• You can now help support WorldwideDX when you shop on Amazon at no additional cost to you! Simply follow this Shop on Amazon link first and a portion of any purchase is sent to WorldwideDX to help with site costs.
  • Click here to find out how to win free radios from Retevis!

December 2024 Holiday Contest - Free HS4 10 Meter Radio with Antenna!

Thank you to Retevis, who has donated an HS4 10 Meter Radio with a mag mount antenna as a giveaway prize for the 2024 Holidays!

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  • You must be a Premium Member to enter in the contest. Premium Members are those who donate to this site to help fund it; this is a small "thank you" to all of those who have done so for years. The details for premium membership are here: https://www.worldwidedx.com/account/upgrades
  • If you don't have a green banner below your name when you post that says "I Support WorldwideDX.com!", you are not a Premium member.
  • To enter the monthly contest, reply to this thread and simply reply that you want to be in the contest and understand the rules.
  • The winner will be drawn by random selection before New Years' Eve, not by moderators or site owner.
  • By participating in this contest, you are also agreeing to post a written review of the product with photos on this website. This does not have to be a lengthy post, but we want your opinion on the product!
  • Please post on your socials (facebook, instagram, tiktok, truthsocial, X), including this link to the product. Please also reference worldwidedx.com in some way to let people know where you got the radio. An example is, "If you'd like to win a free radio, click here for details" (linking to this site section)
  • The winner has 30 days to post their review article or risk being invoiced for the current sales price of the radio on Amazon.
  • To be clear: The drawing for the radio is an agreement of exchange of goods and services. The winner is agreeing to write content for this site in exchange for the radio. In the event of not following through on writing content, the drawing automatically turns in a purchase of the radio at current retail value after 30 days using the Paypal address used for Premium membership.

Radioddity QT-60 Pro

November 2024

The Radio Clinic of New York Review of Radioddity QT-60 Pro HF Transceiver

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The reviews that will follow in a series totaling three parts, are an overview, a portable operation and technical lab review. This is part one, with the subsequent parts to be published at a later date .

The Radioddity QT-60 Pro, is an amateur radio HF transceiver, that covers the frequency range of 24-30 MHz, capable of AM, FM, SSB, CW and while not published, digital modes are also possible.

The specifications are published and posted below for convenience.

This transceiver, manufactured in China by Qixiang Electron Science and Technology, is a result of countless hours of expertise and real world field testing, from beta testers, engineers and users across the globe. The end result, is the most advanced, highest performing radio of its kind, available today in its class. It gets its advanced feature set and performance, from the massive effort, developing its compact sister radio, the QT-80, which has also been recently released.

If the QT series radios look familiar to you, there is a reason why. You may not know who Qixiang is, but they manufacture radios under many different names, one of which is Radioddity. The QT series is not a familiar looking knock off, it is the real deal. It is in my opinion that the Qixiang built radios, are the best 10/12 meter radios out there right now.

Using DSP technology and high stability RF circuit designs, the HF radio products offered by Radioddity, exhibit features and performance, never seen before in a transceiver of this type. The RF output power levels achieved, are reliable and clean. The sensitive receiver, which has been meticulously designed, incorporates DSP noise reduction and AGC action, never seen before in this type of radio. The frequency stability out of the box, is impeccable. Users of some other well known branded radios, are often told they are off frequency or drifting. Not with the Radioddity QT series radios. The receiver has a warm sound, that is not irritating or hissy, causing listener fatigue. Transmit audio reports received, are also positive. I am told, my audio is clear and punchy, when using the supplied hand microphone. I get plenty of unsolicited compliments, of my signal and audio quality, from the stations I work.

It is a true communication device, that can be used in all environments successfully. I personally, have used it successfully at home, in a vehicle and running as battery operated portable. The size, features and performance, make this an ideal POTA/SOTA rig (more on this later). Making contacts, could not be easier than when using the QT-60 Pro. It really hears and talks well. While my primary mode of operation with the QT-60 Pro is SSB, it also shines when using the other available modes, including FT8. I personally use this radio when mobile or portable, but have used it from my home QTH with amazing success.

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The features that are incorporated in the QT-60 Pro, allow narrow/wide bandwidth FM, VOX ( that may also be used to transmit and receive digital signals, such as FT8/FT4 ( by constructing a simple cable only radio to computer interface), wide/narrow SSB transmission, repeater operation, weather radio/VHF receiver with alert function, along with many other features that are covered in the manual. PC programmability (programming cable required) is also excellent, with the free CPS software. This feature makes adding or removing functions/features, a very quick and easy job. Another thing worth mentioning, is that there is a "magic wire and jumper" that can be moved from pins 1/2 to 2/3 and snip the wire, for frequency expansion that enables 12 meter (cough..cough) coverage. Another nice feature that requires the USB programming cable, is the ability to upgrade the radio's firmware. New or improved features can be implemented by the end user.

While there are many features that stand out, from competitors products, there are some things I feel that could benefit from improvement. The VFO control, is not a true VFO, but a rather hard click detent, like what is found as a channel selector. I think tuning the VFO, with a smoother, softer, detent control (reminiscent of the HR-2510 and HTX-100 for example) would be more suitable in an amateur transceiver of this type. I found the CW mode to be lacking for me. There is no CW key jack, so I rigged a jack at the mic connector. This turned out to be pointless, as I tend to send around 30 WPM, +/- 2 WPM which posed a problem. The turnaround time from receive to transmit, is too slow to capture the first "dit" when sending at these speeds. This is a problem for me, as the first letter of my call sign, happens to have a leading "dit". Hence, I do not use the rig on CW. While, this may not be a problem for all CW ops, it is for me and I am writing this review! The sister radio, QT-80 has the ability to operate on the 15 meter band at diminished specs. This is indeed a huge bonus, particularly when the band conditions are not favorable for 10 and 12 meters. Perhaps I am simply spoiled, by the QT-80's outstanding capabilities. These things don't detract from the fantastic performance and value, that the QT-60 Pro offers. One of the first thing I noticed, when I unboxed the radio, was the large heat sink on the rear panel. I was thinking that the size was there, for a more robust power amplifier. It is still one of the best in class 10/12 meter transceivers ever to make it to market and I have many, starting with the HR-2510 from 1989. If I can dream, I would want the QT-80 inside the QT-60 Pro. That would be the best of both worlds. I use the compact size radio in my vehicle and the larger one for home or portable. The QT-60 Pro display is simply awesome. If the front panel keypad buttons were backlit, that would also be a nice addition for the future.

What sets the Radioddity HF radios apart from everything else, are the basic expectations from the point of sale, to the end user experience. Not only does one get the most advanced, highest performing transceiver of its type available today, Radioddity offers support and a real warranty. This is what sets Radioddity apart from the rest. I truly cannot understand, why anyone would purchase a radio from any other vendor. They stand behind what they sell and are really wonderful people to deal with.

I personally own every model HF radio that Radioddity offers. Each one has its own unique application, such as size, features, look etc. The two flagship offerings from Radioddity, the QT-60 Pro (full size TRX) and the QT-80 (compact TRX), which have similarities, are the best in class available today.

73 es GUD DX!
CU on 10!

Retevis Ailunce HS4 10 Meter Radio Review

A couple of months ago, Retevis sent me a pre-production Ailunce HS4 10 meter radio to evaluate and provide feedback on. I've been playing with it for a while, and now that the radio is released, I can publicly review this radio.

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Let's get the obvious out of the way: This is a 30 watt CB style radio, sold as a 10 meter radio but it can obviously be converted for use on 11 meters. What you decide to do with your radio is your business, not mine. For the purposes of this review, I've spent a lot of time using it as a 10 meter radio, to see how it performs and also pass along to others how to effectively use a radio like this on 10 meters.

This is an all mode radio, as evidenced by the mode knob on the front. There is an 1/8" CW input on the rear, next to the speaker output and micro-USB, which is used for programming:

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The radio is advertised at the following max power output levels: 12 watts CW/AM, 40 watts FM, 35 watts SSB. Using a Bird43P with a 50 watt HF element, I measured 12 watts CW/AM, and 30 watts on all other modes. It has features that serve little use on ham radio such as echo and roger beep, but a slight bit of reverb on SSB or AM can sound good in certain situations. Even the W2IHY EQ Plus has a feature to add reverb if you desire it, so there's no reason to brow beat having echo on a 10 meter radio. The radio is channelized into 6 bands/banks of 60 channels. The channels come from the factory spaced 5 khz apart. The first thing you'll want to do is download the HS4 software from Retevis' website. Setting the various functions from within the radio is easy enough, but given the limited display characters, some menus are a bit cryptic. The manual certainly helps, as well.

Basic Operation
The first setting you'll want to change is the behavior of the CLARIFIER knob. To effectively use this on the ham bands, you'll want the clarifier to change both TX and RX, and you should change the clarifier push setting to adjust the step frequency. Once you've done this, you can use it to adjust the frequency in less than the default 5 khz channels. The procedure I landed on to sweep a large portion of the band looking for activity, is set the mode of interest, like USB. Then I use the large channel knob to start at the bottom end of the interested frequency range; in this example let's use 28.380. I set the clarifier to 1khz increment and turn it left and right quickly to sweep a couple of khz up and down, then change the channel to the next step, 28.385 repeat the procedure. When the band is very active, you don't need to mess with the clarifier to find activity; just using the channel knob gets you close enough and then you can use the clarifier to hone in on the actually frequency the traffic is on. It's a little more tedious than a radio with a real VFO, but it works. Using this method, I've successfully made quite a few contacts. One thing to remember, the clarifier has stops at 7 o'clock and 5 o'clock. When you change the channel using the large channel knob, it doesn't know where the clarifier is at so it's best to reset it back to 12 o'clock before changing the large knob. If you change the frequency using the clarifier, then change the channel a few times, change the clarifier again, when you come back to the prior frequencies, it remembers the frequency you left the channel at, regardless of clarifier position. If you turn the radio off, you can reset to the clarifier to 12 o'clock; the radio will revert to the programmed channels if you get it too out of sorts.

I tested CW using a straight key. When the radio is in RX mode, the first tap of the key causes the radio to start TX, but it cuts off the length of the first dit/dah, which means the TX/RX switch isn't very fast. After that, it's fine, but if found myself doing a quick dit at the beginning of each transmission, which if you do it fast enough, doesn't get transmitted but switches into TX mode. You're not going to do fast CW with this radio, but you can operate.


Using FM Repeaters
You really need the programming software to set up the radio to use FM repeaters. Without the software, the only way to setup a transmit offset is changing the clarifier to adjust the TX frequency. The CTCSS tones and DCS codes are set using a numeric value (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.). The manual I received with the radio was also pre-production and they accidentally left out what the numeric values represented, but a quick email to the company solved that problem. I'm told the manual now includes a table of values. If you want, you can program a bunch of different channels with different tones that equate to the various repeaters you regularly use. Here's an example of how you might do that:

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In reality, in North America there are only a few RX frequencies used by FM Repeaters and they all have the same offset. Some people might want to just program in the main RX/TX pairs and then use the menu to change the CTCSS when working a different repeater. If you choose the latter, you'll need to keep the CTCSS lookup table handy. And since there's no way to rename memories on a radio like this, you'll need to make a table of anything you program using the example above. Regardless, it works and I've checked in a few times on a local 10m repeater.

Other Useful Features
The HS4 incorporates digital noise reduction for both transmit and receive. It also has a noise gate you can enable for TX. I use the RX noise reduction routinely on SSB and it really works well. There's button labeled HI CUT on the front that also helps reduce the white noise. As I'm writing this, I'm listening to JE7MGC from Japan making contacts on 28.450 using both the TX noise reduction and HI Cut enabled.

My old 1999 Jeep Wrangler has quite a bit of ignition noise, despite all my efforts over the years to get rid of it. But this is why HF radios come with a noise blanker. I temporarily wired up the HS4 in the Jeep to test the HS4 NB and it worked great.

The included microphone is an electret mic with up/down buttons and another button that operates the auto squelch function. A nice feature of this radio is a setting that allows you to switch the mic setting for use with a dynamic mic. The manual does not include the mic wiring pinout, so I asked for it and have included it:

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The HS4 also has high SWR protection, killing the TX when the SWR value exceeds the setting you program. The default is 10:1 SWR, but you can set it as low as 1.2:1 or as high as 20:1. It also includes voltage protection: if the supplied power is outside of the expected 10.5-16 volts, it won't allow you to transmit if this feature is enabled. The rig also has the ability to scan channels. When you program the frequencies, you can tell it whether or not you want it included in the scan list.

IMD Test
Retevis asked me if I have the ability to perform an IMD test. While I don't have a "lab grade" test setup, I do have the ability to do a rudimentary test. I have an Aursinc TinySA Ultra that is capable of doing some basic SSB IMD testing. (Note, the original TinySA cannot do this). I put a homebrew RF sampler inline into a dummy load and set the RF Power at about 1/2, ran into a 40 db attenuator into the TinySA Ultra. To generate the necessary 700Hz and 1900Hz tones, I used an Android app called "Frequency Generator", which also lets you set the volume balance of the two frequencies. I simply coupled the phone speaker to the mic and took a reading. In the results, you can tell that I didn't get the balance set perfectly, but it's still good enough to get a reading:

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The HS4 is advertised as -25db or better 3rd order IMD and -35db or better 5th order. This plot shows that 3rd order is exactly -25db and 5th order is about -32db (I forgot to put the markers on the graph). So, I would say it performs as advertised. More expensive HF rigs will perform better than this (and they should) but at this price point, you're getting the same performance that is considered acceptable in a CB radio.

Issues
As I already mentioned, my radio is a pre-production model. The biggest issue that I've reported is that sometimes turning the channel and clarifier results in erratic frequency/channel changes. When you change the channel slowly, sometimes it doesn't change or sometimes it skips a channel. When you do a quicker, more solid change, it works fine. I believe they just need a little higher quality encoder.

Summary
Let's remember that this is a sub $200 radio. As of this writing, you can get one on sale for $177 on Amazon. For $20 more, you can get an included 45" center coil-loaded 2 piece mag mount antenna. The mag mount antenna is very similar to the one Radio Shack used to sell the CB days. The transmit audio quality is very clear and articulate; it's a nice sounding radio even with the stock mic. The digital noise reduction works quite well; if you've never owned a rig with it built in, you owe it to yourself to try it out. If you have your tech license or equivalent and want something inexpensive to work 10 meters CW and SSB, this will definitely get you on the air making contacts. 30 watts power output is more than enough with a decent antenna and good conditions. The fact that programming software is included makes it more versatile that you would expect - it's very easy to store multiple frequency plans and load them on the fly, with a simple radio reboot to execute. And, if you really want to use it on 11m and understand the legalities, there's an option for that, too.

Ailunce HA1G GMRS HT Review - Retevis Giveaway Contest

Big thanks to WWDX, Retevis, and everyone who liked my picture. I won two of the HA1G hand held radios in the September contest which surprised me because I never win anything. Unfortunately due to a hiccup with the currier in China, I did not receive the radios until November 6 th.

Here is the link to purchase:

The radios come with a charging base, USB cord, wrist strap and manual. Like most electronics now days, it did not come with a USB charging cube to plug into the wall. Not a big deal as most people have a few extras that can be used. The battery itself also has a USB c port to charge direct which is a nice touch. I tested the standby time and it went over 65 hours and then started to beep before it completely died.

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November Black Friday 2024 Giveaway Contest - Radioddity QT60 Pro!

Thank you to Radioddity, who has donated a QT60 Pro 10 Meter Radio as a giveaway prize for Black Friday 2024!

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  • You must be a Premium Member to enter in the contest. Premium Members are those who donate to this site to help fund it; this is a small "thank you" to all of those who have done so for years. The details for premium membership is here: https://www.worldwidedx.com/account/upgrades
  • To enter the monthly contest, reply to this thread and simply reply that you want to be in the contest and understand the rules.
  • The winner will be drawn by random selection, not by moderators or site owner.
  • By participating in this contest, you are also agreeing to post a written review of the product with photos on this website. This does not have to be a lengthy post, but we want your opinion on the product!
  • Please post on your socials (facebook, instagram, tiktok, truthsocial, X), including this link to the product. Please also reference worldwidedx.com in some way to let people know where you got the radio. An example is, "If you'd like to win a free radio, click here for details" (linking to this site section)
  • The winner has 30 days to post their review article or risk being invoiced for the current sales price of the radio on Amazon.
That's it and good luck!

Retevis Ailunce HA1G GMRS HT

Thanks to the folks that "liked" my post, Retevis, WWDX and Moleculo, I have a new toy to play with.
20241102_174237.jpg The Ailunce HA1G-IP67

The radio arrived nicely packed with a charging stand, USB-a/USB-c charging cord, belt clip and carry strap. The battery charged in about an hour using a cell phone charger.

The radio feels like a quality build, heavy enough to feel sturdy but still lightweight. The on/off-volume and tuning knobs are tight and feel high quality. All buttons have a very solid feel. The radio has a hand-mic port on the side and the antenna connector is very solid and could easily be used to connect a handheld Yagi or Moxon built for the GMRS freqs.

Menus are simple to access for all setting changes, display is bright, adjustable and easy to read.

The radio can be charged using either the sturdy charging stand or the USB cable can plug directly into the battery itself.

Up to now I have been strictly a HF DX operator so I have a bit of learning to do regarding repeaters and such and can't offer much in the way of an operational review on that stuff at this time. I did make one simplex contact (yes, I got the GMRS license) with someone about 5-6 miles away and received a good signal and audio report. No doubt that this radio works quite well in all modes and will come in useful. It may push me to explore the 2m and 70cm Amateur bands which I've never played on.

Seems like a very well built HT to me, well worth the modest retail price they can be had for.

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September 2024 Contest - Free HA1G GMRS Radios!

Thank you to Retevis, who has donated Ailunce HA1G GMRS handheld radios as prizes for our first monthly contest!

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Here are the details on how you can win either a pair of HA1G radios or a single HA1G:

  • You must be a Premium Member to enter in the contest but everyone can participate in deciding the winner. Premium Members are those who donate to this site to help fund it; this is a small "thank you" to all of those who have done so for years. The details for premium membership is here: https://www.worldwidedx.com/account/upgrades
  • To enter the monthly contest, reply to this thread and attach one photo of a radio activity that you participated in. It can be Ham, CB, Commercial, homebrew, a site you visited; it doesn't matter. You don't have to show your face in the photo, but it must be your own picture. It can be from any time period.
  • Site Admins will use Microsoft CoPilot AI to ensure that image has not been lifted from another website. If you have posted the photo on another site or social media, you need to say so in your post to avoid being disqualified. This rule is to ensure that people don't steal photos in an effort to win.
  • The community votes on their favorite picture by "Liking" the post. At the end of the month the person with the most "likes" wins first prize.
  • By participating in this contest, you are also agreeing to post a written review of the product with photos on this website. This does not have to be a lengthy post, but we want your opinion on the product!
  • Please post on your socials (facebook, instagram, tiktok, truthsocial, X), including this link to the product. Please also reference worldwidedx.com in some way to let people know where you got the radio. An example is, "If you'd like to win a free radio, click here for details" (linking to this site section)
  • The winner has 30 days to post their review article or risk being invoiced for the current sales price of the radio on Amazon.

First Place on "likes" is a pair of HA1G GMRS radios. Second place is a single HA1G GMRS radio. Good luck and let's see some photos!

TIDRADIO TD-H3 VHF/UHF HT Review

TIDRADIO contacted me a few weeks go, asking if I would like to review their new micro-sized TD-H3 VHF/UHF handheld, which features USB-C and bluetooth interfaces. Of course, I can't resist playing with new radio toys, so the radio arrived a few days later.

First, this is a TINY radio! In this pic, you can see I'm holding it comfortably between my thumb and index finger. It is similar in size to the old Yaesu VX-3 but more narrow.

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For comparison, Here's a pic of it next to the TIDRADIO TD-H8, which is full-sized radio by today's standards.

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There are quite a few of reviews of this new TD-H3 published already, including on youtube. Later in this review, I'll discuss some of the best features, as well as some areas for improvement, but before I go any farther, I'm starting with this: I can't find much not to like about this radio, including the fact that according to my tests, it seems to comply with FCC specs for spurious emissions, which surprised me in a very positive way. So now that we have the size comparisons out of the way, let's look at the spectrum analyzer tests.

To test these radios, I use an AURSINC TinySA Ultra, fed through a a 40db attenuator, both available on Amazon:
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As a refresher, the FCC rules for VHF transmitters with average power less than 25 watts must be at least 40db below the fundamental frequency and not more than 25 microwatts. For the first test, I set the radio operating frequency on 146.52, which is the signal shown in the far left of the graphic.

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The test shows that the worst spurious emission is almost -51db. Since the TD-H3 is a 5 watt transmitter, the worst harmonic is only 31 microwatts. The db specs are well within the FCC specs but the power output of the worst spur is slightly over the spec. But still, this is about the best I've ever seen with an inexpensive radio.

The next image shows the same test on 440Mhz.
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These results are well within the FCC specs. I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised by this. Most of these sub $100 radios have a reputation for having filthy harmonics, but that is certainly not the case with the TD-H3. One last test: The radio has a menu option to enable transmission on 220Mhz. Users should be aware that the supplied antenna is labeled as a 144/435 Mhz unit on the underside; I tested that antenna on 220 Mhz and it should not be used on that band. If you intend to use the radio on 220, get an antenna designed for that band. Because the radio has the option to operate on 220, of course I ran a spec analyzer test there, as well.

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On this band, the radio is not within FCC specs (although it's not horrible), but since TIDRADIO advertises this only as a 2M/440 radio, I'll cut them some slack. To put all of these tests in perspective, this is the first $30 VHF/UHF radio I've ever seen that complies with FCC spurious emissions specs, so this is a big deal.

Now let's cover a few other interesting features. Unlike some other radios of this size, the TD-H3 features a bluetooth interface for programming. Like their other radio, the TD-H8, bluetooth only works with their own Odmaster app, which is available for both Android and Apple smartphones. In my tests, it worked flawlessly and the Odmaster app continues to receive improvements in usability. I especially like that you can save your frequency lists with your account and use them with various radios. Note that a few of the TD-H3 menus, such as enabling TX on 220Mhz and 500Mhz are not available in the Odmaster app.

The TD-H3 also features a USB-C interface for both charging an programming. On this radio, the feature is both cool and a little odd at the same time because there are two USB-C ports used for different purposes. The USB-C on the bottom on the battery is for charging:

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The USB-C port on the side of the radio is for programming, using either the Odmaster web app or Chirp.
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Unlike the Kenwood TH-D75, the USB-C port on the radio will not charge the battery. Also of note is that the USB-C on the battery will not charge if plugged into a PD port, which is unfortunate because that means it won't work on some car chargers unless they are also equipped with an extra USB-A port.

Another interesting design choice of this radio is the inclusion of two PTT buttons, shown here:
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The top button activates VFO A and the bottom PTT button actives VFO B. I have to admit, this took me a while to get used to. As of the time of this writing there is also an annoying bug, which I've notified TIDRADIO about. When you have dual watch enabled, if VFO B is the active one due to activity, if you press the top PTT, the radio displays the TX details of VFO B instead of VFO A. The company indicates that they may fix this in a future firmware update. Regarding firmware updates, the USB-C cable is not used for performing this operation. Instead, you need a USB-A cable that interfaces with the standard Kenwood speaker/mic interface, which I find a bit odd.

I have one other very minor gripe about this radio. Like all radios at the sub $100 price point, the scanner function is horribly slow. But on the more important upside, this radio covers the AM air band! The radio also features FM broadcast and it has WX frequencies pre-programmed. The easiest way to access the pre-programmed WX frequencies is to reprogram the bottom soft-button to activate. I did this with the Odmaster app when using a long-press, overriding the default monitor function.

Like the TD-H8, the H3 also has the ability to clone itself via bluetooth. You do this by holding down the bottom side button while turning the radio on, resulting in the following menu:
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Since I only have the one unit, I did not test this feature, but there are youtubers that show it functioning as advertised.

I have been using this radio daily for weeks. I really can't find much to complain about at this price point and a whole bunch to like. The volume is quite loud and the audio quality is very good. The radio fits in your average pants pocket and is easy to program with either Odmaster via bluetooth or Chirp using USB-C. It's so small, that it's a radio that I literally carry everywhere. TIDRADIO sells several antenna options that make it even more "pocket friendly". The radio is sold as GMRS or HAM, but you can also completely unlock it by holding down the top PTT and * key while turning it on. I feel no guilt in using this radio since it meets the FCC spurious emissions standards. Considering it also covers the air band, 220Mhz, weather, and FM broadcast, I don't see how you can go wrong at this price point. The radio is available on Amazon in various packs of batteries and antennas: https://amzn.to/4djGvfp

Note: edited to clarify the 2 meter spurious emissions test measurements.

Get a Grip Suction as a Temp Vehicle Antenna Mount

One of my good friends owns an auto detail and paintless dent repair shop. I stop by regularly after work to have a beer with him and am always amazed at all the neat tools he has to do this work. I spotted one on the bench the other day and immediately thought of an application for ham radio: The Get a Grip Suction Umbrella. This device has a really strong suction and a very strong adjustable grip that allows you to put a large umbrella on a vehicle to provide shade while working on it outdoors. I figured that if it was strong enough to hold a large umbrella in a stiff breeze, it could certainly hold a light weight HF antenna. This weekend, I got to try it out.

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My wife's cousin showed up for the holiday weekend in his overland van. This thing is outfitted to go anywhere, but has no antenna mounts. It made a perfect excuse to drive down by the marina to get some fresh ocean air and try out this suction as an antenna mount. The version my friend has is the large 6" inch suction version. The arm articulates every which way and has two large cams to tighten it once you get it in place. The grip opens up to 1.5" at the narrowest point, which is large enough to fit the Chameleon mini Unun base, or any antenna mast. The claw is some type of tough non-metal ABS, which means you can attach it directly to any part of an antenna.

I attached the mount to my Chameleon vertical antenna as seen here:

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This antenna is about 18 feet tall (or so). The clamp isn't quite strong enough to hold an antenna of this size at an angle - and I'm not sure why you would want to do this - but it holds just fine vertically.

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Here's a pic of the antenna on the overlander:

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I ran the coax up through the middle of the van to the cab where I placed the Elecraft KX3:

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This setup worked pretty well. It took me longer to take pics of the whole thing than actually set it up. I had the antenna in the air and radio online in less than 10 minutes.

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Here's a link to this suction mount: https://getagripnow.com/collections/grips-umbrellas/products/6-inch-grip-only-w-o-umbrella. Incidentally, they also have a lot of articulating arms that could be put to use in a ham radio application.

If interested, here's a link to the RG316 coax used in the pictures: https://amzn.to/4eS4sLT

ARCA Menard's Series West Napa 150 Activation 7/4/2024

I will be activating the ARCA Menard's Series West Napa 150 NASCAR race this July 4th, 2024 at Irwindale Speedway in Southern California. I will likely operate 20 and 40 meters and will update this post with frequencies as the event draws nearer. This event is broadcast live on floracing.com.

Starting up at 10AM Pacific, I'll start around 7.275+/-. I'll be here for a while and if propagation picks up later in the afternoon, I'll move to 14.285 +/-

update: moved to 14.244 due to very weak traffic all over the higher part of the band.


I hope to work you!