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Author Topic: HT Kit for New Hams  (Read 397 times)

K6LCS

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HT Kit for New Hams
« on: August 20, 2022, 06:31:33 PM »

Never thought I would be writing anything like this ... but here we go.

Imagine a well-built, capable, 128-channel dual-band HT. Analog, FM-only.
Decent scan speed. Ships with the following accessories ...

-Two 2200mAH Li-Ion batteries
-Drop-in cradle charger (AC AND car cords included)
-Traditional 7" antenna
-16" improved antenna
-A beefy speaker-mic, with great strain-reliefs on cord, rotating clip
-A "two-wire" earpiece/inline-mic (light-duty quality)
-Programming cable for Windows
-CHIRP already has supported it - for Mac and Windows

$52 for it all. Here is a NON-affiliate link to it on Amazon ...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089LGD1FX?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1

TIDRadio Model TD-H6. Facebook support group. Web site support.
Messenger support.

The HT is also Bluetooth programmable - with a $22 accessory purchase.

The HT is NOT "replacing" anything I already carry with me. (NOT a duplex/satellite
HT.) But it sure is a "cut above" the more-difficult-to-get-to-know $25-45 HT ONLY
units out there.

This package would be much more enjoyable for someone entering the hobby
than MANY others - with limited or non-existent support, and programming
difficulties.

I got involved with TIDRadio as I have been testing their Bluetooth BL-1 dongle.
(Tentative opinion: It works, it is sometimes clumsy, it is better when you use it
in conjunction with their Web site, but TIDRadio is listening to hams, and are
updating and improving.)

As always, I have absolutely no financial interest in this. I mention it because we
all have seen much frustration with many other models of HTs when it comes to
programming. When Gordon West and I started pre-programming HTs for new
hams while I was working at HRO-Anaheim in 2004, the goal was to get folks
on the air ASAP. Learn the radio a little later - but get on the air with your new
license NOW! This package from TIDRadio is much more "attractive" than MANY
other offerings I have seen and experienced.

So there it is, folks. Clint is writing something positive regarding a well-under $100
Chinese radio ... Does the live record album "Hell Freezes Over" from the Eagles
come to mind to anyone?

Clint Bradford K6LCS
909-999-SATS

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Clint Bradford, K6LCS
AMSAT Ambassador, ARRL Affiliated Club Coordinator
http://www.work-sat.com
909-999-SATS

KC6RWI

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Re: HT Kit for New Hams
« Reply #1 on: August 20, 2022, 08:43:16 PM »

 That is a pretty good value, a car charger, and an extended antenna, an extra battery, the ear phone is probably tinny though.
I saw a ht radio from one of the big three, and I noticed it didn't have the fm broadcast band, that is pretty handy, especially if
there is no activity on the ham band, the flash light is cool as well.

wait a sec, no flashlight?
« Last Edit: August 20, 2022, 09:02:57 PM by KC6RWI »
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K6LCS

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Re: HT Kit for New Hams
« Reply #2 on: August 20, 2022, 10:58:03 PM »

Alas, no flashlight. Sorry.

And that "10W" mentioned in their ad? Well, it will do 9.3W - but not within ham privileges. I've just kept mine on medium power ...

Clint
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Clint Bradford, K6LCS
AMSAT Ambassador, ARRL Affiliated Club Coordinator
http://www.work-sat.com
909-999-SATS

N8AUC

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Re: HT Kit for New Hams
« Reply #3 on: August 21, 2022, 06:01:02 AM »

That sounds like a pretty comprehensive setup for the price.
And it does Bluetooth?
I'm not a huge fan of Bluetooth, but wasn't it Sheldon Cooper who exclaimed "Everything is better with Bluetooth!"?
10 watts out of an HT? I'm surprised it actually gets close to that on any frequency, but frankly I think that's a bit much when you're using the rubber duck antenna it comes with.

I'm still getting pretty decent service with a UV-5R I've had for a few years. Use it when working public service events mostly. Mainly because if something bad happens to it, you're not out much money. Now, I wouldn't want it to be my only radio, but it could serve as that in a pinch.

They're not bad little radios, and they're really not that difficult to program by hand, although it works well with Chirp. Battery life is pretty good too. I do like the little LED flashlight it has, and the broadcast FM feature is pretty handy as well. The little ear bud/speaker mike it comes with works nicely, too. It puts out an honest 4 watts on high power and 1 watt on low power, which is just about right for an HT. At the end of the day, it's not bad at all for the $30 I paid for it. The only downside I've experienced with it is that the received signal strength indicator doesn't quite work as advertised. It's either full scale if it hears a signal or nothing if it doesn't. There is no relative signal strength indication at all. Then again, it was only $30.

They also seem to be surprisingly reliable. My first one failed after a year when the volume control quit working. And that's it. When that one failed, I saved the accessories, tossed the radio, and pulled a spare one out of the cabinet. The second one has been flawless, even after having been dropped onto a concrete floor a couple of times. For only $30 a piece, it's not hard to afford to have a spare "just in case".

A couple of weeks ago we were out working a charity 150 mile bicycle event, and I was stationed at a water stop.
During slow times (riders tend to arrive in waves), I was listening to a baseball game on the FM Radio. When traffic came across the repeater, it would automatically shift back to the repeater frequency, I'd hear the repeater traffic, and when the repeater dropped it went right back to the baseball game after a few second delay. If the call was for me, when I hit the PTT to respond, then the radio would stay on the repeater channel and not switch back to the FM Radio. If you've got the dual watch feature enabled, it behaves like that when a signal is heard on either channel.

The bottom line is that these inexpensive little chinese HTs are not bad radios for a new ham to start with at all. Definitely not a be all/end all radio by any means, but nice little starter radios. And they seem to come with a nice array of useful accessories with little to no additional cost. The only thing I paid extra for was the USB programming cable, and I think that was only like $8 at the time.

73 de N8AUC
Eric
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SWMAN

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Re: HT Kit for New Hams
« Reply #4 on: August 21, 2022, 06:33:09 AM »

Hi Clint,
 Just curious, is this new little radio the same programming procedure as the Baufong radios. Is it easy to do from the keypad only or slightly difficult ?

Thanks and 73
Jim W5JJG
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KG4RUL

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Re: HT Kit for New Hams
« Reply #5 on: August 21, 2022, 10:09:28 AM »

Hi Clint,
 Just curious, is this new little radio the same programming procedure as the Baufong radios. Is it easy to do from the keypad only or slightly difficult ?

Thanks and 73
Jim W5JJG

From the keypad - not easy at all

Using CHIRP - easy as pie
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AE5X

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Re: HT Kit for New Hams
« Reply #6 on: August 21, 2022, 12:05:26 PM »

I'd be interested in a look at the TX spectrum.
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WA3SKN

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Re: HT Kit for New Hams
« Reply #7 on: August 21, 2022, 02:24:45 PM »

...And yet another FCC part 90 approved FRS radio that can be "forced" onto the FCC part 97 amateur bands!

-Mike.

It meets FCC part 15 noise specs!

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N8AUC

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Re: HT Kit for New Hams
« Reply #8 on: August 21, 2022, 02:40:51 PM »

I'd be interested in a look at the TX spectrum.

If it's anything like the UV-5R, they're fine when you use the supplied antenna.

Then again, the guy who "tested" a bunch of them and declared they were all non-compliant either had the settings on the analyzer wrong and overloaded the spec-an input, or he figured a way to violate the law of conservation of energy. You can't have every harmonic all the way out to microwaves have the same amplitude without some incredible power source. And those little radios only have a 1800mAh Li-Ion battery,

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