Lscott

Isn't that called a "smart phone" with an Internet connection?

Maybe not any more. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/designating-english-as-the-official-language-of-the-united-states/

No.

When I was going to engineering school I worked on the loading dock for a major retail store chain. They would periodically get credit for items that were either defective or had been recalled by the vendor. In a few cases they didn't want the items back, BUT the main caveat the items had to be PHYSICALLY destroyed. The store loss prevention guys would stand watch as the stuff was thrown in to the trash compactor and crushed just to make sure.

That's the whole point of trashing it by the customer. Every time a hand touches the item it costs money. Don't forget part of the "profit" on the other items goes into the cost of the item that got sent out, likely under warranty.

Do you know the per hour burden rate is for each employee that item has to pass through before it lands on a service tech's bench? I'll give you a clue, it's way more than the simple hourly rate and benefits for each employee. For our company that could be around $100 or more per hour. Things like supplies, office space, furniture etc. gets lumped in that rate, at least for us. For people you have the receiving clerk's time. Next is the person in aftermarket that that has to generate the RMA paperwork, and track the progress of the repair order and then arrange shipment back to the customer. The shipping clerk's time. Shipping and insurance costs. Then the bench tech's time, from my experience sending in radios for minor work that gets billed at $125 per hour etc. The costs add up. For some items it's just not worth sending the stuff back. I've gotten a few digital mode bum radios on eBay I've paid $150 to $200 for. The seller refunded the cost just told me to keep the defective radio. I was told it wasn't worth the cost to them for the return. I did send those in to a repair depot. In the end I ended up spending about the same amount of money between the repair and shipping costs. Basically broke even.

Yeah, spoofing DMR ID's isn't that common, true. I miss programmed one of my NX-1300's setup for DMR. I got called out on that error when making a contact while out of town last summer. Oops. I guess if that's what you find important then the feature is of value to you. Me, not so much. Just a difference of opinion.

I got close. I paid $35 for the original version of the radio with antenna, battery pack and charger base in like new condition last spring at a Ham swap.

I would be careful about that. Go to the link below and look at the section for 220 band. http://anytonetechzone.byethost7.com/878techmods.htm

While that's a cool feature I'm not so sure its that big of a deal. The database is only as good as the info that goes into it. If it's garbage the data you see on the screen is useless. I'll wager there are plenty of entries with out of date addresses etc. Of course there is nothing that prevents someone from deliberately spoofing a DMR ID, so in that case what is the utility of displaying the extra info anyway? It would be wrong, just like the phone numbers you see with caller-ID when scammers are bugging you. I have radios for NXDN and P25. None of those have a database loaded. You do have the option of showing the talkgroup number and the sending station's ID, but that's it.

Or a known design defect they don't want to spend time or money on to fix it permanently.

I have my eye on one of these. It's on my bucket list of toys to buy at some point. Of course it's made in China. Most of the lower cost test gear is made there nowadays anyway. I always wanted one and the SSA3032X Plus looks good. https://siglentna.com/spectrum-analyzers/ssa3000x-plus/

People forget it costs money to standup a repeater, plus the on-going costs for rent and equipment maintenance. A very lucky few manage to find free tower space due to some involvement with their work where they have access to a tower and can install equipment with permission. I forget where I was reading the thread, but there was one where a guy was discussing the idea of purchasing some property and building a tower for the sole purpose of renting out space once built. No different than constructing an apartment building and renting out units.

I agree. I think they are a far better value for the money. They have a bullet proof front end. That's were it really counts. People focus way too much on transmit power. The reality is if you can't hear the other station it doesn't matter how much power you transmit with. I have a cheap TH-8600. Its built like a tank, BUT the front end has poor selectivity. https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/414-th-8600-on-mountjpg/?context=new I pick up garbage like a high power transmitter used by a fire department 20 miles away on one of the GMRS/FRS channels like it belongs there. I've even picked it up slightly on the VHF side! I get one of my Kenwoods out, I hear nothing on the same frequency. That's what a good front end does.

Looks like the Anytone radio, but with a slight change in the location of the buttons to the left of the display. I wouldn't be socked to find the firmware is from Anytone with a few tweaks. https://www.bridgecomsystems.com/products/anytone-at-d578uviii-plus-tri-band-amateur-dmr-mobile-radio