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Reviews For: Radioddity RD-5R VHF/UHF DMR

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

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Review Summary For : Radioddity RD-5R VHF/UHF DMR
Reviews: 4MSRP: 75.00
Description:
TDMA-Based Dual Mode HT: VHF 136-174MHz/ UHF400-470MHz. True dual time slot DMR, Tier I & II, compatible with Motorola and other DMRs. Analog VHF/UHF and broadcast FM receiver. Joint venture with Baofeng.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.radioddity.com/digital/radioddity/rd-5r/radioddity-x-baofeng-rd-5r-dmr-ham-amateur-two-way-radio-136-174-400-470mhz-dual-band-dual-time-slot-walkie-talkie-1024-channels-tier-i-ii-compatible-with-mototrbo-free-programming-cable.html
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0043.5
W3FIS Rating: 2019-08-23
Great radio! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Got mine on a swap. ONLY problem I had was getting the RX offset on my hot spot to see the radio. Moved contact/talk group list over from a TYT MD-380 as a CSV file without any difficulty. This is a dual band radio, so helpful to me with both legacy VHF/UHF as well as DMR repeaters. An extra battery is handy, but battery life, especially on DMR is exceptional. I fitted mine with a BNC adapter so that I could connect to station antenna or use my other antennas. The stock antenna is a 19" whip, and I wanted something slightly smaller. Programming is very similar to my TYT. User support is exceptional! Incredible value for the money!
W9MT Rating: 2018-07-26
Great value for the price. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I'll throw it a 4 rating for having to overcome its quirks.

After doing that, this is a radio equal to the Radioddity GD-77 that is compatible with my UV-5 analog radio's accessories with the addition of doing Tier 2 DMR "right".

The CPS and FW update software must be downloaded from the Radioddity site. Your Win10 computer's virus/malware software will get "its hair on fire" that these new app's are trojans. They are NOT. So do not be afraid to list their names as scan "exceptions" for your malware scanning software to "ignore". Let this software kill them and you're dead in the water and won't be able to configure your radio.

Update your FW in the radio first. Then program your digital channels, zones, and RECEIVE GROUPS into the code plug you're going to use via the CPS software.

Yes, every digital channel must also be listed in a corresponding and included receive group. This radio programs exactly like a Radioddity GD-77. TYT, Motorola, and other radio brands do NOT require this extra step in their code plugs. Don't do this, though, and your squelch will never open on an active channel. All radios have their quirks.

My radio acted flakey on receive from time to time. In this, I mean that even after being properly configured with a valid code plug, squelch on an active channel would sometimes take 5 to 30 seconds to open on the audio of the "far station's" transmitted signal. Losing this much audio information was frustrating when trying to hold a QSO. The RD-5R comes configured with its Dual Watch (they call it Dual Standby) function defaulted "on". Unfortunately the radio's housekeeping microprocessor isn't quick enough to toggle between two channels AND properly grab the active one. Fortunately, I don't use Dual Watch and was able to turn off the function in the radio through the CPS software. This fully fixes the delayed squelch opening quirk.

Once configured this way, one has a fully Tier 2, dual-band DMR radio that has superb T/R audio at a bargain basement price.

Many reviewers complain of the squawky squelch opening sound when running in analog mode, and are demanding what may not be possible: a software fix for this. I say: small price to pay. Live with it.

I bought mine from Amazon for $56 on a Lightning Deal. I'm glad I got it to work to my satisfaction. It's a real bargain at that price.

I recommend you try to do something similar. You will NOT regret it.

This radio has become my favorite in my trio of TYT MD-380, Radioddity GD-77, and Baofeng/Radioddity RD-5R.

With the quirks addressed, which admittedly took some research/work, what's not to like?
KA3OUC Rating: 2018-06-30
Good ENTRY level Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This is a great radio for beginners. A few of my friends and I ordered them. These radios work as intended and seem to work well. Problem: people expect this radio to work like a $600 radio and it isn't. This radio is under $80 so why would you have the greatest expectations of it? Programming cable works well software works well. Bottom line it's a great radio for the price.
W5NZ Rating: 2018-05-08
Don't waste your money! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Worst piece of commercial gear I've seen in years. Upon arrival, the programming cable didn't work (turned out to be an open conductor inside the cable). Then the radio wouldn't transmit audio in the analog FM mode. Carrier yes, audio no. Resetting the radio software corrupted the O/S (a known problem). Radio software (2.0.0.9) is buggy, to say the least. This HT should never have been released for production. Tech support -- when it finally came was absolutely incompetent. The Radioddity "techie" neither understood basic electronics nor their own product. If you're looking for an inexpensive HT with which to explore the DMR realm, this isn't it -- look elsewhere.