I thought it might be safe to get one … I was wrong …
So the radio came in the mail , I plugged it into my puter and went to program in 146.500 and 146.550 … Two simplex frequencies …
The result is a radio that seems to have had its firmware scrambled .
Cant re set it , cant program it , with software or manually .
Cant input frequencies , cant access the menu …
The radio is completely cactus .
Yeah , the radio has been challenging …
Fist it bricked itself ( maybe I helped - I dont know )
Then it ran like a 2 legged dog …
All sorts of problems , would or would not transmit , kept cutting out …
I traced it to a funky fuse : So the cure was to remove the fuse and just solder the ends of the wire together ( no fuse ) .
Well , the radio kept giving issue , traced to the power plug …
So out with the soldering iron again , and replaced the dodgy connectors with XT60 connectors used for RC Lipo batteries …
It’s been a long day … There is one channel not co operating but otherwise it seems to be running ok now .
I got my moneys worth of trouble thats for sure . ( Fingers crossed I’ve run out of credit )
This one is the 25Watt version … ( 5W - 10W - 25W )
2 Banks of Channels , about 100 each …
And you can set it to band plan … ( A must here in Oz )
Its a very basic radio , and to program it for repeaters you really need to do it VIA USB / computer .
It be a very cheap radio , and paying double or triple for a Japanese made radio might be a good idea if you don’t like sorting out problems .
I havent had it on the SWR meter as yet ( Antenna is fantastic - just about spot on for tune Diamond X50 . ) So cant vouch for transmitted power .