AnyTone TERMN-8R review

[Om_Audio]

My review of AnyTone TERMN-8R I posted on Amazon today-

Great radio, improved front end. Does not true full duplex without feedback- alternate headsets may work however.
ByAmazon Customeron March 27, 2015
Verified Purchase
I actually REALLY like the radio. I am giving one star to draw attention to the fact
that Baofeng Tech deleted a conversation on a question I asked here about full duplex
producing feedback. Not cool. I do not have my portions of the conversation but do have
their comments from email which I offer here. I will review the radio below afterwards.
Here is the video I made at their request showing the problem in action:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMyRrplCkuE

I asked:
"Anyone used full duplex on a repeater system without getting feedback?" about TERMN-8R
Dual Band (6 Band RX) (VHF/UHF) GMRS,....

Baofeng Tech answered:
"No feedback here ��"
Baofeng Tech says
"Turn the sub-band volume to a lower level so that in the situation of receiving on one
band and transmitting on the other - the volume of the sub-band does not cause the
intereference"
Baofeng Tech says
"Can you send us a video - via our webpage? We will be able to assist you"

==========REVIEW==========
Really like this radio. Much better front end and desense rejection that many others. The radio is built well and feels solid. The belt clip is nice but the radio is a bit thick making access to the main PTT a small stretch. I have dropped it 2x from waist height and the vol knob split almost in half. Will see what the process is like getting a replacement knob.

PROS:
- FEATURES- full many features and adjustments I use and many I will explore.
- Good front end- far better than Baofeng UV-5R series and Wouxun KG-UV8D. Much better
sensitivity and far less prone to desense under high RF conditions. I can use it as
monitor radio to full duplex in my car while tx at 65W on a mobile radio. Other radios
will go completely silent from desense (and yes this is cross band not same band).
- Built solid- feels good- great silicone PTT button w no mechanical key noise getting
into transmissions (no rev burst or tail sq though more on that in cons)
- Many useful features- aviation and other bands. Ability to store as channels and scan
them. AM/FM active while also monitoring 2m/70cm
- Clear and sensitive mic with great audio reports (VERY prone to wind noise- more in
cons)
- Nice speaker audio quality- not harsh
- Quick access to certain features w/out needing to go into menu system: AM/FM bands,
tones, tone scan, offset direction, PL tones, scan, freq reverse, and hi/med/low power
settings, and dedicated band button for easily switching from main/sub - main only or
sub only. Chan/VFO dedicated buttons.
- Also the 2 programmable smaller PTT buttons can be set to: battery voltage, sub ptt,
call, freq hopping, alarm, monitor (most useful to me), and off.
- The stock antenna works well for 2m/70cm and general aviation rx etc.
- same reverse SMA connector as my Baofeng and Motorola- works with all the
adapters/antennas I already own including a great fit on the Nagoya Na-771.
- Menu 47 is TBST "Tone Pulse Freq Selection" aka reverse burst/tone burst (confusing name)
- MENU SETTINGS AUDITION- you hear menu setting changes as you adjust before saving. Say you go in to adjust your squelch- you can hear the setting as you change it without having to save it first. Awesome. This could be good for PL searching on inputs etc think.
-

CONS-
FEEDS BACK WHEN CROSSBAND FULL DUPLEXING ON A REPEATER SYSTEM. Period. Other headsets
are likely to solve this issue but the included earpiece does not work. Sub band vol
setting does not solve it either. Baofeng Tech deleted the conversation I was having
addressing this issue. I will update as I obtain/test other headsets. I like the radio
a lot and will be keeping it regardless.
- manual offers no tips or helpful writing style. Read a Kenwood or Icom manual to see
what I mean.
- unintuitive programming of freqs to channels and PL tone etc. (you will need to read
the manual and practice before you get the hang of it) but once you know it it is very
quick and easy.
- vol taper offers very little on the low vol range
- mic extremely prone to wind noise. I actually have a band-aid over the mic.
- no backlight brightness settings and color adjustment does not apply to rx or busy
colors. rx is intense blue color not good for night vision at all.
- no indicator light settings to disable or dim etc. but light is on top not front
which I like. I will put a piece of opaque tape on it.

I will update this review and rating over time. I hope this info helps someone.

 

[WyoDuner]

Regarding the duplex and cross-band issue. You have to be aware that the 70cm band is 3 times the frequency of the 2 meter band. What this means is that if you transmit on 147 Mhz the third harmonic of that is 441 Mhz. In that configuration you are going to have problems. My $460 Kenwood TH-D72A HT does the exact same thing and that radio is absolutely, positively duplex capable. If you are haviong issues you can set menu number 52 to "Mute On" and you won't get the feedback.

For cross-band repeat, again just be aware what your 2 meter and 70 cm frequencies are and test for problems. Trying a different frequency combination will likely resolve those issues.

 

[Om_Audio]

Thanks for the info. Good to know. I am going to test some headsets and report back.

Regarding the duplex and cross-band issue. You have to be aware that the 70cm band is 3 times the frequency of the 2 meter band. What this means is that if you transmit on 147 Mhz the third harmonic of that is 441 Mhz. In that configuration you are going to have problems. My $460 Kenwood TH-D72A HT does the exact same thing and that radio is absolutely, positively duplex capable. If you are haviong issues you can set menu number 52 to "Mute On" and you won't get the feedback.

For cross-band repeat, again just be aware what your 2 meter and 70 cm frequencies are and test for problems. Trying a different frequency combination will likely resolve those issues.

 

[Om_Audio]

BaoFeng Tech has since shown the reason they deleted the orig conversation was Amazon policy. They have provided excellent support since and I will recommend their products without hesitation in the future.
I cannot seem to edit my orig post so here is an updated review (including info on some software-only settings for squelch tail removal and reverse burst):

====---->>>
Great radio, improved front end. Does not true full duplex without feedback- alternate headsets may work however.
By Amazon Customer on March 27, 2015
Verified Purchase
==========REVIEW==========
Really like this radio. Much better front end and desense rejection that many others. The radio is built well and feels solid. The belt clip is nice but the radio is a bit thick making access to the main PTT a small stretch. I have dropped it 2x from waist height and the vol knob split almost in half. Will see what the process is like getting a replacement knob.

PROS:
- FEATURES- full many features and adjustments I use and many I will explore.
- SUPPORT despite my initial doubts BaoFeng Tech has given me excellent and prompt support for my questions and concerns with this radio. Major relief.
- Good front end- far better than Baofeng UV-5R series and Wouxun KG-UV8D. Much better
sensitivity and far less prone to desense under high RF conditions. I can use it as
monitor radio to full duplex in my car while tx at 65W on a mobile radio. Other radios
will go completely silent from desense (and yes this is cross band not same band).
- Built solid- feels good- great silicone PTT button w no mechanical key noise getting
into transmissions (no rev burst or tail sq though more on that in cons)
- Many useful features- aviation and other bands. Ability to store as channels and scan
them. AM/FM active while also monitoring 2m/70cm
- Clear and sensitive mic with great audio reports (VERY prone to wind noise- more in
cons)
- Nice speaker audio quality- not harsh
- Quick access to certain features w/out needing to go into menu system: AM/FM bands,
tones, tone scan, offset direction, PL tones, scan, freq reverse, and hi/med/low power
settings, and dedicated band button for easily switching from main/sub - main only or
sub only. Chan/VFO dedicated buttons.
- Also the 2 programmable smaller PTT buttons can be set to: battery voltage, sub ptt,
call, freq hopping, alarm, monitor (most useful to me), and off.
- The stock antenna works well for 2m/70cm and general aviation rx etc.
- same reverse SMA connector as my Baofeng and Motorola- works with all the
adapters/antennas I already own including a great fit on the Nagoya Na-771.
- MENU SETTINGS AUDITION- you hear menu setting changes as you adjust before saving. Say you go in to adjust your squelch- you can hear the setting as you change it without having to save it first. Awesome. This could be good for PL searching on inputs etc think.
- UPDATE - There are 2 SOFTWARE ONLY adjustments for eliminating squelch tails for the TERMN-8R.
1- Tail Eliminator Type: 120deg, 180deg, 240deg (180deg worked perfect for me)
2- Check box for "Eliminate squelch tail when no CTCSS/DCS signalling"- no reverse burst or sq tail settings- I initially get lots of reports of noisy un-key on my local repeater system.

CONS-
FEEDS BACK WHEN CROSSBAND FULL DUPLEXING ON A REPEATER SYSTEM. Period. Other headsets
are likely to solve this issue but the included earpiece does not work. Sub band vol
setting does not solve it either. Baofeng Tech deleted the conversation I was having
addressing this issue. I will update as I obtain/test other headsets. I like the radio
a lot and will be keeping it regardless.
- manual offers no tips or helpful writing style. Read a Kenwood or Icom manual to see
what I mean. (They actually said they would welcome support in creating future manuals with end-user support- contact them if you are interested)
- unintuitive INITIAL (ie not using the manual) programming of freqs to channels and PL tone etc. (you will need to read
the manual and practice before you get the hang of it) BUT once you learn it is is very quick and easy!
- vol taper offers very little on the low vol range
- mic extremely prone to wind noise. I actually have a band-aid over the mic.
- no backlight brightness settings and color adjustment does not apply to rx or busy
colors. rx is intense blue color not good for night vision at all.
- no indicator light settings to disable or dim etc. but light is on top not front
which I like. I will put a piece of opaque tape on it.

I will update this review and rating over time. I hope this info helps someone.

 

[WyoDuner]

Oh, I forgot to mention about the headsets. I had the feedback with the included headset, built-in speaker/mic and external speaker/mic. I found an old mono/single speaker headset from a Xbox (any headset will do though) and wired a 2.5mm stereo plug using ONLY the TIP and SHIELD connectors going to the speaker in the headset. Having that 3rd (RING) wire used (like with the stock headset) seems to be a contributing factor. Anyway, if you want full duplex mode I would recommend using built-in speaker and PTT but use headset wired as described above for the speakers.