Chinese Radios

[Phreakin318]

ok so i was wondering if anyone knows what this radio might be a clone of and if anyone might know anything about it other than what is listed on it and if it would be a good radio to possably start selling.

NOTE TO MODS: i am not selling this just trying to see if it would be worth selling them.

 

[Thunderknight]

If it lists WIRES, that would be a Yaesu clone I think.

 

[Phreakin318]

If it lists WIRES, that would be a Yaesu clone I think.

yea just came across that information as well thanks.

 

[teufler]

quad band, looks almost like yaesu 8900. If so an old design as the 8900 came out in 2000. I have heard that Yaesu was very upset about the radio but China, being the home to knockoffs, they don't care. If this radio is like the 8900, where the lights do not work at night (buttons don't lite up) a dangerous radio in the car

 

[mmckenna]

... and if it would be a good radio to possably start selling.

Yaesu FT-8900R, Yaesu FT8900 Amateur Transceiver

Like Teufler said, it's a clone of the Yaesu 8900. The Yaesu model has been on the amateur market for 10+ years probably. I think this wouldn't be a big seller to the ham community at this point. You might get some buyers in the commercial market, but dealing in low volumes will make profits slim. Few commercial radio buyers would need a radio that covered Low VHF, High VHF and UHF all in one box.
Also, the "Wires" feature appears to be a trademark of Yaesu. You might run into some issues marketing a radio in the USA that violates that.

The Quad band antennas necessary to make full use of the capabilities were always awkward looking. The 10 meter band allocations in the USA made it useless for Technician licenses since the 10 meter FM portion was outside their allowed spectrum.

 

[teufler]

not to mention the quad band antennas looked like a rub golgberg design. They looked very top heavy in the wind, and they were expensive to get all 4 bands. The amount of contacts on 10fm and 6 fm wqere slim and none. Better to get a dual band, cheaper radio price and a larger variety of antennas available and better prices.

 

[com501]

You might find it tough to sell an amatuer product to a commercial user in the USA without running afoul of the FCC.

 

[mmckenna]

not to mention the quad band antennas looked like a rub golgberg design.

Exactly. I considered one of the FT-8900 radios at one point, but was turned off by those antennas. I looked at using a diplexer and multiple antennas, but the price was just getting too high. Ended up buying a 7800 and running that for a few years.

 

[rapidcharger]

It's a knockoff of a yeasu ft8900.

Ethical reasons aside, the Chinese mobile radios, at least the high power ones don't have a big enough price difference to roll the dice and have no support, warranty or resale value. I'd sooner sell flowers on the interstate off ramp than sell analog Chinese mobiles that are more than $200 but that's me.

 

[Phreakin318]

thanks for everyone's input, yea i decided they are full of crap after they quoted me almost $300 shipped for 1 unit, not gonna happen, heck they are cheaper than that on amazon.i don't believe i will be giveing china anymore money than i have to anymore.used to china would sell cheap leaving people room for a little bit of profit, now they overprice making it not worth the time or effort to fool with..

 

[robertmac]

quad band, looks almost like yaesu 8900. If so an old design as the 8900 came out in 2000. I have heard that Yaesu was very upset about the radio but China, being the home to knockoffs, they don't care. If this radio is like the 8900, where the lights do not work at night (buttons don't lite up) a dangerous radio in the car

Sure don't aggree with the lights. This cases one to look at the radio when driving, thus being distracted. I know the various keys and just by touch, I can tell what they do. No need to look at radio at all. Plus, most of the functions of the keys can be programmed into the 4 Programable buttons on the mic.. As others have said, it is a clone of the FT-8900.

 

[rapidcharger]

I think at a 149 retail price point you might have something depending on the margins and how many you had to import at a time.
And that's only if it wasn't s complete piece of garbage that customers keep sending back to you.
Of course we know now they don't let those mobiles go as cheap as the portables and I also think that customers are expecting to throw it away if a portable stops working. But a mobile that costs three times the price they're not going to as happy to toss it and buy another one. So it didn't have that disposability factor. And people probably wouldn't stockpile them like they do with the portables or have nearly as wide appeal. Like I said... Flowers

 

[MTS2000des]

Of course we know now they don't let those mobiles go as cheap as the portables and I also think that customers are expecting to throw it away if a portable stops working. But a mobile that costs three times the price they're not going to as happy to toss it and buy another one.

Not to mention, a mobile radio is typically installed in a...mobile. There is the hassle of removal to service the radio on a bench or send it off to the importer or to China which can exceed the value and any savings versus buying from a more "established" vendor/manufacturer with USA based sales and factory support.

 

[prcguy]

It may be a clone of a Yaesu 8900 from the front panel and features standpoint but inside there is no resemblance to the Yaesu. I have both the Yaesu FT-8900R and a TYT 9800 and they are not the same radio.

However, the TYT 9800 does more than the Yaesu, has wider frequency range on both transmit and receive and they can be found for around $219 compared to about $390 for the Yaesu. The key to success on any Chinese radio is buying from a dealer that will easily deal with warranty problems. If your in the US and buy it from China, good luck if it breaks.
prcguy