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Reviews For: Feidaxin FD-268A

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

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Review Summary For : Feidaxin FD-268A
Reviews: 1MSRP: 70
Description:
Inexpensive VHF handheld transceiver.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.feidaxin.com/
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0015
PD0AC Rating: 2011-06-05
Amazing value for money Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
It is good to realize that these handhelds were designed with commercial use in mind, not the average radio amateur. You can force the FD-268A into ‘commercial mode’ by pressing the F-key while switching on the transceiver. Only channel numbers will be visible in this mode, and most menu items become unavailable. The frequency range is 136-174 MHz, and the Feidaxin will happily transmit anywhere you want.

Many Chinese HT’s don’t support DTMF nor 1750Hz burst tones, and this Feidaxin model is no exception. Programming a repeater shift however isn’t a problem, nor working with CTCSS or DCS. Power output varies from 3.5 Watts at the edges of the frequency range to 5.5 Watts somewhere in the middle. When low power is selected, the output is about 1 Watt. The casing is rain proof. The manual is easy to follow and doesn’t suffer from ChinEnglish. Good job.

Reception -- this was something I was really worried about, as I live in Intermod Alley. To be honest, I expected the FD-268A to collapse completely, but it didn’t. Now this was a surprise — a dirt cheap Chinese HT outperforming my Yaesu FT-60R? What is this world coming to? Well, maybe the receiver is deaf, right? I did the test and compared the FD-268B to my benchmark HT, the Yaesu VX-170. I hardly noticed any difference at all.

RX audio is very, very good. Loud, clear and no distortion whatsoever, even with the volume cranked up to the max. There’s a scanning feature, but the speed is way too slow to be of any use.

Transmitter -- I already mentioned RF output, so let’s skip that. More interesting is the quality of the modulation. I’ve heard worse (some TYT and Puxing models) and slightly better (Yaesu, Kenwood, Icom). If you have ever heard someone talking with certain Chinese handhelds, you might have noticed that quite a few sound muffled. That is not the case here, fortunately, but the audio level could be a tad higher.

The cause is the rain proof construction. If you don’t like the audio level, just open the case, widen the tiny hole in front of the microphone and you’re done.

Battery life -- when you’re just listening, the battery will last a week or longer. I can use the Feidaxin for about two days before I need to recharge. That is on par with my Yaesu VX-170. Spare batteries cost less than $15 shipped, so buying a few spares won’t break the bank.

Pros:
+ low price (about $60 – $70 on eBay, shipped)
+ rain proof
+ construction according to MIL-STD-810C/D/E
+ good quality TX audio, great RX audio
+ selective, yet sensitive
+ good battery life
+ PC programmable
+ Easy ‘direct menu access’
+ cheap accessories

Cons:
- No DTMF
- No 1750Hz burst tone
- No VOX
- The keys next to the display are a bit stiff
- transmit audio level a bit low (but can be modified)
- Scanning speed way too slow to be of any use, except in channel mode.