BAOFENG UV-17R Ham Radio - Upgraded Version of UV-5R, Long Range Dual Band Two Way Radio with USB Charger, 999 Channels, Hands-Free VOX, Walkie Talkies for Adults - Includes 771 Antenna, Earpiece & Flashlight (Perfect for Outdoor Adventures, Emergency Communication & Construction Sites)

This radio offers some major design improvements over the previous Baofeng models. For one, the speaker is UNDER the kaypad. This is a terrific design change that allows the radio to have a much larger kaypad and a much larger display. The display is clear and bright. The second thing you will notice is that the flashlight is on the bottom side of the radio. I never liked having the flashlight on the top of the radio (I felt it made the radio look more like a toy) and now that it's on the bottom there is more room for two LEDs instead of just one. This makes the flashlight brighter. This radio has more water protection than many of the other Baofengs and that is why I purchased it. To help with the water protection the battery pack uses a screw that tightens the battery pack against the back of the radio to help seal the gaskets around the battery pack contacts on the inside of the battery pack. I sometimes work outside events and this will be very helpful if it rains. The final improvement I will list here is that the radio now allows for USB type "c" charging. There is a small port on the back of the battery pack that accepts a USB type "c" charger and means that the charging cradle no longer needs to be carried around with the radio when traveling. I will definitely use this feature when on vacation.Please note - a charging cradle insert comes with the radio and must be inserted into the charging cradle so that this radio fits the cradle. This is probably why someone else said their radio wouldn’t charge in the cradle.Also, this screen has mainly hues of blue but also has a small red arrow that shows up on the screen when a signal is being received on that frequency. Someone mentioned that other versions of this model have a different screen. That is true, another version of this same radio comes with a different screen that appears to have more colors but from what I can tell that version does not come with a battery pack that accepts USB type “c” charging. I personally like the screen that comes with this radio.Now for the small amount of "cons". The radio itself is larger than the other HT radios I have such as the UV-82. Not a big deal but I want to mention that here. Also, there is no clear indicator that the radio is on without leaving the display on all the time. I would prefer for there to be a small led light that allows me to see that the radio is still on without having to keep the large display on all the time. The final con I have is that the PTT button on the side of the radio is plastic. I'd rather see a rubber PTT button like the UV-82 but that is just personal preference.All in all, this is a great radio that offers enough design improvements over the other Baofengs to make it a worthwhile purchase. KC5YTX.