No combination of buttons will put the thing in VFO mode. OK, let’s try entering VFO mode (that’s ham-speak for “enter the frequency manually” mode, instead of using presets). Why do Baofengs have a built-in flashlight? The manual lists features that this radio doesn’t have. There is an official manual on the Baofeng web site, but… it’s a radio manual. Different… and we can’t figure out what it’s doing. Pressing a side button provides a completely different function than what the manual says. The picture looks nothing like the radio we received. This is the manual that came with the radio. These three are essentially the same radio but with different cases and button layouts. It’s sometimes referred to as the DM-1702, and on their official web site, it’s the DM-1702B. With a goal of trying out one of the digital radio protocols for the first time, we ordered up a Baofeng DMX, which supports the DMR spec. A Scout group we helped out with their ham certifications all have them, and they’re still going after two years and plenty of abuse. It’s been a rugged little starter radio and we’ve recommended it to lots of people. We’ve written an entire how-to guide on the UV-B6.

If you have the misfortune of having bought one, keep reading because we provide a bunch of links and info to make it usable. That’s how we feel about Baofeng and the DM-X / DM1702. There was no excuse for this sorry little atrocity.

They had engineering resources in Europe and Asia that knew how to make small cars. GM was the biggest automaker in the world. Friends had rusted-out Pintos and Toyotas that we would rather ride in than a new Chevette.

Way back in 1976, General Motors introduced the Chevette, a sad little cramped hatchback that, when equipped with the automatic transmission, could barely drag itself above 100 km/hour.

Baofeng vs chirp programming