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Reviews For: Radioddity GD-77 Dual Band DMR

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

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Review Summary For : Radioddity GD-77 Dual Band DMR
Reviews: 22MSRP: 86.99
Description:
Radioddity GD-77 DMR Dual Band Digital Two Way Radio Dual
Time Slot Compatible with Mototrbo Tier 1&Tier 2
Product is in production
More Info: http://https://www.radioddity.com/radioddity-gd-77-dual-band-dual-time-slot-digital-two-way-radio-walkie-talkie-dmr-compatible-with-motrobo-tier-1-tier-2-programming-cable.html
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00224
G7BSG Rating: 2022-08-01
Excellent with the right firmware! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Used this radio with the stock firmware for over a year then upgraded to V4.3.9, not that it made much difference. A good radio, well built and doesn't feel 'cheap' However changing to the OpenGD77 firmware opened my eyes to the possibilities of this radio, better functionality and a range of improvements. Pity the manufacturer didn't do this in the first place! Rating based on current impression, I'd probably only give it 4 stars in its previous version.
VE7EA Rating: 2022-06-24
Reliable, excellent value, lightweight Time Owned: more than 12 months.
For getting into DMR but still having the option of FM this is a wonderful, value radio with good performance.

The first thing you should do is install the Open GD77 firmware as it is a joy to use and offers a lot more than the standard firmware. Also, don't just jump into DMR without first really understanding all the new terminology and how to set up your codeplug - or you could be in for hours of frustration. If you want to get on the air ASAP then check around your local club for a working codeplug from a local user and start with that.

KT4WO Rating: 2021-11-26
Missing parts/Antenna issue Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Update: 26-NOV-2021
An email got my problems fixed.
Overall I really like this cheap radio. The SCAN
is GREAT-- I can scan mixed analog and digital channels
on a mix of rptrs!! It's my only DMR radio that has made
that SO EASY. It has a few "bugs" but none are a deal
breaker. Worth the $$ and would buy agn.

------------------------------------------------
I will update my review IF I get a short antenna that
will screw onto the SMA. (emailed Radioddity)The long antenna(HUGE--19" ?)
screwed right on, the short one is (maybe)cross threaded?
I didn't force it.
--ALSO--- was missing the 2 screws to attach the belt clip!
The box was not sealed and maybe the screws fell out?
I almost wonder if this was not a returned radio?
BTW--bought from Amazon.
Now the good: Programmed a few DMR repeaters in and it seems to work OK. Will update in a month.
W5CTD Rating: 2021-05-28
For the price a great little dual band radio Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I purchased this radio because of the capabilities (being VHF and UHF) Having multiple memories and storage capabilities, Having the ability to program simplex as well as standard or unusual offsets, also having the ability to use digital or tone encode and decode.

I also was interested in DMR.

The radio has to be programmed and set up using the software for the radio GD-77. This applies to analog use as well as DMR.

I had the Analog functions set up for all my local RACES and ARES simplex and repeater frequencies in less than an hour and the Analog functions worked GREAT from the beginning. It took some more work as well as help from Tech support for DMR but eventually even it works well too.

The radio is by no means perfect as one big drawback for me is the fact that this radio cannot run on an external 12v power source. You MUST have a battery with enough charge to run the radio. There also seems to be no way of charging the battery for this radio via a alternate 12v DC power source. For this reason I highly recommend having at a minimum 2 fully charged batteries available for running this radio any time you use it working any events.

I hope to revisit this review in the near future after I have the opportunity to try out the GD-77 operating on "Winlink" Packet using a "SignalinkUSB".
W1AEX Rating: 2020-04-23
Reliable performer and surprising easy to use Time Owned: more than 12 months.
4/23/2020 Update: The GD-77 becomes even better when loaded with the OpenGD77 firmware offered by Roger Clark and a team of additional programmers. The added features in the open source firmware and CPS make this HT a spectacular deal. The improvements over the stock firmware include: hotpspot mode, added power levels - 50mw/250mw/500mw/750mw/1w/2w/3w/4w/5w, expanded receive range, enhanced display, menu item for separate DMR + FM mic level adjustment, CC/TS/TG filter control, Inverted color display, Brightness/Contrast display control, and much more.
----------original comment below---------
After reading all the reviews here I ordered my Dual Band GD-77 through Amazon as a package deal with a spare Li-ion battery. I received it a few days later at the beginning of June 2018. My GD-77 came with firmware version 2.6.6 which lacked a number of features embedded in newer releases so after reading all the caveats about firmware updates I went ahead and flashed it to version 3.1.3 without any problem. (I’ll add that I later updated to 3.1.6 but went back to 3.1.3 because the battery level indicator was not reliable with the newer release. So, I am currently running 3.1.3 very happily.)

I had read up on programming code plugs and decided to start out by creating some “zones” (think of them as memory groups) for the usual analog services that I like to listen to with my portable scanners. I use Roger Clark’s “GD-77 Community CPS” to create code plugs and a nice feature is that his programming software has the option for “RX Only” that can be used for any channels you program. This allows you to safely put in police, fire, marine, EMS, NOAA or whatever you want to listen to without any danger of inadvertent transmitting. I also programmed a zone for a handful of nearby analog ham repeaters to test how well the GD-77 handled non-digital 2 meter and 70 cm work.

The short story is that even if you never get around to messing with DMR the GD-77 does a beautiful job with VHF/UHF scanning and analog VHF/UHF simplex and repeater operating. It hears things things as well as my VX7R and has far better transmit and receive audio. I did a mix of public service listening and also some transmitting on the ham bands with the GD-77 and was very pleased and surprised that it would run for several days (8 hours per day) without needing to be recharged. While operating on 2 meters and 440 I received outstanding TX reports with specific comments about the clarity of the natural sounding audio.

In the second week of use I went ahead and edited my code plug to add a Brandmeister UHF DMR repeater that some friends use (about 25 miles away) and found that I could get in reliably with the stock antenna if I ran 5 watts. I got excellent TX audio reports and found the RX audio with DMR to be quite good. After a few weeks of running 5 watts (and tripping every GFI that I walked by in my house) I added a ZumSpot to my station so that I could use low power to chat with my friends and that has worked out nicely. I went ahead and programmed zones for 3 other UHF DMR repeaters that are located in different parts of the state and they are working fine.

After a couple of months with the GD-77 my report is still very positive. You get a lot of radio for less than 90 bucks that offers a lot of features. It has been 100% reliable and is far more rugged than I though it would be, having survived a couple of 3 foot drops onto the floor. It’s unfortunate that the GD-77 can only hold 10,000 contacts in the DMR-ID list but that’s not a deal breaker for me as I generally watch the PiStar Dashboard on my station’s computer screen when I am using any of the US or world-wide talk groups. There are also online tools that allow you to create a custom DMR-ID list with less than 10,000 contacts that is specifically for your region. This allows me to include all the New England states as well as NY, NJ, and PA. I would also add here that the GD-77 display is a bit primitive when compared to some of the more expensive DMR radios out there but it displays the talk group and other operator’s call sign (or DMR-ID) reliably and that has been enough for my needs.

The inexpensive GD-77 is a reliable HT for daily use that is convenient and fun to use and it performs far better than I expected it would. I would not hesitate to recommend it.
N5WSU Rating: 2019-10-10
Great DMR And Scanner Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I use this with a Pi-Star and works great. I also used it for a radio scanner to monitor the BCFD and some UHF Commercial band with the TX turn off. With the diff zone on this radio the analog side is great. The only thing that I hate is the odd ball wiring for the mic.
VE3TMT Rating: 2018-06-12
Great value for the money! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've owned my GD-77 for quite some time now. I've read all the horror stories from those who, because they don't know how DMR works, quickly blame the radio. DMR programming has a learning curve, I wouldn't say a steep curve, but for some it can be difficult to grasp. I'll admit, I initially had a very hard time understanding the concept, but once I got it, the programming was easy. At one time, I had a Uniden 996XT scanner, and the programming was very similar. I think this helped me understand DMR programming.

Now for the radio itself...lots to like here. The radio looks great, has a good solid feel in the hand, and the RX and TX audio do very well. I use my radio with a Zumspot / Pi combo running Pi-Star and have no problems making contacts all over the world on DMR. If I want to chat locally, I simply switch banks over to the local analog repeaters and I'm there.

I'll admit, the channel capacity is a bit lacking, but it's more than I'll ever need. I don't need to see the other guys callsign, because that comes up on the Nextion screen attached to my hotspot (see my pics on QRZ.com).

Yes there are faults with the radio. If you do an upgrade the wrong way, the radio bricks. But if can be recovered. I know, because this happen to me. So I stick with the firmware that works best for me.

I read pros and cons for all the current dual band DMR radios out there, so I don't think the GD-77 is any worse than the others. For the $87USD I paid, I couldn't be happier.
AI1G Rating: 2018-06-12
Don't waste your time! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I've been through two of these in five weeks. Both of mine stopped transmitting after firmware updates that were "bears" to do. The instruction files with with firmware file, included as Worddocs in the zipped files, are hard to read and follow. Software to program also changes from Firmware issue to firmware issue. (Really convenient trying to figure that one out!) My original unit was a door prize at a show, thus the Radioddity support people would not make good on it. The promoter replaced it with a similar unit. That one died after redoing the succession of updates. Yes, This one is now DOA also. I'm just gonna throw it away. What a waste of electronics!
KD5YVY Rating: 2018-04-16
I like it. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I won't be as critical about this radio as others, I didn't buy it for a DMR radio, I bought it to replace a UV5R that quit on me. I did choose this radio because of the Price $89 at time of my purchase (had a $45 gift card so out of pocket it only cost me $44).

So what I like: It's has great audio analog and DMR, the receiver is sensitive, and I just overall like the radio, size, feel, performance(TX), Dual band, price, etc.

What I'm not thrilled about: Being my first DMR radio I haven't ever programmed for DMR, this is a learning curve, and from reading of others experience the GD-77 dosen't make it any more friendly compared to other models...but joining the support groups on FaceBook is a great help on any questions, and with the issues of current firmware I'll just keep mine at 3.0.6 with no problem.

But don't fret, like getting a new phone, you learn how it works and after that it's not that big of a deal. We don't have any DMR repeaters in the area, but I can listen to a neighboring county public safety MotoTrbo traffic and if I ever decide to get a mmdvm hotspot I'm confident I will be able to enjoy it with the GD-77.

I was looking for a analog handheld to replace my UV5R and I couldn't pass this radio up.
N1UMJ Rating: 2018-03-29
Good radio Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I have the GD-77 and GD-77S. I keep the firmware updated on the GD-77 because I can always go back if I want to or don't like one version. Both have good audio, software is tricky but not impossible to figure out. I'm happy with the radios, they're comfortable to hold I haven't run in to the bugs some have. I'm getting my wife a GD-77 soon, they really are well made and a great DMR radio. Dual band is great for that price too I did not expect the quality or audio at all.