XPR 7550e ... just wow...

[gman1971]

I guess this was the culmination of what started with just a couple of Baofengs UV-5R back in 2013ish...

 

So, couple of days ago I finally bit the bullet and got my first XPR7550e, been eyeing those for a long time, form factor and performance, I've even programmed a couple for a friend, but never really tested them.... But now this one is mine... my own, my precious.... hahaha, and I just cannot even begin to describe how amazing this radio is. I ran every possible test I could think of, high RF noise, no antenna, ... everything short of an ISOTEE test (since the 7550e doesn't have an SMA connector)... and the 7550e beat every other commercial grade radio I own by an ample margin. Including EVX-539 portables, XPR6550s... and it utterly humiliated the garbage China radios... it demolished all those CCRS even harder than the EVX/6550 did...

 

We did a 1 watt range test, on foot, one XPR6550 at home, ground floor, and the XPR7550e, along with a few other radios on us. Remember, terrain around here is very hilly, not flat, this is Madison WI, where you won't find a flat piece of land anywhere... So, we walked exactly 1.89 miles distance on 1 watt, ground to ground, before the XPR7550e was the only radio left standing, the only one able communicate with the 6550 at home. Measured RSSI Signal strength on the 7550e screen was -118 dBm @ 1.89 miles. Considering this radio would still produce audible (and intelligible) digital audio all the way down to ~ -129 dBm, I think it still had, at least, 1/4 mile of range left on it...  The XPR7550e was using the PMAE4070A antenna, and all other radios used PMAE4048A antennas, except for the GD77 which used a Vertex Standard UHF antenna since it uses the sticking out SMA (female)...

 

At that distance, 1.89 miles, even my best-tuned EVX-539 portable, with a really good Motorola GMRS antenna PMAE4048A, the RX light was just blinking but no audio could be heard. The XPR6550 was about the same as the EVX-539... the light would  blink, but no audio heard either.

 

All those LMR radios stopped communicating at about the same distance, or around the 1.5 miles mark, and at 1.6 miles the digital robotic/breakup made voice communication 100% unintelligible on all those. 

 

We also tested the following China radios on DMR:

Alinco MD5 (made by AnyTone)

Baofeng BF-1801

Radioddity GD-77

Retevis RT-52

 

The Alinco MD5 was the best of the pack, it performed similar to the EVX-539/6550, and also used the same PMAE4048A antenna, but at 1.89 miles the light would simply randomly blink and no audio could be heard.

 

Then the BF-1801, the GD-77 and the RT-52... all those stopped receiving audio completely at about .5 miles from the house, that's right, these cheap pieces of utter crap weren't able to communicate with a Motorola XPR6550 after just 0.6 miles... and you wonder why you don't have any range with these CCRs?...  

 

I think its time to stop wasting money, start saving up for a 2nd hand XPR7550e, just like I did... mine is used, it has a couple of small scratches on the screen...  but those scratches on the screen certainly didn't stop it from demolishing the "mint condition" RT-52 and all these pieces of China garbage...

 

Yes, I know, you need the CPS, you need a cable, heck, you need to actually invest some money to field a XPR7550e... I know, I know it quite well, b/c I also started with x2 Baoturd UV-5R CCR radios... but looking in retrospect I should've gone directly with an XPR7550e, I can safely say that it would've saved me a lot of money, a lot of sleepless nights trying to figure out why my radio range was measured in tenths of an inch rather that in tens of miles....

 

G.

[Radioguy7268]

Yes, the XPR7550e has some great performance. There's also a plethora of programmable audio options, and you can purchase (or not) a bunch of minor EID's that will enable things like Face-down mute, Enhanced Noise Cancellation (SINC+) Receive Audio Leveling, and Bluetooth.

 

One point about your testing - be real careful just swapping around antennas just because they fit the connector. I think if you do a back to back test with the standard EVX ATU-16D antenna, you'll find an improvement over the PMAE4048 Motorola antenna. I think if you measure the length, you'll see that the Vertex "Standard" (Pun intended) antenna is a bit shorter.

 

I've also noticed that the aftermarket Vertex antennas available by the dozen on Ebay seem to have issues with breaking apart internally due to over-torquing.

[Lscott]

... mine is used, it has a couple of small scratches on the screen...

 

Just a note about that. I've had very good luck using toothpaste to polish up the plastic screen on several radios I got used. I got scratches out I thought would never clean up. It takes a lot of work to rub out the scratches, toothpaste is a VERY mild abrasive. I used it straight from the tube on a paper towel while using a fair amount of pressure. Tilting the radio so the light reflects off the surface is a very good test to see how the polishing is going. I wipe the screen down with a wet paper towel first so I can get a clear view of the surface. At the end I sometimes use an electric toothbrush to do the final polishing. I did spend about an hour or more on the more damaged screens.

 

On several radios when I got done the screens could have passed for new if you didn't do a real detailed examination.

 

If you can't get a replacement case or don't want to spend the money the above procedure works well. Nothing like getting a used radio at a good deal, then clean it up where it looks almost new. 8-))   

[WRAK968]

I have one downside of the 7550E. Turns out that if the radio is dropped from around waist high, the audio goes out completely. From what I've learned, the ribbon cable between the case and main board can get pinched and cracked in a drop. If this happens the only way to repair the radio is to buy a new case as the ribbon cable, speaker, mic, and buttons are all molded into one.

Outside of that flaw, I love it. I used it for hame radio, work, and GMRS. When I have the time and funds, I'll order a replacement case, till then, stuck with the speaker mic.

[Radioguy7268]

Motorola does an ALT process (Accelerated Life Test) where they automate certain functions like turning the radio on & off repeated times quite rapidly, changing channels, pressing the PTT button, along with repeated drops from a 4ft height onto a hard surface. This is supposed to simulate 5 years of typical use within a short testing time frame.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_ScXS4mrvY

This isn't exclusive to Motorola - other manufacturers have similar testing procedures. Any radio with Mil-Spec ratings probably went through similar testing.

 

I am not disputing your experience (and a replacement XPR housing from Motorola is quite expensive!), but I am saying that the radio is designed to survive a typical drop - and I've got stories of units that dropped 30 ft. down an elevator shaft onto concrete and survived. I even have one story about an old SP10 plastic chassis radio that went through an asphalt plant, emerged looking like a bent black banana, but still would transmit & receive! I've also seen some units that appeared to be almost brand new on the outside, but were totally crushed inside - and the customer swore they didn't run over it with a dump truck.

[gman1971]

Yes, don't swap antennas around, I have a few of those so all radios never had the antenna changed. I'll see if I can get the EVX ATU-16D... and repeat the test. I would expect the other LMR radios to be a bit better... the XPR7550e was amazing tho... I just didn't believe I was having a perfect simplex talk with home 1.89 miles away when none of the other radios could actually hear a thing.

 

Yeah, I don't buy anything antenna from eBay anymore. I now use MOL directly, so I know the antennas I am getting are as genuine as they can be... with certificate of testing, etc..  Counterfeit crap you always pay for it... 

 

Thanks!

 

G.

 

 

 

Yes, the XPR7550e has some great performance. There's also a plethora of programmable audio options, and you can purchase (or not) a bunch of minor EID's that will enable things like Face-down mute, Enhanced Noise Cancellation (SINC+) Receive Audio Leveling, and Bluetooth.

 

One point about your testing - be real careful just swapping around antennas just because they fit the connector. I think if you do a back to back test with the standard EVX ATU-16D antenna, you'll find an improvement over the PMAE4048 Motorola antenna. I think if you measure the length, you'll see that the Vertex "Standard" (Pun intended) antenna is a bit shorter.

 

I've also noticed that the aftermarket Vertex antennas available by the dozen on Ebay seem to have issues with breaking apart internally due to over-torquing.

[gman1971]

Thank you!!! I'll try toothpaste then... but it really doesn't bother me at all. The radio works great, its not a phone where I need to read the screen for emails, etc.

 

Awesome... I've done that for several sub 100 dollar beat up XPR6550s...  a heatgun works great for removing the deep scratches from the body... kinda like car upholstery... you have to use a small nozzle tho... don't just bake the whole radio or it will melt into a blob haha..

 

G.

 

Just a note about that. I've had very good luck using toothpaste to polish up the plastic screen on several radios I got used. I got scratches out I thought would never clean up. It takes a lot of work to rub out the scratches, toothpaste is a VERY mild abrasive. I used it straight from the tube on a paper towel while using a fair amount of pressure. Tilting the radio so the light reflects off the surface is a very good test to see how the polishing is going. I wipe the screen down with a wet paper towel first so I can get a clear view of the surface. At the end I sometimes use an electric toothbrush to do the final polishing. I did spend about an hour or more on the more damaged screens.

 

On several radios when I got done the screens could have passed for new if you didn't do a real detailed examination.

 

If you can't get a replacement case or don't want to spend the money the above procedure works well. Nothing like getting a used radio at a good deal, then clean it up where it looks almost new. 8-))   

[gman1971]

Sucks to hear it died from a 4 feet fall...  I am sorry. 

 

G.

[WRAK968]

Motorola does an ALT process (Accelerated Life Test) where they automate certain functions like turning the radio on & off repeated times quite rapidly, changing channels, pressing the PTT button, along with repeated drops from a 4ft height onto a hard surface. This is supposed to simulate 5 years of typical use within a short testing time frame.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_ScXS4mrvY

This isn't exclusive to Motorola - other manufacturers have similar testing procedures. Any radio with Mil-Spec ratings probably went through similar testing.

 

I am not disputing your experience (and a replacement XPR housing from Motorola is quite expensive!), but I am saying that the radio is designed to survive a typical drop - and I've got stories of units that dropped 30 ft. down an elevator shaft onto concrete and survived. I even have one story about an old SP10 plastic chassis radio that went through an asphalt plant, emerged looking like a bent black banana, but still would transmit & receive! I've also seen some units that appeared to be almost brand new on the outside, but were totally crushed inside - and the customer swore they didn't run over it with a dump truck.

I mean, I could show the radio, it looks brand new. A repair friend of mine told me quite a few of the 7550's had an issue where the ribbon cable became damaged and cut out audio from the body's mic, and the speaker. Using a speaker mic the radio works great, take the speaker mic off and goes back to no audio. not even the radios power up tones come over. The radio worked fine, got a call, reached to take it off my belt and the antenna caught my shirt and twisted the radio out of my hand and down to the ground maybe 3 feet away. I'm not knocking the quality of motorola radios, however with all the testing you would want to think this wouldn't happen yet it has.

[Radioguy7268]

WRAK968 - send me a PM if you're interested in a used (but good) housing for an XPR7550e.

[berkinet]

For anyone else who, like me, if not familiar with these radios. I was curious about the differences between the XPR7550 and the XPR7550e and found this video. https://youtu.be/5AgLIEgFG-w

[gman1971]

The main difference is in the receiver. Quoting from memory here: "...the 7550 uses Rodina v2.1 receiver and the 7550e uses a newer Rodina v2.2 receiver. From what I've gathered after talking with people who do this for a living, the e model has a ~4 dBm advantage over the non e model. For a few extra bucks, the e model is the way to go. The e model also has WiFi if you want to program them via WiFi... I haven't crossed that bridge yet, but both my 5550e and my 7550e have WiFi disabled, even though they connect just fine to my home WiFi... 

 

 

G.

 

 

For anyone else who, like me, if not familiar with these radios. I was curious about the differences between the XPR7550 and the XPR7550e and found this video. https://youtu.be/5AgLIEgFG-w

[gortex2]

I have shared similar stories with others over time that want to get into the radio hobby. Getting in cheap may not always keep them involved with poor performance. Buying quality equipment that works normally keeps them around a bit more. Its not only the subscribers but also when it comes to repeaters. A MTR3000 with a duplexor and DB404 is going to out perform and Baofeng back to back with separate mag mounts on an ammo can....but some people dont get that. 

 

(BTW not saying folks need to invest 15K for a repeater but my point was you get what you pay for)

[gman1971]

Totally, the difference is night and day. And those XPR7550e are not really that expensive when you consider what you get out of those... range measured in miles rather than tenths of a inch, kinda the most important one...

 

G.

 

I have shared similar stories with others over time that want to get into the radio hobby. Getting in cheap may not always keep them involved with poor performance. Buying quality equipment that works normally keeps them around a bit more. Its not only the subscribers but also when it comes to repeaters. A MTR3000 with a duplexor and DB404 is going to out perform and Baofeng back to back with separate mag mounts on an ammo can....but some people dont get that. 

 

(BTW not saying folks need to invest 15K for a repeater but my point was you get what you pay for)

[n4gix]

Oddly enough, I've gone the other direction. My first HT when returning to active ham activities was a MotoTurbo XPR-7550. I added a custom made leather case with D-Ring and holster, a speaker mic, programming cable, another battery and Impress charger. I added the 25MHz entitlement key while I was on a roll.

 

Things have sort of gone downhill from there. I really wanted a dual-band DMR HT because there are several VHF DMR repeaters in my area and I really did not want to carry two radios, so in exact purchase order I bought and evaluated these four radios:

1. GD-77
2. MD-2017
3. Ailunce HD-1
4. Anytone AT-D868UV

Oddly enough this list is from 'worst' to 'best' in my personal opinion. The first two are really poor in both features (or rather lack of same). The GD-77 has a nice form factor, but the tiny monochrome display sucks. Battery life per charge is pitiful. Worst of all the replacement batteries are seemingly made from "Unobtanium" as they are no longer available. I'd give it away but I don't hate anyone that much! 

 

The MD-2017 is nearly the same size as the XPR-7550, but the 'genius' who thought a trackball in an HT was a 'good idea' need to be sent back into the kitchen to wash dishes. The stupid 'ball' is about the size of a green pea, and trying to use it is an exercise in futility. There is a 'hack' in an alternative firmware that 'locks the ball' but as you can imagine that makes navigating the Zones and TGs a PITA, not to mention navigating the Menu.

 

I thought I'd found my answer with the Ailunce HD-1. It is actually a very well made HT, has a good form factor, and performs quite well all things considered. But no, it is larger that the 7550 and a bit heavier. I also have not found a leather case for it yet.

 

The AT-D868UV was the latest (and last) purchase, and I've quite fallen for it. It is half the size of the 7550, and weighs about one half as much as the 7550.  It's a pity I didn't wait another two weeks though as the AT-D878UV with GPS, Bluetooth, and a Bluetooth PTT button is the cat's meow! 

 

As I've not carried the 7550 for well over a year now, I'm probably going to list it on FleaBay and hope it finds a new owner eventually. I may also list the GD-77, MD-2017 and Ailunce HD-1.

 

I also have a pair of UV-5R HTs I'm donating to my ham club as give aways to newly licensed hams. We have been giving them free dues for their first year, so now we will give them a choice of a pre-programmed radio or free first year's dues. 

[gman1971]

Well, doing radio aficionado (ham) stuff is a very different use than what I do with my radios. Most ham repeaters will reach 40-50 miles, easily, to even to the lowest of the lowest end, like a Baofeng UV3R without breaking a sweat. But you can't communicate with your kids, your wife over ham repeaters, unless of course, all were licensed ham operators. Even then, starting personal conversation with your kids over the ham bands will piss a lot of operators... asking you why are you using ham radio to talk to your family, blah blah. I also have to concede that Motorola radios, in stock form, don't lend themselves to ham stuff very well at all... not unless you have FPP... which is not available in the US region radios. Again, I don't use my radios to chat about QRZ or whatever it is the hams on the air like to chat that day.

 

So, we've established that its all great when there is an infrastructure already in place (as in, repeaters) for these cheap crap radios to work, giving you the false feeling that the XPR7550e is just as good... I made that mistake. Unfortunately, tho, when you are trying to run your own *cough cough* "private" setup that has a range measured in tens of miles, rather than tenths of a mile, you are left with nothing but buying high quality gear, which includes quality infrastructure, quality cables, quality connectors, quality filters and quality radios. Otherwise, the range just won't be there, especially if you don't live in a "prime location", and I know very well b/c I've tried to build my own setup on the cheap before. I've sunk far too much money on CCRs, including CCR mobiles, CCR portables and cheap cables, like LMR400, you name it... if I don't have it somewhere on my parts bin, chances are I've probably had it at some point. I've wasted enough money to admit I totally wasted my money on CCRs. Moral of the story is don't waste yours, buy a high performance radio. While I am now a devoted Moto snob, I am more than willing to concede that Kenwood/Icom make very fine LMR radios too, just not what I prefer. There is a reason why these radios cost a lot more, when new... but you can find those, used, for a lot cheaper... there is no need to buy a CCR.

 

All the radios (except the 868) you mentioned in your post are all TYT radios, all use the same crap receiver, or... when a cow takes the worst poop of the year, which produces a very nasty smell... now increase that smell by 100 dB, and now you have a TYT radio...  Yep, I am not exaggerating, and there is no error in my dB number either.  I've had, and still own far too many of those TYTs... same applies to Retevis... which are just TYT knockoffs/copies/imitators, holy cow, a knockoff of a piece of crap?  Special mention needs to go for the HD-1, which aside from being just as bad as the GD77, in terms of RF performance, as it desenses just as bad, its just a giant piece of crap, a very big one while at it. For the money wasted on that HD-1 you can find a mint condition XPR6550 UHF with charging craddle and programming cable.

 

These CCRs are so cheap to make, that the sellers/resellers/manufacturers are willing to give it to you for free after you write a review about how bad they are in Amazon reviews. They will ask you what you want just to change your review for one more favorable... and this has happened to me on several TYT/Radioddity radios purchased there. These CCR manufactures/resellers will buy their way to your pocket, trying to bribe guys like me who likes to compulsively buy radios and write 100% honest reviews... into giving them good reviews. I don't like sugar coating things. These Anytones, Wouxuns, Baofengs, Xiang, Kayung, Shityang.. whatever fancy "Chinglish" name they came up with... its a piece of garbage. These radios probably cost 1 dollar to make, if not less... again, its your money, and some people don't have a lot to begin with, so make it count, buy a quality radio, make every dollar count. I can tell you, an XPR7550e is a big investment, but you can recoup your investment if you sell it back on eBay... once you buy an HD-1 or a GD77 nobody will touch that piece of crap, not even with a 10 foot pole... so you're stuck with it, unless you dump it at a huge loss...

 

Again, don't be fooled by 500mil contacts, fancy screens (which aint that fancy after you actually own an SL7550e), dual band, tri band, quad band, giga band... all that jazz... I was... its cool to have eight bands and gazillion contacts with a color display... but reality is that when you use the radios like I do, as a personal 99.75% reliable comm device, the fancy screens and million contacts don't mean squat if the radio can't hear its way out of a paper bag. Certainly embarrassing when you're inside a store, shopping around and you reach for your shoulder mic to radio home, asking what brand of whatever is it they want me to buy... and then nothing... crickets.. Turns out they did hear me fine at home, loud and clear, as in "full quieting" good, but it was the POS CCR radio I was carrying that was unable to hear the call back while inside the store's RF mess... How do I know? B/c I was "that guy" taking to a radio without response.... Yup, that is exactly what will happen when you take those CCRs inside a place like Best Buy, Home Depot, Menards... they desense so bad, like its going out of style... utter garbage.

 

As for the 868, the Alinco MD5 (similar to the 868) I used to carry, which coincidentally broke after a 4 feet drop on asphalt (very disappointed, btw) easily outperformed the two 878s I had. I don't know exactly why b/c they were supposed to be similar radios... but the MD5 did edge the two 878s, maybe better tuned... don't know. As for the fall, my previous EVX-539 radio fell from the roof of my house, smashed onto the concrete patio, I thought it was done... but alas.. radio was fine, not even a scratch, and still works to this day. Alignment wasn't required after the fall either. Don't try that with an 868. I haven't dropped any of my 6550/7550e yet, knock on wood, but I am sure those will be quite as hardy as well... Hope your 868 never drops on concrete, b/c it will be like playing chicken with a dump truck...  Also, if your 868 ever gets submerged... it might experience some "leakage" problems. Based on my experiences, the 868 is certainly not the radio I would ever want to be caught with should a SHTF situation arise...

 

Point is, while the 868 isn't a totally utter garbage radio, it still no match for the XPR7550e receiver. I still have two Alinco MD5s, both boxed, both up for grabs, if anyone should become interested, that is if after me telling you how bad they really are you still want them and not an XPR7550e.. .... Point is, the XPR7550e demolished the MD5, no matter how much I changed the alignment settings, the fact remains that the XPR7550e produced clear voice when the MD5 did not produce anything... and that, ladies and gentleman, that is all it matters to me in a radio, that it just works.

 

G.

[tweiss3]

Oddly enough, I've gone the other direction. My first HT when returning to active ham activities was a MotoTurbo XPR-7550. I added a custom made leather case with D-Ring and holster, a speaker mic, programming cable, another battery and Impress charger. I added the 25MHz entitlement key while I was on a roll.

 

Things have sort of gone downhill from there. I really wanted a dual-band DMR HT because there are several VHF DMR repeaters in my area and I really did not want to carry two radios, so in exact purchase order I bought and evaluated these four radios:

• GD-77
• MD-2017
• Ailunce HD-1
• Anytone AT-D868UV

Oddly enough this list is from 'worst' to 'best' in my personal opinion. The first two are really poor in both features (or rather lack of same). The GD-77 has a nice form factor, but the tiny monochrome display sucks. Battery life per charge is pitiful. Worst of all the replacement batteries are seemingly made from "Unobtanium" as they are no longer available. I'd give it away but I don't hate anyone that much!

 

The MD-2017 is nearly the same size as the XPR-7550, but the 'genius' who thought a trackball in an HT was a 'good idea' need to be sent back into the kitchen to wash dishes. The stupid 'ball' is about the size of a green pea, and trying to use it is an exercise in futility. There is a 'hack' in an alternative firmware that 'locks the ball' but as you can imagine that makes navigating the Zones and TGs a PITA, not to mention navigating the Menu.

 

I thought I'd found my answer with the Ailunce HD-1. It is actually a very well made HT, has a good form factor, and performs quite well all things considered. But no, it is larger that the 7550 and a bit heavier. I also have not found a leather case for it yet.

 

The AT-D868UV was the latest (and last) purchase, and I've quite fallen for it. It is half the size of the 7550, and weighs about one half as much as the 7550. It's a pity I didn't wait another two weeks though as the AT-D878UV with GPS, Bluetooth, and a Bluetooth PTT button is the cat's meow!

 

As I've not carried the 7550 for well over a year now, I'm probably going to list it on FleaBay and hope it finds a new owner eventually. I may also list the GD-77, MD-2017 and Ailunce HD-1.

 

I also have a pair of UV-5R HTs I'm donating to my ham club as give aways to newly licensed hams. We have been giving them free dues for their first year, so now we will give them a choice of a pre-programmed radio or free first year's dues.

I just have to point out that the 868/878 is not part 95 certified. It is part 90 certified under some programming. For GMRS it goes over the power allowances.

 

While I have a 878 and like it, it seems to get overloaded too easily in receive, but it does a great job in transmission quality, distance and APRS is nice.

 

I just don't want anyone misled, it's not an approved device.

 

Also, DMR is currently not approved on GMRS.

[gman1971]

The same thing happens with the MD5, it gets overloaded in RF crowded sites, thus sensitivity suffers... but nowhere near as bad as the TYTs... those may desense up to 50 dB based on ISOTEE measurements I've performed.

 

Yes, DMR is not allowed on GMRS, but it is in the 70cm ham band and commercial LMR frequencies.

 

G.

 

I just have to point out that the 868/878 is not part 95 certified. It is part 90 certified under some programming. For GMRS it goes over the power allowances.

While I have a 878 and like it, it seems to get overloaded too easily in receive, but it does a great job in transmission quality, distance and APRS is nice.

I just don't want anyone misled, it's not an approved device.

Also, DMR is currently not approved on GMRS.

[n4gix]

As for the 868, the Alinco MD5 (similar to the 868) I used to carry, which coincidentally broke after a 4 feet drop on asphalt (very disappointed, btw) easily outperformed the two 878s I had. I don't know exactly why b/c they were supposed to be similar radios... but the MD5 did edge the two 878s, maybe better tuned... don't know. As for the fall, my previous EVX-539 radio fell from the roof of my house, smashed onto the concrete patio, I thought it was done... but alas.. radio was fine, not even a scratch, and still works to this day. Alignment wasn't required after the fall either. Don't try that with an 868. I haven't dropped any of my 6550/7550e yet, knock on wood, but I am sure those will be quite as hardy as well... Hope your 868 never drops on concrete, b/c it will be like playing chicken with a dump truck...  Also, if your 868 ever gets submerged... it might experience some "leakage" problems. Based on my experiences, the 868 is certainly not the radio I would ever want to be caught with should a SHTF situation arise...

 

I got the impression that you overlooked my critical comments regarding the CCR gear. I was on a quest to find the best dual-band, analog and DMR HT I could find. Thus far I've been very happy with my AT-868. One of the first things I bought for it was a very well made leather case, and yes I have dropped it more than once with no damage except to my ego. I'm normally not that clumsy! 

 

Absent that I'd wind up carrying three HTs at the same time: UHF/Analog XPR 7550, a 2m HT, and a 1.75m HT! I'd look even more like a dork carrying all that hardware, especially when the combined weight pulled my drawers down... 

 

As it happens, I own two service monitors and have run extensive tests on all of my gear. One is a CT-Systems 3000 and the other (better one) is an IFR-1200 Super S. Both are fully calibrated and I keep them so via a 10MHz Iridium standard. I like to keep my gear in peak condition. I offer my services free of charge to any licensed ham or GMRS operator in the local area.

 

As for any future possible SHTF event, I'd trust any of my commo needs to my IC-7300, FT-857D and Xeigu G90 HF gear. The 857D stays in my car, along with a Kenwood V71A and a CS-800D (dual band analog/DMR). 

[n4gix]

I just have to point out that the 868/878 is not part 95 certified. It is part 90 certified under some programming. For GMRS it goes over the power allowances.

<snipped for brevity)

Also, DMR is currently not approved on GMRS.

I only run any of my UHF gear in analog mode on GMRS. While I had my 868 on the service monitor I adjusted the output to 5.0 watts mainly to prolong battery life.

 

As for Part 95, I'm not the least bit concerned. I have yet to find a GMRS repeater on the air that is Part 95 certified, and precious few users who's HTs and/or mobiles are Part 95 for that matter. 

[gman1971]

Maybe I did, I am sorry if I did. 

 

I think you meant to say the Yaesu FT-857D, which is a really good radio, certainly not a CCR. I have no comments on the Xeigu, but its probably another CCR HF flavor... sorry but no love for CCRs here... had too many of those and I feel cheated.

 

The 868 is not really a total CCR, @ 180 bucks or so, if not more... While its a decent radio, its not on the same league as the XPR7550e.

 

Lucky dog!!, my Alinco broke from a 4 feet fall, screen internally cracked... and that was the end of it.

 

The TH-F6a was the radio I used to carry before the Alinco MD5, still own 2 of those, they are IMO the best portable ever built... b/c it had everything, it could hear anything from DC to daylight... but sadly, now everything is digital so the TH-F6a is only decent for listening HF stuff, and while its receiver is not too bad, it still lags way behind the 7550e.

 

G.

 

I got the impression that you overlooked my critical comments regarding the CCR gear. I was on a quest to find the best dual-band, analog and DMR HT I could find. Thus far I've been very happy with my AT-868. One of the first things I bought for it was a very well made leather case, and yes I have dropped it more than once with no damage except to my ego. I'm normally not that clumsy! 

 

Absent that I'd wind up carrying three HTs at the same time: UHF/Analog XPR 7550, a 2m HT, and a 1.75m HT! I'd look even more like a dork carrying all that hardware, especially when the combined weight pulled my drawers down... 

 

As it happens, I own two service monitors and have run extensive tests on all of my gear. One is a CT-Systems 3000 and the other (better one) is an IFR-1200 Super S. Both are fully calibrated and I keep them so via a 10MHz Iridium standard. I like to keep my gear in peak condition. I offer my services free of charge to any licensed ham or GMRS operator in the local area.

 

As for any future possible SHTF event, I'd trust any of my commo needs to my IC-7300, AT-857D and Xeigu G90 HF gear. The 857D stays in my car, along with a Kenwood V71A and a CS-800D (dual band analog/DMR). 

[n4gix]

Maybe I did, I am sorry if I did. 

 

I think you meant to say the Yaesu FT-857D, which is a really good radio, certainly not a CCR. I have no comments on the Xeigu, but its probably another CCR HF flavor... sorry but no love for CCRs here... had too many of those and I feel cheated.

 

It was my clumsy fingers that caused that, indeed I meant to type FT-857D. As for the Xeigu G90 it is indeed made in China, but the build quality and superior parts used push it into the same category as any of the three Japanese brands, as does the price!

 

I was honestly amazed to discover that it actually receives slightly better than my IC-7300, and transmits equally well. I put a two way coax switch and set both radios to the same frequency in the 20m band. I also set the 7300 to 20 watts to match the G90. I made six contacts in Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, and Texas. During the contacts I switched between the two randomly.

 

Each of the six reported no change in signal quality. In fact they weren't convinced I'd actually changed radios!    However, when receiving, the G90 produced a much richer and fuller sound with far less hiss. It was far more pleasant to listen to.

 

Imagine my shock discovering that the $500 Xeigu G90 was easily as good as my $1000 IC-7300! 

Okay, the 7300 does have more "Bells and Whistles" than the G90, but still... 

 

BTW, I still have and use my really ancient Kenwood TM-V7A. The blue/white screen died about 12 years ago, but the radio still works perfectly! I keep it parked on my club's 2m and 70cm repeaters. I was at a pre-Covid hamfest last winter and found a brand spanking new TM-V7A still in the box! I offered the guy $100 for it and he said "Okay." So I have a brand new "old" radio as a backup.

[gman1971]

Surprising to hear the Xeigu is as good as the ICOM, but at 500 it better be...

 

My experience with expensive China radios hasn't been as good, the AT-578UV, a 400 dollar triband mobile DMR/FM is measurable inferior to my (used, but less expensive) XPR 5550e in terms of stability (hangs all the time), screen quality and of course, the utmost important part, in RX performance... the only thing the Anytone has going is multi band and Single Frequency Repeater in DMR, which would be a very nice feature if the darn radio didn't freeze up after sitting idle for 20 minutes in SFR mode... so, the radio is useless. Its collecting dust on my shelf... I use EVX-5300 for all my infrastructure...

 

TM-V7A... wow... that is pushing right there.. .the TH-F6a was produced since 2001 IIRC... it still is a great radio, but all you hear noawadays is MotoTRBO/digital noises anywhere else outside the HF bands...

 

G.

[tweiss3]

I only run any of my UHF gear in analog mode on GMRS. While I had my 868 on the service monitor I adjusted the output to 5.0 watts mainly to prolong battery life.

 

As for Part 95, I'm not the least bit concerned. I have yet to find a GMRS repeater on the air that is Part 95 certified, and precious few users who's HTs and/or mobiles are Part 95 for that matter.

I knew you know the rules, just had to be said.

 

That being said, I have CS800Ds in my cars. I was looking for a 857D for my wife's car, but couldn't find one for reasonable.

[n4gix]

That being said, I have CS800Ds in my cars. I was looking for a 857D for my wife's car, but couldn't find one for reasonable.

 

I got an email from Jerry about six months ago letting me know that he was clearing out some orphans from their warehouse (new, old stock) and had a single CS800D to sell. I bought it immediately for $199.00. I haven't even taken it out of the box yet! I am planning to program it and replace the CS800 UHF currently in my car with it.

 

Last year around a week before Dayton Hamvention, Jerry ran a discount on the BFD (Big Freaking Display) for the CS800 for $199.00, I snapped that up quickly! I have it mounted on a flexible stalk and angled towards the driver's seat. It has a lot of really cool features, including two memory functions: touching the screen where the Zone is displayed will allow me to select any of up to 16 Zones with a single tap, with the other memory function I can tap on the center of the screen and choose from among 16 Zone+TG presets. The huge 7" diagonal full-color screen is easily readable.

 

Even cooler is that the BFD will support a single 800D, or 800(U) and 800(V), plus an FT-857! I got lucky at eBay about a year ago and got my FT-857D from a fellow ham who'd bought it and then changed his mind before even unboxing it and sold it to me for $650. The darn ATAS120A antenna however is rather expensive so I had to buy one from a dealer. Gigaparts had the best price at $369. Fortunately I already had a diplexer for HF and V/U so saved $70...