I own both the Quansheng UV-K5 and the Tidradio TD-H3 (actually 2 of each). Using the same antennas on both radios (to eliminate receive "bias" caused by antennas), I've found the the UV-K5 is considerably better at receiving weak signals on the VHF band compared to the TD-H3, and the TD-H3 is much better at receiving weak signals on the UHF band compared to the UV-K5. Surprisingly, the TD-H3 also seems a bit more prone to unwanted RF interference on both VHF and UHF compared to the UV-K5. The biggest "downer" for me on the TD-H3 is the abysmally slow scan speed in scan mode--one of the slowest scanning radios that I've seen. The UV-K5 is much, much better in that regard. Finally, battery life between recharges is somewhat better on the UV-K5, and the UV-K5 charger will recharge its battery considerably faster than the charger will charge the TD-H3 battery. Both are remarkably decent radios for their low price.
I've had both and donated the Quansheng to a friend. I now have two TD-H3 with Marcus' hacked firmware and really enjoy them. I am active in his community Marcus is taking on board great ideas from others all the time. They are a great price and the quality is good for the price range. Also TIDRADIO support is awesome, I had a battery fail recently and they promptly sent a replacement out that arrived today.
Thanks for another great video. I have two UV-K5 one running F4HWN firmware & chose the version that has broadcast band and band scope, the other has the HF mod board with CEC0.51firmware, & a TD-H3 running NICMOD firmware. I have been running these for a while & find both radios are good after a few menu settings are tweeked with the audio sounding about the same. Both of them have USB C for charging, so is a nice touch to be able to charge when out, I find the Quansheng to be better for me with scan banks, battery volt meter, two programmable buttons, faster scanning, band-scope, better menu & over all nicer to use with the screen easier to see in bright sunlight. I find the TD-H3 to be a little buggy on its firmware at the moment with factory or third party firmware (which no doubt will be addressed in future updates) even tho the screen is nicer to the eye & has good sensitivity, overall its slightly smaller in size so makes a good pocket companion. I do have my concerns about the battery tho as I found the charge port on the bottom of the battery gets hot when changing from flat & it seems other users have had various battery problems as well. (base of the battery still gets hot using the drop in charger) Both are nice little toys for the radio enthusiast, so why not get both.....
Just my 5c. The color screen is a disadvantage to me - it doesn't work without the backlight, harder to see in the sunlight, drains more power, creates extra interference and there's no particular need for it in a radio. I'd rather go with black and orange any day. The H3 is a nice radio, it's very small and the sound is surprisingly good, it has better filters and kinda works with an external antenna in heavy RF interference environment (the K5 just dies, the receiver gets overloaded), but in terms of functionality the K5 is miles ahead with a 3rd party firmware. I really like the bandscope option and use it all the time, the only reason I've got the H3 is because it transmits on a certain band with a decent amont of oomph out of the box after a quick firmware flash, no hardware hacking required, unlike the K5 :) And if I'll need a reliable radio, I'll grab my Retevis RA89 anyway. Pity it doesn't have the bandscope, I'd retire my K5 then.
The H3 is what i always pick up as it works a treat and is just a bit smaller to slip inside my pocket, even my running shorts 😂. Lost count how many Quansheng radios i have here and although great fun to play around with the software & hardware mods that is where it really ends. Good video, Thanks
hi i have the k5 and k8 quanshengs run ijv and cec and egzumer on all but gone back to stock firmware using uv mod site added the backlight duration for 20seconds instead of the stock 5 sec and changed the font. i think the stock firmware on 2m/70cm is reliable excellent radios. no problems. good video too.
As a "use it as you got it" radio, IMO, Tidradio did everything right with the TD-H3. The only con for the TD-H3 is if you like hacking. It's not as hackable as the UV-K5. I say buy both. I bought 2 TD-H3s and 3 UV-K5s. The only reason I bought the third UV-K5 is because I stopped halfway through the HF hardware add-on upgrade on one of the first two I bought because I don't have the right tools to finish it. So that radio is out of service for now.
@M0JSX thank you, your review is highly appreciated! Would you say that Retevis Ra79 is any better than quasheng as they are more expensive? Thank you
I can give you a short version and save you some time. The receiver on the TD-H8 is nowhere near as good as the TD-H3 at receiving weak signals. In that regard, the TD-H8 is one of the worst radios that I own. Like TD-H3, the TD-H8's scan speed is dismally slow. The TD-H8 feels like a physically tougher radio, and it is considerably larger. That large size accommodates a larger battery, giving the TD-H8 longer life between recharges compared to the TD-H3. BUT, the charging time for the TD-H8 battery is nothing short of just plain awful. A 2/3s- depleted TD-H8 battery can take up to 8-10 hours to recharge on the factory charger. If you are going to use a TD-H8, you need 2 batteries, so you have a battery to use on the radio while the other one wiles away the hours on the charger. Until Tidradio fixes those issues on the TD-H8, I would pass on it.
Hi Johnathan, I am holding back on purchasing a Tidradio H3. I have hurd rumours that the PA's die on them and you get no transmitter output. I own two Quancheng radio's and I think they are fantastic for the price. And I'm not bothered if I drop them or get them wet when I am dog walking. David M0DUU
Constantly seeing failed H3 radios.. My, H8 had failed after 3, months.. Had no help from Tidradio. So after 9 months it's a good, receiver. So I bought another Baofen and I measured a genuine,,9 watts on VHF. 8 watts on UHF..
@@kennethausten I’m sorry to hear that you didn’t receive any support from TIDRadio. That hasn’t been my experience with the company. If you want to email me (questions@m0jsx.radio), I’d be happy to forward your email to TIDRadio.
I was skeptical also being new to radio and never owning one. Pulled the trigger on a h3 and the 42inch abbree antenna and been hitting repeater’s 30 miles away and can pickup air bands / airport chatter that’s 14 miles away. For $30 I am more than satisfied with this little radio
Iam not a radio ham. I just need a cheep radio for mainly the walkie talkie frequencies. Also I would like to use it as a scanner. Is it worth me getting one?
A dedicated scanner would be best for scanning functionality - the scan offered on either of these radios is a bit slow. As for the ‘walkie talkie’ frequencies (I am assuming you mean PMR446), these radio can transmit there, however as they can transmit more than 500milliwatts, and have removable antennas they are not legal to use. I hope this helps!
So Quansheng is not for using but for modding, and TIDradio is for using but the first thing you have to do is to load modded firmware onto it? Interesting....
Yes and no. You can use the stock firmware with the TIDradio, but the modded firmware adds functionality that should really have been in the stock firmware.
It’s a subjective thing. If you want to start playing around with different firmwares and pushing the limits of coding, get the Quansheng. Otherwise, if you want a radio to be reliable (maybe flash an alternative firmware once), grab the TIDRadio. If you have deep enough pockets, get both!
i bought several mainly for the hacking scene thats developing not for the reasons you gave. its a cheap device that has major qc problems from the factory and it would be wrong headed to buy one for general use in my opinion. its more of a toy than the quansheng and far less reliable out of the box.
![Mod Your Quansheng UV-K5 - EASY! [Make it Even Better]](/img/n.gif)
Have both, the Quansheng is BY FAR the best radio---- not even close!!!!
The sensitivity on the TID isn't nearly as good as the quansheng even out of the box
It's alright as a toy
I own both the Quansheng UV-K5 and the Tidradio TD-H3 (actually 2 of each). Using the same antennas on both radios (to eliminate receive "bias" caused by antennas), I've found the the UV-K5 is considerably better at receiving weak signals on the VHF band compared to the TD-H3, and the TD-H3 is much better at receiving weak signals on the UHF band compared to the UV-K5. Surprisingly, the TD-H3 also seems a bit more prone to unwanted RF interference on both VHF and UHF compared to the UV-K5. The biggest "downer" for me on the TD-H3 is the abysmally slow scan speed in scan mode--one of the slowest scanning radios that I've seen. The UV-K5 is much, much better in that regard. Finally, battery life between recharges is somewhat better on the UV-K5, and the UV-K5 charger will recharge its battery considerably faster than the charger will charge the TD-H3 battery. Both are remarkably decent radios for their low price.
I've had both and donated the Quansheng to a friend. I now have two TD-H3 with Marcus' hacked firmware and really enjoy them. I am active in his community Marcus is taking on board great ideas from others all the time.
They are a great price and the quality is good for the price range. Also TIDRADIO support is awesome, I had a battery fail recently and they promptly sent a replacement out that arrived today.
Idk about Tidradio support, mine came with an antenna which has SWR over 3:1 in 70cm amateur band. They refused to replace it.
@@ВасилийПетров-ы8й You may have gotten a GMRS antenna.
@@vk3xemontheweb no, its resonant frequency in UHF band is around 370 MHz. Works alright for VHF tho.
Thanks for another great video.
I have two UV-K5 one running F4HWN firmware & chose the version that has broadcast band and band scope, the other has the HF mod board with CEC0.51firmware, & a TD-H3 running NICMOD firmware.
I have been running these for a while & find both radios are good after a few menu settings are tweeked with the audio sounding about the same.
Both of them have USB C for charging, so is a nice touch to be able to charge when out,
I find the Quansheng to be better for me with scan banks, battery volt meter, two programmable buttons, faster scanning, band-scope, better menu & over all nicer to use with the screen easier to see in bright sunlight.
I find the TD-H3 to be a little buggy on its firmware at the moment with factory or third party firmware (which no doubt will be addressed in future updates) even tho the screen is nicer to the eye & has good sensitivity, overall its slightly smaller in size so makes a good pocket companion.
I do have my concerns about the battery tho as I found the charge port on the bottom of the battery gets hot when changing from flat & it seems other users have had various battery problems as well. (base of the battery still gets hot using the drop in charger)
Both are nice little toys for the radio enthusiast, so why not get both.....
Thanks for the info! I shall have to check out that firmware for the K5!
f4hwn 3.3 is out now try it out!@@M0JSX
Just my 5c.
The color screen is a disadvantage to me - it doesn't work without the backlight, harder to see in the sunlight, drains more power, creates extra interference and there's no particular need for it in a radio. I'd rather go with black and orange any day.
The H3 is a nice radio, it's very small and the sound is surprisingly good, it has better filters and kinda works with an external antenna in heavy RF interference environment (the K5 just dies, the receiver gets overloaded), but in terms of functionality the K5 is miles ahead with a 3rd party firmware. I really like the bandscope option and use it all the time, the only reason I've got the H3 is because it transmits on a certain band with a decent amont of oomph out of the box after a quick firmware flash, no hardware hacking required, unlike the K5 :)
And if I'll need a reliable radio, I'll grab my Retevis RA89 anyway. Pity it doesn't have the bandscope, I'd retire my K5 then.
TD-H3 is great as a GMRS radio for those that want the HAM option in the future.
Spot on review. Cal will be pleased as his card has pride of place 😂
The H3 is what i always pick up as it works a treat and is just a bit smaller to slip inside my pocket, even my running shorts 😂. Lost count how many Quansheng radios i have here and although great fun to play around with the software & hardware mods that is where it really ends. Good video, Thanks
hi i have the k5 and k8 quanshengs run ijv and cec and egzumer on all but gone back to stock firmware using uv mod site added the backlight duration for 20seconds instead of the stock 5 sec and changed the font. i think the stock firmware on 2m/70cm is reliable excellent radios. no problems. good video too.
As a "use it as you got it" radio, IMO, Tidradio did everything right with the TD-H3. The only con for the TD-H3 is if you like hacking. It's not as hackable as the UV-K5. I say buy both. I bought 2 TD-H3s and 3 UV-K5s. The only reason I bought the third UV-K5 is because I stopped halfway through the HF hardware add-on upgrade on one of the first two I bought because I don't have the right tools to finish it. So that radio is out of service for now.
Excellent video, thank you! Could you please make a video showing the difference between Td-h3 and Td-h8?
At some point, sure. 👍🏻
@M0JSX thank you, your review is highly appreciated! Would you say that Retevis Ra79 is any better than quasheng as they are more expensive? Thank you
I can give you a short version and save you some time. The receiver on the TD-H8 is nowhere near as good as the TD-H3 at receiving weak signals. In that regard, the TD-H8 is one of the worst radios that I own. Like TD-H3, the TD-H8's scan speed is dismally slow. The TD-H8 feels like a physically tougher radio, and it is considerably larger. That large size accommodates a larger battery, giving the TD-H8 longer life between recharges compared to the TD-H3. BUT, the charging time for the TD-H8 battery is nothing short of just plain awful. A 2/3s- depleted TD-H8 battery can take up to 8-10 hours to recharge on the factory charger. If you are going to use a TD-H8, you need 2 batteries, so you have a battery to use on the radio while the other one wiles away the hours on the charger. Until Tidradio fixes those issues on the TD-H8, I would pass on it.
@@rockymountainjazzfan1822 many thanks for your time and your reply. Kind regards
At the price point, why not buy both?
Own them both and always reach for the TD-H3.
Nice one Jonathan :)
I own both. I think the h3 is the best budget radio today. The h3 is edc.
Hi Johnathan, I am holding back on purchasing a Tidradio H3. I have hurd rumours that the PA's die on them and you get no transmitter output. I own two Quancheng radio's and I think they are fantastic for the price. And I'm not bothered if I drop them or get them wet when I am dog walking. David M0DUU
I’ve not experienced that with the two I have. And I’ve not seen many reports of that happening.
Constantly seeing failed H3 radios.. My, H8 had failed after 3, months.. Had no help from Tidradio. So after 9 months it's a good, receiver. So I bought another Baofen and I measured a genuine,,9 watts on VHF. 8 watts on UHF..
@@kennethausten I’m sorry to hear that you didn’t receive any support from TIDRadio. That hasn’t been my experience with the company. If you want to email me (questions@m0jsx.radio), I’d be happy to forward your email to TIDRadio.
I was skeptical also being new to radio and never owning one. Pulled the trigger on a h3 and the 42inch abbree antenna and been hitting repeater’s 30 miles away and can pickup air bands / airport chatter that’s 14 miles away. For $30 I am more than satisfied with this little radio
I have the uv-5r plus with si4732 v2
Is it water resistant? I may have missed it if you mentioned it
It’s not advertised as being, but you could probably use it in a light rain shower without much issue.
Hi does the quansheng uv K5 battery work on the Td-H3 radio.
No, completely different.
@@M0JSX thank you.
Iam not a radio ham. I just need a cheep radio for mainly the walkie talkie frequencies. Also I would like to use it as a scanner. Is it worth me getting one?
A dedicated scanner would be best for scanning functionality - the scan offered on either of these radios is a bit slow. As for the ‘walkie talkie’ frequencies (I am assuming you mean PMR446), these radio can transmit there, however as they can transmit more than 500milliwatts, and have removable antennas they are not legal to use. I hope this helps!
@@M0JSX thanks for your reply
So Quansheng is not for using but for modding, and TIDradio is for using but the first thing you have to do is to load modded firmware onto it? Interesting....
Yes and no. You can use the stock firmware with the TIDradio, but the modded firmware adds functionality that should really have been in the stock firmware.
OK, so it's a toss up between the two radios?
It’s a subjective thing. If you want to start playing around with different firmwares and pushing the limits of coding, get the Quansheng. Otherwise, if you want a radio to be reliable (maybe flash an alternative firmware once), grab the TIDRadio. If you have deep enough pockets, get both!
Skip to 4:05 for the actual comparison.
i bought several mainly for the hacking scene thats developing not for the reasons you gave. its a cheap device that has major qc problems from the factory and it would be wrong headed to buy one for general use in my opinion. its more of a toy than the quansheng and far less reliable out of the box.