Anytone AT-5888 Mini Review

[N9JIG]

On the advise of a friend I bought an Anytone AT-5888 to use for 2M/440/GMRS here in the shack. I expected a virtual clone of my DR-638 and to a point it is but there are some distinct differences.

For the most part I like it but there are some quirks:

• The display is a lot smaller than I anticipated. In the car this could be an issue but at home it should be alright.
• The RJ45 mic jack on the side of the head is fine except that it forced me to mount the radio sticking out of the console much further than I would have liked.
• Apparently there is some programming error that I made that keeps the radio receiving in CSQ mode even though the channel is programmed for PL or DPL decode. Gotta figure that out.
• The included software is OK but there is a serious bug in that it crashes when trying to enter a frequency out of band. It displays an error message then quits the programming, so be sure to save early and often!
• The radio comes with a programming cable but it does not work in Windows 11. I had to dig out my old Surface laptop with Windows 10 to get it to work.
• Navigating in the software is a pain. One must use the mouse to move from field to field, the tab and arrow keys don't allow local movement.
• If you want to set a channel to RX only you need to open a channel sub-menu and select it. Total PITA for 100 rail channels I programmed in the radio!
• As far as I know there is no way to set a memory frequency to the VFO.

While it has its warts there are several things I do like:

• It is extremely sensitive, especially on UHF. I am getting a GMRS repeater from the other side of the mountain at almost full scale with excellent readability that doesn't even tickle the squelch on the scanners or R8600.
• Once programmed it seems to work very well, the buttons and knob seem to be pretty intuitive.
• The display, while small, is very readable and the color choices are a nice touch.
• The TX audio is great according to those I have talked to.
• There is a USB-A port on the left side of the head that one can use for charging a cell phone or other device.
• Switching between the A and B bands is easy with the hand mic.
• The two sides of the radio each have their own controls on the head, it is basically 2 radios in one case that share a mic.
• You can use a standard Ethernet cable for the removable control head.
• You can also use a standard Ethernet cable to extend the mic cable.
• When you turn the volume to 0 the radio does not click or make any noise when the squelch is broken like so many other radios do.

I will likely get the RT Systems software since it is supposed to be Windows 11 compatible. I am going to ask if it works on ARM as well.

All in all this is a worthy successor to my DR-638.

 

[sallen07]

• Apparently there is some programming error that I made that keeps the radio receiving in CSQ mode even though the channel is programmed for PL or DPL decode. Gotta figure that out.

Is there a column (way to the left usually) for squelch mode? Default is "Carrier" so receive tones don't do anything unless you change it to CTCSS/DCS.

I will likely get the RT Systems software since it is supposed to be Windows 11 compatible. I am going to ask if it works on ARM as well.

You beat me to it. I read the two bullets about the software and thought, "I bet RT Systems would work better".

I just got a little laptop to use for programming radios and scanners that came with Windows 11. I haven't tried all my RT Systems cables / software but the ones I have tried work fine. (I don't think I have the cable you'll need for this radio so can't test it.)

 

[jaspence]

RT Systems software runs fine on Win 11.

 

[N9JIG]

RT Systems software runs fine on Win 11.

Understood, I need to find out however if the cable is going to work on an ARM processor. I have been having issues with that with several cables.

 

[Listener1440]

Rich N9JIG

Good morning, I was looking at the Anytone AT-5888. Is it a good rig to use for 10 meter? I see it has side band. I was told to go for am HF rig but I am on a tight budget and wondering (in your opinion) if it would do the job while 10 meter is booming.
Thanks for our answer.

Mike KQW4CKO

 

[N9JIG]

The AT-5888 works on 2M and 440, no 10M. It does not do SSB on any frequency.

 

[Listener1440]

Thank you, I really misunderstood, I meant the Anytone AT- 5555 Plus. I apologize for the misunderstanding on my part.

 

[BBI]

10 years ago, CHiRP supported the 5888UV. That was very nice and free. A year later, the latest CHiRP would no longer work on that radio.

I don't know whether running a super-old version of CHiRP on this radio is acceptable or even possible. I just wanted to let people know that the 5888UV was supported by CHiRP at one time.

 

[USRobotics]

I just noticed that on their website that the 5888 is supported (I assume that it meant the 5888UV dual band model) and they just added support for the 5888III, (I assume it meant the 5888UV-III tri band model, which I own) in Jan 2023.

You can submit a bug ticket on their website if your model has a problem w/ the latest version.

I haven't tested mine w/ the latest CHIRP but I will when I get some time.