State of the Everything and the Kitchen Sink Radio

"Where is that radio that will do D-Star, DMR and Fusion?  It seems like everything has gone no where?"

Runbo H1

Thanks to Bill for the pointer to the Runbo Facebook page and the heads up about the H1:

"Faster, Safer and Smarter Hardware and OS With Quad Core 1.5GHZ CPU 64-bit architectures, H1 ran faster than ever before. It is secured with hardware encryption and Security Enhanced Android 5.0 Lollipop, providing a smoother and more secure computing experience.

IP67 engineered, H1 is resistant to water, shock, dust. It endures one meter drop to plank wood or even concrete in some case. Optional industry-grade 4.3” Capacitance touch screen is readable outdoor in sunlight, supporting glove/wet hand operation."

Runbo Q5-S Android Phone/Radios

I saw in an e-mail from Grapevine Amateur Radio that they are selling the Runbo Q5-S (in UHF or VHF):

"Brand new. The Runbo Q5 S is the successor of the Runbo X5+. It comes with a Quad Core processor at 1.5 GHz and a better graphic processor. It has overall better performance than the X5+. As all Runbo products, it has been built with high quality materials allowing him to be the next starting line of Runbo models. 

The Runbo Q5 S has a resolution of 1280×720 and support multi-touch capacity. It features a powerful Gorilla Glass which is extremely resistant again scratches and impacts. Enjoy you photos and videos as you would on other popular smartphones with the great 4.5 Inch screen.

Runbo Q5 S is equipped with an RF connector so you can connect the delivered antenna to use it as a Walkie Talkie device; the actual version covers Very High Frequencies (VHF, 136-174 MHz)."

Runbo X5: Notes

Anger comments on the Runbo X5 Android phone with UHF:

"Have good and BAD news...Phone works, but there is a software problem with the Walkie Talkie mode.
1: If you go and set it as per page 7 of the manual;
• Select Australia say channel 25 Frequency 477.0250
• You can PPT (transmit (TX) no problems)
• However you cannot receive?????????????
2: If you select one of the 6 programmable options and manually set the Frequency for e.g.
• TX 477.0250 and RX 477.0250 ( Channel 25 frequency)
• It all works as one would expect….
• You can transmit and receive from others using hand and fixed Walkie Talkie‘s and it works well.
You also have to pre-program the 2 emergency channels – otherwise it is useless if you need for urgent / medical reasons.
So if you only ever use a limited set up to 4 channels and you pre-program the phone; then you’re OK… But if someone wants you to go to another channel, then you have to manually delete and re program…
If there is a FIX for this I would love to know what it is...."

Runbo X5: Android Mobile with UHF

Thanks to an anonymous comment on this post about the Android HT, I present the Runbo X5. The Runbo X5 is a ruggedized Android mobile phone with a built-in UHF (400 - 470 MHz) radio. Clearly, this goes well beyond the basic Android HT we were considering given the mobile phone, IP67 rating, etc. and the price goes up accordingly, but now we have an example of one Android HT implementation.

My Russian is as poor as my Chinese, but I think this post may be correct - the antenna is for the UHF radio, not the mobile phone functionality.

Here is some translated commentary from a review of the previous model, but I think we get the gist of the UHF "intercom" capability:

"Intercom function is a feature of the Runbo X3, no cell phone, no cell phone card case, within a distance of 3 to 5 km, free flowing intercom, the signal is clear, open distance greater than 10 km . The intercom function is all free, ALICE can freely travel are between the timely sharing the joy of the journey."