I got my Quansheng today which is my first radio. Flashed it with egzumer within 10 minutes of taking it out of the box and I'm really excited to get some elevation to see if I can listen to some "local" repeaters and air band :)
I like how you included a mobile on the list. A nice thing about the GT5R (or any UV5R version) is how easy it is to get inexpensive accessories for it, like an extra battery, car charger, speaker mic, etc.
I own the Retevis95 and quansheng uv-k6 and like them very much. Another I really like (not on your list) is the Retevis at89. A robust 2m/70cm handheld, 8 Watt, large battery, clean transmission, and the function to capture & copy the frequency and CTCSS / DCS tone of nearby devices works much better than with other devices (e.g. UV-K6)
That a nice list. got 3 of them .The newer Talkpod A36 plus is not as bad on harmonics . Mike K8MRD got a clean one. mine is pretty clean as well. well down the list is the QT 60. and with a Digi rig and Anytone cable set I got digital modes to work. Like FT8 , JS8 call and SSTV . it heats up at 50-60 watts digital so I use a amp with radio power all the way down. runs hours FT8 just fine. was hard to set up. no ALC meter. once you get the settings you make lots of contacts 10 and 12 meters . I worked SSTV on Talkpod and UV-5R . Digi rig has cables for K1 port HT like A35 and UV-5R type. 73's
I have the Anytone 778 as well as the Quansheng. Good choices. My biggest nit for the quansheng is the tinny sounding speaker, makes it annoying for extended use.
Talkpod almost nailed it. Minus the emissions, it's a great radio with an excellent screen, chirp at launch, USB c battery charging, etc. Hopefully they'll release a clean xmit update.
I have the Talkpod A36plus myself. Apart from it needing a larger capacity battery, it's a good radio. (I collect HHs, and currently have 41 of them, including 5 quanshengs) Mike. G7MJT/M7GWX
The new 8 watt version of the Talkpod A36plus does not have harmonic problems. However, I have not had any success getting their support people to resolve the issue with my 5 watt version. Up until that point, I would have said it was the best option, but until/unless they solve that for me, I would hesitate to recommend them. The new challenger for number one on this list is the Tidradio TD-H3. It is an excellent radio with a super form factor, size and feel. And it has the best display configuration of any HT I have used.
No mention of the Baofeng DM-1701 Dual band FM / DMR OpenGD77 compatible radio, which seems to get cheaper and cheaper every day. These were sub $100 AUD last week, but seem to be around $110 AU today, Inc GST and shipping. Some people got a real bargain last week, when some were being sold for < $75 AUD Inc GST and shipping !
Here's the million dollar question. How good is the front end? I can transmit 50 watts from my base on UHF and my Motorola 7550 works perfectly. My UV5R gets totally desenced. And my Anytone 878 is almost as bad
If you live out in the country, the Retevis RT-95 is a fine affordable radio. In urban or metropolitan areas, it's one of the most susceptible radios to intermod I've owned in 50 years of hamming. For city use, it's unusable. I have three, all with the same sloppy receive filtering. But they are durable and perform well.
If bang for the buck is the goal, then I'm surprised the Wouxun KG-UV9PX isn't on your list. It offers top-tier 2m/70cm TX and 7-band superhet dual-receive RX, a solid tried and true design that's a few years old now, and it's over $40 less than the Q10H. :)
Thanks. I just found your channel a few days ago. I have my Foundation and was going for my Advanced when the pandemic hit and living in Melbourne that was the end of that. I now plan to get my advanced License before the end of the year. A few questions please? What is your background and what do you day for a day job? I'm trying to get friends involved, but they use the excuse that know nothing about electronics, so I'm out looking for people that are hams, but not from that background. Where do you get most of your gear from as I have discovered getting anything in Australia is quite limited and difficult? Thanks again.
Hey mate, I work in IT. My background has just been a keen interest since I was a kid learning about electronics and radio. You can hear more about my story on the QSO Today podcast - www.qsotoday.com/podcasts/vk7hh There are a lot of hams without electronics backgrounds, but they get interested through wanting communications whilst outdoors, camping, 4WDing, social connections etc just to name a few. The market in Australia is small - we need to get more hams licensed and on the air to fix that. At the moment there are a few main suppliers of gear, and smaller niche ones too. I'm not affiliated with any, but I've had good experiences with most of them.
@@HamRadioDX When I got my license it was at a local club 5min away from where I live it was revision 1 day and exam the next. They made it very clear NO NEW MEMEBERS WELCOME. I got board with their private jokes, victimising slower members of the class so I played dumb to attract the unwanted attention away from them. I timed them throughout the day they spent over 35min carrying on about electron flow being - to + (Conventional vs electron flow coming on the side of electron flow. The Exam started at 9:45am after completion we were evicted from the building and not allowed back in to do the prac that started at about 3:30pm one person at a time. I finished first and he checked the exam and gave me a funny look, he must have realised I wasn't as dumb as I acted as I got 1 question wrong and I finished first. He threatened to fail me in the prac as I used "over" and "out" that is habit as I use that in a volunteer organisation. He told me I was to never ever transmit as my 'on air' skills are too poor (I thought practice made perfect) to transmit. I always finish what I start and before the foundation I decided I was going to get my advanced so I will. Who knows what will happen from then, I also missed out a lot of other stuff. Thanks again.
@@jumper123910 No worries mate. Sorry to hear about the negative experience... not all clubs and hams are like that - you get the select few who want to become gatekeepers. Welcome and enjoy the hobby and really those who act the way you described can get stuffed pretty much!
If it werent for cheap radios, i wouldnt have gotten into amatuer radio. Had the UV-5R for a decade now. I agree the quanshang is exciting for the hackability. I am most excited about the TIDradio H3. The big screen, bluetooth programming, and channel copy looks very nice for about $40.
And the winner is ... ... the Quansheng UV-K5, or is it the UV-K5(8), the UV6 or the latest model with the BK BK4819 chipset, the Quansheng UV-5R Plus (Baofeng UV-5R look-a-like). Now, I'd be going with the Quansheng UV-5R Plus. Whilst 'this batch' of Quansheng radios all appear to be identical inside they have different cases and some differing features. Note: Due to a different firmware header on the UV-5R Plus, it may not accept all UV-K5 modded firmwares? However this is dealt with for the more popular firmwares, such as Egzumer or IJV MOD. Modified firmware (proceed at your own risk), may improve, for example, AM airband or SSB listening; however because of limited program storage space, adding modified firmware may remove some factory features, such as voice announcement for keypad, turn on etc. The latest model Quansheng UV-5R Plus has a 2200mAh battery in lieu of a 1500mAh battery as for the other variants. Some say it sounds better on receive. It sports a blue screen in lieu of orange (UK-V5(8)/ UK-V6) and white (UK-V5. Note: Orange may provide greater readability, as after red it is most discernible to the human eye. However, the UV-5R Plus doesn't support USB-C charging. This is likely due to the internal battery management hardware being unsuitable for the larger capacity battery. I don't see this as a big loss, as you cannot use the battery whilst charging as regulator hash de-senses the radio. It's also currently the cheapest version in Oz on AliExpress and possibly on Oz eBay. They are all good for legit 2m Ham radio use in Oz when tested on high power (~ 4.5W), as the 2nd harmonic scrapes in at -12dB. There is no sign of higher harmonics. However, in reality, the Quansheng 'batch' are just like the Baofeng UV-5R. By design they are 2m /70cm radio, with excellent sensitivity, but poor selectivity. Note: Current issue Baofeng UV-5Rs are 100% squeaky clean wrt to spurious emissions. Gone the bad old Baofeng UV-5Rs. And this is very important. Whilst some modified firmwares provide for experimental transmission on non 2m and 70cm frequencies, the harmonics produced by the modded Quansheng's outside these bands, are nothing short of a). horrendous b). provide only mW of power So whilst the BK4819 is indeed a wideband Tx and Rx chipset, the Quansheng radios Tx PA and Rx filtering are specifically engineered for the 2m and 70cm bands. If you are thinking of communicating on 6m or 10m; forget it. And due to the above filtering it's pretty deaf down low when used for listening. But that's what it's all about in the ham world; experimentation. I guess this is why the cheap Quanshengs managed the number 1 spot, but for my money, the only ones really experimenting are the programmers. :) I like the Qansheng UV-5R Plus for it's big battery, big screen, possibly better sound and chunkier looks over the Baofeng UV-5R. But for me; it scores just one 'acorn' above the still innovative Baofeng UV-5R. :)
1st radio I'm buying just to stay in touch with my family (1 about 500m and the other about 2km from me). Would you recommend this one or the uv r5? Any accessories loke batteries for both are easy to find?
This "spurious emission" stuff is sheer nonsense. Testing on test equipment only shows small microwatt emissions on other frequencies, and standing the offending radio just feet from another to demonstrate its" spuriousness" is really silly. Connect the "offender" to a Diamond X300 using an amplifier to boost power beyond the gain of the Antenna MAY actually affect some neighbouring frequencies, but not a five-watt job with a rubber ducky! It's a big con from the American FCC to stem the flow of affordable Chinese radios swamping the market.
Full Reviews 👉 ua-cam.com/play/PLSuX83ay4OuisXHNnIkRYlMAh64rJtL_Q.html&si=NOHLfi0HWl4ZQTF4
It's not a bad mix of radios. The bad thing is that you never can stop at just one.
Means?
I got my Quansheng today which is my first radio.
Flashed it with egzumer within 10 minutes of taking it out of the box and I'm really excited to get some elevation to see if I can listen to some "local" repeaters and air band :)
I like how you included a mobile on the list. A nice thing about the GT5R (or any UV5R version) is how easy it is to get inexpensive accessories for it, like an extra battery, car charger, speaker mic, etc.
I came here to recommend the Quansheng (but the uv-k6). But you correctly already had it at #1. Another benefit is its scan mode speed. Great HT.
I own the Retevis95 and quansheng uv-k6 and like them very much.
Another I really like (not on your list) is the Retevis at89. A robust 2m/70cm handheld, 8 Watt, large battery, clean transmission, and the function to capture & copy the frequency and CTCSS / DCS tone of nearby devices works much better than with other devices (e.g. UV-K6)
That a nice list. got 3 of them .The newer Talkpod A36 plus is not as bad on harmonics . Mike K8MRD got a clean one. mine is pretty clean as well. well down the list is the QT 60. and with a Digi rig and Anytone cable set I got digital modes to work. Like FT8 , JS8 call and SSTV . it heats up at 50-60 watts digital so I use a amp with radio power all the way down. runs hours FT8 just fine. was hard to set up. no ALC meter. once you get the settings you make lots of contacts 10 and 12 meters . I worked SSTV on Talkpod and UV-5R . Digi rig has cables for K1 port HT like A35 and UV-5R type. 73's
Thanks for this. I’ve just gotten started and looking for my first radio.
uv-k5 is super fun here (for the price and firmwares) as for me TU for your good videos 73 es best dx
I have the Anytone 778 as well as the Quansheng. Good choices. My biggest nit for the quansheng is the tinny sounding speaker, makes it annoying for extended use.
Apparently the UV-K5(8) has a better sounding speaker - but I can't really tell much of a difference.
Talkpod almost nailed it. Minus the emissions, it's a great radio with an excellent screen, chirp at launch, USB c battery charging, etc. Hopefully they'll release a clean xmit update.
I have the Talkpod A36plus myself. Apart from it needing a larger capacity battery, it's a good radio. (I collect HHs, and currently have 41 of them, including 5 quanshengs)
Mike. G7MJT/M7GWX
The new 8 watt version of the Talkpod A36plus does not have harmonic problems. However, I have not had any success getting their support people to resolve the issue with my 5 watt version. Up until that point, I would have said it was the best option, but until/unless they solve that for me, I would hesitate to recommend them.
The new challenger for number one on this list is the Tidradio TD-H3. It is an excellent radio with a super form factor, size and feel. And it has the best display configuration of any HT I have used.
Yes - my video review of the TD-H3 is coming soon.
No mention of the Baofeng DM-1701 Dual band FM / DMR OpenGD77 compatible radio, which seems to get cheaper and cheaper every day. These were sub $100 AUD last week, but seem to be around $110 AU today, Inc GST and shipping.
Some people got a real bargain last week, when some were being sold for < $75 AUD Inc GST and shipping !
Here's the million dollar question. How good is the front end? I can transmit 50 watts from my base on UHF and my Motorola 7550 works perfectly. My UV5R gets totally desenced. And my Anytone 878 is almost as bad
Which firmware Upgrade the quansheng air band radio
If you live out in the country, the Retevis RT-95 is a fine affordable radio. In urban or metropolitan areas, it's one of the most susceptible radios to intermod I've owned in 50 years of hamming. For city use, it's unusable. I have three, all with the same sloppy receive filtering. But they are durable and perform well.
At 8 min and 34 seconds you show a larger uvk5 please explain and where to buy please 🙏
If bang for the buck is the goal, then I'm surprised the Wouxun KG-UV9PX isn't on your list. It offers top-tier 2m/70cm TX and 7-band superhet dual-receive RX, a solid tried and true design that's a few years old now, and it's over $40 less than the Q10H. :)
The market is rapidly changing and that pushes development of better radios.
I had the Quansheng and the one I had the audio quality was so bad I sent back. Has the new ones improved audio?
It's amazing that you can get a portable transceiver for approximately the cost of a TV tuner SDR.
I had a Baofang for many years but the user interface is very poor plus on the hardware side too much harmonic! But the rest is very good.
Radtel RT-890 is going to be the new Quenshen UV-K5
Could you give some more details pse? Has it an open fw, or is it an other reason?
Will you be checking out the tidradio h3?
Yes - video coming soon.
Fantastic radio, think it's gonna be the best budget radio this year once it gains popularity.
Thanks. I just found your channel a few days ago. I have my Foundation and was going for my Advanced when the pandemic hit and living in Melbourne that was the end of that. I now plan to get my advanced License before the end of the year.
A few questions please?
What is your background and what do you day for a day job? I'm trying to get friends involved, but they use the excuse that know nothing about electronics, so I'm out looking for people that are hams, but not from that background.
Where do you get most of your gear from as I have discovered getting anything in Australia is quite limited and difficult?
Thanks again.
Hey mate,
I work in IT. My background has just been a keen interest since I was a kid learning about electronics and radio. You can hear more about my story on the QSO Today podcast - www.qsotoday.com/podcasts/vk7hh
There are a lot of hams without electronics backgrounds, but they get interested through wanting communications whilst outdoors, camping, 4WDing, social connections etc just to name a few.
The market in Australia is small - we need to get more hams licensed and on the air to fix that. At the moment there are a few main suppliers of gear, and smaller niche ones too. I'm not affiliated with any, but I've had good experiences with most of them.
@@HamRadioDX When I got my license it was at a local club 5min away from where I live it was revision 1 day and exam the next.
They made it very clear NO NEW MEMEBERS WELCOME. I got board with their private jokes, victimising slower members of the class so I played dumb to attract the unwanted attention away from them.
I timed them throughout the day they spent over 35min carrying on about electron flow being - to + (Conventional vs electron flow coming on the side of electron flow.
The Exam started at 9:45am after completion we were evicted from the building and not allowed back in to do the prac that started at about 3:30pm one person at a time.
I finished first and he checked the exam and gave me a funny look, he must have realised I wasn't as dumb as I acted as I got 1 question wrong and I finished first.
He threatened to fail me in the prac as I used "over" and "out" that is habit as I use that in a volunteer organisation.
He told me I was to never ever transmit as my 'on air' skills are too poor (I thought practice made perfect) to transmit.
I always finish what I start and before the foundation I decided I was going to get my advanced so I will. Who knows what will happen from then, I also missed out a lot of other stuff.
Thanks again.
@@jumper123910 No worries mate. Sorry to hear about the negative experience... not all clubs and hams are like that - you get the select few who want to become gatekeepers.
Welcome and enjoy the hobby and really those who act the way you described can get stuffed pretty much!
I'm guessing this review was made before the TidRadio H3 was out. Where would it fall on this list?
Yes it was. The H3 would probably be at #4
I tried GMRS MODE and now i dont know how to turn back to normal VU frequencies!
What radio?
@@HamRadioDX Talkpod finally I install the firmware again
If it werent for cheap radios, i wouldnt have gotten into amatuer radio. Had the UV-5R for a decade now.
I agree the quanshang is exciting for the hackability.
I am most excited about the TIDradio H3. The big screen, bluetooth programming, and channel copy looks very nice for about $40.
Fine list. I'm done with this cheap garbage in the future though.
And the winner is ...
... the Quansheng UV-K5, or is it the UV-K5(8), the UV6 or the latest model with the BK BK4819 chipset, the Quansheng UV-5R Plus (Baofeng UV-5R look-a-like).
Now, I'd be going with the Quansheng UV-5R Plus.
Whilst 'this batch' of Quansheng radios all appear to be identical inside they have different cases and some differing features.
Note: Due to a different firmware header on the UV-5R Plus, it may not accept all UV-K5 modded firmwares? However this is dealt with for the more popular firmwares, such as Egzumer or IJV MOD.
Modified firmware (proceed at your own risk), may improve, for example, AM airband or SSB listening; however because of limited program storage space, adding modified firmware may remove some factory features, such as voice announcement for keypad, turn on etc.
The latest model Quansheng UV-5R Plus has a 2200mAh battery in lieu of a 1500mAh battery as for the other variants. Some say it sounds better on receive. It sports a blue screen in lieu of orange (UK-V5(8)/ UK-V6) and white (UK-V5.
Note: Orange may provide greater readability, as after red it is most discernible to the human eye.
However, the UV-5R Plus doesn't support USB-C charging. This is likely due to the internal battery management hardware being unsuitable for the larger capacity battery. I don't see this as a big loss, as you cannot use the battery whilst charging as regulator hash de-senses the radio. It's also currently the cheapest version in Oz on AliExpress and possibly on Oz eBay.
They are all good for legit 2m Ham radio use in Oz when tested on high power (~ 4.5W), as the 2nd harmonic scrapes in at -12dB. There is no sign of higher harmonics.
However, in reality, the Quansheng 'batch' are just like the Baofeng UV-5R. By design they are 2m /70cm radio, with excellent sensitivity, but poor selectivity.
Note: Current issue Baofeng UV-5Rs are 100% squeaky clean wrt to spurious emissions. Gone the bad old Baofeng UV-5Rs.
And this is very important. Whilst some modified firmwares provide for experimental transmission on non 2m and 70cm frequencies, the harmonics produced by the modded Quansheng's outside these bands, are nothing short of
a). horrendous
b). provide only mW of power
So whilst the BK4819 is indeed a wideband Tx and Rx chipset, the Quansheng radios Tx PA and Rx filtering are specifically engineered for the 2m and 70cm bands.
If you are thinking of communicating on 6m or 10m; forget it. And due to the above filtering it's pretty deaf down low when used for listening.
But that's what it's all about in the ham world; experimentation. I guess this is why the cheap Quanshengs managed the number 1 spot, but for my money, the only ones really experimenting are the programmers. :)
I like the Qansheng UV-5R Plus for it's big battery, big screen, possibly better sound and chunkier looks over the Baofeng UV-5R. But for me; it scores just one 'acorn' above the still innovative Baofeng UV-5R. :)
1st radio I'm buying just to stay in touch with my family (1 about 500m and the other about 2km from me). Would you recommend this one or the uv r5? Any accessories loke batteries for both are easy to find?
This "spurious emission" stuff is sheer nonsense. Testing on test equipment only shows small microwatt emissions on other frequencies, and standing the offending radio just feet from another to demonstrate its" spuriousness" is really silly.
Connect the "offender" to a Diamond X300 using an amplifier to boost power beyond the gain of the Antenna MAY actually affect some neighbouring frequencies, but not a five-watt job with a rubber ducky!
It's a big con from the American FCC to stem the flow of affordable Chinese radios swamping the market.
That UV-K5 has horrible reviews and review checker confirms a lot of the good ones are fake. But that KG-Q10H is interesting.
The UV5-R is banned in some of the EU countries cause of harmonics emitting from the device body and impacting other frequencies. I'd not get it
I hear you can get a UV5 for $6
where?
@@denniswestlund3347 hamradio2.0 is doing a video on it today
Sale link or it is fake news
Maybe on Temu or Wish!