Manager


Manager - NA4M
Manager Notes

Reviews For: TYT MD-2017 VHF-UHF DMR Handheld

Category: Transceivers: VHF/UHF+ Amateur Hand-held

eMail Subscription

Registered users are allowed to subscribe to specific review topics and receive eMail notifications when new reviews are posted.
Review Summary For : TYT MD-2017 VHF-UHF DMR Handheld
Reviews: 17MSRP: 219.00
Description:
Double the fun of digital rag chews with the TYT MD-2017 Dual Band DMR Digital Two Way Radio! The MD-2017 takes the clarity and full quieting of digital voice communications to UHF and VHF and puts both bands in one handy talkie you can take anywhere!

The TYT MD-2017 operates in analog and digital modes on 400-480MHz frequencies on UHF and 136-174MHz VHF at up to 5 watts of power. It uses Time-Division Multiple-Access (TDMA) digital technology to double the number of users on a single 12.5kHz channel.

The MD 2017 boasts 3000 channels, 10000 contacts, built-in CTCSS/DCS (analog mode only), single call, group call and all call, remote kill/stun/activate, transmit interrupt, VOX, and lone worker function. It is compatible with MOTOTRBO™ compatible, DMR Tier I and II compatible, is firmware upgradeable and is IP67 waterproof.

The TYT MD-2017 is also equipped with the same large color LCD display found on other models in the MD series. It also has the traditional keypad found on the other digital radios, and there are programmable side keys. However, the MD-2017 adds two additional programmable keys, marked P1 and P2.

The MD-2017 also has a trackball, and it's embedded front and center. This makes the MD-2017 very different indeed.

The Tytera MD-2017 dual band digital radio uses Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) Tier 2 Standard protocol. It is compatible with the popular MOTO TRBO series radios using standard encryption, as well as other makes and models of DMR supported radios. It is also compatible with any existing analog two-way radio operating on the supported UHF and VHF frequencies for easy migration to digital technology.

Includes one Tytera MD-2017 dual band digital mobile two way radio, dual band antenna, belt clip, AC charger, 2200mAh lithium-ion rechargeable battery, owner's manual and one year manufacturer warranty.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.tyt888.com/
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00172.9
KF8ZR Rating: 2020-09-08
Great work! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've got two of these and also the MD380. I haven't had any problems with the trackball and there are firmware updates available to continue updates with this.
Been using it with repeaters and a hotspot. Good one to get for beginners or long term use.
W0MUD Rating: 2018-08-09
GREAT HT! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Before you read all of the negative comments on here, continue to do your own research. Most of ALL the negative comments are due to a lack of understanding on how this HT works or... impatience. In reality, this HT is pretty amazing. Top band is UHF and the bottom band is VHF. DMR and analog. Track ball is fine once you learn how to use it and get the "feeling" down. You can always lock the track ball and program your hotkeys any way you want. If you are considering buying this HT I say do it! I gave it 5 stars on the fact that it is one of the best inexpensive HT for DMR out there. PLUS it holds 10,000 (yes ten thousand) contacts!!!! OH and the obvious... dual band UHF/VHF.
W9JTC Rating: 2018-08-08
Awesome Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I know there are some radios with issues early on. TYT with the latest firmware addressed a lot of them. I just purchased mine and had to learn a few things going from a single band DMR. Once I got a little help from some local elmers this radio is working awesome. It is nice to have an analog and DMR HT in one!! I can now monitor my local VHF repeaters and listen to DMR at the same time. They now sell for around 150 bucks online. You can also lock the trackball with the keyboard. If you are new to DMR join the facebook page or find an elmer!!
KA0SOG Rating: 2018-05-30
Nightmare Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Nonexistent documentation. Downloaded software. Finally got codeplugs loaded into csp software from burg group using n0gsg software. Tried several times to export contacts from pc to radio. Software says import was successful but radio is empty. Don’t know if it’s software, radio or what. Zero support available. Feel like I threw away $200. Now I’m stuck with a piece of garbage I can’t sell since it doesn’t work. Don’t waste your money. I feel like I was robbed.
VK5CQ Rating: 2018-03-19
Cf Amazon for add'l reviews (eg, GPS get) Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Some Issues, But a Good First Dual Band DMR
Eg: Dee No
This is my 5th DMR radio, but my first dual bander
I have radios from Connect Systems (CS580 and CS751) and TYT (MD380, MD390). I purchased this directly from Let's Get Ready.

My reason for purchasing this radio was because I was having to carry 2 radios to get the coverage I wanted. My hope was that I could get down to carrying just 1.

I just got the radio working today, so here are my initial comments.

General:
1. The two front panel switches are rocker switches. Press the top for P1 and P2 and the bottoms for Menu and Back.
2. The roller ball allows moving around menus and selects Bank A (UHF) by rolling up or Bank B (VHF) by rolling down. Rolling left or right selects the channels in the active bank.
3. There are three switches on the left side besides the PTT, all of which are programmable for up to two functions.
4. The antenna has a very large base with SMA female on the radio. Other antennas may fit, but not sit securely on the body of the radio. This may affect waterproofing and the strength of the radio.
5. 64 channels per zone for UHF and 64 channels for VHF. The channels go into an A (UHF) side and a B (VHF) side.
6. Scan lists are limited to 31 channels.
7. Have a small phillips head (#0 or #1) with a narrow shaft available for installing the belt clip. A pair of tweezers will also help.
8. The screws on the programming cable & connector cover are now captive! No more losing screws. Unfortunately, this means needing a flat-bladed screwdriver handy. A thumbnail may work, if you're willing to risk breaking it.

The Good:
1. 64 channels per zone per band. No more 16 channel limit requiring switching zones when driving across town.
2. Dual band. No more carrying two radios just to have DMR and dual band capability.
3. DMR performance appears to be on par with the MD390.

The Bad:
1. Fixed bands mean you can't monitor two VHF or two UHF channels at one.
2. The roller ball is hard to control! While selecting A or B, it's easy to change the channel as well.
3. The odd antenna mount means it'll be harder to use alternate antennas. I usually use Nagoyas on my radios, but I guess I'll leave the stock antenna in place for now.
4. The CPS does not differentiate between UHF and VHF channels, so you can mix them up when programming zones, but it won't work in the radio. It would be helpful if the CPS would only display valid channels for the VHF and UHF sides.

For those combining VHF and UHF codeplugs, you may want to try the N0GSG Contact Manager. I was able to load my MD390 codeplug directly into the MD2017 CPS, so I tried loading my MD390 UHF codeplug into the contact manager, then using the import from codeplug option to load in the channels from my CS751 (VHF). The combined codeplug was then loaded into the MD2017 CPS and downloaded into the radio. It worked!

To avoid using the trackball to change channels and A/B, I programmed the Side Buttons 2 and 3 to "Right Key" (Channel Up) and "Left Key" (Channel Down). I programmed P1 Long Press to "Switch Up/Down Screen" which selects A or B. This allows me to avoid the trackball except when using the menus. You can also program P1/P2 to use for channel changes.

I tried using the Zone Select as a programmed key, but it put me into a strange menu from which I needed to use the "Back" key to exit.

I can't guarantee that this procedure will work for all users, but it saved me hours of reentering channel information.

You can download the CPS from various sites to have your codeplug ready when your radio arrives. It will give you a chance to decide on things like function key options, etc. in advance.

Currently, my only real objection is the roller-ball control on the front panel. I would have preferred the older button-based interface.
ON3NAD Rating: 2018-03-11
not worth the money , more problems than use. Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
this is on the part of receiving the baddest set i ever used.

on dmr as well as on fm it is barrely receiving anything.

for analog my wouxun is way more sensitive and does receive at almost any place.
for dmr the md380 is way better.

that joystick on it is all but a joy, the keyboard lock is a MUST USE function
i wouldn't advice this HT to anybody.
KM8N Rating: 2018-03-02
Questable Service Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Purchased a MD-2017 October 24/ 2017 I agree with the negative comments about the track ball. It worked fairly well and some of the audio quality issue I believe are due to the idiosyncrasies of DMR network. The afternoon of February 5 the unit was on and monitoring Ohio State Wide when I decided to change channels. The voice said I did but the screen didn't change I flipped back and forth no change in the screen. Powered down and back on white screen no display at all. Contact my local supplier I was a couple of weeks beyond their 90 day warranty, suggested I contact TYT. Tried the 400 area code number numerous times it is a non working number. Wrote to them at their contact e-mail next day representative wrote back "Chinese New Year contact us after New Year"
Waited till after Feb.16 tried again reply "Chinese New Year Vacation if emergency call". No number given. Wrote back Feb. 26th late that evening presentative replied basically telling me to take the radio apart and fix it myself, it is a faulty display cable connection. I asked, won't this void the warranty, if I do attempt this will you assure me that you will honor the warranty. He responded "trying to save you and me money and time you may ship back if you insist". No return address or authorization number given. I asked where do I ship it to and is there a North American repair location. No answer.
I had watch Ham Radio 2.0 video of Jason replacing one of the broken SMA connectors so using that as a guide I disassembled the radio I raised and then lowered firmly the latch for the cable and reassembled that worked for about 15 minutes. Apart again this time I used a tiny wooden dowel and rubbed it across the area where the pins from the circuit board penetrate the flat cable. Radio has now been working for 2 days. I wrote back to TYT and the gentleman's parting comment was " I knew that would work don't strike radio hard"!!! Hmmm its an HT that's part of its life. All I can say is BUYER BEWARE.
XE2DDA Rating: 2018-01-01
Problems with SMA Connector Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
My main review at this time is to warn you about the SMA Connector, first at all it was with the original antenna provided from TyT it is very fragile, it brokes when the antenna is bend a bit, so I replaced with a dual band Diamond antenna, that was the first issue, and after that one the problem was the SMA Connector from the radio that brokes so easy, after researching I found that those are a very common problems.
I don't like the track ball, is so sensitive and I'm afraid that may fail in the future.
DMR and analog works decently for me
N0FPE Rating: 2017-10-30
A mistake Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have been trying to like the radio but just cant. receive audio is terrible, crackly and muffled. Programming is a nightmare. I have a Motorola 4550 and a 6500 and they are not as hard to program. I have been trying for 4 days to get the damn thing to work on digital with no luck, even have a MD380 codeplug that was converted and loaded just fine and it still will not work. I will more than likely dump this turkey at the next hamfest. A waste of money.
KC2FQ Rating: 2017-10-17
Meh Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I was excited about this radio, thinking it could serve as my only HT having both bands and both modes that I want. WRONG! VERY hard to use if you're used to the "big 3" analog Ham radios. Not intuitive or user friendly at all. If you grew up with and are very proficient with commercial, digital radios, you might like it. The hate for the trackball seems pretty universal ... very touchy and quite useless. The other thing making this somewhat useless for most folks is that you won't find much on VHF digital (yet?). I found the Anytone AT-D868UV much more user friendly with its' VFO mode but there are no code plugs for it yet so put on your programmer/spreadsheet hat.