Baofeng Baofeng DMRs - Alphanumberic?

[hotdjdave]

Does anyone know if the Baofeng DMRs (DM-1701, DM-1702, DM-1801, DM-X) allow alphanumeric tagging of the channels (or whatever the equivalent is called in the DMR world)?

Some ancillary questions:

• Besides the ones I listed above, are there any other Baofeng DMRs?

• Which Baofeng DMR seems to be the best and why?

• Are there any other cheap (Chinese or otherwise) DMRs out there worth mentioning (I want to buy a cheap one before spending any extra money on a good one)?

 

[columbas]

TYT UV 380 -- TYT MD 380 ---TYT 9600

 

[jaspence]

GD-77

 

[Forts]

Anytone U/V-878

 

[rgchristy]

I'll second the GD-77

GD-77

 

[rgchristy]

Yes to alphanumeric channel tagging. Also, the Baofeng DM-1801 is a close cousin to the Radioddity GD-77.

 

[alcahuete]

I get it....buy yourself a cheap DMR radio to see if you like it?

Just do yourself a favor and get yourself an Anytone 878. Not cheap, but by far the best DMR radio you will ever use (outside of the commercial Motos and such).

 

[hotdjdave]

Just do yourself a favor and get yourself an Anytone 878. Not cheap, but by far the best DMR radio you will ever use (outside of the commercial Motos and such).

Does the Anytone 878 do analog, also?

 

[alcahuete]

Does the Anytone 878 do analog, also?

Yessir! DMR and Analog dual band. They're a little over $200, unfortunately. I get that you're looking for a cheaper one to start, and if that's the case, any of those you list would probably work fine. You also have the TYT UV-380, which isn't bad, the Radioddity GD-77 which also isn't bad, especially with the Open Firmware. If you're really looking to get cheap, the Baofeng DM-5R (the new ones are Tier II) are around $50.

Any of those radios will get you into DMR, and certainly give you a taste of what it's all about. On the ham bands, my XPR7550e is usually my go-to HT, just due to the RX Audio Leveling. It's a godsend on the ham bands. But my Anytone 878 is absolutely my favorite radio as far as features are concerned.

 

[hotdjdave]

I just won a bid on eBay for a new AnyTone AT-D878UV for $177.50. It came out to about $200.00 with taxes and shipping. It arrives on July 2.

I figured if I was going to spend about half that on a "cheap" one, I might as well just get a better one. I did see some used Motorola DMRs around the same price, but I wasn't sure about the ability to program a Motorola. I wish I did. I like Motorola radios -- I have several.

Thank you for all your advice.

 

[rgchristy]

I'm not sure if the 500 MHz band is in use in your area, but if you get a chance, could you please post how the unit receives in the 500 - 512 MHz range? That is the reason that I went with the GD-77, because I need to receive 500 MHz public safety and listen to 450-470 DMR.

Good luck with the new radio.

Thanks, Rich

I just won a bid on eBay for a new AnyTone AT-D878UV for $177.50. It came out to about $200.00 with taxes and shipping. It arrives on July 2.

I figured if I was going to spend about half that on a "cheap" one, I might as well just get a better one. I did see some used Motorola DMRs around the same price, but I wasn't sure about the ability to program a Motorola. I wish I did. I like Motorola radios -- I have several.

Thank you for all your advice.

 

[alcahuete]

I'm not sure if the 500 MHz band is in use in your area, but if you get a chance, could you please post how the unit receives in the 500 - 512 MHz range? That is the reason that I went with the GD-77, because I need to receive 500 MHz public safety and listen to 450-470 DMR.

Good luck with the new radio.

Thanks, Rich

I haven't noticed any glaring issues with mine on those frequencies. Seems to receive fine. But there is really only one frequency I ever use up there (506 MHz).

I just won a bid on eBay for a new AnyTone AT-D878UV for $177.50. It came out to about $200.00 with taxes and shipping. It arrives on July 2.

I figured if I was going to spend about half that on a "cheap" one, I might as well just get a better one. I did see some used Motorola DMRs around the same price, but I wasn't sure about the ability to program a Motorola. I wish I did. I like Motorola radios -- I have several.

Thank you for all your advice.

Congratulations!! I think you're going to be happy, honestly. The thing I think you're going to like about the 878 over the Motos is that you have a VFO, and can change a ton of settings via the menu. You can do things like change talkgroups on the fly, use talkgroups you don't have programmed into your radio, etc. Like if we are having a conversation and I ask you to move to TAC310, even though you don't have that talkgroup in the radio, you can key it up.

The Motos are easy to program for DMR, but the hammy features are really lacking. You're going to need a computer if you want to make a change, because it's not really something you can do on the fly with the Motos.

 

[rgchristy]

Thanks for the info. My main concern is that the radio can be programmed to receive up to 512 MHz. Most DMR HTs only go to 470 or 480 MHz, which is why I got rid of my TYT 380 & 390. Up until now, I thought that the GD-77 was the best option. Now, I want to look at the AT-D878UV.

I haven't noticed any glaring issues with mine on those frequencies. Seems to receive fine. But there is really only one frequency I ever use up there (506 MHz).

 

[alcahuete]

Thanks for the info. My main concern is that the radio can be programmed to receive up to 512 MHz. Most DMR HTs only go to 470 or 480 MHz, which is why I got rid of my TYT 380 & 390. Up until now, I thought that the GD-77 was the best option. Now, I want to look at the AT-D878UV.

Straight out of the box, no, it does not. However, there are multiple modes you can run. I run mine on Mode 14 (Maintenance Mode) and it covers up to 520 MHz. The mode is easy to change.