| KE5MOJ |
Rating:  |
2021-12-26 | |
| Cheap radio, but does a good job. |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I was fortunate to be able to borrow one of these radios before I bought two of them. For the money that I paid, this is an excellant radio for the value. Ignore the documentation that comes with it.
Pros:
1. Dual band radio that can transmit on 136-174, 400-470 mhz,
2. Equipped Antenna (red one) is excellant and works like an after market brand.
3. Programming Software is provided free, and other versions of the software for other radios by the company can be used to program the radio.
4. Radio can be easily setup (using correct software) and reprogrammed to only use amateur bands or remain open.
5. FM radio can be used and when the repeater is being used, the radio will switch over to it until it is quiet and continue using the FM radio.
6. Base charger can be used in the car or at home without having to buy another charger.
7. Battery is an ION battery that hold 1800mAh charge, good for 10 - 14 hours of work.
8. Keys light up when the display is lighted.
Cons
1. A little wind at the right time can cause problems when the wind is blowing. I don't seem to have the same problem with my Yaesu 250r.
2. Radio has dual display, but only one can be selected for transmitting. If you try to tranmit while the other band is active, the radio will not transmit until both bands are quiet.
3. When using the programming software, if you leave the scrambler on 7, you will have to reset the scrambler to 1 when it stops tranmitting mysteriously. One of the two radio's did this. You could key the mic, it would open the repeater, but you could not transmit. Someone mentioned to me that I needed to change it to 1, which I did and the radio started working again.
4. Radio is plastic and aluminum and not WATERPROOF. The metal inside the radio does not add weight, it feels cheap when using it.
5. Battery is not secure - Battery slips into the radio very easily and with the push of a button can also eject the battery. At some point when the HT is older and the button stops working correctly or is damaged, can you expect the battery to remain attached to the radio easily?
Most of the reviews I saw dinged the radio points because the user did not like the manual. If you want a nicely written manual, spend a couple of hundred dollars for one. I am sure Yaesu, Icom, and Kenwood would be accomodating.
If you take the radio and compare the money spent with the challenge of learning the personality of the radio and the fun you had doing it, wasn't it worth it? I thought it was.
I am sure that by the time I stop using this radio, I would have received my money's worth and been very happy. At some point in the future, this company will upgrade these radio's and their manual to the point that it is easily manually programmed and the manual is readable - we will be pay more when that happens.
Update 12/25/2021: I still use this radio from time to time. It still charges and works the same it did when I first got it. I may have to change the battery soon as I noticed that the battery does not hold a charge for as long as it did. The other one my wife took needs a battery. Still not bad for the price and 10 years of service.
73,
Richard
KE5MOJ |
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| W5TAH |
Rating: |
2014-12-05 | |
| Survived a 1400' drop off of a TV tower |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
It is a rugged radio, I dropped one off of a 1400' tower and found it 100% intact and working 1/8 of a mile from the base of the tower. It is worth the money.
You cannot hear 2 frequencies at the same time, and it isnt a true dualbander. It is easy to program, and Chirp makes it even easier. It has a setting in the menu for dual watch, it selects the vfo last active, it can be troublesome if you dont know it is active. For instance, you are on vhf MURS...without a licence. someone keys a uhf amatuer radio repeater or other repeater, the radio switches over to the last frequency heard, and you think your responding on MURS, in fact your on the other VFO.
I ordered mine from Universal radio, it came 144-148 420-450 only tx. The software opens the radio up fpr full transmit capability. I actually like this radio for the price, I carry it over my Yaesu sometimes just cause its easy to use.
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| AJ4DW |
Rating: |
2013-03-07 | |
| Good for the price |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
| Good inexpensive HT (usually not the case). FWIW, it does have a dual TX power 4 or 0.5 (1/2) watts (not "low or high only 4 or 5 watts") |
|
| W0IE |
Rating: |
2012-03-20 | |
| Review of operation and some operational notes |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I've owned this HT for a couple of weeks and have really been enjoying it. Unfortunately between my desktop and laptop, both running Vista, I have not been able to use the software to program the radio. So, I looked thru and decided to ignore the TYT User's Guide. I used instead the Quick Reference Guide that also came with the radio. I found that by the time I had programmed in the five repeaters in our area, I pretty much had a grip on programming the radio. Like they say...practice makes perfect. I also own a Yaesu FT450D, so I am used to unmarked mult-function buttons. Have been very happy with operation of this HT!
A couple of things to watch for:
1. I found it odd that the polarity markins on the charger and the wall wart that comes with it are different. The label on the charger itself is correct...center pin is positive.
2. For use during disaster support, the dual readout, dual receive, capabiltiy could be a problem. Most operations I've experienced deploying with SATERN there was only one repeater availble for our use. In an area like Joplin last year there were about three repeaters being used by various agencies Red Cross, SATERN, and etc. In that situation, set your repeater frequency in both the A and B windows, or make sure the VFO you're NOT transmitting on is set to some frequency other than the other local repeaters. |
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| KD2AKG |
Rating: |
2011-10-26 | |
| Update on Review |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
| It has been over three months now since I bought my TYT UVF1. I am happy to report it is still operating very well. I use it just about daily, and it gets some rough service traveling from in the car, to the house, and outside. Battery life is still good, all controls function well. I'd say buy one! The only thing that I suggest is a handheld mic. It will improve the audio quality on transmit, and eliminate the "hollow" sound some people report. |
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| K5DTE |
Rating: |
2011-09-10 | |
| Great Value |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
I am a fairly new ham but own this unit as well as an Icom ID-92AD. As many have stated, the manual has little to no value, so experimentation is key!
I purchased the unit and the programming cable/software and found the software easy to use.
Manually setting things up on the unit isn't so bad, after you understand the quirks, the most difficult part for me was learning how to set the PL tone!
The one feature which I don't see mentioned is it can operate cross band, which makes it an excellent satellite rig!
If you enjoy a challenge and want to save some cash, this unit is for you! |
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| W9AMT |
Rating: |
2011-08-18 | |
| Excellent for the $$$ |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| First and foremost, yes, the manual is poorly written. That being said, anyone with any common sense and technical expertise will be able to follow along with it and figure out the radio's operations. I read the reviews about how it's "hard to program" or "got very frustrated" or "worthless". I just dont see it being anything other than a great little radio. I think where the breakdown is occouring is that this unit is being compared to the ergonomics and ease that the "BIG 3" offer. For a radio that is Part 90 certified, that will do both amateur and commercial, offers narrow/wide band capability, and $99.99 with free shipping, I can't find a major complaint there, folks. I bought one 2 weeks ago, and within 30 minutes, had it programed with every local major 2 and 440 repeater and my work frequencies. I liked it so much, I bought a second unit. As a social experiment, I had my 11 year old nephew program it from scratch and he had it up and talking in about an hour. The manual aside, I give this radio two thumbs up...73's |
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| KI4TLW |
Rating: |
2011-08-13 | |
| Radio Good/Manual Not So Much! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
The radio itself is great! I am giving a 5 star on the radio, but if I could, it would get an overall 4.5, because the manual is horrible. About the only thing you can use the manual for is to figure out what each menu option or button is for, and then that is "iffy".
I really like this radio! Programming by keypad is not straight forward, but if you're a HAM and you've programmed other handhelds, you can easily figure it out. I like that I can program repeater offsets myself. I like the fact that the radio is fully open and can transmit anywhere on the two bands. I do NOT recommend that for new HAMS who aren't sure of where our legal transmitting range is, since it comes fully open.
The radio seems to be very durable. I was holding the radio in a hand I was using for something else and the radio slipped out of my hand and slammed into the windshield of my vehicle with a LOT of force, like it was thrown. No harm, no foul. Not even a scuff on the case.
The only thing I am not super fond of, are the power levels...low or high only 4 or 5 watts. I would like to see future models have an option of 1/4 watt or something as a low setting. This would greatly increase your talk time on the standard 1500 MAh battery.
All in all, this radio is AWESOME for the money! Comes with the drop in desk charger and AC adapter, and a 12 volt cigarette lighter adapter for the drop in charger as well. Also comes with a belt clip. I think the one 0/5 rating I saw here does a serious injustice to the ratings of this radio and would ignore it.
My other handheld is a Yaesu FT-60R and I find I like my TYT better. |
|
| ZL3GVR |
Rating: |
2011-08-03 | |
| Great value |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
| Purchased this radio on recommendation from ham whom I knew to value quality. Very impressed with the feel of it and it's performance. Good battery performance; good audio (receive and transmit)and excellent sensitivity. I am that impressed that I purchased a second unit which performed equally well. I must admit that I don't bother with manual programming and that I hook it up to the computer whenever I want to make changes. That however goes very intuitively and reading is hardly required (which is a good thing as the manual leaves a lot to desire) I am however reviewing the radio and not the manual. The radio gets a 5 out of 5 especially considering the price. I have recommended this radio to others who have purchased it and who are equally impressed. You cannot go wrong for the money. No issues with it anymore than with just about any other quality product. It has proven reliable as well now after 1 Yr intensive use. The FM broadcast radio is a nice bonus. I love it and take it with me just about anywhere I go to work over the repeaters. It easily opens repeaters 100 Km or more away (on hill of course). It is packed with options which for me are not important, but which are handy to many others.Being software driven, possibly some issues that others mention such as poor audio may be due to narrow settings for deviation. |
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| W2CRG |
Rating: |
2011-07-23 | |
| very nice radio |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
This radio is similar in performance/features to the popular Wouxun dual band, and I'm guessing that they share some of the same hardware and/or software. Since I've got both radios, I'll compare the TYT to the Wouxun.
Advantages of TYT:
- Ergonomics - the TYT is slightly taller, and thinner on the bottom (similar to Yaesu FT-60 in size and shape). I find this much more comfortable to use than the Wouxun which is shaped like a small brick.
- standard SMC antenna connector - can use after market antennas.
- The squelch release button is just below the transmit button. This is more standard than the Wouxun which requires press and hold of the lamp button.
- Charger works off AC or DC (DC cable included). Wouxun does not include DC cable.
- Multi-color display (both TYT and Wouxun are easier to see than some older radios with amber backlight).
- Build-quality. This is subjective, but I like the quality of the TYT better than the Wouxun, even though both are not bad. The Wouxun uses a shiny plastic, and a clam-shell battery. The TYT uses a slide-in battery with a single latch on top, which, to me, seems to be a better setup.
- Slightly better for visually impaired. Both radios deserve kudos for including a voice feature. The TYT is slightly better (although not perfect) in menu mode (more verbose) and is easier to hear (the TYT voice is clearer, without any noticable accent). The TYT also uses a standard numeric keyboard layout, where the Wouxun has the *,0,# keys off to the right side.
Advantages of Wouxun:
- Easier to auto-scan. The TYT requres multi-key strokes to enter scan mode (menu-1-menu). To scan on the Wouxun, press and hold the * key. There are functions where the reverse is true (more keystrokes for the Wouxun,) but I wish TYT would follow the Wouxun example, in the case of scanning. It should be an easy firmware change. Note that manual scanning can be easily done with the up/down buttons on both radios, and auto scan is present on both radios in both frequency and channel modes (contrary to earlier review). Also, slow scanning speed has been fixed on newer TYT's.
- Knob for freq/channel selection. I thought that I would miss this feature on the TYT, but in practice I've gotten used to using the up/down buttons to manually change frequencies/channels.
- Display is slightly larger
- flashlight
- 2m/220 version available
- much better manual
In summary, I'm pleased with both radios. I tend to use the TYT more often, but I would recommend either. |
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