OpenGD77

I think this radio is a steal at this price, even if you have to load OpenGD77 yourself.

https://www.baofengradio.com/collection ... ts/dm-1701

They have been as low as $50 on AliExpress about a month ago, I know 2 people who got bargains

You are correct, of course, but if I were to buy another I'd buy it from Baofeng. There are so many options with respect to included accessories on AliExpress that you have to be careful.

I bought my first one direct from Baofeng (it has a USA FCC sticker) and the second from AliExpress (no FCC sticker). Baofeng USA shipped next day and was delivered in two days by Amazon, just like I ordered it from Amazon. AliExpress took a couple weeks and either I screwed up or the seller did because I got a European plug on the charger.

KZ4DT wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 27, 2024 10:31 pm

You are correct, of course, but if I were to buy another I'd buy it from Baofeng. There are so many options with respect to included accessories on AliExpress that you have to be careful.

These guys knew what they were doing and didn't buy the option with the USB cable, becuase they already had a Baofeng compatible USB cable, which saved them about $5, because these AliExpress vendors make extra money by charging extra for accessories which should come as standard.

The AliExpress vendors probably open the boxes and remove the USB cable and any other accessories, so that if you don't order the 'option' with USB cable, they can make an addition $10 by selling it separately to people who didn't realise the radio didn't come with the cable.

Its not just the DM-1701 where vendors do this on AliExpress, I bought a MD2017 a year ago, and realised when it came that it didn't come with the special MD2017 USB cable. Luckily I had another broken radio that someone gave me, called a GD-55 Plus, which had the same multipin connector and I was able to modify the GD-55 cable to work with the MD2017

KZ4DT wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 27, 2024 10:31 pm

AliExpress took a couple weeks and either I screwed up or the seller did because I got a European plug on the charger.

I've never checked out AliExpress before, after a few attempts to get the site into English I did fine a 1701 for $56 and I see plug defaults to European and I didn't even notice the spot to change the plug type until after I'd added the radio to the card (just to see if it changed price... AliExpress seems like that kind of site).

KB0PCH wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 28, 2024 3:04 am

KZ4DT wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 27, 2024 10:31 pm

AliExpress took a couple weeks and either I screwed up or the seller did because I got a European plug on the charger.

I've never checked out AliExpress before, after a few attempts to get the site into English I did fine a 1701 for $56 and I see plug defaults to European and I didn't even notice the spot to change the plug type until after I'd added the radio to the card (just to see if it changed price... AliExpress seems like that kind of site).

AliExpress does take some getting used to, but their are bargains to be had sometimes.

Yes, there are often multiple options for what you are buying, sometimes under the misleading title of 'Colour'. You need to double check exactly what you are ordering. The default setting is often the cheapest item which may well be just an accessory and not the item you thought.
The actual buying and delivery process is quite smooth and appears reasonably safe. If you place an order and the supplier fails to send it in a set time AliExpress will automatically refund you without you having to do anything.

Colin G4EML

I generally find the AliExpress dispute resolution very good.

Recently I ordered a very cheap UV-K5 only for the vendor to vanish and not ship it

But I got a full refund only a few hours after raising a dispute.

There are a lot of e-commerce companies in China, and the competition between them is very fierce, the price of the DM-1701 is $40, and the price of the improved model DM-1701B is $50. DMR is still a niche market in China, and UV-K5/K6 is the king in the market.

BG6RDL wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 29, 2024 1:05 pm

There are a lot of e-commerce companies in China, and the competition between them is very fierce, the price of the DM-1701 is $40, and the price of the improved model DM-1701B is $50. DMR is still a niche market in China, and UV-K5/K6 is the king in the market.

Is the DM1701B only available in China?