KD8DVR
Member
heh heh... I don't like whackers either... which goes along with #3
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What's a good radio?
- Thread starter Reconrider
- Start date
- Status
heh heh... I don't like whackers either... which goes along with #3
Some say that anything out of China is rubbish and to be avoided.
By that measure, NO commercially available radio is eligible. If they're not actually made in China, then the majority of components within *will* originate from China. No exceptions... Motorola, Kenwood, Icom, Standard, etc included.
As always, cost is a great indicator. Breaking that down a bit further, there's the cost associated with design, R&D, and the cost associated with components & manufacture. Cheap out on the design of a circuit, but give it top quality components & assembly won't compensate for poor design. Conversely, great design can be compromised by poor components & manufacture.
Here's my take on the 'tiers of quality vs cost' when it comes to radio:
Ultra-budget: Baofeng / Quansheng etc. Designed to be the lowest cost in the market. Shortcuts are taken in the circuit design, and the quality of components & assembly are low to keep costs down. That doesn't mean they're to be avoided at all costs; for ham use, they could be quite OK. If twenty years ago you said that you'd be able to buy a fully synthesised, dual band, computer programmable, alpha-numeric display with CTCSS & DCS, VHF/UHF radio the size of your fist for less than fifty bucks, you'd have been told that is absolute fantasy. Yesterdays fantasy is todays reality. They do work, just don't expect extreme durability or super high quality.
Budget: TYT and their re-branded offshoots sit around here. A step up in quality from the ultra-budget. Bit more care in the circuit design, slightly higher quality construction, a bit less toy-like. Some are even Part 90 approved! I think the best "bang for buck" for all of the radios under $200 is the Radioddity GD-77, and if you're a ham the (free) replacement firmware OpenGD77 enhances the usability and functionality of these radios.
Quality-budget: AnyTone & Ailunce etc. Quality of design is again stepped up in this tier, matched with better components & assembly. You'll also typically get after sales support at this level, too. Again, some are Part 90 approved. At this price point, the quality of construction is approaching that of the top tier manufacturers, as much as some would hate to admit. More than one radio industry professional has been heard to say of the AnyTone 878 that they were pleasantly surprised at the quality of it's design & construction. Features & functions at this level will often eclipse the top tier manufacturers eg: more channels / user IDs, extra features etc. My favourite radio is the AnyTone 878. Ultra customisable, solid, a pretty good RF performer, loaded with features & functions. AnyTone do all their own R&D, design, manufacture, assembly & testing in-house and you can see they take pride in the product they send out the factory door.
Professional low tier: Hytera, Maxon etc. R&D costs at this tier start to account for a large part of purchase price. Quality design, components, and thoroughly tested to ensure they'll do what they say they'll do under almost every conceivable situation.
Professional top tier: Motorola, Harris, Kenwood etc. I hesitate to use the words 'no compromise on quality' but that's pretty close to how they are. Extensive R&D, cutting edge design, supreme durability, a real class act. And you're paying top dollar for it, too. This is the sort of radio you equip a firefighter with going into a burning building because their lives may depend upon the radio doing it's job.
By that measure, NO commercially available radio is eligible. If they're not actually made in China, then the majority of components within *will* originate from China. No exceptions... Motorola, Kenwood, Icom, Standard, etc included.
As always, cost is a great indicator. Breaking that down a bit further, there's the cost associated with design, R&D, and the cost associated with components & manufacture. Cheap out on the design of a circuit, but give it top quality components & assembly won't compensate for poor design. Conversely, great design can be compromised by poor components & manufacture.
Here's my take on the 'tiers of quality vs cost' when it comes to radio:
Ultra-budget: Baofeng / Quansheng etc. Designed to be the lowest cost in the market. Shortcuts are taken in the circuit design, and the quality of components & assembly are low to keep costs down. That doesn't mean they're to be avoided at all costs; for ham use, they could be quite OK. If twenty years ago you said that you'd be able to buy a fully synthesised, dual band, computer programmable, alpha-numeric display with CTCSS & DCS, VHF/UHF radio the size of your fist for less than fifty bucks, you'd have been told that is absolute fantasy. Yesterdays fantasy is todays reality. They do work, just don't expect extreme durability or super high quality.
Budget: TYT and their re-branded offshoots sit around here. A step up in quality from the ultra-budget. Bit more care in the circuit design, slightly higher quality construction, a bit less toy-like. Some are even Part 90 approved! I think the best "bang for buck" for all of the radios under $200 is the Radioddity GD-77, and if you're a ham the (free) replacement firmware OpenGD77 enhances the usability and functionality of these radios.
Quality-budget: AnyTone & Ailunce etc. Quality of design is again stepped up in this tier, matched with better components & assembly. You'll also typically get after sales support at this level, too. Again, some are Part 90 approved. At this price point, the quality of construction is approaching that of the top tier manufacturers, as much as some would hate to admit. More than one radio industry professional has been heard to say of the AnyTone 878 that they were pleasantly surprised at the quality of it's design & construction. Features & functions at this level will often eclipse the top tier manufacturers eg: more channels / user IDs, extra features etc. My favourite radio is the AnyTone 878. Ultra customisable, solid, a pretty good RF performer, loaded with features & functions. AnyTone do all their own R&D, design, manufacture, assembly & testing in-house and you can see they take pride in the product they send out the factory door.
Professional low tier: Hytera, Maxon etc. R&D costs at this tier start to account for a large part of purchase price. Quality design, components, and thoroughly tested to ensure they'll do what they say they'll do under almost every conceivable situation.
Professional top tier: Motorola, Harris, Kenwood etc. I hesitate to use the words 'no compromise on quality' but that's pretty close to how they are. Extensive R&D, cutting edge design, supreme durability, a real class act. And you're paying top dollar for it, too. This is the sort of radio you equip a firefighter with going into a burning building because their lives may depend upon the radio doing it's job.
mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
Sure, the Chinese can make great stuff. It depends on how much people are willing to pay. If a company wants to build something in China, and is willing to pay for quality control and proper materials, there's no reason it can't be a high quality product.
I have several Milwaukee cordless power tools that are made in China. I've had several of them for 10+ years and they work just fine. What makes that possible is that Milwaukee wanted quality products and found a factory that would do the work. They've been good about keeping the QC up. I have no problem with those tools.
On the flip side, as you pointed out, some companies don't care, just want the least expensive product available. Chinese companies are happy to comply.
Like I said, cheap Chinese radios sort of have their place in the hobby, maybe.
N4KVE
Member
To me, any radio that’s not a double conversion superhet receiver is an intermod sponge, & to be avoided, unless you live in the middle of nowhere. But that’s how they can sell radios for under $100. It’s called direct conversion. With some of the CCR’s, it’s the variations in quality that bugs me. Many of the TYT MD380’s have horrible TX audio, & there’s no adjustments for that, unless somethings changed. But a buddy has one, & his sounds as good as the hi tier radios. But that’s rare.
Well they do, just not in the price range the OP specified (TH-D72a is dual band and TH-D74a is triple band)
Reconrider
Active Member
The TH-D74a is a beautiful radio. I might have to make the price work and get that one. Won't be soon, but I really do like it.
That it is. I had one but sold it because I needed the $$$. Still regret that decision
mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
In the original post that this thread was split off from, the OP was using Part 90 and GMRS frequencies. In post 3 of this thread, the OP says he has an amateur radio and a GMRS license, so while a Kenwood TH-D72 and 74 are multi-band, they are only for amateur radio use.
Kenwood does not have any multi band portable radios on the commercial/public safety side. Over on the EF Johnson side of the Kenwood house, they do.
TailGator911
Silent Key/KF4ANC
What he said. I can vouch for the AnyTone 878 UT which is my go-to DMR radio. Good quality, great audio, built solid, nice graphics/display and fantastic customer service @ Bridgecom. With accessories (spkr mic, case, etc) the whole kit and kaboodle cost me about $250. Great budget friendly quality radio for someone like me venturing into unknown waters and hesitant to invest a lot of money into something I wasn't sure I would like. I am certainly glad I went the AnyTone route. I think I like it
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