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Now We Know
Приєднався 2 сер 2023
Welcome to "Now We Know" - your hub for ham radio and electronics enthusiasts! Owned by a passionate ham radio operator, we provide comprehensive testing and reviews of ham radio equipment and electronics. Our goal is to bridge the knowledge gap, offering engaging reviews, tutorials, and demos for both beginners and seasoned operators. Join us to explore the exciting world of ham radio and electronics. Stay connected, stay informed, and Never be Without Knowledge!
Now We Know!
Now We Know!
TD-H3 UPDATE!
TIDRADIO sent over replacement radios for the radios we tested in our first TD-H3 video. We will take a look and see if the harmonics were addressed, if the inconsistency in output power has been addressed, and then we will open one up and see what's inside!
This is a rather long video. All the jump points will be listed below for easily moving from one portion to another.
This is radio is hard to beat for the price! The feature set is amazing.
👉❗- Update: ** Info from TIDRADIO ** 06-04-2024
On getting known good Radios or specific Serial Numbers:
They indicated that it is difficult to answer the question based on how many radios have been shipped to overseas warehouses to know what their inventory holds. BUT, they did indicate that if you order directly from the factory (be sure to use NWK code for 10% off) that you will get the latest H3 radios!
I was also told that if you purchased an H3 from the official website or from Amazon, and found that they have spurious emissions to contact customer service at support@tidradio.com for a replacement!
TIDRADIO Website:
tidradio.com/products/h3-ham-radio?ref=nwk
Make sure to use the code NWK for 10% discount!
Links to Items in this Video:
TIDRADIO Amazon Store: amzn.to/3IJK3tD
TIDRADIO TD-H3: Radio with two batteries: amzn.to/4cq0SHu
TIDRADIO TD-H3: Two Radios with two batteries and more: amzn.to/3yKmO0L
Amazon links are affiliate links where possible.
ODMaster Wireless Programmer Video: ua-cam.com/video/HsdY80zAttY/v-deo.html
0:00 Intro
0:38 To the Bench!
1:50 Harmonics Test Begin
2:50 Radio One - Harmonics Display - 2 Meters
4:03 Radio Two - Harmonics - 2 Meters
6:32 Radio Three - Harmonics - 2 Meters
8:10 Radio Three - Harmonics - 70 cm
9:30 WHY?
10:37 Radio Two - Harmonics - 70 cm
11:44 Radio One - Harmonics - 70 cm
12:30 Transmit Power Consistency Testing
13:09 Radio One - 70cm Output Power
13:54 Radio Two - 70cm Output Power
14:39 Radio Three - 70cm Output Power
15:49 Radio Three - 2M Output Power
16:18 Radio Two - 2M Output Power
18:04 Radio One - 2M Output Power
18:40 My Wish
19:38 Disassembly Begins
27:43 Preliminary Look at the chips
31:00 Closer Look at the Chips (Full Screen)
34:18 Reassemble the Radio
39:34 Summary
41:01 List of Chips and what they do
43:46 Please SUBSCRIBE! :)
This is a rather long video. All the jump points will be listed below for easily moving from one portion to another.
This is radio is hard to beat for the price! The feature set is amazing.
👉❗- Update: ** Info from TIDRADIO ** 06-04-2024
On getting known good Radios or specific Serial Numbers:
They indicated that it is difficult to answer the question based on how many radios have been shipped to overseas warehouses to know what their inventory holds. BUT, they did indicate that if you order directly from the factory (be sure to use NWK code for 10% off) that you will get the latest H3 radios!
I was also told that if you purchased an H3 from the official website or from Amazon, and found that they have spurious emissions to contact customer service at support@tidradio.com for a replacement!
TIDRADIO Website:
tidradio.com/products/h3-ham-radio?ref=nwk
Make sure to use the code NWK for 10% discount!
Links to Items in this Video:
TIDRADIO Amazon Store: amzn.to/3IJK3tD
TIDRADIO TD-H3: Radio with two batteries: amzn.to/4cq0SHu
TIDRADIO TD-H3: Two Radios with two batteries and more: amzn.to/3yKmO0L
Amazon links are affiliate links where possible.
ODMaster Wireless Programmer Video: ua-cam.com/video/HsdY80zAttY/v-deo.html
0:00 Intro
0:38 To the Bench!
1:50 Harmonics Test Begin
2:50 Radio One - Harmonics Display - 2 Meters
4:03 Radio Two - Harmonics - 2 Meters
6:32 Radio Three - Harmonics - 2 Meters
8:10 Radio Three - Harmonics - 70 cm
9:30 WHY?
10:37 Radio Two - Harmonics - 70 cm
11:44 Radio One - Harmonics - 70 cm
12:30 Transmit Power Consistency Testing
13:09 Radio One - 70cm Output Power
13:54 Radio Two - 70cm Output Power
14:39 Radio Three - 70cm Output Power
15:49 Radio Three - 2M Output Power
16:18 Radio Two - 2M Output Power
18:04 Radio One - 2M Output Power
18:40 My Wish
19:38 Disassembly Begins
27:43 Preliminary Look at the chips
31:00 Closer Look at the Chips (Full Screen)
34:18 Reassemble the Radio
39:34 Summary
41:01 List of Chips and what they do
43:46 Please SUBSCRIBE! :)
Переглядів: 6 566
Відео
Radioddity GA-510 Any Harmonics?
Переглядів 6593 місяці тому
Radioddity sent me over a GA-510 to take a look at. This radio was sent to me free of charge to do this review. As always, my reviews are not affected by how I receive the radio. My reviews are not viewed or approved prior to posting. Links to Items in this Video: Amazon: Radioddity GA-510 amzn.to/3TKK19X Radioddity: www.radioddity.com/collections/amateur-radios/products/radioddity-ga-510 Use m...
Baofeng UV-5RM. What is going on at Baofeng?
Переглядів 6 тис.3 місяці тому
Baofeng UV-5RM. I'm not sure I can figure out what Baofeng is doing. The UV-5R series of radios finally after years seem to be clean now (at least the all the recent ones I've tested,) and then this radio is a "newer" version, and they seem to have forgotten all they learned on the UV-5R! This radio is a mess on 2M, but is clean on 70cm. From what I can find, it is only FCC Part 15 certified, s...
TIDRADIO TD-H3 Is it really that good? I bought 3 of them to test.
Переглядів 19 тис.3 місяці тому
Well I waited for over a month for TIDRADIO to send me a TD-H3, I got tired of waiting and went and bought 3 TD-H3 radios to test. This radio is really good, but seems to have some real consistency problems, both on output power for the low-power setting, and on harmonics from one radio to the next. I show how you can program this radio with 3 different methods. And a cool feature for copying a...
Talkpod A36plus. Did they fix the harmonics?
Переглядів 5824 місяці тому
We revisit the Talkpod A36Plus Radios to see if their updates have fixed the harmonics problem. Then we take a look at the carrier on the O-Scope at what looks like a new issue that has been introduced. Also, the 8W radio provided was sent from Amazon distribution, so it wasn't "hand picked." I know some of you worry about that, as do I. Full disclosure, Talkpod sent me both the 5W clear and 8W...
What's Inside the TIDRADIO TD-H8? Let's find out!
Переглядів 4,4 тис.4 місяці тому
We had a viewer ask about what microprocessor was in the TD-H8. So we opened one up to look inside. This is what we found: RF Transistors: HTL7G06S011P - 100-600Mhz 11Watt 7.2 Amp 2904 Op Amp AT 1846S Radio on a Chip HK 24C64 I2C EEPROM TDA2822G Audio Amp TLSR8261 Bluetooth BLE SoC BEKEN BK1080 - 65-108Mhz FM Receiver TA3782F Microprocessor (Let us know if you know what this is!) Links to Items...
TIDRADIO Wireless Programmer - Review and firmware upgrade.
Переглядів 2,1 тис.5 місяців тому
This is a quick overview of the TIDRADIO Wireless Programmer. I go through some of the main features of the ODMaster software and program a Baofeng UV-5R and a Quansheng UV-K5(8). When programming the UV-K5(8) we run into a read error. This is a known issue that is fixed with updated firmware from TIDRADIO. We then go through the process of updating the firmware on the device with an android ph...
Baofeng UV-17, UV-17R, UV-21PRO and Radioddity GC-5. A look inside!
Переглядів 20 тис.6 місяців тому
Baofeng UV-17, UV-17R, UV-21PRO and Radioddity GC-5. All very similar radios in performance and on the inside. Only one radio is actually free from spurious harmonics! In this impromptu video, we take a look at the harmonics on these four radios and then crack them all open to see what's inside. I refer to "manufacture date" when looking at the main boards. I should have specified that was the ...
UPDATE! - TIDRADIO TD-H8 Gen 2 they sent me an updated radio!
Переглядів 5796 місяців тому
TIDRADIO sent me an updated TD-H8 after their harmonics fix. How does it do? Link to Original TD-H8 Video: ua-cam.com/video/3VSw0fB4m5Q/v-deo.html Links to Items in this Video: TIDRADIO Official Store: tidradio.com/collections/hot/products/tidradio-h8-ham-radio-with-bluetooth?ref=nwk or just enter Coupon Code: NWK for 10% off. TIDRADIO Store: amzn.to/41wBOtu TIDRADIO TD-H8: Radio with one batte...
XZNY 20Ah Battery Capacity Test
Переглядів 4907 місяців тому
We take a look at the capacity of this XZNY 20Ah LiFePO4 battery. I purchased this battery during Amazon Deal Days. I was happy with its performance, and wanted to relay the info to you. Links to items in video: ZXNY 20Ah Battery amzn.to/3udaVy5 Amazon links are affiliate links where possible. 0:00 Intro 0:30 Website 1:18 The Manual 2:27 Warnings 3:24 CBA Battery Tester 4:57 Load Tests 6:17 Res...
Are the UV-5R and the GT-5R the same radio?
Переглядів 4,9 тис.8 місяців тому
Somehow my video description on this video was messed up and copied over by another. In this video we take a quick look inside the GT-5R and the UV-5R to see how they compare. Seems like the improvements from the GT-5R have made their way to the standard UV-5R. Like to the Radios in this video: Radioddity GT-5R amzn.to/3PPuR21 www.radioddity.com/products/baofeng-gt-5r Use my Code for $15 discou...
Baofeng UV-5R! Are these radios actually CLEAN now?
Переглядів 26 тис.8 місяців тому
Baofeng UV-5R! Are these radios actually CLEAN now?
Moving to a city that will fill up 199 channels. How fast does it scan?
and arent fractional spurious emissions regulated? for example, if i transmit on 462.000, couldnt it be letting out emissions on 231.000? (edit, added a ? at the end, to make clear its also a question)
I've sat here staring at this for a few minutes trying to come up with a simple answer. LOL Basically "harmonics" are always an integer multiple of the fundamental frequency (f) like 2f, 3f, etc. Any signal that might be generated at a frequency lower than the fundamental would be a "spurious emission." These type of signals can be caused by things such as the mixing of two signals which will produce a signal at the sum and difference (and possible harmonics) of the two mixed frequencies. There are very mathematical ways of describing this that are out of the realm of a comment. If you want, you could look up RF harmonics, Taylor series, Fourier transforms etc. I found a good non-math explanation by reddit member Bob K0NR "@robtwitte" He says: "Harmonics result when a pure sinewave has some imperfections in it. Think about the top of the sinewave getting flattened a bit or some other alteration to its shape. When this happens, higher frequencies are generated...and yes they show up at integer multiples of the sinewave frequency (which are the harmonics)... ...OK, so why are there no subharmonics created? Because the math doesn't support this. (Oops. No math allowed.) Because distortion in the signal always occurs during every period of the waveform, or less. This means that the new frequency content can only be at the original (fundamental) frequency or at higher frequencies. For a subharmonic to appear, it would have to distort every other period or every third period or similar. (Lower frequency means a longer time period.) This does not normally occur in electronic waveforms. (I won't say never occurs, but it is not common.)"
@@KC4NWK LOL i understand you, talking about radio is not usually something you can do with just one phrase i love learning and reading so its not a problem tho, thanks a lot for taking the time to answer me!
I see ur a LTT fan
Yep, it was a gift and it is a great screw driver. :) Thanks for watching and dropping a comment! 73
Great work, Zi enjoyed it thoroughly. I liked your testing for 1st,2nd, 3rd etc harmonics, but you did not list the tester and who made it, availability, etc. Could you please advise, l loved the wat you impressed it's live image into your video, well done! Thank you, I will be back, I just discovered your channel, and your reviews mean lots more!
Thank you so much! I greatly appreciate your comments. I'm using a Siglent SSA 3021X Plus as my Spectrum Analyzer, and my O-Scope is a Rigol MSO5074. 73s and hope to see you in the comments in the future! :)
Same here, no OTA feature on Odmaster on Android 😒 #Android #Odmaster
On the "Me" tab, do you have a "Setting" option? Under "Setting" you should see a "Bluetooth OTA" option. This should allow you to update the firmware on the programmer. When I select the "Bluetooth OTA" option, I then get the following warning: "Please note, the OTA update is specifically designed to correct operational errors in the UV-K5. However, the upgrade process may damage the Bluetooth programming device." So proceed at your own discretion.
I just love seeing teardown videos and this one was very informative. Thanks!
Just one question, are there quick mods for the device because the key combination doesn't really work in Open, the part is still in the old state 🥴
240606 is the current firmware.
Thank you for your excellent test and inspection. Many Hams depend on technicians like yourself to make their decisions. I saw the TIDradio on Mike-M0MSN channel who found it clean on his scopes, however Jim W6LG found harmonic problems recently but he got a great response from TIDradio when he reported his finding, I await his follow up tests on his channel. It will be a couple of months before I buy a hand held and because of the different reports from HamOps my confidence has grown to buy one. Still establishing the base station “shack”. I had to leave the hobby back in 1996 because of life but now catching up on the technology. Thank you once more. Best wishes to everyone.73. 💙
Thank so much for the kind words, they are greatly appreciated. Thank you for watching and for taking the time to leave a comment. I had the same experience with TIDRADIO as Jim, they replaced my radios with good ones after supplying the serial numbers. Glad to see you getting back into the hobby! I went through a similar situation myself, and I am once again truly loving the hobby!! I hope to see you in the comments again!! 73s
How would they go about reducing spurious emissions? Are there better components that would be used? Or better insulating materials? I am curious what they changed to meet the standards
That's a great question. It is possible to use better components, or even changing certain values of components in the filtering circuits. I haven't looked side by side at the boards, but there is also possibilities of board revisions to include more filtering.
The way that inductor is skewed on the pads is a typical side effect of using a part that's too small for the footprint - when the solder melts the surface tension will normally pull the part into alignment, but that only works if you have most of the pad covered and only a small part where the solder fillet can form. My guess is that the PCB was originally laid out for a chip inductor, bu this turned out to have some undesirable effects and it was replaced with a wound part. Those wound inductors are substantially more expensive than the chip type, so I think it's safe to assume they wouldn't be using it if they didn't have to.
Interesting! That makes sense, and I was curious why they would be mounted like that! Thanks and 73!!
So, I guess there are no front-end filters added to the GT 5R? If it had front-end filters, the GT 5R could have been perfect
It’s just an upgrade from smaller older one. Screen on it sells it. Specs and all that same as always but it works DECENT and CAN reach repeaters
Thanks for a great review.
Thank you! Thanks for watching and dropping a comment!! 73!
Why do people continue to push this cheap Chinese crap?
Thanks for the follow-up reporting on this radio. Are these radios any different at the hardware level, or has this improvement been driven through the firmware revision? Put another way, is there any indicator short of the SWR/Meter you've used to determine if a new purchase off the shelf might be affected by the original harmonics and power output or performing with the currently tested harmonics and power output?
Thanks for the comment! In general I would think a hardware update on the filtering. I have flashed the previous radios with the latest firmware, and the harmonics were not changed. The best bet would be to order directly from TIDRadio since those are guaranteed to be the latest version. You can also use my code NWK for 10% discount.
@@KC4NWK As a follow up question ... I had already ordered my H3's from Amazon. Looking at the serial number, it "looks like" the prefix may be a manufacturing year and month code. My radios are prefixed 2405UV, if my guess is correct, then these handsets were manufactured 2024 May. Am I off base? If not, curious what the serial number prefix for your new radios are?
I reached out to Tidradio and they confirmed my theory that the prefix of the serial number is the manufacture date, YYMM. I am still curious to learn what the manufacture date of your "new" H3's @KC4NWK.
Yep, I suspected the same thing. I asked TIDRADIO for a specific date to look for for "good" radios, but I didn't really get a firm answer. They just said that all radios shipping from their site would be clean. The "good" radios that were sent to me all started with 2403UVXXXXX. So your 2405UV should be good to go!!! Thanks for watching and for confirming that SN layout with TIDRADIO!! 73s!!
a couple of firmware quirks I have noticed. You cannot change the split when you have a 220 mhz freq input. You have to manually adjust the split prior to programming it. The A/B is buggy and will show you transmitting on one freq when you are on the other depending on which ptt you use. still a great featured radio, especially at this price.
This is good information. The best bet to have as many people relay this type info to TIDRADIO. I am able reproduce the A/B issue you described above. If I'm on VFO A, but press the PTT for VFO B, it transmits properly on VFO B, but the display shows as if I'm transmitting on VFO A. GOOFY! I will also relay this on to TIDRADIO. Thanks for the comment! 73!
I need to get my hands on a computer to update my firmware. To bad it's not possible over android Bluetooth or USB. Very surprised by gmrs and especially this radio. Been 30 yrs since I talked on CB base station.
Can the antenna jack be swapped with a SMA-Female connector? Would you know if there is a part number or supplier for an SMA-Female connector which would fit the H3? To me the SMA-Male connector is a weak point in the Radio.
That’s an interesting thought! I will look for a replacement connector! If anyway else finds an option, please post here! If we find one I will do a swap out video. Thanks!! 73
What do you think would cause the VHF harmonic to be higher when transmitting at low power? That seems quite strange.
It’s possible with any non-linearities in the amp. The harmonic content can vary depending on where the amp is operating in its characteristics/performance curves. I’m not familiar with the amp in this radio to look up any of its characteristics. Thank you for watching!! 73s
Good review! Can you show the S-Meter and whether it is big enough to use during a Transmitter hunt?? It seems very small and almost unuseable. Could this be fixed in a firmware update. I'd like to see a nice large S meter to show relative signal strength to assist in Tx-Hunting
Ok, so honestly... I'm not sure the S-Meter (which just says POWER) does anything but show what your transmit power is set at. I've tried receiving weak signals etc. and the meter at the top of the display doesn't show anything on receive. There appears to only be a tiny Antenna with bars next to it like on your cell phone for receive. Kinda useless. :(
It's good, but some are defective and don't send the CTCSS tones. I got one of those defective ones.
Picture in Picture makes it hard to see the radio. You should be in the small window and put the overhead large. And NEED to zoom in on the radio. Otherwise good review.
Yes, I agree! Thanks for the reminder. Since I mainly just do these unscripted, I sometimes forget to switch “scenes” to the correct view. I’m trying to still get everything down. Thanks for the view and 73!
What is the name of the small Power meter you were using in this video?
It is the Surecom SW-33 Plus amzn.to/3XgbB24
@ the 17 min mark.... These are a new type of antenna, they become whatever you want by just labeling it. It cuts down on inventory.
LOL, yes very convenient! To be fair, they are physically different lengths, but very confusing anyway! Thanks for watching!!
Thank you for your really comprehensive videos. Very few reviewers actually do a tear down.
Thank you for the comment and for watching!
UV-17L , UV-17E , UV-17R what is it with all the letters ?
There is one more (a fourth) way to program the radio if you have more than one... You can basically transfer wirelessly from one TD-H3 to another TD-H3 directly. Basically if you have one setup as you like, you can clone it's settings to another one without any connections!
Excellent point!! Thank you!
Great video and very good to see TID fixing the known issues in this radio. It's one of my favourite HT's. :)
Yes, I agree! Thank you for stopping by, good to see you again. 73
another excellent tear down as usual... : -)
Thanks! It's fun to see what's inside these radios. Thanks for watching and dropping a comment!
I already have an account, what I am saying is the only file in the h3 model is the tune up app, I think they might have taken it down?
I just downloaded the HAM version to test, and its still there. :) Once you extract the "TD-H3 Ham.rar" file to your computer, you will have a directory called "TD-H3 Ham" In that folder you will have two more folders, and the "TXPower Tune_setup230918.zip" file. The first folder will be called: "1.H3 Firmware Upgrade" and the second folder will be "2.H3 Programming Software" Inside the 1st folder you will see the files: H3_240530.BIN and the firmware flasher installation program "TD-H3_IAP_setup240305.exe" I double checked the other versions as well (Unlocked and GMRS) and they also have the same folder structure.
Where is the bin file (new update) on tidradio, the only thing that shows up is the tuneup app, any ideas?
The latest firmware download links: TD-H3 HAM: walkietalkiesoftware.com/portal/index/software_detail/id/67.html TD-H3 GMRS: walkietalkiesoftware.com/portal/index/software_detail/id/68.html TD-H3 Unlocked: walkietalkiesoftware.com/portal/index/software_detail/id/69.htm You will need to create a login to download I believe. Hope this helps!! :)
I never trust "they sent these over to look at". Those three could be tuned to perfection. I'd like to see three random ones off the shelf.
This is always a concern of mine as well. The radios in the first video were definitely straight from Amazon. If I get my hands on any others that are new from Amazon, I'll throw them on the SA as well. 73
Nice review and tear down! Good to see the RF improvements. Would it be possible to post the serial numbers of the TD-H3s you’ve tested, including the older ones that didn’t meet spec? Mine is 2403UV0664x, Amazon purchase about mid April. Wonder if the first part is the manufacturing date….2024 month 03 or maybe week 03? 73 👍
I've requested information from TIDRADIO if there is a SN sequence to look for. I'll let everyone know if I get any information in the video description. The three tested in this video are 2403UV295(18,19,20) I only have two of the three from the first video, and they are: 2312UV07354, 2312UV07438,
Please see the video description for update on this. ;-)
@@KC4NWKthank you!
Hi, I was wondering if you were having any issues with the aircraft band on the radio? I've changed antennas (both supplied and newly bought) aviation antennas but it comes in terrible!! I live close to a busy airport and no matter what I do (even gone to the airport) to listen it comes in like it's off frequency! I've increased the step in VFO mode up and down while they were talking but still not clear.. Have you or anyone else had this issue??
Hey John! Honestly, I don't listen to air band at all. I'm not near a busy airport, but I will try to see if I can receive anything from passing airplanes or anything coming in and out of our small airport. If someone else has any insight on this, please reply here. Thanks and 73!
So I live by Philadelphia Airport. And I'm also try to listen to the frequency they use, I'm no expert for sure but I believe it's just the way am band is received on a multi frequency radio. Just my thoughts
Now the question is, how do we identify the “new” radios that don’t have the spurious emissions? Both my TD-H8 and TD-H3 spectrums look like forests with non-harmonic spurs everywhere. I hope Tidradio made changes to their production line instead of just hand picking clean radios for reviewers. I love the feature set on the H3 and, if it had BT audio and PTT I would gladly pay twice the price for a clean radio.
Yes, this is always a concern of mine as well. I've asked before, and I will ask again if there is a serial number cutoff range for the "fixed" radios. If I find anything I will be sure to update the info on this video. Thanks for watching!! 73s
Firmware Update from TIDRADIO. As @Timber-Wolf pointed out, the latest firmware is now H3_240530.BIN This is the information I received from TIDRADIO: The latest firmware H3_240530.BIN has been modified with some suggestions and feedback provided by users. Solved problem: 1. Increase signal grid change 2. Modify the English spelling error of Stun 3. Menu 32: Volume down when transmitting at 1750Hz 4. Menu 33: Chinese mode is deleted, and the language switching function is changed to screen brightness adjustment 5. Menu 40: Modify the delay after the relay transmission The Previous Firmware: H3_240427.BIN 1. In VFO mode, input can be started from 18MHz. 2. Menu 1 SQL corrected. When its value is "0", the noise and weak signals will still be heard. 3. Menu 40 STE: The higher the setting level, the better the effect. 4. Press the menu and then press the "5 REV" button: reverse the TX and RX frequencies of that channel. 5. New Menu 55: DTMF Speed, the speed can be switched as needed (80ms - 150ms) 6. New Menu 56: Scan Band, which can limit the frequency band scanning range (0.5m-all) 7. Even when the H3 radio screen is off, simply press the micorphone's PTT button to start transmitting immediately. 8. When the keyboard is locked, you can still turn on the flashlight using the side button C. (must set in software first) 9. Fixed H3 radio squelch tail issue.
Yes, this is what I've upgraded the firmware to. From what I'm seeing, the mic gain still has no affect, and the repeater squelch tail eliminator doesn't work.
Whereas these harmonic levels seem to be pretty high on 2m, trying something different probably won't help much, but I would be more interested in the harmonic content from the antenna as I don't operate into a dummy load. My antenna is a real world application instead of a lab type situation. Years ago, our radios had high harmonic output so we built and installed low pass filtering to combat the high harmonics. Nowadays, everyone is an appliance operator, unable to do anything for themselves.
GREAT update. Perfect timing after watching nicsure's latest video on modding this radio's firmware. Gonna dig these out of the closet and play radio for a bit. Thanks!
I'm so excited that @nicsure has made progress on this! Thank you for mentioning his video, I just went over and watched it and dropped him a comment! This will hopefully open the door to some amazing mods. When I saw that the radio chip was the same as the Quansheng UV-K5, I was excited, but the limitation was the mystery microprocessor! Thanks for watching and the comment!!! 73s
@NowWeKnow , 2 issues: 1) So how long to wait to order untill they sold out the previous stock ? ,incase you wanted the latest hardware) , 2) You still did not convince me that the Squelch-tail issue was solved ...for example you could do a comparison with the H8 on that please.
1) Good question. TIDRADIO claims that what Amazon has now is new. If you order directly from TIDRADIO you should be good to go. If you order from TIDRADIO, be sure to use code NWK for 10% discount. 2) Good point. I will try to do a SHORT on the squelch tail issue. Thanks for watching and for commenting!! 73
Another excellent video! love the tear downs. Thanks again, please keep them coming. 73's WA2TWF
Many thanks! Appreciate the view and the comment!!! 73s
Thank you really good video - and I'm happy I have TD H3 on the way to me
Features for the price, its hard to beat! Thank you for the comment!! 73s
Will the firmware update fix the spurious issues and wattage inconsistency ? I have 4 of these h3 and I wonder if updating the firmware solves the problem .
I will flash one of the old radios just to verify, but the firmware update on the TD-H8 didn't change its harmonic issues. I would doubt a firmware flash would change harmonics. The wattage inconsistency can be addressed by their "TXPower Tunesetup230918.zip" program. It is in with the latest firmware download. Its not very straight forward, but I was able to get the first set of radios to all transmit at the same power output with this program. Thanks for watching and commenting! MUCH appreciated!
@@KC4NWK Thanks for your reply 👍🏻
I did flash the older H3s with new firmware, and the harmonic characteristics are unchanged.
wow great quality content & video, very informative. thanks for the teardown & look at the chips / board. glad i found this channel, subbed!
Welcome aboard! Thank you for the awesome comment. I'm glad you found the channel too. :) 73s!
"Feature set for price point" -- you nailed it; that's why its so popular in spite of some of the issues. Really enjoyed the tear down!
Thank you!!! Always happy when you stop by! 73s!!!
Did they also fix the mic gain control issue? With the H3 that I have, the mic seems to be at full gain regardless of the setting.
I'm not 100% sure. I'll have to do some testing. I don't see this called out specifically in the 240424 version, and the latest 240530 doesn't seem to mention it either. Thank you for the question and the view! 73
@@KC4NWK Thanks for replying. Hopefully you'll have better results. I see the frequency range being extended down to 18MHz, but no change in the mic gain or the squelch tail issues. Of coarse I have the old H3 with the new firmware applied, and these issues might be hardware related fixes.
@RhythmicSensations Well, I was going to make a SHORT about the mic gain, but I have the same results. I hooked up a TD-H3 to the line-in of my computer, setup everything so I could show VU-Meter for relative measurements (made sure all automatic gain control and compression were turned off.) I then used a signal generator with 1000 Hz tone and keyed a separate TD-H3 with the tone generator exactly the same distance from the MIC for each test. After cycling through all the MIC GAIN settings (0-9) I observed the same meter reading for each setting. :(
@@KC4NWK Thank you for going to that extent for testing. I've never been able to get TidRadio to respond to any of my emails. But they've clearly added my email to their list, as I now get advertisements from them.
I did relay my findings to TIDRADIO, they were going to research it, and let me know if/when there is a firmware update.
Excellent video, very informative! Love these little radios and the fact that TIDRADIO seems to be responsive to suggestions and complaints.
Thank you so much! Yes I agree. I know there were some rocky beginnings with TIDRADIO. They do seem to be responsive to criticism and suggestions. My correspondence with them has always be answered with a quick and informative reply. Thank you watching and dropping a comment! 73s
The most recent firmware for H3 is 30-05-2024 afaik.
Yes, you are correct! I just downloaded it. I'm looking for a change log to see what was addressed. If anyone knows, please leave a note. I will send an email asking for some info. Thanks for watching and commenting!!! 73
@@KC4NWK The only difference I see is a "Brightness" option in the menus to reduce the screen brighness level (1-5). G5MAP 73