rapidcharger
Member
I am writing this post at the request of others to expound upon my discovery of Anytone Tech's wild claims that their “8R” series radios are certified for multiple radio services.
I put some time into this and I request that moderators do not merge it into any existing threads as I feel it is important that consumers find this without any unrelated commentary.
Brief background...
Anytone Tech has released 4 radios for sale to the general public. Those models are marketed under the trade names “Annihilator”, “Instigator”, “Obliterator”, and “Terminator.”
Anytone Tech claims that all four radios are part 90 certified and that the Obliterator and Terminator are part 95 certified for both MURS and GMRS in addition to being part 90 certified. The manufacturer of the radios testified that the Obliterator and Terminator are identical radios just with a different trade name.
Anytone Tech assures consumers in their marketing literature that these radios are fully compliant and certified although the user manuals tell a little different story. They are placing a lot of emphasis on the certification because they know a lot of radio buyers are looking for a radio they can legally use in more than one radio service.
First, to address the part 90 certification, none of the 4 radios are in fact certified for part 90 as of their March 9 release date or the date I am posting this. They are labeling these 4 radios with an FCC ID number ( t4k-qzqx3318 ) that was issued for a completely different model radio (the model was 3318UV) back in May of 2014.
That radio is shown here. And here.
As you can see, there aren't many similarities between the 3318UV and the 8R series models being offered for sale by Anytone Tech, to the general public.
Furthermore, the manufacturer testified that the radio that was certified was not frequency agile.
Certifications are not transferable from one company to the next and are only good for the equipment specifically stated on the authorization letter.
Second, to address the GMRS grant, they did get a certification (ID t4k-8rseries) for part 95- A, GMRS however it was for an emission type that the radio is not capable of emitting. (15k0f3e)
And the product must not be sold to the general public. It is currently for sale to the general public on _Amazon.
Third, there was a separate grant for part 95-J, MURS, with the same 15k0f3e emission designator however it only grants power output to 0.19 watt. No, not 1.9 watts, 0.19 (King Henry Died Merrily Drinking Chocolate Milk). The radio is not capable of transmitting at 0.19 watt nor is it capable of that emission type.
A dualbander has never been granted certification for GMRS and MURS before and the reason for that is because the FCC rules and regulations
1.) do not permit a MURS transmitter to have more than 2 watts output in any condition §95.639 (H)
2.) will not certify a MURS transmitter that is capable of operating on frequencies outside of the 5 MURS frequencies. §95.655 (D)
The user manual doesn't seem to agree completely with the marketing materials.
It specifically states that the device “complies with part 90” (it doesn't, but that's not the point I'm making) but stops short of saying it has been certified for part 90. Then in the very next paragraph, it specifically states that the device has been “type accepted” and “certified” for GMRS and MURS operation. So evidently the manual doesn't want to come right out and say the radio is certified for part 90 because they know full well that it isn't. Unlike with websites, and facebook comments, you can't just delete what it says in a user manual when people have an actual copy of it in hand.
Who cares? Why am I making a federal case out of this? We just want to have fun!
The reason I bring this up is because the marketing material is misleading and untruthful and I don't think it's right if consumers are taken advantage of. And it could end up costing lives if these products end up in the hands of a public safety responder as they suggest the product is suitable for through the use of imagery of fire fighters and using the term "public" instead of "citizen". We know from past posts on this forum that folks in public safety buy these budget radios not fully understanding the difference.
I don't know of any public safety radio that cannot be transmitted for longer than a minute and must have a 50/50 duty cycle or else it will overheat so badly that it can cause nearby objects to melt.
Anytone Tech has chosen their language carefully and deliberately. There is no doubt they want to claim the product is truly certified when it isn't. In addition, Anytone Tech has taken deliberate actions to conceal their identity and location so if they were to be held accountable for their deceptive practices, the most anyone is going to get out of them is …
It is stuff like this that leaves a bad taste in the mouths of people who are new to the hobby. Especially when they have a radio that doesn't work and they want to send it for warranty service and the dealer goes unresponsive. If someone can't politely ask a simple question on Anytone Tech's facebook page without it getting deleted and being blocked from asking any other questions, what do you think they're going to be like to deal with when you have a problem with your radio?
Notes and disclaimers:
Clicking the links takes you to a completely different website with my supporting documentation.
I got most of my information from the 3rd party website FCCID.net as well as the user manual. I did not get this information from the FCC as it wasn't available there at the time I reviewed it. This information is offered without any warranty nor guarantees of its accuracy and I shall not be held responsible for any errors or omissions from the information posted on any third party website. This post has been my opinion and not the opinion of this website, its owners, nor my employer.
I put some time into this and I request that moderators do not merge it into any existing threads as I feel it is important that consumers find this without any unrelated commentary.
Brief background...
Anytone Tech has released 4 radios for sale to the general public. Those models are marketed under the trade names “Annihilator”, “Instigator”, “Obliterator”, and “Terminator.”
Anytone Tech claims that all four radios are part 90 certified and that the Obliterator and Terminator are part 95 certified for both MURS and GMRS in addition to being part 90 certified. The manufacturer of the radios testified that the Obliterator and Terminator are identical radios just with a different trade name.
Anytone Tech assures consumers in their marketing literature that these radios are fully compliant and certified although the user manuals tell a little different story. They are placing a lot of emphasis on the certification because they know a lot of radio buyers are looking for a radio they can legally use in more than one radio service.
First, to address the part 90 certification, none of the 4 radios are in fact certified for part 90 as of their March 9 release date or the date I am posting this. They are labeling these 4 radios with an FCC ID number ( t4k-qzqx3318 ) that was issued for a completely different model radio (the model was 3318UV) back in May of 2014.
That radio is shown here. And here.
As you can see, there aren't many similarities between the 3318UV and the 8R series models being offered for sale by Anytone Tech, to the general public.
Furthermore, the manufacturer testified that the radio that was certified was not frequency agile.
Certifications are not transferable from one company to the next and are only good for the equipment specifically stated on the authorization letter.
Second, to address the GMRS grant, they did get a certification (ID t4k-8rseries) for part 95- A, GMRS however it was for an emission type that the radio is not capable of emitting. (15k0f3e)
And the product must not be sold to the general public. It is currently for sale to the general public on _Amazon.
Third, there was a separate grant for part 95-J, MURS, with the same 15k0f3e emission designator however it only grants power output to 0.19 watt. No, not 1.9 watts, 0.19 (King Henry Died Merrily Drinking Chocolate Milk). The radio is not capable of transmitting at 0.19 watt nor is it capable of that emission type.
A dualbander has never been granted certification for GMRS and MURS before and the reason for that is because the FCC rules and regulations
1.) do not permit a MURS transmitter to have more than 2 watts output in any condition §95.639 (H)
2.) will not certify a MURS transmitter that is capable of operating on frequencies outside of the 5 MURS frequencies. §95.655 (D)
The user manual doesn't seem to agree completely with the marketing materials.
It specifically states that the device “complies with part 90” (it doesn't, but that's not the point I'm making) but stops short of saying it has been certified for part 90. Then in the very next paragraph, it specifically states that the device has been “type accepted” and “certified” for GMRS and MURS operation. So evidently the manual doesn't want to come right out and say the radio is certified for part 90 because they know full well that it isn't. Unlike with websites, and facebook comments, you can't just delete what it says in a user manual when people have an actual copy of it in hand.
Who cares? Why am I making a federal case out of this? We just want to have fun!
The reason I bring this up is because the marketing material is misleading and untruthful and I don't think it's right if consumers are taken advantage of. And it could end up costing lives if these products end up in the hands of a public safety responder as they suggest the product is suitable for through the use of imagery of fire fighters and using the term "public" instead of "citizen". We know from past posts on this forum that folks in public safety buy these budget radios not fully understanding the difference.
I don't know of any public safety radio that cannot be transmitted for longer than a minute and must have a 50/50 duty cycle or else it will overheat so badly that it can cause nearby objects to melt.
Anytone Tech has chosen their language carefully and deliberately. There is no doubt they want to claim the product is truly certified when it isn't. In addition, Anytone Tech has taken deliberate actions to conceal their identity and location so if they were to be held accountable for their deceptive practices, the most anyone is going to get out of them is …
It is stuff like this that leaves a bad taste in the mouths of people who are new to the hobby. Especially when they have a radio that doesn't work and they want to send it for warranty service and the dealer goes unresponsive. If someone can't politely ask a simple question on Anytone Tech's facebook page without it getting deleted and being blocked from asking any other questions, what do you think they're going to be like to deal with when you have a problem with your radio?
Notes and disclaimers:
Clicking the links takes you to a completely different website with my supporting documentation.
I got most of my information from the 3rd party website FCCID.net as well as the user manual. I did not get this information from the FCC as it wasn't available there at the time I reviewed it. This information is offered without any warranty nor guarantees of its accuracy and I shall not be held responsible for any errors or omissions from the information posted on any third party website. This post has been my opinion and not the opinion of this website, its owners, nor my employer.