I wanted to get something very simple for the wife. I was showing her some of my HAM radios and she very overwhelmed. I thought this would be a good radio for her because it's simple to operate and easy to hide. I wasn't about to spend double for a Midland radio. It should be arriving at my house tomorrow. Looking forward to getting this set up.
@@MCTGMRS78009 she loves it. I kinda enjoy how simple the radio is, so I bought a second one for my truck. The only thing I didn't like was that every channel came programmed with CTCSS tones already programmed, but it was an easy fix. If you're thinking about it getting it, do it. I'm planning on getting a more powerful radio for the house.
Half watt and NO REMOVABLE ANTENNA (which is the reason) they coulda got it to .5 watt but because it has a removable antenna it disqualifies it for frs. But there IS programming software for this radio on Retevis website, and I have a sneaky suspicion you can tx on those channels by addint the tx frequency. They are blank in the factory setting with no tx fx, so if you add it in...
Just an update. I put a Wouxun ANO-050G Mobile GMRS Antenna on the Gladiator. Then using a MFJ-874 meter I was getting 1:1.2 SWR. The real surprise was that I was getting 22 watts! With the dual-band antenna (not ideal for GMRS) and the included mag-mount SWR was low, but on a SURECOMM meter I was only getting around 15 watts. No change in cabling, mount, or location. Just putting a known good antenna in place seemed to let the little radio kick up its heels.
@MCTGMRS78009 On a cowel mount bracket in front of the A pillar. Be listening in the morning. I shpuld be passing through in the 8-9 AM bracket. Have a med appt in SA.
I just purchased this radio and i absolutely LOVE IT! So easy to stash away/grab a quick radio type unit. I'm fairly new to GMRS. I'm 60 years old and grew up with scanners and CB Radio. Realistic Radio Shack old i am lol. Anyway, great review. I appreicate your time and i hit my local repeaters instantly out of the box. Great little radio! I highly recommend for first timers. -Bob aka WRKH-707 Clear and Monitoring.
Thanks for the review. I am relatively new to GMRS. I currently am running a Midland MXT115 in my truck along with some Midland handhelds (just purchased some a couple Baofeng UV-9G because they are waterproof). Looking to add a mobile to my wife's Gladiator. Thought about another MXT115 in one of the Midland packages; however, thought I would explore some other options as well.
The Retevis RA86 is programmable. I programmed mine last night using the programming cable, my computer and the Retevis software. The programming port is in the back next to the antenna port.
You can add channels. I have added channels to my RA86. You can select Rx ant Tx frequency and “privacy” codes, power and wide or narrow band. Personally I consider that programmable.
P.S. As of today (11/3/2023) this radio is only $94.00 on the Retevis website. That seems like a very good deal for a radio like this. The comparable Midland is $180.00.
Contemplating between this and the midland mxt275? I’m sold on this solely because you can switch it to wide band, unlike the midland which forces you to use narrow band only. Midland has their marketing team dialed for off roaders. You’re paying for the name. Buy a Retevis and pay for the product. All I need is a simple no brains required radio for my Baja Bug to talk to my mates.
The ONLY reason it can't transmit on channels 8-14 are because those channels are for only HANDHELD radios to be transmitting on. Mobile radios are not allowed to transmit on those channels even if they can transmit at 1/2 watt.
@@bradlong7941 Wrong. Example BaofengTech GMRS-V2, Wouxun KG-805G, KG-935, Baofeng UV-5G, and so many more 22 channel GMRS handhelds (plus repeater channels too) that are FCC certified.
@@djsoundzentertainment42 All on your list are Chinese make. They are close but violate the FCC detailed rules if they can TRANSMIT on the FRS classic channel plus have a detachable antenna....they are not fully compliant. There are some sneaking under the fence. Motorola, now owned from Hong Kong, is very strict and have been for years. Others not so much.
Very good review. This is the one I’m going with for my car. I need one that has the screen and controls in the microphone because of the space in my car. I was going to go with the Midland MXT275 until I realized it was narrow band only. That’s a deal breaker. I will note that every mobile radio I’ve seen states a max wattage assuming you use better coaxial cable. The cheap stuff that comes with radios has way too much loss. The first thing I’m gonna do is chunk the cable and antenna and upgrade. I wish companies would offer upgraded coaxial and antennas. I would rather pay more for something I’d keep vs just throw away something I’m already paying for.
You can actually toggle between the proprietary tone number or the actual tone itself in the menu and eliminate the need to consult the chart in the manual....
Holy S&(&! Lacoste has a Dollar General now? I wouldn't have imagined. LOL. My wife just informed me it's where the Sav-a-Dollar was back when we lived in Castroville. As to the radio. Appreciate the review. I just ordered two. I've been meaning to get something in the wife's little Jeep Renegade. This will work for her and I have a Tram GMRS mag mount already on hand. In my Gladiator, I "finally" got around to installing my old VN-7500 for 2M/70CM. (I still have a new, never-used Retevis version in the box.) I also installed an Anytone AT-6666 for 10/11 meters. The radio is fine but I'm thinking it's not going to do me much good for mobile use. Better for the shack. Since I already have a second antenna mount installed I'm going to swap antennas and use the second RA86 as a dedicated GMRS for general use. We don't have GMRS repeaters here and I really just need to monitor one channel for our group of grey hairs. Naturally, I'll plug in the tones for the Dunaly repeater for when we pass through. If I need to pump things up on GMRS a bit in the Gladiator I can always do so on the N-7500. So for now I think these will be simple, out-of-the-way, and utilitarian little rigs. I just wish there was a way to clear all the tones at once. 73, K2WLF/WQZW588.
Lol.. Lacoste is growing 🤣. You will like these radios, very basic but work very very well. Don't discount the little antennas that come in the box, properly grounded, they work great!
That little antenna was surprising. I was playing with it at the rig and ran the antenna to the end of the cable and put it on a metal ammo can. On my Surecomm meter, it was hitting 1.03 SWR. Power was 15.XX watts as well. I could attribute that to line loss with the skinny cable. Doing the same with a Nagoya GMRS Mag Mount it was doing 1.5-1.7 SWR. Same power output though. I've pretty much come to expect UHF radios in particular to not quite hit quoted levels. For what it is and what I intend to use it for I'm pretty pleased with it. Mine came out to $139 each before tax. One will be perfect for the wife's car. Me, I'm pulling the N-7500 and 10/11 meter rigs out and putting in my Yaesu FT2900R for VHF and this little rig for GMRS. Playing with that little antenna on the ammo can though really got me thinking about building some go-rigs. I've had the Retevis FT-98 (listed as 15 watts) in UHF for some time and used to have it set in the house to run our weekly GMRS net. I'm thinking one of those in UHF and one In VHF in a can or Apache (pelican style) case with battery and some antenna options would be a great grab-and-go rig. Sorry, I get long-winded. Thanks for the videos and responses. I would join the Facebook group, but I got off all social media except TH-cam years ago. 73
What about 8 thru 14? 1 thru 7 doesn't even transmit? What repeater function? So it only really has 16 receive channels? Sometimes I wonder if those longer antennas actually eat more power than they gain, but that coax looks painful. That configuration is pretty cheesy. I'll just clip a UV5R to the window. Seems like it receives better, anyway.
I just got this radio off Amazon for $109 and i wish i had found your vvid3o first. Im fairly new to gmrs so this will be my trial unit.
It's not horrible as long as you're ok with "basic". My daughter in law has mine and it seems to work great for her.
I wanted to get something very simple for the wife. I was showing her some of my HAM radios and she very overwhelmed. I thought this would be a good radio for her because it's simple to operate and easy to hide. I wasn't about to spend double for a Midland radio. It should be arriving at my house tomorrow. Looking forward to getting this set up.
Great choice! Please let us know how she likes it!
@@MCTGMRS78009 she loves it. I kinda enjoy how simple the radio is, so I bought a second one for my truck. The only thing I didn't like was that every channel came programmed with CTCSS tones already programmed, but it was an easy fix. If you're thinking about it getting it, do it. I'm planning on getting a more powerful radio for the house.
On sale right now at retevis website, shows for $92 free shipping but when I checked out its was $82 :) its on the way to me now.
Half watt and NO REMOVABLE ANTENNA (which is the reason) they coulda got it to .5 watt but because it has a removable antenna it disqualifies it for frs. But there IS programming software for this radio on Retevis website, and I have a sneaky suspicion you can tx on those channels by addint the tx frequency. They are blank in the factory setting with no tx fx, so if you add it in...
Thanks for the review. Glad I saw it before I purchased.
Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment 🙏
Just an update. I put a Wouxun ANO-050G Mobile GMRS Antenna on the Gladiator. Then using a MFJ-874 meter I was getting 1:1.2 SWR. The real surprise was that I was getting 22 watts! With the dual-band antenna (not ideal for GMRS) and the included mag-mount SWR was low, but on a SURECOMM meter I was only getting around 15 watts. No change in cabling, mount, or location. Just putting a known good antenna in place seemed to let the little radio kick up its heels.
How did you have that antenna mounted?
@MCTGMRS78009 On a cowel mount bracket in front of the A pillar. Be listening in the morning. I shpuld be passing through in the 8-9 AM bracket. Have a med appt in SA.
I just purchased this radio and i absolutely LOVE IT! So easy to stash away/grab a quick radio type unit. I'm fairly new to GMRS. I'm 60 years old and grew up with scanners and CB Radio. Realistic Radio Shack old i am lol. Anyway, great review. I appreicate your time and i hit my local repeaters instantly out of the box. Great little radio! I highly recommend for first timers. -Bob aka WRKH-707 Clear and Monitoring.
That is awesome to hear! Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for taking the time to comment! 🙏
@@MCTGMRS78009 Anytime. Have a super Sunday night.
Thanks for the review. I am relatively new to GMRS. I currently am running a Midland MXT115 in my truck along with some Midland handhelds (just purchased some a couple Baofeng UV-9G because they are waterproof). Looking to add a mobile to my wife's Gladiator. Thought about another MXT115 in one of the Midland packages; however, thought I would explore some other options as well.
This is a very simple unit that's perfect for somebody who doesn't want to do much programming. The little antenna works great too
I have had good luck with a DB20G. Great video !
The DB20G looks like the RA25 which is a great radio but a pain to program. THANKS for watching!!!
They are both the AT779UV, and yes it’s a bit cumbersome even with the CPS
The Retevis RA86 is programmable. I programmed mine last night using the programming cable, my computer and the Retevis software. The programming port is in the back next to the antenna port.
It is NOT programmable! You can change a few settings thru the software but you will not add channels, ect.
You can add channels. I have added channels to my RA86. You can select Rx ant Tx frequency and “privacy” codes, power and wide or narrow band. Personally I consider that programmable.
P.S. As of today (11/3/2023) this radio is only $94.00 on the Retevis website. That seems like a very good deal for a radio like this. The comparable Midland is $180.00.
Whoaaaaaa! That's a great price.
I got mine for $75 yesterday on their website grand total!
Wow..I need to be friends with Mark.That radio looks awesome!
He's a great dude! I gave it to my daughter in law and she really likes it!
Contemplating between this and the midland mxt275? I’m sold on this solely because you can switch it to wide band, unlike the midland which forces you to use narrow band only. Midland has their marketing team dialed for off roaders. You’re paying for the name. Buy a Retevis and pay for the product.
All I need is a simple no brains required radio for my Baja Bug to talk to my mates.
I agree with that 100%... you won't be disappointed with the Retevis unit. Easy to program on the fly.
Great review. Appreciate the honesty. 👍🏻🙂
Thanks for watching!
The ONLY reason it can't transmit on channels 8-14 are because those channels are for only HANDHELD radios to be transmitting on. Mobile radios are not allowed to transmit on those channels even if they can transmit at 1/2 watt.
You are 100% correct and I have just uploaded another video to apologize for my screw up. LOL Thanks for your feedback!!!
And you CAN NOT have a unit, including hand held, that has a detachable antenna for the FRS classic channels.
@@bradlong7941 Wrong. Example BaofengTech GMRS-V2, Wouxun KG-805G, KG-935, Baofeng UV-5G, and so many more 22 channel GMRS handhelds (plus repeater channels too) that are FCC certified.
@bradlong7941 yes sir. I did a correction video. 👍
@@djsoundzentertainment42 All on your list are Chinese make. They are close but violate the FCC detailed rules if they can TRANSMIT on the FRS classic channel plus have a detachable antenna....they are not fully compliant. There are some sneaking under the fence. Motorola, now owned from Hong Kong, is very strict and have been for years. Others not so much.
Been looking at buying a GMRS ration but 4 mins in and I don’t want that radio 😂 Great honest review. New to your channel. 73 W4ZTX
🤣🤣🤣 it's not HORRIBLE but a little too basic for my liking.
Very good review. This is the one I’m going with for my car. I need one that has the screen and controls in the microphone because of the space in my car. I was going to go with the Midland MXT275 until I realized it was narrow band only. That’s a deal breaker. I will note that every mobile radio I’ve seen states a max wattage assuming you use better coaxial cable. The cheap stuff that comes with radios has way too much loss. The first thing I’m gonna do is chunk the cable and antenna and upgrade. I wish companies would offer upgraded coaxial and antennas. I would rather pay more for something I’d keep vs just throw away something I’m already paying for.
You will like it... very simple and compact. The antenna that comes with it isn't horrible but your right, prolly won't last and upgrading it is easy.
The current MXT 275 is both wide and narrow. The USB C version has an option to switch to wide
@@carterstritch6639 wow! That’s great news. I’m glad I haven’t made purchase yet. I’ll have to re-visit the MXT275 for sure.
You can actually toggle between the proprietary tone number or the actual tone itself in the menu and eliminate the need to consult the chart in the manual....
Holy S&(&! Lacoste has a Dollar General now? I wouldn't have imagined. LOL. My wife just informed me it's where the Sav-a-Dollar was back when we lived in Castroville. As to the radio. Appreciate the review. I just ordered two. I've been meaning to get something in the wife's little Jeep Renegade. This will work for her and I have a Tram GMRS mag mount already on hand. In my Gladiator, I "finally" got around to installing my old VN-7500 for 2M/70CM. (I still have a new, never-used Retevis version in the box.) I also installed an Anytone AT-6666 for 10/11 meters. The radio is fine but I'm thinking it's not going to do me much good for mobile use. Better for the shack. Since I already have a second antenna mount installed I'm going to swap antennas and use the second RA86 as a dedicated GMRS for general use. We don't have GMRS repeaters here and I really just need to monitor one channel for our group of grey hairs. Naturally, I'll plug in the tones for the Dunaly repeater for when we pass through. If I need to pump things up on GMRS a bit in the Gladiator I can always do so on the N-7500. So for now I think these will be simple, out-of-the-way, and utilitarian little rigs. I just wish there was a way to clear all the tones at once. 73, K2WLF/WQZW588.
Lol.. Lacoste is growing 🤣. You will like these radios, very basic but work very very well. Don't discount the little antennas that come in the box, properly grounded, they work great!
That little antenna was surprising. I was playing with it at the rig and ran the antenna to the end of the cable and put it on a metal ammo can. On my Surecomm meter, it was hitting 1.03 SWR. Power was 15.XX watts as well. I could attribute that to line loss with the skinny cable. Doing the same with a Nagoya GMRS Mag Mount it was doing 1.5-1.7 SWR. Same power output though. I've pretty much come to expect UHF radios in particular to not quite hit quoted levels. For what it is and what I intend to use it for I'm pretty pleased with it. Mine came out to $139 each before tax. One will be perfect for the wife's car. Me, I'm pulling the N-7500 and 10/11 meter rigs out and putting in my Yaesu FT2900R for VHF and this little rig for GMRS.
Playing with that little antenna on the ammo can though really got me thinking about building some go-rigs. I've had the Retevis FT-98 (listed as 15 watts) in UHF for some time and used to have it set in the house to run our weekly GMRS net. I'm thinking one of those in UHF and one In VHF in a can or Apache (pelican style) case with battery and some antenna options would be a great grab-and-go rig. Sorry, I get long-winded. Thanks for the videos and responses. I would join the Facebook group, but I got off all social media except TH-cam years ago. 73
Wait. . Are you sure it won't talk to FRS radios on 1 thru 7 ? That's a deal breaker for me. does the midland talk to FRS ?
Unfortunately it won't... only monitor.
Are there any GMRS (Moble) radios that can transmit to FRS
What about 8 thru 14?
1 thru 7 doesn't even transmit?
What repeater function?
So it only really has 16 receive channels?
Sometimes I wonder if those longer antennas actually eat more power than they gain, but that coax looks painful.
That configuration is pretty cheesy. I'll just clip a UV5R to the window. Seems like it receives better, anyway.
TY! Amazon PRIME day it's at $107. I may purchase it for my Hyundia Tucson. Great review. I appreciate your time. WRKH-707.
Glad you enjoyed it and that's definitely a GREAT price!
@@MCTGMRS78009 Thanks again. I made the purchase. It comes Sunday! 😁😁😁
@@bobbmann5 Are you me? Landed here looking to score this for MY Hyundai Tucson lol.
@@cubansanta20 LOL, i love my Tucson! They run forever. Best Warranty, had a few recalls, but minor. You'll LOVE IT!! 😁
Currently (11/3/2023) $94.00 on the Retevis website.
❤
Thank you!
Great Review, reminds me of the Midland MX275 I had for a while. The Retevis would be good for an easy to go manpack potentially.
100% agreed!!!
Why did you get rid of the MX275?
@@sgoldste02 limited and power output was meh. Needed something more featured and higher output to get over some of the obstructions where I live.
Currently this radio is about $84.00 cheaper than the Midland.