) to give out to friends and family during camping trips. I see that the new generation of Bao's come with wireless frecuency copy so it's easier to pair with Frs and other GSMR's in a group. But as beginner new to the HAM/GSMR world, ***Is the no zones/banks issue a real deal breaker?*** thanks.
Banks only become useful when you have a large number of memory channels covering different uses and purposes. If you have a low memory channel count you won't need banks at all. Sounds like you plan to keep it simple so I wouldn't worry about that at all.
Really enjoying your channel, really appreciate all the work you are putting into reviews and instructional videos. $50-60ish budget, haven’t bought a HT in a few years and want something newer to play with. Would you recommend this, a TD H3 or H8 or something else. Capability to use GMRS in emergency is important. Best feature/quality bang for the buck? Thanks!
Im pretty sure any Baofeng radio can be unlocked to restore frequencies and unlock the full spectrum to utilize FRS,GMRS, MARINE and MURS channels . The " ham channel only software " is just flash updated over the original Baofeng full 136/400 programing. The process is in your H.T. manual , its called " factory reset " . I just unlocked two newer UV-25's from Ham Channels only in about 5 minutes. I now can program the GMRS channels and use 10 watt power to transmit to GMRS repeaters and extend my transmit range. BEWARE ! I did have one glitch ! The UV-25 has a dedicated left side button for NOAA weather , it no longer works. But with 999 channels I have plenty of room to just program them back in from CHIRP as standard channels .
I got the 21R Pro GPS! and a plain ole UV--22, since this 21r Pro GPS is a Tri band, and the 22 is a dual band, both with 1.77" color screens since my father is getting up in age! and hes the one Im going to be playing with these thing with! WOW, wierd to say as I just turned 49! LOL but I got GPS version for him while hes out Moose Hunting in Alaska!
Great review. I am going to get one for father’s day. I am also getting the Nagoya tri band antenna and spare battery. My icom ic-v8 is getting old like me. Plus would be nice to work 440 and 220 repeaters. 73’s
I ordered 4 off amazon 2 weeks ago. They are all unlocked. One came with firmware v0.03 hardware 01 which has a scramble function. The other 3 have firmware 0.11 hardware 01and no scramble function.
I really wish they would start adding scanlists and/or banks into these things, it's great that channel counts are rising but you need some way to properly organize them. That's why I generally use one of my DMR radios even for analog, the very nature of DMR requires zones, which double as a great way to organize analog channels into meaningful groups.
Completely agree, not having banks on some of these radios is ridiculous. I’ve been buying cheaper DMR’s and using them for FM simply cause the easy zone organization.
Hey Yeah the new Baofengs from beginning 2023 look great and functionality is also improved. Check out the UV-18 Pro Max. Its really nice, has USB C charging on the battery, Zones, 999 channels, air band, NOAA, alpha numeric keypad, GPS, customizable sound effects for functions.
I have the 17R and the 21R, I agree the 21R is a better radio. It's interesting that you have a locked 17R, I have yet to buy a Dual baND Feng that was not wide open when it came. The only Dual Band Feng i have bought that was not unlocked, nor can I figure out how to unlock in the UV13Pro. The GMRS radios do come locked to GMRS channels but the other are open.
You went through a lot of trouble finding the mah rating. 😂. I simply searched the spare battery while on Amazon when I saw it wasn’t listed or shown. Took precisely 5 seconds. My small antenna “nagoya knockoff” is hands down the worst I’ve ever used. I have many authentic and copies. I cannot open a repeater I can with all the others. The longer whip is labeled Abree. It works as good as my Diamond and Nagoya.
How do I change bands on this. You made mention VHF 1, VHF 2 and UHF but not where or how to change bands. I just about wore out the little instruction manual. Thanks
It would be nice if they could put a neodymium magnet in the bottom to add weight to the bottom (lower the center of gravity) and also to stick it to steel, such as a vehicle rooftop.
I have a 17R Pro GPS (orange) radio, and either I unlocked it with the UV-5R key combination or it came unlocked, I can't remember which. Anyway, mine will transmit on 2M, 70cm, and FRS/GMRS. And it has multiple memory banks. Unfortunately, it's still a Baofeng lol
This largely depends on the frequency being used and the service that it falls within. The short answer is no, buy and use it only if you are licensed to use the frequencies it covers.
@@tonesmith909 Sure, if you want to violate the law. Don't listen to the idiots who don't think it's fine to operate illegally. If you want a walkie talkie, buy one.
I have the 21r in the GMRS version and the lower side key (short press) controls transmit power. A look at the display can confirm if it works the same on the ham version. Would like to see the center front button, which has no function on the GMRS, control the display light. 22:19
I have this one and the UV-17 pro. Both are fully unlocked. but the UV17 pro is the better one, it has zones (Banks), GPS that the UV21 doesn't have. The menu structure on the UV21 is terrible. All in all I stick with the UV17 pro
Baofeng has Notorious issues with the usb c charge port on the batteries Causes interference issues causing other hand held radios to go deaf when being charged within 100 feet of another radio when plugging the Battery into a usb c charge cable dosen't matter the power sorce issue is with these Listed Radios I did Videos Showing the interference there no noise supression added to the usb c charge circuit its a very dirty Charge Circuit. UV-21R the UV-17R, UV-21Pro GPS, UV-5G, UV-5X, UV-5G Plus, 5RH, 5RM 16:23 @KS6DAY
I bought two orange UV-21R's recently. Programmed with Chirp. I prefer the body of the 17R with flashlight on the bottom, but like that this radio is "open". 17R and 21R both have muffled voice announcements, but clear fm/NOAA/ham reception. I like the 999 memories. That being said, I like the Tidradio TD-H3 better. Display is brighter, Bluetooth programming while traveling is a breeze ...if it had 999 memories and banks, it would dominate the market, in my opinion. @KS6DAY 73, Brett K5WXP
I just punched in 153.500 & 155.500 in VFO on my UV-21R and was able to transmit and receive on both frequencies. I don't know where this notion comes from, but you were able to convince me to get up, grab my radio and go check it out.
I’d like to see a ailunce hd2 review Anolog/DMR(digital) Ip67 Text message SMS USB-C TRI band uhf/vhf 220 (136-174MHz 222MHz-225MHz 400-520MHz) AES-256 encryption Front panel programmable Proper multpin waterproof accessory/speaker mic port. (Motorola m3)
Does this radio have a receiver inside it or just a transmitter? Practically all TH-cam reviewers of radios seem to forget to even mention how good the receiver is, SINAD measurement etc.
FWIW, all of the inexpensive Chinese radios have rather poor, single-conversion receivers with very little intermod filtering. That's part of why they can cover such a broad range of frequencies at such a cheap price. Which doesn't mean they're not useful and fun (I have a bunch!) just that it's the wrong radio to take to the repeater site...the front end would crumple up like an origami dragon! Take that old 16 channel Motorola instead...
I purchased (4) of these radios and they are all open. I really like them and using CHIRP to program them all the same.
check the settings using chirp, I'm pretty sure you can change those buttons. I am pretty sure I disabled mine. I got 2 from amazon months ago and they came unlocked. I had to use the UV17R setting in chirp to program it as I recall. I have updated chirp many times since I programed mine so maybe it now has its own option? thanks for the video.
Great radio for the price really! I have ordered and programmed at least six of these for club members and friends. They all were open transmit and they all came with two antennas. The long one is a Tri band. I think the bottom button under the PTT is transmit power.
This is my favorite radio out of all the baofeng radios that I own. They got this one right for sure.
I have had mine since December. It is the " tactical " one they sold . It came with a. Folding abbree antenna. Along with the shoeter one . I like it. Compared to my uv5r . It is nice that lots of my stuff will go back and forth . I have headsets and things .
Just started to get into coms and I really appreciate your reviews. I am planning to get one of these and a pack of Bao's F22 (Frs) to give out to friends and family during camping trips.
I see that the new generation of Bao's come with wireless frecuency copy so it's easier to pair with Frs and other GSMR's in a group. But as beginner new to the HAM/GSMR world, ***Is the no zones/banks issue a real deal breaker?***
thanks.
Banks only become useful when you have a large number of memory channels covering different uses and purposes. If you have a low memory channel count you won't need banks at all. Sounds like you plan to keep it simple so I wouldn't worry about that at all.
@@KS6DAY Many thanks, looking forward to making my firsts contacts. 55 from south america.
Really enjoying your channel, really appreciate all the work you are putting into reviews and instructional videos. $50-60ish budget, haven’t bought a HT in a few years and want something newer to play with. Would you recommend this, a TD H3 or H8 or something else. Capability to use GMRS in emergency is important. Best feature/quality bang for the buck? Thanks!
Im pretty sure any Baofeng radio can be unlocked to restore frequencies and unlock the full spectrum to utilize FRS,GMRS, MARINE and MURS channels . The " ham channel only software " is just flash updated over the original Baofeng full 136/400 programing. The process is in your H.T. manual , its called " factory reset " . I just unlocked two newer UV-25's from Ham Channels only in about 5 minutes. I now can program the GMRS channels and use 10 watt power to transmit to GMRS repeaters and extend my transmit range. BEWARE ! I did have one glitch ! The UV-25 has a dedicated left side button for NOAA weather , it no longer works. But with 999 channels I have plenty of room to just program them back in from CHIRP as standard channels .
Great review! Congratulations on 10k subscribers! Your channel has excellent content! Cheers
I have the uv21 R in orange and it handles very well I have picked up a lot of people all over the place it really holds up to its name
I got the 21R Pro GPS! and a plain ole UV--22, since this 21r Pro GPS is a Tri band, and the 22 is a dual band, both with 1.77" color screens since my father is getting up in age! and hes the one Im going to be playing with these thing with! WOW, wierd to say as I just turned 49! LOL but I got GPS version for him while hes out Moose Hunting in Alaska!
Great review. I am going to get one for father’s day. I am also getting the Nagoya tri band antenna and spare battery. My icom ic-v8 is getting old like me. Plus would be nice to work 440 and 220 repeaters. 73’s
Ijust ordered 2 i will see if its unlocked
I ordered 4 off amazon 2 weeks ago. They are all unlocked. One came with firmware v0.03 hardware 01 which has a scramble function. The other 3 have firmware 0.11 hardware 01and no scramble function.
Scramble ?
@@coreybabcock2023 Yes Voice scramble. It is a form of encryption featured in a lot of Chinese market radios.
Were do you ck for firm were at in menu?
@@30pvfd In the menu number 45 will list the firmware.
I just need 4 radios for moose hunting. What baofeng do you suggest, IP67 would be nice. Baofeng uv-9r pro. What are your thoughts thanks mate. 😊👍
I really wish they would start adding scanlists and/or banks into these things, it's great that channel counts are rising but you need some way to properly organize them. That's why I generally use one of my DMR radios even for analog, the very nature of DMR requires zones, which double as a great way to organize analog channels into meaningful groups.
Completely agree, not having banks on some of these radios is ridiculous. I’ve been buying cheaper DMR’s and using them for FM simply cause the easy zone organization.
Hey
Yeah the new Baofengs from beginning 2023 look great and functionality is also improved.
Check out the UV-18 Pro Max.
Its really nice, has USB C charging on the battery, Zones, 999 channels, air band, NOAA, alpha numeric keypad, GPS, customizable sound effects for functions.
Thank you for this detailed review and comparison of these! I'm looking at getting some for our emergency kits. Your review is a great help!
Hello to everyone.
I am working as a security guard and i want to ask: for normal operation is this a good radio?
Thanks in advance
I have the 17R and the 21R, I agree the 21R is a better radio. It's interesting that you have a locked 17R, I have yet to buy a Dual baND Feng that was not wide open when it came. The only Dual Band Feng i have bought that was not unlocked, nor can I figure out how to unlock in the UV13Pro. The GMRS radios do come locked to GMRS channels but the other are open.
Yep. Big issue with the lack of Banks.
You went through a lot of trouble finding the mah rating. 😂. I simply searched the spare battery while on Amazon when I saw it wasn’t listed or shown. Took precisely 5 seconds. My small antenna “nagoya knockoff” is hands down the worst I’ve ever used. I have many authentic and copies. I cannot open a repeater I can with all the others. The longer whip is labeled Abree. It works as good as my Diamond and Nagoya.
What would you recommend for an Offroad motorcycle rider
I bought 3 of them , the one have come from Amazon PTT full locked
How do I change bands on this. You made mention VHF 1, VHF 2 and UHF but not where or how to change bands. I just about wore out the little instruction manual. Thanks
No need to switch bands, just program it with the frequencies of interest.
It would be nice if they could put a neodymium magnet in the bottom to add weight to the bottom (lower the center of gravity) and also to stick it to steel, such as a vehicle rooftop.
Superglue is your friend. 😁
I have a 17R Pro GPS (orange) radio, and either I unlocked it with the UV-5R key combination or it came unlocked, I can't remember which. Anyway, mine will transmit on 2M, 70cm, and FRS/GMRS. And it has multiple memory banks. Unfortunately, it's still a Baofeng lol
Is there an FCC permit required or can it be used as a regular walkie talkie?
This largely depends on the frequency being used and the service that it falls within. The short answer is no, buy and use it only if you are licensed to use the frequencies it covers.
No permit needed, buy and try.
@@tonesmith909 Incorrect. To transmit with this device you need a valid amateur radio license, any class.
Can be used as regular walkie talkie, dont listen to the hall monitors.
@@tonesmith909 Sure, if you want to violate the law. Don't listen to the idiots who don't think it's fine to operate illegally. If you want a walkie talkie, buy one.
Can it catch air band? 108-137 MHz?
I have the 21r in the GMRS version and the lower side key (short press) controls transmit power. A look at the display can confirm if it works the same on the ham version.
Would like to see the center front button, which has no function on the GMRS, control the display light. 22:19
You are indeed correct, the lower side key toggles the transmit power on short press. Sorry, I blanked out on that.
I have this one and the UV-17 pro. Both are fully unlocked. but the UV17 pro is the better one, it has zones (Banks), GPS that the UV21 doesn't have.
The menu structure on the UV21 is terrible. All in all I stick with the UV17 pro
Will antennas for the uv-5r work with the uv-21r?
Baofeng has Notorious issues with the usb c charge port on the batteries Causes interference issues causing other hand held radios to go deaf when being charged within 100 feet of another radio when plugging the Battery into a usb c charge cable dosen't matter the power sorce issue is with these Listed Radios I did Videos Showing the interference there no noise supression added to the usb c charge circuit its a very dirty Charge Circuit. UV-21R the UV-17R, UV-21Pro GPS, UV-5G, UV-5X, UV-5G Plus, 5RH, 5RM 16:23 @KS6DAY
what is the difference to the Evo-1 10W CE? looks exakt the same
just so you are aware, Amazon Canada does not sell that model!
uv-21r vs uv9r pro? first radio...
Is the Earmor MilPro review coming?
What are your thoughts on this one vs. the Tidradio TD-H3?
That very comparison is part of a video that I'm currently working on.
I bought two orange UV-21R's recently. Programmed with Chirp. I prefer the body of the 17R with flashlight on the bottom, but like that this radio is "open". 17R and 21R both have muffled voice announcements, but clear fm/NOAA/ham reception. I like the 999 memories. That being said, I like the Tidradio TD-H3 better. Display is brighter, Bluetooth programming while traveling is a breeze ...if it had 999 memories and banks, it would dominate the market, in my opinion. @KS6DAY
73,
Brett K5WXP
how many Watts max ?
Cool, it does 220. Probably wouldn't consider it if it didn't.
Interesting how the link you gave lists it as a dual Band not a Tri Band Radio 13:15 @KS6DAY
I need these for, I don't really know what...
Filtering? IMD?
Cannot find the single 21R in Amazon. They show 2 pack of the radios.
Click on the link in the video description box.
@KS6DAY Thanks for the quick reply. I didn't expand the description by clicking the '...' It's $30 today 6/6/24. A good price.
@@jdock32778 Happy to help.
What type of range are you getting?
10 km in town with houses in the way
UV21 can not TX/Rx at frequency 153.0000 MHz - 157.0000MHz.
I just punched in 153.500 & 155.500 in VFO on my UV-21R and was able to transmit and receive on both frequencies. I don't know where this notion comes from, but you were able to convince me to get up, grab my radio and go check it out.
I’d like to see a ailunce hd2 review Anolog/DMR(digital)
Ip67
Text message SMS
USB-C
TRI band uhf/vhf 220 (136-174MHz 222MHz-225MHz 400-520MHz)
AES-256 encryption
Front panel programmable
Proper multpin waterproof accessory/speaker mic port. (Motorola m3)
Mine came the same way
My problem with this is the FCC. Is it type accepted? Loosing my license and the fine kinda sucks. And yes the FCC is busting people these days.
If you would, please advise how you know this. Cite A case.
@@baronedipiemonte3990 FCC rules and regs in America.
@@baronedipiemonte3990
He cant. He’s lying.
Does this radio have a receiver inside it or just a transmitter? Practically all TH-cam reviewers of radios seem to forget to even mention how good the receiver is, SINAD measurement etc.
It would have to Have a receiver in it or it would only transmitt to others but wouldn't hear anything Coming back
@@AntonioClaudioMichael you don't say! 🤦♂️
@@Chris-hy6jy maybe you should read your first sentence I'm not the one that wrote it Sounding like a moron
FWIW, all of the inexpensive Chinese radios have rather poor, single-conversion receivers with very little intermod filtering. That's part of why they can cover such a broad range of frequencies at such a cheap price. Which doesn't mean they're not useful and fun (I have a bunch!) just that it's the wrong radio to take to the repeater site...the front end would crumple up like an origami dragon! Take that old 16 channel Motorola instead...
Charge my uv5r once a year never died on me
The good old CV.
It's pronounced bow (as in take a bow) fung. Yeah, it's weird, but that's the Chinese pronunciation.
Yeah, I've heard that before. It comes up in the comments section every time I review a Baofeng.
Boofwang
No it's definitely pronounced bow-oof-wang. You need to fire your mandarin teacher.
@@NPS69 My mandarin teacher great up in mainland China. Her last name is Chen, and Chen is pronounced Chun.
No. @@levi5548
If they charged maybe $60 for this radio, maybe they'd be able to put better filters inside it and pay their staff a living wage??
Two radios for 59.99 Amazon
@@jamesdavidson1036 yes so two badly filtered radios made by unpaid workers. Great! 🤦♂️
Sounds like it also does Air Band Frequencies 3:40 @KS6DAY
Just bought one using your link I’ll let you know in a day or so when it arrives thanks KD0EBF
Yes mine Will transmit unlocked all three bands