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Anytone AnyTone AT-D878UV variants and charging possibilities

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Hoggorm

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Hi,

I have a couple of questions regarding the AnyTone AT-D878UV that I'm considering.

1 - It appears to be several versions out. What are the main differences? What is the radio to get?

A few of the different versions I've seen:
AnyTone AT-D878UV VHF/UHF DMR Handheld WITH APRS - AnyTone AT-D878UV VHF/UHF DMR Handheld WITH APRS. Anytone at £169.95 | Ham Radio

-> not called AT- Anytone D878UV Plus (Bluetooth) / 3100 MAH - Anytone D878UV Plus (Bluetooth) / 3100 MAH Anytone at £199.95 | Ham Radio

AnyTone, AT-D878UV DMR Radio 136-174 & 400-480MHz w/GPS/BT

AnyTone, AT-D878UV DMR Radio 136-174 & 400-480MHz w/GPS/REC

AnyTone, AT-D878UV DMR Radio 136-174 & 400-480MHz w/GPS

2 - Can the radio be charged only when using the desk charger?

As I travel a lot it appears to be a hazzle to bring a large desk charger with me at all times... Is there no other way to charge?

Thank you.
 

N4GIX

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For vehicle use one option is to use a battery eliminator.


Bridgecom does market a mobile charger, but it still requires a charging cradle with cigarette lighter plug:


But, if that is what you are going to use, simply buy or build a cigarette lighter cord yourself. You already own the charging cradle! :)

I own a simple 868 myself, as I have no need for GPS, Bluetooth or APRS.
 

Hoggorm

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For vehicle use one option is to use a battery eliminator.

But, if that is what you are going to use, simply buy or build a cigarette lighter cord yourself. You already own the charging cradle! :)
I might have been somewhat unclear in my first post regarding mobility and the question about charging the radio. I understand from your reply that it is indeed not possible to charge in any other way than using the desk charger or a 12V cigarette adapter.

Now my problem is that I never travel by car. I travel by air to work, and there I do not use a car at all. So, in my case I understand it as if I want to charge this radio while away from home, I will need to bring the desk charger?
 

JASII

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...So, in my case I understand it as if I want to charge this radio while away from home, I will need to bring the desk charger?

Not that I should be splitting hairs, but since the battery is removable, you are charging the battery, not the radio. Having said that, you need the charger to charge the battery.

And, at the risk of pointing out the obvious, another choice might be to bring along additional battery packs, but I suspect that you are already well ware of that option, too.

I certainly agree that having to bring proprietary charger can be an additional hassle. What would be quite handy is if someone made a battery, compatible with the AnyTone AT-D878UV, that could simply be charged via a USB cable. I suppose it might be possible to contact one of the after-market battery pack manufactures and see if any of them would be willing to make a custom battery pack like that for you.
 

chief21

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What would be quite handy is if someone made a battery, compatible with the AnyTone AT-D878UV, that could simply be charged via a USB cable. I suppose it might be possible to contact one of the after-market battery pack manufactures and see if any of them would be willing to make a custom battery pack like that for you.

It might be somewhat difficult to charge a 7.4v battery with a USB cable, since USB is only 5v. Just sayin'. ;)
 

AK9R

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It might be somewhat difficult to charge a 7.4v battery with a USB cable, since USB is only 5v.
I have seen ads for radio battery charging cables that use USB as the source, but they still produce the voltage necessary to charge the battery. They have a boost converter in them (which generates who knows how much RF hash) to raise the voltage. But, since USB 1.0 and 2.0 only permit 500 mA and USB 3.0 permits 900 mA, I can't imagine how long one of these cables would take to charge the battery.
 

N4GIX

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And, at the risk of pointing out the obvious, another choice might be to bring along additional battery packs, but I suspect that you are already well ware of that option, too.
I have 3 batteries for my 868, and rotate them sequentially. This way I always have two fully charged batteries When I went to Xenia, OH for this year's Hamvention, the three batteries lasted from Thursday through Monday afternoon when I got home again. That's five days without needing a charger... :geek:
 
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popnokick

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Since you're flying with these charged lithium batteries, don't forget the "checked luggage" questions: "Are there any lithium batteries, aerosols, lighters, ammunition....(etc) in this bag?" Things don't usually go quite the way you expected if security inspection finds them and you haven't mentioned them when checking your bag(s). More here -
PackSafe for Passengers
 

TassieJay

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To answer the first part of the question regarding differences between the differing models available:
The 878 uses the same base hardware, which will give you GPS and APRS as standard, and built in recording of a couple of hours of received audio from DMR only.
You can then get an optional Bluetooth or an extra 500 hour recording module fitted, but not both at the same time.
Bluetooth will permit you to connect the radio as a Bluetooth audio device, and use a Bluetooth car audio system to transmit & receive audio, along with a little BT PTT module to enable completely hands free operation.
From what I've heard, the Bluetooth system works very well, though some have had issues pairing / maintaining pairing of the BT PTT module.
Aside from that, they're all the same base radio.

If you're handy with electronics, it would be possible to buy a spare battery and gut it of the cells and replace with a USB +5 volt boost converter to get the voltage up to 8 volts - but that would only be suitable for receive only work due to the current limitation of USB. Otherwise to charge the battery on the go, the charging cradle is your only option.
 

N4KVE

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Since you're flying with these charged lithium batteries, don't forget the "checked luggage" questions: "Are there any lithium batteries, aerosols, lighters, ammunition....(etc) in this bag?" Things don't usually go quite the way you expected if security inspection finds them and you haven't mentioned them when checking your bag(s). More here -
PackSafe for Passengers
Funny story. A few months ago I flew to Atlanta with some HT’s & lithium batteries. They were in a small overnight bag to be stowed above my seat. When I was about to get on the plane, I was told all overnight bins were full, & I’d have to check my bag. I said “OK”. When I stepped on the plane I saw there were plenty of empty overnight bins. I complained, but the stewardess said “too late, your bag is already under the plane”. I casually told her that’s too bad, as my overnight bag was packed with lithium batteries. Suddenly the captain came out of the cabin, & told me I could not check my bag with these batteries. I told him I did not want to check my bag, but was forced to by the ticket agent who said all overhead bins were full. I then showed the pilot all the empty bins. He personally went under the plane, retrieved my bag, & handed it to me. I asked why was I told the bins were full when they were not. He didn’t know, but they apologized to me.
 

Firekite

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But, since USB 1.0 and 2.0 only permit 500 mA and USB 3.0 permits 900 mA, I can't imagine how long one of these cables would take to charge the battery.
That may have been the original intent, but lots of 2A+ (at 5V) are around and available and work great. 2.4A is the highest I’ve seen commonly available and reliable. I don’t know how efficient a booster would be (much less how much RF noise it’d be emitting), but the equivalent of 2A remains of the original 5V supply (10W), at 8.4V that’s still only ~1.2A. Better than nothing, but it may still take a while. I wonder how high the noise floor would be with a booster converter running :)
 
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