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Get Off My Lawn |
Keeping an eye on this thread also. Question, as a cheapy radio the newer Baofengs do not TX on GMRS and FRS frequencies anymore? The Retevis RT87s look very interesting. I'm also looking at Icon or Yaesu down the road. "I’m not going to read Time Magazine, I’m not going to read Newsweek, I’m not going to read any of these magazines; I mean, because they have too much to lose by printing the truth"- Bob Dylan, 1965 | |||
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Oddball... I am fairly certain the Baofeng radios still illegally are able to transmitt on GMRS. I was unsure about the Retevis because my new HAM friend/Elmer was unsure that they still transmitted on the GMRS frequencies. I know the biggies (Yaesu, Icom, Kenwood, etc.) do not. The "Boz" | |||
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SCORE!!! Amazon just dropped off my radios, study manual and some accessories (remote mic and compatible earbuds). They were a day early!!! Still waiting on some other items, like the Retevis version of the Nagoya 771 antenna (just got 1 to try... I'll have that tomorrow or Tuesday). 1 of the radios is on the charger now. Will confirm function and programming, then get the other 2 out to charge and program (to make sure they work and are not DOA out of the box). While they charge, I am going out in the garage to finish a new rifle build (I'll start in on the study manual later). It's turning out to be a very good day   The "Boz" | |||
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wow you got yours fast! Mine wont get here until thursday  This is where my signature goes. | |||
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One of the few advantages living a few miles from several Amazon distribution centers and hubs. We have a lot of same day delivery on items for free if you are a Prime member (as much as I hate doing business with Amazon, they are really the only place to get some things these days). As stated earlier in this thread, there are many more disadvantages living this close to the city/Amazon. Ordered yesterday at 5:58 PM, arrived today at a few minutes after 2:00 PM. The "Boz" | |||
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Told cops where to go for over 29 years… |
Hey Boz, let me know what you think after you get a chance to play with them. “Angela” has been the one to reply to my emails as well, considering she is probably Chinese in China I think she does a pretty good job. Of course we may be emailing with completely different people who just use “Angela” as a generic pseudonym when replying to us westerners  Don’t even get me started on antenna’s, that’s a whole nuther thread. I have about 8-10 different VHF/UHF HT antennas. For local communications (in the neighborhood) the stock stubbies should be fine. The Nagoya and knockoffs are generally pretty good and will give you some more range and may allow you to reach a repeater the stock ones won’t hit. I have one of the Retevis branded ones and it is as good as any of the others I’ve played with (Nagoya, HYC, TidRadio, no name) For around the house, I actually like the little stubbies. ( https://www.amazon.com/NKTECH-...id=1598220154&sr=8-8 ) They will cut your range a fair amount, measured in blocks vs miles, but radio is less likely to fall over if you have it standing up and makes it more compact overall. Once you get a “proper” Yaesu HT, I’d suggest the Comet SMA-24 or Diamond SRH77CA. SMA-24 is a super thin, super flexible whip. https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-001578 https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-006297 Oh, and I found an error in the file I sent you. FRS 8 and GMRS 8 I typo’d the TX freq. TX should be same as RX freq. What part of "...Shall not be infringed" don't you understand???  | |||
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911Boss... Just received another e-mail from Angela. She provided a link to a product on Amazon. The product was described as an earpiece and the picture was that of an earpiece, but she said to ignore the picture and description. I placed the order and the total was correct ($48). Here is the e-mail she sent for me to complete my purchase:
Started playing with the radio and I am completely lost. I am going to stick with it through the night and tomorrow morning though and try to figure this out on my own. Thanks again for everything... The "Boz" | |||
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| Told cops where to go for over 29 years… |
I got the same email and did the same thing. What kind of problem are yo having with the radio? What part of "...Shall not be infringed" don't you understand??? | |||
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Well... I am having issues with the programming. I just reset the radio as it came preloaded with 2 saved channels. I think that was the first hurdle. Just got done changing the step to 2.5kHz as it was set to high (25k). Now I am playing with trying to program in a channel. I just need some time to work through the menus and your instructions. I did see mention online that without the programming cable, you could not name the channels through the keypad. So, I guess I do not get to that part until mine arrives in late October. No worries though. I already have my file built for download into the radio once I get the cable. I sent you an e-mail... If you want to reply to the couple of questions I asked in this thread, then please do so. I think others may benefit from your responses. That is, of course, if you want to reply. You have already gone above and beyond. Good on getting the batteries ordered... I just got a response from Angela concerning my order. She stated that she had the info and will get it shipped out. She also asked a few questions about how I intend to use the radios and the environment in which they will be used. Not sure I am going to give her all of that, but I will respond with something. So far I am impressed with their responsiveness... However, I did not contact them with a real problem. Instead, I am purchasing more stuff, so I am sure they jump right on those e-mails. The "Boz" | |||
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| A teetotaling beer aficionado  |
All of these radios, no matter the manufacturer have a bit of a learning curve and can be frustrating. In addition there have been complaints about the RT87 manual being poorly written and organized so don't feel bad if you can't find solutions quickly. Men fight for liberty and win it with hard knocks. Their children, brought up easy, let it slip away again, poor fools. And their grandchildren are once more slaves. -D.H. Lawrence | |||
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NavyGuy... Yes. But I knew what I was in for when I found nearly zero YouTube videos and articles concerning the RT87 online, but about a million of each for the BaoFeng radios. It's okay... I do this to myself all of the time (buying a unique thing/gadget vs what everyone else has). I do appreciate the build quality and waterproof/dustproof rating. If I ever do have to stand in the rain due to a natural disaster or a BLM march through my neighborhood, I will be in better shape than all of the BaoFeng guys. The "Boz" | |||
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| Told cops where to go for over 29 years… |
Yes, naming channels will probably have to wait. I seem to recall you can from the keypad, but you have to use up/down arrows through alphabet and characters. Also I could never figure out how to advance to next character after selecting first one. Very tedious indeed. As far as the email questions you asked, closest thing to emergency channels for HAM radio is the national simplex calling channels. 146.520 VHF and 446.000 UHF. They serve as a sort of “Hey is anyone listening?” frequency to ask for help or just find someone to chat with. Feel free to post questions will help if I can, I am still pretty new to this stuff as well so don’t have all the answers. What part of "...Shall not be infringed" don't you understand??? | |||
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Got my first station programmed in... I am a f@*king idiot. That is all I have to say about that Your instructions were perfect 911Boss. Resetting the radio and changing the step to 2.5kHz is essential though out of the box. I am not screwing with naming the channels for now. I will gladly wait until I get the cable for that. Now to program in about 50 more channels, as well as their tx power and bandwidth. Need to look at the manual again, but I think I can clone 1 radio to another, but I think you need yet another cable for that. I will look into that some more here in a minute. Again... Thanks for the instructions/tutorial 911Boss! The "Boz" | |||
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| Told cops where to go for over 29 years… |
To be fair, this is a much newer radio compared to the Baofengs that have been around for nearly 10 years if not more. A couple of the reviews that led me to take a look are here: https://www.eham.net/reviews/view-product?id=14138 https://qsl.net/k/ke8jot/artic...w%20-%2001112019.htm Those are HAM sites notorious for picking apart Chinese radios. Not a lot of reviews, but no trash talking them either. Amazon is all 4-5 start reviews. Not a huge number of YouTube vids, and what there is is mostly review rather than programming. Here is an English chap giving it a go a hit folks 7-11 miles away (open terrain) with the stock antenna https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHFHAA7ZTXk And another YouTube that shows some more specifics on programming... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGo98DE-dG4 What part of "...Shall not be infringed" don't you understand??? | |||
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So... to any of you fellas just watching this thread progress and are considering getting these radios, do it. 911Boss was spot on as to the build quality, features and value. I have not submerged 1 of my radios yet. However, I will and I will report back. I intend on updating this thread as I work through some of the issues I encounter with the radios (really my issues and inability to follow instructions), as well as my progress on getting my technician amateur radio ticket. Now, for some useful intel for those of you purchasing the radios and want extra batteries... Contact Retevis through the Amazon "Contact Seller" option. Through my interactions with "Angela" through Amazon, I was able to purchase 3 new batteries for $16 a piece, which included shipping ($48 total). Processing and payment where handled through Amazon's payment portal. I had also contacted Retevis through their support e-mail on their company website with the same request, a quote for 3 RT87 batteries (e-mail sent at the same time via both methods). I just finally heard back from the support team and this was the message:
So... contact Retevis through Amazon for a much better price. The "Boz" | |||
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Look at the Ailunce HD 1. Very robust Motorola knockoff. Great users group and plenty of programming how to on line. A little more expensive but you can catch them on sale for $119. | |||
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| A teetotaling beer aficionado |
I'm sure this is a better radio than most of the Beofengs and I hope you don't think I was bashing it in anyway. If you'll note, the first review you linked complained about the manual and that is what I was eluding to. Chinese importers notoriously have confusing manuals, I suppose due to translation issues and perhaps culture differences in how they organize things. Men fight for liberty and win it with hard knocks. Their children, brought up easy, let it slip away again, poor fools. And their grandchildren are once more slaves. -D.H. Lawrence | |||
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Jraz... It appears from my research (before I purchased my RT87), that Ailunce and Retevis are different brands from the same company in the way that Acura and Honda are the same or Toyota and Lexus. I have some of the Ailunce accessories for my Retevis. The build quality, plastics used, etc (even the boxes) look exactly the same. Thanks for the input. Again, responding to document for other who may be following. The "Boz" | |||
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| Sigless in Indiana  |
I went with Baofeng because I figured I could learn the ropes and if I became more serious I could then move to a higher quality option. The ability to also transmit on FRS and GMRS is nice, as I can talk to my kids on the inexpensive walkie talkies that they all have. Just getting everything setup and programmed on my end, I learned a lot. I programmed in the local repeaters for HAM, although I don't transmit yet because I don't have my technicians license yet. I do feel like I have gotten to the point where I can competently operate the radios in an emergency. I downloaded CHIRP and used a programming cable to program. That made it MUCH easier and faster. | |||
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Boz....did you figure out if the RT87 allow tx on the FRS or GMRS freqs? Am considering these for use in rural areas but am not HAM certified but would like to become so... Seems that the Baofeng's will Thanks JB
--------------------------------------- It's like my brain's a tree and you're those little cookie elves. | |||
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