Baofeng DM-1701 Review

The Baofeng DM-1701 feels really good in my oversized hands. Even though it is boxier than Mini radios that have more rounded edges, it still fits in the hand really well, and has no sharp edges poking me. My index finger falls on the PTT button exactly as it should, with my thumb resting on the rubber port cover. Using the radio is very nice.

The belt clip on the back is long and has an excellent amount of spring tension. There is a small catch at the bottom to keep it from coming off of your belt, however, it is not a hook so it can be forced over the edge of your belt. The clip sits a little lower on the radio than some, which means if you don’t carry it exactly on your side, and you bend over, you can get poked in the stomach very easily. This is extremely minor and only happens in rare instances for me.

The buttons on the front are extremely tactile and have a nice rubberized feel. Although it has not been a problem yet, I would like it if the Baofeng DM-1701 had a little bit more space between the buttons. The knobs on top feel smooth and have a good amount of resistance. There is a little bit more slack in the on-off portion of the volume knob then I would like, however it does not affect operation at all.

The LCD on the Baofeng DM-1701 is a 1.7 in full color, fairly high resolution display. Like most screens in this class of radio it is not visible when the backlight is turned off, but again, this is extremely common with color screens on radios under several hundred dollars.

The screen displays all the pertinent information, and since it has excellent contrast and full color, it is very easy to read. If you want to be nitpicking, there are a few things on the screen that are fairly small and can be more difficult for older eyes to read. Unfortunately, this is part and parcel for digital radios, as there is just too much information to display on a smaller screen.

Programming from the keypad of the Baofeng DM-1701 can be daunting for the newcomer to digital radios. There are a ton of options, but they are fairly well organized in a nice menu structure. Yes, this is a Baofeng radio. No, it does not use a menu even remotely like the standard analog only Baofeng radios such as the UV-5R. That doesn’t mean you can’t program simple things from the keypad, because you absolutely can, but you aren’t going to be doing DMR programming without a computer.

Speaking of computer programming, the Baofeng DM-1701 uses its own proprietary CPS software for programming. This is not compatible with the CPS software used in the 1801 or other Baofeng radios. You should also pay attention to the exact model number, for example, DM-1701 or DM-1701A, as it seems they use different CPS software because they use different chips in the radio.

— Find out what battery fits the Baofeng DM-1701 with our battery finder tool —

If you really want to push the Baofeng DM-1701, most versions of this radio will accept the open GD 77 firmware, which will add capabilities and make programming much easier. This is not something I recommend that new users do, however, more advanced users will really enjoy being able to push this radio further than valve thing ever intended. Check back for an article showing you exactly how to accomplish this.

Performance:

The Baofeng DM-1701 puts out pretty reasonable power for a dual-band DMR radio, with 3.1 Watts at 2 m and 2.4 Watts at 440. It would probably do substantially better except for the antenna that come with the radio, which is a complete pile of junk. Is it resonant at 2m and 70cm? Technically, yes. With minus 10 dB at 2m and -20 dB at 70cm it does indeed resonate, but those are some of the worst return loss figures of any Baofeng radio I’ve tested.

The SWR is slightly better, at around two at 2m and about one at 70cm. Looking at the spectrum analysis of the signal, it is pretty much a hot mess. I have seen worse, but it is just an inconsistent, unconcentrated, spread all over the place sad looking signal.

Given what I said above, I expected the spurious emissions of the Bofeng DM-1701 to be horrible. I was wrong. For a Baofeng radio, the spurious emissions are not bad, being just below the average of all the Baofeng radios I have tested. I am not saying it’s good by any means, but for this class of radio it isn’t terrible.

Of course, most of this is irrelevant if you’re using the radio in digital mode.

Images:

Radio Specifics:

Test Images:

• Dual-Band 2m/70cm
• Output Power: 1W/2W/5W
• Zones: 250 ( allow 64 channels per zone)
• Scan List: 250; Manual Programmable
• Digital Emergency Alarm: 32; High and low power selection
• SMS function; High fidelity quality
• CTCSS / CDCSS and tail cancellation; Digital mode supports repeater
• Channel Spacing: 25KHz(Wide Band), 20KHz, 12.5KHz(Narrow Band)
• Phase-locked Step: 2.5K/5K/6.25K~50K
• 3,000 channels, 10,000 talk groups, 120,000 contacts
• Five user defined keys
• True dual-slot DMR
• Single/Group/All call capable
• 2200mAh battery
• 1.77″ Color LCD display

I personally prefer to charge most of my radios using a desktop drop-in charger. The only time I really like USB-C charging is on trips, either in the car or in a hotel room. I will admit during those times it comes in very handy. The Baofeng DM-1701, even the latest 1701a versions, do not have USB-C charging capabilities. I find this quite odd. I have also been looking for an after market version of the battery that did have USB-C like many other Baofeng radios, but have been unable to find one. This is not a deal-breaker for me, but it might be for you.

Conclusions

The Baofeng DM-1701 is a mediocre dual-band analog radio. It is, however, a pretty good entry level digital radio. So would I recommend it? As your first or second DMR radio, absolutely. It handles analog adequately and does a very good job at digital for a reasonable price, in a reasonable radio. I also very much like having the option of using openGD77 should I choose to push the radio even further.

If you are brand new to digital radio and are not sure that you want to pursue it, you might look at the DM-1801 instead. On the other hand, if you think you may have any desire to use DMR for any length of time, this might just be one of the best beginner to intermediate radios for you.

Here are some reviews of the Baofeng DM-1701!