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Reviews For: TYT MD390

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

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Review Summary For : TYT MD390
Reviews: 9MSRP: 175.99
Description:
DMR Digital Handheld with IP67 Waterproof
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.radioddity.com/us/tytera-tyt-md-390-dmr-digital-radio-waterproof-dustproof-ip67-walkie-talkie-transceiver-vhf-uhf-136-174-400-480mhz-two-way-radio.html
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0094.7
K0LDB Rating: 2020-02-09
Double Conversion Superheterodyne Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Rock solid construction, loud audio output, $100 to $139 depending who and where you order it from. The software from TYT is garbage and crashes constantly so
From John Miklor. The software was made by a ham across the pod in the UK. I have full control over my radio now. I have a newer vr so no TYToolz: http://www.miklor.com/DMR/DMR-Toolz108.php for me they (TYT) got wise to us fooling around hacking their firmware so TYT put a stop to it and the makers of Toolz have no intention on reinventing the wheel so no extra silly features available at this time, but so what this radio is great they way it is, I have no problems with the one I have, so far it has been a great NFM and DMR radio. Bottom line here is the radio has the best receiver out of all these other ching chong chinese radios, all the rest have double conversion and stupid FM broadcast radio, worked perfect for me in a heavy RF environment like downtown near a transmitter cluster with noise floor levels 10 to 15db to ambient, try this with a Yaesu FT-65R or FT-4xR or FT-25R...forget about it intermod / frontend overload makes these HT's both I have owned for a really short time completely unusable. I have a UHF model firmware vr D014.009
WP4KY Rating: 2018-05-25
WP4KY Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I have this TYT MD-390 with GPS and it work perfect . I give it a 5 Star
WA3HVR Rating: 2017-09-16
The DMR standard Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
While traveling recently, another ham installed a local codeplug into my md-390 and it worked well. He had a 380, but they use the same codeplug data. It seems that everybody I talk to has a 380 or 390. These things are a bargain and are single handedly responsible for the explosive growth of Dmr ham radio. I think the 390 has the looks and feel of a much more expensive product. Get one and enjoy Dmr until hf propagation returns. 73.
KC6AGL Rating: 2017-02-26
TYT MD390 - BEST VALUE DMR RADIO ON THE MARKET Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
This radio is much like its brother TYT MD380. It uses the same codeplug which a great thing. This radio is a the true worldwide DMR HT leader. I own 2 of them. I have tested this radio in the harshest environments -25F and it held up really well. This is the goto radio for me when I go mountaineering. I highly recommend this radio for any DMR application, it is great for commercial, business, private, government and mountaineering use. The radio is very reliable and it works every time.
KM9Q Rating: 2017-02-07
Great TX and RX audio Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I am comparing this to the TYT-MD-380, which is the only other DMR radio I have owned. I use both thru a Shark RF Open Spot.

The MD-390 with GPS (which I have turned off) is slightly larger and has noticeably better TX and RX audio than the TYT-MD380, when using both radio's built in mic and speaker. I hate external mic's, headset's, etc. on handheld radios.

The TYT-MD380, in my opinion, has an easier and more durable system of connecting the battery to the radio, compared to the TYT-MD-390.

On the TYT-MD-390, the belt clip mounts to the radio, not the battery, and you must hook the battery under the belt clip, then hold down the bottom of the battery, and then close a small hinge.

For those who do not mind an external mic and speaker, decent audio can be had with the cheaper TYT-MD-380. But, for those like me who do not like external mic's and speakers on HT's, the TYT-MD-390 is the way to go.

The TX and RX audio on the TYT-MD390, according to me and others that I talk to regularly, is top notch--right up there with the EXPENSIVE radios!
N7DKL Rating: 2016-08-07
Great radio for the price Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I recently purchased the UHF version to get a feel for amateur DMR. After a week or so of using it I liked it so much I purchased a VHF version also. The build quality is great and they are tough. I do a lot of boating and emergency services work so the waterproof part is really nice. DMR on the UHF works very well (I have no VHF DMR repeaters in my area). The received audio on digital and analog is good, very loud, and just as good as any of the many "professional" radios I carried for years as a cop and firefighter. I would like to see a better scan ability such as a way to create a tactical zone on the fly but for $170 I can't complain. The programming took a little while to get used to but now I can do it quickly. One interesting thing, each radio came with two antennas. One 4.5" long and fat, the other 6.5" long and skinny. The antennas for both radios look indentical on the outside with the only visible difference being a marking on the base showing the frequency range (136-174 or 400-480Mhz). My suspicion is that they are the exact same antenna but I need to put them on a meter to check. I would (and already have) recommended these radios to others. If you are looking for a good DMR radio or a tough emergency services radio look no further.
W2MB Rating: 2016-07-17
Inexpensive Quality Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I recently sold my MD-380 and upgraded to the non-GPS version MD-390. The GPS version was priced only $10 more but I'm not aware of any ham radio related DMR system that make us of GPS data.

Functionally both transceivers are identical. Physically the MD-390 is a bit larger, comes with a larger capacity battery, a more robust belt clip and claims to be water proof.

When doing a recent firmware update I learned the recent MD-380s and MD-390s use an updated vocoder. I thought that the vocoder was software based, but they may be using an actual chip.

The only difference I noted was that the LED indicator on the MD-380 is noticeably brighter than on the MD-390.

Neither of these are of Hytera or Motorola quality, but for what you pay, both are plenty good enough.
JOHNR Rating: 2016-07-04
A great radio, I really enjoy it. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Recently got this radio and absolutely love it, I have only positive things to say. The display is bright and crisp. The build quality is excellent and feels great in the hand.

I own this 390 GPS as well as the 380 and I prefer the 390 not just because of it being IP67 but because the keyboard lighting is brighter, the belt clip is also much heavier duty.

Audio reports are excellent and the speaker has plenty of volume for working in commercial environments which is great because it's FCC Part90 approved. The GPS function is nice (Works only in DMR mode not analog)would come in handy in an emergency situation.

I ordered mine from: http://www.radioddity.com/us/tytera-tyt-md-390-dmr-digital-radio-with-gps-waterproof-dustproof-ip67-walkie-talkie-transceiver-vhf-uhf-136-174-400-480mhz-two-way-radio.html

I received my order quickly without incident.
PA1SBM Rating: 2016-05-03
Solid DMR Radio Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This newest TYT DMR handheld met all my expectations. Easy to program, easy to use. Audio is super clear and sounds great. I tried to operate it in the rain, and it still functions great. If you're looking for a great waterproof DMR radio in quality and price, look no further.