Over the years, many first time buyers of ham radios have gone with the Bao Feng UV5R. These can be found for as low as $21 today.
There is a new player, probably a re-branded Bao Feng, selling for not much more, only $35 (as of 2/16/23) (two pack is $60) and it is better than a UV5R in every way.
I'm talking about the Retevis RT85. AFAIK it is an upgraded clone of the UV5R. The case is a higher grade, less brittle plastic. The design is more attractive and the radio has a good feel. The modulation of the radio is better controlled. The audio is loud and clear.
A small but important feature is that the RT85 takes an SMA-Male antenna. The UV5R is probably the only radio in the world that takes an SMA-Female antenna. If you have a collection of radios, it is nice if they all use the same type antenna and SMA-Male is the standard.
The RT85 can be unlocked with a simple combination of key presses. This allows it to be programmed outside of the normal ham bands. It can be programmed for GMRS, FRS, MURS and NOAA. However, be aware that it is illegal to do so and this should only be done in an emergency. I believe the UV5R also has this capability.
The TYT TH-UV88 is the exact same radio with a different face plate.
Here is the first part of a 4-part extensive look into the RT85 on YouTube
It's not all rainbows and unicorns though for a $35 price tag, though most, if not all of the negatives are simple convenience features. For example, it has only one bank of 200 frequencies. It would be nice to have two banks of 100 frequencies each. I wrote to Retevis about this. There are times when scrolling would be nice but it's not available. This can be a big pain.
One last thing. Since this is a Chinese radio, it is possible that they have put in a Kill Switch which they could activate during any conflict with the U.S.
If that is the case, it could be that all Chinese radios would not work and many people would be without emergency comms. It may be worth paying $150 for a Yaesu FT60r, of Japanese manufacture, to hopefully circumvent this problem.
There is a new player, probably a re-branded Bao Feng, selling for not much more, only $35 (as of 2/16/23) (two pack is $60) and it is better than a UV5R in every way.
I'm talking about the Retevis RT85. AFAIK it is an upgraded clone of the UV5R. The case is a higher grade, less brittle plastic. The design is more attractive and the radio has a good feel. The modulation of the radio is better controlled. The audio is loud and clear.
A small but important feature is that the RT85 takes an SMA-Male antenna. The UV5R is probably the only radio in the world that takes an SMA-Female antenna. If you have a collection of radios, it is nice if they all use the same type antenna and SMA-Male is the standard.
The RT85 can be unlocked with a simple combination of key presses. This allows it to be programmed outside of the normal ham bands. It can be programmed for GMRS, FRS, MURS and NOAA. However, be aware that it is illegal to do so and this should only be done in an emergency. I believe the UV5R also has this capability.
The TYT TH-UV88 is the exact same radio with a different face plate.
Here is the first part of a 4-part extensive look into the RT85 on YouTube
It's not all rainbows and unicorns though for a $35 price tag, though most, if not all of the negatives are simple convenience features. For example, it has only one bank of 200 frequencies. It would be nice to have two banks of 100 frequencies each. I wrote to Retevis about this. There are times when scrolling would be nice but it's not available. This can be a big pain.
One last thing. Since this is a Chinese radio, it is possible that they have put in a Kill Switch which they could activate during any conflict with the U.S.
If that is the case, it could be that all Chinese radios would not work and many people would be without emergency comms. It may be worth paying $150 for a Yaesu FT60r, of Japanese manufacture, to hopefully circumvent this problem.
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