I downloaded CPS, read the radio, which alerted me to the outdated firmware. I had also downloaded the firmware, from the Retevis website, at the same time as the CPS. I didn't read any docs prior to connecting to the radio, so things went smoothly. The CPS was intuitive enough for me to write a few test channels on 3 bands.
2M and 70cm worked fine, good RX sensitivity. I didn't connect to any test equipment yet, but will at some point. The TX does work in amateur and GMRS. It does not work in 1.25m band.
I don't use many repeaters, that I do not own, so I am limited to what I am familiar with.
The speaker audio is very good, the display is readable. I programmed the radio to use reverse burst at 120 degrees. I noticed, that it works with one of two of my Motorola repeaters. I know that the turn off code is being sent on both, but only worked with one. I will need to look into that. Maybe the PL encoder isn't working correctly on that repeater, or the controller is set up differently. I am gating PL encode on this one, but have that feature currently disabled.
The firmware upgrade flashed without incident. I would like to see this radio unblocked to TX on 220 MHz. I am curious as to how it would perform. Maybe the next FW update will allow it. I'll have to request it.
I tested the supplied antenna. It isn't perfect, but it is A LOT better, than many others I have tested. There are numerous grammatical errors in the menu screens, like most every Chinese radio I have. The RX performance on 220 MHz, was clearly reduced. This may be due to the antenna, not being designed for that band. I will try a different antenna and measure RX sens, then report back. I can't complain about this, as the radio is not advertised as tri-band, but it is a "bonus" to me. I spend most of my time on my 220 system these days, to disengage with the lids that show up on UHF.
I keep a UHF Motorola Systems Saber handy as a reference test radio. The reverse burst on both of the Motorola UHF repeaters I mentioned previously does work. So, I don't know what is up with this radio, working on one and not the other.
I tried CHiRP as well. I didn't see any significant advantage with it. A field to edit band plans would be nice. I have had this with Baofeng VIP CPS and some others. The FCC ID label, pertains to only part 15 on all of these Chinese toys, so who cares.
I'll post more, as I use it and learn more about it.
EDIT:
I reached out to Retevis support. The responses I received, were disappointing. They said they "confirmed" that the radio will TX on 220, after EXPANDING, with the current firmware. It does not.... Second, they would not discuss anything with me, until I gave them proof of purchase info, like platform used etc. They also asked for photos/video of the issue. This is obviously an inept support rep, that should not be.
I was explicit, with my inquiry below:
"I am able to RX 220 Mhz at reduced performance. I would like to TX at 220, even at reduced performance. I am using 220 mhz these days, not 2m or 70cm."
When I explained that I won the radio on the WWDX forum and was shipped directly from Retevis, they said the following:
"Since you won this unit via the WWDX forum, we suggest that you take personal responsibility for your actions. Should any issues arise, contacting the organizers of the WWDX forum will be the most efficient way to get them resolved.
We are the official Retevis team; please feel free to reach out if you have any further questions."
Really? I am not going kiss anyone's ass, for a radio review, so here it is. I will be updating this post, with any new info. But, at this point, I will not be recommending anything from this company, unless they get some support reps that comprehend English, answer queries directly and accurately and accept that they can't expect a user forum to support their product, regardless of the source.
73,
SL
2M and 70cm worked fine, good RX sensitivity. I didn't connect to any test equipment yet, but will at some point. The TX does work in amateur and GMRS. It does not work in 1.25m band.
I don't use many repeaters, that I do not own, so I am limited to what I am familiar with.
The speaker audio is very good, the display is readable. I programmed the radio to use reverse burst at 120 degrees. I noticed, that it works with one of two of my Motorola repeaters. I know that the turn off code is being sent on both, but only worked with one. I will need to look into that. Maybe the PL encoder isn't working correctly on that repeater, or the controller is set up differently. I am gating PL encode on this one, but have that feature currently disabled.
The firmware upgrade flashed without incident. I would like to see this radio unblocked to TX on 220 MHz. I am curious as to how it would perform. Maybe the next FW update will allow it. I'll have to request it.
I tested the supplied antenna. It isn't perfect, but it is A LOT better, than many others I have tested. There are numerous grammatical errors in the menu screens, like most every Chinese radio I have. The RX performance on 220 MHz, was clearly reduced. This may be due to the antenna, not being designed for that band. I will try a different antenna and measure RX sens, then report back. I can't complain about this, as the radio is not advertised as tri-band, but it is a "bonus" to me. I spend most of my time on my 220 system these days, to disengage with the lids that show up on UHF.
I keep a UHF Motorola Systems Saber handy as a reference test radio. The reverse burst on both of the Motorola UHF repeaters I mentioned previously does work. So, I don't know what is up with this radio, working on one and not the other.
I tried CHiRP as well. I didn't see any significant advantage with it. A field to edit band plans would be nice. I have had this with Baofeng VIP CPS and some others. The FCC ID label, pertains to only part 15 on all of these Chinese toys, so who cares.
I'll post more, as I use it and learn more about it.
EDIT:
I reached out to Retevis support. The responses I received, were disappointing. They said they "confirmed" that the radio will TX on 220, after EXPANDING, with the current firmware. It does not.... Second, they would not discuss anything with me, until I gave them proof of purchase info, like platform used etc. They also asked for photos/video of the issue. This is obviously an inept support rep, that should not be.
I was explicit, with my inquiry below:
"I am able to RX 220 Mhz at reduced performance. I would like to TX at 220, even at reduced performance. I am using 220 mhz these days, not 2m or 70cm."
When I explained that I won the radio on the WWDX forum and was shipped directly from Retevis, they said the following:
"Since you won this unit via the WWDX forum, we suggest that you take personal responsibility for your actions. Should any issues arise, contacting the organizers of the WWDX forum will be the most efficient way to get them resolved.
We are the official Retevis team; please feel free to reach out if you have any further questions."
Really? I am not going kiss anyone's ass, for a radio review, so here it is. I will be updating this post, with any new info. But, at this point, I will not be recommending anything from this company, unless they get some support reps that comprehend English, answer queries directly and accurately and accept that they can't expect a user forum to support their product, regardless of the source.
73,
SL
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