Need help with radio suggestions

[jc1240]

I apologize if this is "one of those topics," but I need some help in purchasing some HTs.  I'm not asking for THE radio to get, but maybe someone can help me narrow down some to check.  For example, Retevis has a nice sale today, but there are so many models from them alone, I just don't know.  Here are my criteria, questions and use:

Main use (other than toying around) - we drive 2 vehicles to our annual vacation spot (7 hour drive) and I'd like us to use radio instead of cell phone for those quickies where calling would take longer than the conversation itself.

One hurdle - I'm torn between GMRS and MURS.  I'd probably get more use out of GMRS, so...that might already be the answer, but I can also get that later if I go with MURS.  At some point before I die, I'll have both because I'm starting to get that addiction.

Main desire - the PAIR of HTs to be about $100 or less (very easy with Retevis's sale should I go that route).  I know here are some sweet GMRS radios that for one unit go for $150+; that's too much for this use.  

They don't have to be Retivis, I just mention them because of the current sale.  This is a contender (TIDRadio RD-H5) https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B08Z7MVVBH/

So...what I'm looking for are just some suggestions to check.  I started with review videos, but I'm overwhelmed with the number of radio models, I think I'm looking at this and it is that because the trailing letter is different, etc.

Do I really care if it has a keypad?  I'll probably set them up once and that's that.  

Are there some to avoid?  I saw one review of the RB23 (GMRS) and the person could not get it to use wideband on any channel. 

Thanks,

John

[serrasalmus]

welcome to the rabbit hole....

there are some pretty decent cheap gmrs radios out there. they all have there good and bad points some more then others. ive used uv5rs to kg935. they all do the job some better some worse. 

if i was you i would go with the gmrs, if u get one of these radios u have the option of putting on a external antenna for when u want to start talking a little more (u know u will  )

wish i could give u a better answer but theres to many variables and with my limited experience,i feel it really boils down to personal preferences and features u really like. me i like wouxons group scan feature and dual channel monitoring with ease.

before u bite the bullet go thru the forum and there are lots of threads about the different ht's, also check out Offroaderx's youtube page he has lots of info and it seems like your not a "sad ham" so u would enjoy his content.

https://www.youtube.com/c/NotaRubiconProductions

[jc1240]

Thanks and yes, I'm a big fan of NotaRubicon Productions.  Even if any given video is about something with which I have no interest, I still watch for the entertainment value.  

[WyoJoe]

1 hour ago, jc1240 said:

I apologize if this is "one of those topics," but I need some help in purchasing some HTs.  I'm not asking for THE radio to get, but maybe someone can help me narrow down some to check.  For example, Retevis has a nice sale today, but there are so many models from them alone, I just don't know.  Here are my criteria, questions and use:

Main use (other than toying around) - we drive 2 vehicles to our annual vacation spot (7 hour drive) and I'd like us to use radio instead of cell phone for those quickies where calling would take longer than the conversation itself.

One hurdle - I'm torn between GMRS and MURS.  I'd probably get more use out of GMRS, so...that might already be the answer, but I can also get that later if I go with MURS.  At some point before I die, I'll have both because I'm starting to get that addiction.

Main desire - the PAIR of HTs to be about $100 or less (very easy with Retevis's sale should I go that route).  I know here are some sweet GMRS radios that for one unit go for $150+; that's too much for this use.  

They don't have to be Retivis, I just mention them because of the current sale.  This is a contender (TIDRadio RD-H5) https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B08Z7MVVBH/

So...what I'm looking for are just some suggestions to check.  I started with review videos, but I'm overwhelmed with the number of radio models, I think I'm looking at this and it is that because the trailing letter is different, etc.

Do I really care if it has a keypad?  I'll probably set them up once and that's that.  

Are there some to avoid?  I saw one review of the RB23 (GMRS) and the person could not get it to use wideband on any channel. 

Thanks,

John

The Tidradio TD-H5 is a decent, inexpensive radio, that, as you found, can be had for about $85/pair with some extra goodies thrown in. It's not a Kenwood or Motorola radio, but it will suffice for many purposes. It is also sold as the Radioddity GM30, the Pofung P15UV, and, from what I can tell, the Rugged Radio GMR2. The TD-H5 two-pack seems to be the best value of these from what I've seen. The included speaker-mics could be nice to have if you're using them while traveling.

Retevis sells a similar radio, the RT-85, but that is a clone of the TYT UV-88 dual band ham radio, not a GMRS radio. It looks nearly identical to the TD-H5 types.

 

If you're just looking for basic car to car communication while you travel on vacation most radios should work okay for you. If you also want to have the ability to access repeaters, that narrows the field a bit, but the TD-H5, Baofeng UV-5G, Baofeng UV-9G and quite a few others will work in that case, too. With all of these radios, you can connect an external antenna to give you better performance. I've used a magnetic mount antenna on the car with this type of radio to improve the range and signal quality.

If you might want repeater capability in the future, then you'll want to avoid all the "bubble pack" radios that are sold in the big-box stores. Generally, I'd avoid them anyway because they don't offer the same features or performance as those other radios mentioned above, and do not allow the use of external antennas, yet they cost nearly as much.

 

As you noted, you can spend quite a bit more for handheld radios, and in some cases it's worth it if that gets you additional features or performance that is needed. For your stated purposes, though, I don't think it would be necessary at this time.

 

[dirkvan]

You're going to get alot of interesting answers.  Here's my take: if you just want a good radio for car-to-car and not much else, something like a set of Midland GXT1000vp4's will probably do you just fine.  They are pretty robust and so far get the best range of any of the so-called "blister pack" radios.  They have both the GMRS and FRS channels built in.  Keep in mind that to talk on the GMRS channels legally, you'd need to buy a license.  If at some point you want to start exploring all that GMRS has to offer, like using repeaters, then I'd say a pair of "cheap chinese radios" would be a good starting point.  The Baofeng UV-9g is pretty ubiquitous and is about $40 a piece.  They usually come pre-programmed with the standard FRS/GMRS channels, plus repeater channels and NOAA weather channels. They will work right out of the box.  There are dozens  of clones, probably all made in the exact same chinese plant, that go by different names and numbers.  I happen to have a Radioddity GM-30 that is one of those clones, and I like it just fine.  Has better range than my myriads of blister pack radios.  If you go down the rabbit hole of programmable GMRS radios, you'll probably want to upgrade the antenna (the Nagoya 771g is the most popular) and get the programming cable and download the software.  All of the chinese radios have their own programming software and most of it is lousy but not hard to figure out.  If you don't want to do that, look for a radio that can be programmed using CHIRP software.  Its freeware that is a bit better than most of the chinese stuff.   My last thought would be that inside a car, a handheld is never going to work as well as it can.  Cars are big metal boxes that have lots of RF shielding built into them.  If you don't need to use the radios outside the car, look at a mobile unit.  The Midland MXT-115 is about as simple as a handheld and will perform much better on the road.  Depending on sales and coupons, they go for around $100 so outside your stated budget, but more suited for purpose.  Finally, don't get you're hopes up on range.  My experience on the highway is that the blister pack radios only get about 1 - 1.5 miles on a good day.  S pend alot time driving up and down I-81 which is very hilly, so maybe you'll get better results where you drive, but not much.  Hope this helps you! 

[jc1240]

Thanks all.  I appreciate the input.

[WRFP399]

Another option,

 

A pair of used Vertex VX-231 radios can be had for 20-40 dollars each on eBay. Get a programming cable for about 20 bucks. Download the programming software for free (CE99).

 

Now you have part 90 radios that blow the doors off CCRs.

[Radioguy7268]

... and some sellers will include basic programming for free w/ purchase. The trouble is that most used radios in the $30 to $40 range will not include fresh batteries, and with Vertex, you need to make sure that you have a battery that will match up with the charger.

 

[Lscott]

2 hours ago, Radioguy7268 said:

The trouble is that most used radios in the $30 to $40 range will not include fresh batteries, and with Vertex, you need to make sure that you have a battery that will match up with the charger.

 

Yup, and even the expensive used radios aren't any better either from my experience. About 1/3 to 1/4 of the used battery packs that came with all the used radios I've purchased were junk. They either didn't charge, hold a charge or the useful remaining capacity was far below the rating on the case.

The usual benchmark is when a battery pack gets down below 80 percent useful capacity, based on the case rating, the battery pack is considered end of life. You have to make a determination if the battery pack is worth messing with. For example a battery pack with just 60 percent of 2000 mAh capacity remaining is 1200 mAh, compare that to a 1450 mAh battery pack with 82.8 percent useful capacity. They both have the same total capacity.

In general when buying used radios, where the seller includes a battery pack, don't place much value on it. Battery packs are typically considered "consumable' items and the seller will likely state they make no guarantees about the battery pack condition. You can usually count on having to buy a new battery pack. For the typical Kenwood radios I have they run from $20 to $25 each for the generic ones. If I get a used one that tests out at 80 percent or better I consider myself lucky and got a better deal than I thought.

Be careful if a seller states the radio comes with a new battery pack. I paid more for a used TK-3212 because the seller made that claim. The battery pack "looked" new but tested out at around 50 percent. I ended up getting a partial refund from the seller who admitted his claim was based on the physical condition and no real testing.

Also buying "new" generic battery packs, typically from China, may not have the claimed capacity either. If you do buy one or more I highly recommend you test them if possible. If you don't have the specific equipment to test a battery pack a rough estimate can be made using a few power resistors connected to the terminals, a cheap digital meter and a stop watch. Divide the nominal battery pack voltage by the resistance in ohms, then multiple by the time to get amp hours, and them by 1000 to get milliamp hours. The lower voltage cut off point to stop testing is dependent on the battery type and where the radio will shut down due to low voltage. Most of my Kenwood radios with shut down at 6VDC.

[wayoverthere]

7 hours ago, Radioguy7268 said:

... and some sellers will include basic programming for free w/ purchase. The trouble is that most used radios in the $30 to $40 range will not include fresh batteries, and with Vertex, you need to make sure that you have a battery that will match up with the charger.

 

I will say so far, so good with mine. With the first vx, I got the packs and a charger from cut rate batteries, and added a couple more packs to the pile with the 2nd vx. With the 3rd, i paid a bit more and got a vertex charger with it, which seems to have no problem with the aftermarket packs.

Same story with my evx, added one from cut rate to the pile, as 2 of the 3 came with larger capacity Motorola packs (dont know if the seller realized this), 3rd had a standard capacity. The evx charger had no problem with the cut rate pack, though I'll note its the basic charger, not an intrinsically safe.

I think the packs for the vx and vx-p ran around $30/ea, and the evx was close to $70.

[Lscott]

I purchased two new Lithium Ion battery packs for some of my Kenwood radios from a regular eBay seller a year or so back. Neither battery pack would charge in the official Kenwood KSC-25 charger base. The LED would just blink red, error condition, and failed to charge.

After some investigation I discovered there is an internal wire connection between two of the several charger base contact points inside of the official battery pack which tells the charger base what battery chemistry it's charging. The after market packs didn't have it. I confirmed this by soldering a thin wire external to one of the new battery packs between the two contact points then inserted it in to the charger base. It worked.

I contacted the seller and they tried to blame the charger base as being at fault. No, I told them their battery packs are the problem. They sold the battery packs as a "replacement" for the Kenwood battery packs and went so far as to put Kenwood's battery pack part number on the case . I went round and round with them several times before I got eBay to issue me a refund and sent the battery packs back. Later the seller tried to get me to leave good feedback, more like begged. I refused. I told them they more than likely knew about the issue since I wasn't the first to buy them and I'm sure others complained but avoided the bad feedback.

I suspect the seller got a batch of these from a battery pack manufacture in China for a cheap price because the missing wire programming connection was a manufacturing defect, and instead of junking them sold them to recoup some of their cost. The seller tried to flip these on eBay to make a few quick bucks. I left bad feed back along with the exact reason why so anyone else reading the reviews hopefully won't get taken, and not having the expertise to figure why they don't work, believing the seller's BS excuse.

I then turned around and purchase two more from a US seller, generic battery packs. I had zero issue getting those to work in the official Kenwood charger base. Of course they got very good feedback. The price was about a buck or so more than the defective battery packs I returned.

[jc1240]

Thanks for the used radio suggestions.  I had thought of that the other day.  Still undecided and I figure if have time with the particular shopping season that's about to start.

 

And good reminder about batteries.  I had bought a brand new laptop battery from Amazon some years ago.  Yes indeed it was new, factory sealed.  But it and the model laptop I had was old.  That battery had been sitting on a shelf for years and was actually worse in function than the battery it was replacing. Doh!

[WRFP399]

I got a lot of 7 VX-231s and a single VX-261 for 100 bucks. 3 of the radios came with batteries that were DOA. I bought two 2600 mah aftermarket batteries for about 25 dollars each and a single 1300 mah battery. I kept three radios for myself.  I sold off the other working radios complete with a chargers and batteries for $35 to local users. 

I also have two of these PR400s. One sits at the house in the kitchen monitoring the repeater. It's primary job is being a radio for emcomm (think earthquakes). The second stays in my work vehicle with a second battery, again think emcomm. They have been good radios as well, just a but bulkier than the VX-231s.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/255195094877?epid=112043976&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item3b6ad01f5d:g:6eQAAOSwMlhhdiVE&amdata=enc%3AAQAGAAACkPYe5NmHp%2B2JMhMi7yxGiTJkPrKr5t53CooMSQt2orsSg3Ye8yTWgOW7pmE1t838dtAS0BE%2BJwVPoCGtmELWsG9A7Wwl%2BUy0Kxov6AJhPnkdGmhUvMuwnqGmgPsNuTsfSnqDqqFm2w%2BDhAO6KKpRa2HUWgJXoa6P0Od3Tm%2Fowfmc9xvdwdrDq4pQ5yjfxw%2F3N6xaQwP5h0K8Cw5c8C6kgCpO9NgE3jozvmGSrHZv7QMIB1uOPw0HQyPl52jXlrjo1ooG7%2F6z0U%2FymFSCcNvLg4qxqwO0MkdOggnnr6BaRcfnazKRtawkbyDg9KmOlOEDJBGH2M3UZVrecxmH7%2FVZOXcgvlnhoNH511U4tJIXDxeXaCyfb%2B6RlLDddrQJLe%2F7xbfaIfVDdeIiWbmkSyNlT1wkmo8Z3wNHv5xCa4oPMxjckVdcw7eJ16V%2FvDZciHB1dHimZdmz%2FrGTaW%2Fy%2BjBxMkd7sHFQihAV0vh23Lerdynk4QzHjrIFjcnxqAaezrhiSvzgjNdiR2Df9KJThHkV7MkNl%2F%2FQLKYavMJmTQX8dS%2F4cMqZx%2B16enUMSVSFei%2FK6qsmMl946M2IYQc8w0qZ38LixU3J3FcFt1C9OowzV1XxquqmMyEqXKbvuOWovOLbhdPMCJhkz0n2ZwqxLcBas3nrtJ1PNxK7ScXRqJDV03TFdWEa8k0TrYvCx1g5a2qeYAj2fr2%2B2z8lxhhn3i%2FKbcJ%2BYnYDP0ZOlRcyDUpJxVGgdwNXkZpILqfIQrHxkAsQ%2FDP41L%2BmEyJr3Nn4MEVRX%2BnQMj5GoKBxPlF1QWAKyRkBYcXS2UKSUzdP1cBhpZpnDMbAhz%2Foxbr0FBlaayKSKpudoQxbHr%2F88r1tZisTLG4d|clp%3A2334524|tkp%3ABFBMgq_79KRf