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Reviews For: Radio Shack HTX-202

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

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Review Summary For : Radio Shack HTX-202
Reviews: 114MSRP: 199 c.1995
Description:
2 Meter Hand Held HT
Product is not in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
001144.7
K2VI Rating: 2002-03-28
ok but........ Time Owned: more than 12 months.
the first 202 i had i smoked the final transistor,there is no swr foldback design on this radio.it has a memory battery which dies in 5 years,and you will need to desolder this battery.not good circuitry.on the flip side it does have a brick wall recieve.it was ok but there are much better ht out there.
KC8SVS Rating: 2002-03-28
SUCKS!! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
This radio is the most putrid thing that I've ever dealt with. It is insubordinate to the repairs that have been made. I can't use EXTERNAL power! I TX The radio, it beeps, and shuts down! I will be selling this one on eBay for PARTS. It's not even worth the time or 1.00 that you could buy it off eBay for! The batteries for this also crappy. I would recommend this to a HamFest for VINTAGE.
N8AUC Rating: 2002-03-05
Great HT Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought one new in 1992. Still have it and it still works. If you could have only one HT for 2 meters, this would be the one to have. It's not a perfect radio, but it does a lot of things well.

Tips - Don't use a battery pack with a voltage over 9.6 VDC. Prevents err2 problems. Some of them survive this OK, some don't. Also, the radio runs a lot cooler if you do not have a battery pack attached while operating on external power. I use an empty alkaline cell case on mine when on external power.

Mine will make almost 8 watts with a 13.8 volt supply.

I'd avoid the HTX-404. It's an OK radio, but it won't handle the 12.5KHz repeater steps found on the 70cm band these days.

I've used mine mobile, as a base, and as an HT. Worked well in all scenarios. It has everything you need, and nothing you don't. Great transmit audio, nice receive audio, relatively immune to intermod from paging transmitters. Still a keeper after all these years.

KF4DEW Rating: 2002-03-05
Great Radio Time Owned: more than 12 months.
One of the best every made. The HTX-202 has great audio, easy to use. Some hams think if you don't have the big name radios you have junk. Same thing about being a no code. If you are not a General class or higher your not a ham.I would buy another 202.
N3TVQ Rating: 2002-03-04
OK Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Like almost everyone else, it was my first rig. I bought it new in 1994. It died 4 times. Tandy repaired it twice and I repaired it the other 2 times. Poor quality component failures were the norm - like connectors and crystals. It's size makes it easy to service. Any product's quality/value is apparent in it's resale value. This HT goes real cheap on e-bay. I still use mine as a mobile rig in my second car with a 35W amp. It works well since I got all the "bugs" out. Besides, why sell it now - it does what I need it to do and it isn't worth anything on a trade...
N4SIL Rating: 2002-01-03
Very Nice! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I purchased a HTX-202 along with a 12V auto adapter on EBay. I have been using it as both a handheld and as my "mobile" rig on 2 Meters for almost six months, now. For the price, I couldn't be happier. The unit is durable and performs well. The documentation is easy to understand which makes the unit easy to use. While it doesn't have some of the bells and whistles of many of the handhelds being manufactured today, I strongly recommend the HTX-202 for anyone looking for a low-cost, dependable handheld either as a starter or as a nice 2-meter backup rig.
KC0LPV Rating: 2002-01-03
Wonderful 2m-only handheld. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I received this radio for Christmas in 1993. Though bitten by the ham radio bug, I did not license until 2001. Cars and Girls at the age of 16 can spell death for a *lot* of other interests.

So, for just under eight years, the radio lived with the little "INH" transmit inhibit function displayed. I scanned and listened, and it pulled in decent signals with only the rubber duck antenna. Since licensing in November 2001, I have used it extensively, and it has proven its worth. Terrific audio, ease of programming, code encode/decode, all the basic features necessary in a good 2m radio.

I may acquire one of the dual-band credit-card 300mw PT's (pocket-talkie) at some point, but I will not give up my 202. Backpacking, travel, this is the radio I want to keep.

BTW, 8+ years, the original NiCad pack works fine, holds a charge for a long time, lots of power-on time. Standard accessory AA-alkaline battery pack goes with me when I travel, and I keep it ready in a kit (with a roll-up J-pole) for ARES use.

Total winner. If I can pick up a 404 to go with it, I will. Great design, way to go RS! (Now, build *another* HT this good).
KE5GK Rating: 2001-12-26
Introduced Me to 2 Meters Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Like many other hams, this was my intro to 2 meter FM. I do not have the hands on repair viewpoint of a previous reviewer.

I had one go south about 2 years into the 3 year warranty plan from Radio Shack. The radio was reluctantly replaced and the second unit is still operating.

It does not have all of the features of the more modern HT's. But it is rugged and is easy to program. This is important to us older hams. (My Alinco DR 130 requires 2 buttons to be pushed a total of six times just to change the offset!)

I have worked this HT mobile (car and walking), fixed, and it was a workhouse when I got bit by the 2 Meter Packet bug.

The heat sink rear case does get plenty warm at full power. Programming the sub audible tones can be a challenge the first time.

All in all, I think this HT is already the "Model T" of the HT world. I plan to hang on to mine.

VE2TUB Rating: 2001-12-26
Absolute piece of junk Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Too many short-cuts in the design of this rig.

After servicing 67 HTX-202s, i realy know what i'm
talking about.

Frequent problems are:

-Err 2. This problem is sign of poor design
but is easy to fix.
-Broken connection between antenna jack and main-board.
-Blown final power transistor.
-Shorted or intermittent TX driver transistor.
-Blown R10.
-Bad D15 and/or D16.
-Shorted A.P.C. passing-transistor.
-cold solder joints, or not soldered at all!
-solder bridges between components leads.
-PC board tracing destroyed by corrosion.
-Bad external DC power jack.

Display back-lighting is the worst i've ever seen
but an easy mod makes it much more brighter.

There is no high VSWR power-down circuitry and
power transistor is extremely sensitive to VSWR.

Highly resistant to intermod from paging transmitters
but very sensitive to computer noise.

Back-up battery life is the shortest i've ever seen.

This rig run crazy when subjected to it's own RF fields.

What a piece of junk!

Go back to drawing-board Mr. Maxon.
KB0RDL Rating: 2001-11-08
Good radio, some problems. Time Owned: N.A.
I've had three HTX 202's. I basically like the radio. It is rugged, relatively free of intermod and I've had no problem programming it.

The problem I've had with each one of them, however, is that after a while I began getting "Err 2" when keying down with each of them, which indicates some kind of misallignment with the radio requiring an expensive repair. On two occasions I sent it in for repairs but when it came back the same problem occurred. Both radios were returned again and still had the same problem. I chucked one and gave to other to a friend who thought he could fix it. A quick fix is to turn the radio off and on again and it may not happen for a while. My current 202 works most of the time and what I've noticed is that I'm much more likely to get the "err2" when I'm keying down with a hand mike. In each case there is no relationship between the type of battery case I use or whether I'm using batteries or a 12 volt power supply. One of these was bought new and the other two used at radio dealers. Would appreciate some suggestions.