"I think the developers of the Anytone TERMN-8R outdid themselves on this one. The inclusion of the:
– Certified GMRS, MURS and Commercial in one radio
– Cross Band Repeater
– Two internal receivers
– Upgradeable Firmware
– 6 Band capability
– 200 channels/10 Banks
– Dual PTT
– 2TONE / 5TONE / MSK Messaging
– Stun / Kill capability
makes this one of the most versatile radios on the market."
"Anytone Tech’s ANILE-8R is a very good radio and can make you forget the Baofeng BF series."
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Is anyone else #excited? There was a plane that just landed in the USA - that has something on it... Hint Hint
— AnyTone Tech (@AnyToneTech) February 25, 2015
1. Some folks were disappointed that there wasn't a new, earth-shattering radio.
2. Some folks were disappointed that the big news was that Baofeng Tech was selling AnyTone radios.
3. Some folks were confused about Baofeng Tech selling AnyTone radios.
4. Some folks don't like the names/models (ANILE-8R, NSTIG-8R, OBLTR-8R, TERMN-8R).In general, there was a lot more time spent discussing the announcement than the radios themselves. That trend continues here for the moment. My thoughts about each of those points.
1. Sure, I'd like to have gotten new models with every feature imaginable under the sun - and for $25. While not revolutionary, I think we are still moving in the right direction. Upgradeable firmware - good. NOAA weather alerts - I want this feature. (A couple of my cars had the weather band and I loved having it.)
I may buy the TERM-8R depending on it's price. Price is my segue to my big point about Chinese radios in general... value. What has kept my interest in them for so long (starting with the Wouxun KG-UVD1P and then kicking in to high gear with the UV-3R) is that, for the most part, they've offered a lot of utility compared to the price. It started with the HTs and now we are seeing mobiles and HF rigs.
2. If I'm Baofeng Tech and I'm branching out like this - it is big news to me and I'd be excited about it. You want to get the word out. I don't have a problem with them "selling" the news. I was happy to post the teaser. It was fun to imagine what they might be doing. It's up to us to decide if we want to "buy" - the hype, the radios, etc.
3. If you follow anything in the start-up world, people talk about "pivoting." Some times you start out in one direction and then realize that there are additional opportunities (or better ones) that necessitate a change. We saw Wouxun.us move away from Wouxun radios and become Import Communications. Also, there is a difference from the manufacturer/factory and companies that are resellers.
4. I'm not a big fan of the names, but I really understand what they are trying to do. They wanted something that created a family of radios (the "ator" or "-8R"). They wanted something that would differentiate them from other radios and models. As others have said, while not perfect, at least they are trying and it could be worse (UV-3R Mark II Plus+). The way the current ecosystem works, the manufacturers don't exert any control over the names, so that leaves the resellers to battle it out.So, where does that leave us? For me, I'm gonna watch for the pricing... and I might add another radio to the shack.
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"Finally the first Chinese IARU 2 (Americas) Tri-Band (2m, 1.25m and 70cm) amateur radio has a delivery day:
The long awaited AnyTone AT-5888UV III can be ordered now here:
http://www.wouxun.us/item.php?item_id=343
$330 (includes priority mail shipping, special intro price until 2014-12-15), after which, it`s going to be $395
Can't wait to see some reviews."Details from the Import Communications website:
| Frequency Range: | ||
| Left Side RX/TX | 136-174 MHz, 200-260 MHz, 400-490 MHz | |
| Left Side RX Only | AM: 108-134 MHz (Airband) | |
| Right Side RX/TX | 136-174 MHz, 400-490 MHz | |
| Right Side RX Only | AM: 108-134 MHz (Airband) | |
| Functions: | ||
| Working Mode | Full Duplex - UU, UV, VV Repeater Mode - UV, VU | |
| Dual Receive | Side A & Side B | |
| Output Power | 55 Watts VHF, 40 Watts UHF Low Power Steps, 10w / 5w | |
"I talked a friend into buying two of these tri-band handhelds because of the advertised FHSS (frequency hopping spread spectrum) feature, which turned out to be more of a random frequency trunking feature and probably a misunderstanding of the FHSS term by the Chinese manufacturer.
The radios were purchased from the exclusive US importer "Import Communications", who notified all buyers about the mistake with the FHSS option and offered a refund if so desired.
So here I sat with my friends two otherwise good looking and great sounding 2m, 220MHZ and 440MHz plus part 90 certified handhelds as he mulled over keeping or returning the radios. After reading up on the manual, perusing the extensive programming software and living with these handhelds for a week I decided I can't live without it and and purchased one from my buddy who originally bought the pair.
These radios cover 136 to 174, 220 to 225 and 400 to 520MHz transmit and receive plus .52 to 30MHz AM HF (10KHz steps), 64 to 108MHz WBFM, 118 to 136MHz AM and 225 to about 260MHz FM receive only. The radio works surprisingly well in the AM broadcast and HF SW bands with an appropriate antenna and I did not detect any overload problems feeding it with a large G5RV type HF antenna.
The radios have a very extensive but fairly easy to navigate menu system unlike any Baofeng or Wouxun I have used and I love the various banks I can assign to memory channels to scan only specific banks if I want or I can scan the entire memory. There is also a quick talk around feature for your programmed repeater frequencies and all sorts of other nifty features that I don't see on other Chinese brands.
When using the AM/FM broadcast or SW feature, if you receive a call on whatever two way frequency is being monitored the broadcast band will temporarily mute during the call then pop back in about 5 seconds later. You can listen to music or local news and not miss a radio call.
The receiver performance is also much better than Baofeng and Wouxun radios I've tested. I live in a very RF rich environment and was recently comparing a Baofeng UV-5R, a Wouxun UV8 plus a Yaesu VX-8R and FT-60 at a local hilltop about a half mile from a major repeater site with lots of RFI.
While listening to some simplex activity on 146.52 I noticed both Yaesu radios were hearing lots of things the Baofeng was not. Some of the signals that were almost full quieting on both Yaesu radios just did not exist on the Baofeng UV-5R. I was also playing with the cross band repeat on the new Wouxun KG-UV8D at the same location and noticed it was not repeating things that I could hear clearly on the input frequency on the Yaesu radios.
I repeated the same tests with the new Anytone AT-3318UV-E and its on par with the Yaesu radios and could hear every weak signal the Yaesu's could in the heavy RF environment. The Anytone also cross band repeated weak signals very well under the same conditions.
I'm not knocking the inexpensive Baofeng radios, for the price they great little radios and they measure very sensitive on a service monitor. But put them in a busy RF environment and their shortcomings will show up. The Wouxun KG-UV8D is also a really nice radio and quite a leap from the first Wouxuns I played with. But the AT-3318UV-E performance is is better and you get 220MHz tx/rx and a lot more features for just a little more money.
Playing with the AT-3318UV-E menus its also apparent that Anytone engineers are familiar with how American commercial and amateur users interface with two way radio equipment. Other Chinese brands have odd and useless features and will not do many things that radio users are demanding.
The transmit and receive audio is extremely good and better than most handhelds I own including many Motorola, Yaesu, Icom and the like. The receive audio is almost Hi-Fi and people who I know personally come out of the speaker sounding much more like themselves than any other handheld radio I have used in recent times. I also gets great unsolicited transmit audio reports.
The 3318UV-E is also more compact than a Wouxun KG-UV3 type or KG-UV8D, which I had just purchased and sold after playing with the Anytone. So far battery life is very good from the stock 1800mah pack and I can't say enough good things about this very modestly priced handheld, its just a winner all around, despite the misunderstood FHSS feature.
I think the closest competitor to the AT-3318UV-E model is probably the Kenwood TF6a, which runs about $190 more and is not FCC Part 90 compliant, although its HF receive is SSB capable. The TH6a is also a design from 10+ years ago.
So there is my story about a pair of radios purchased for a specific feature and when that feature did not pan out the radios turned out to be so good I couldn't send them back.
Mike"
While the looks are still typical Alinco, inside it’s another story. The Alinco DR-138 and DR-438, two mono-band radios, are incarnations of the AnyTone AT-588 mono-band radios. The ‘all new’ DR-638 dual-band radio is an incarnation of the AnyTone AT-5888.As I was posting this, I was going to add the Alinco label/tag and realized I had never used it before. Funny that I've made it four years without using it and now I add it because of Anytone.
Ed has posted on the AT-3318UV Yahoo Group to clarify how to receive the AM aircraft band on the AT-3318UV-D & AT-3318UV-E:"Some people have been confused in how to access the AM aircraft band with the UV-D and UV-E models. Hopefully this will help.
To access any of these bands, you must set MENU 34 to "ON". Please note that MENU 18 (BAND) has nothing to do with receiving any of these bands. You must also have the appropriate band set to "Enable" in the Function Setup window of the programming software. If the band is not "Enabled" in the software, each band will show on the radio's display but there will be no reception possible.
The four bands are accessed in the radio in the order of FM, AM, SW and LW. The last band used will be the first one accessed. Press FUNC + FM and one of the four bands will show on the radio's display. You can step through the remaining three bands by pressing FUNC + BAND for each change. To stop the radio from receiving one of the bands, press FUNC + FM.
Choices made in the Function Setup window of the software will determine whether the band starts in VFO mode or in MR mode. Pressing the V/M button will switch between the modes. Using the keypad numbers, you can directly enter either a frequency or a saved channel, depending on the mode the radio is in. Pressing FUNC + SCAN will begin scanning the saved channels or the frequency range depending on the mode."
The reception of FM Broadcast, AM Aircraft, Shortwave & Longwave are all tied together. FM and AM are available in both VFO and MR modes. You can store up to 99 channels for both FM and AM mode. SW and LW are only available as VFO mode."
"a true dual band radio. It will receive two signals at the same time and it will even cross band repeat. This radio will sell in the price range of the KG-UV6D."On the Yahoo Group, he adds:
"Retail will be $199.95, but may sell for a little less from time to time.Shipment of only 30 will be delivered mid-Jan.
500 more will follow soon, depending on the Chinese New Year schedule.
I will put up an ordering page in a day or so."