I've been watching your guitar videos for years and just stumbled across this channel now. Just started in GMRS and I'm studying for my HAM license now. 30 year aircraft mechanic/A&P also. If you haven't tried metal detecting yet, I highly recommend it. Based on your interests, I can confidently assume you'd enjoy it. Keep up the videos. 👊
Hey cool! I do have a metal detector and I have gone out a few times, but figuring out a location to go to is always my challenge (aside from the beach).
@@HeavyMetalHorizons indeed. Somebody owns the land and getting permission can be tough. In Arizona most city and county parks are by permit and I try to find BLM land that's not too full of trash. I did just pick up an Equinox 800 and will be hitting the beaches in San Diego sometime in the near future. I can actually get into the water with this new machine which I was unable to do with my old Fisher.
Excellent excellent information! I've been looking at in between the 470 and the 490. I also saw a firmware update for the 490. I already have a jc-8629. Want the gps. But this was eye opening for the 470.
Thank you so much for the video tutorial! Gentlemen who talk about harmonics and spurious, should know that it is always better to transmit only on frequencies 144 - 430. The rest is intended for reception only. But this is on all radios. Whether Quansheng or Baofeng!
Nice video,, I currently have this radio , along with a couple of Baofengs and a tyt, and was looking for more info on the firmware update!! Simple, straight to the point!.. It is an awesome radio and I too have it with me in the vehicle! From one guitarist to another,, great job!
top video and a great radio. be aware those cables carry an older clone chip that only works on Windows 10 (or earlier), for Windows 11 look for a cable utilising the FTDI chip.
That’s pretty awesome I have the same radio, I’ll have to check that out, I mainly only use the 2m and Gmrs bands but that is cool to pretty much have that many frequencies to choose from 👍
Vielen Dank für deinen Support, es hat perfekt funktioniert 👍 Eine Frage habe ich an dich und villeicht kannst du mir auch da helfen. Wenn dein Display aus ist, leuchtet dein LED grün. Das ist ist super, denn wenn mein Display aus ist, leuchtet nichts. Ich sehe also nicht ob mein Gerät an oder aus ist. Danke für deine Hilfe.
My 2m harmonic radiation test with a Tiny SA unfortunately showed that this handi (the one I got anyway) does not meet the FCC standard, it has sstronger than -40dB signals out of band.
The new pcb version has lower filtering on vhf so it can output 5W on 295mhz (military satcom sattelites), old one will still do 4W, also...the old and new pcb will actually both tx under 100 mhz 😸
There's one in every bunch...as the old saying goes. After watching this, I bought the 470 from Amazon. This was a reject from the get-go. It had cosmetic issues just to start with. After spending 3 hours programming it wouldn't hold ANY programming. The biggest issue was the interference it cause each time the mic was keyed. At 6 feet, it caused 2 laptops to go to black screen. At 15 feet it caused intermittent interference with 3 other electronic devices, AND still wouldn't hold programming. Needless to say it's boxed up and on it's way back.
Hi, there! Can you connect it to a Bluetooth speaker/headset? And if yes - can you use the VOX function? I am asking because I am looking for a radio for a motorcycle helmet.
Interesting, since FCC regulations require blocking cellular frequencies. Not as much of a problem now, but much earlier, scanners that could receive cellular could listen in on anyone’s cell phone calls.
A quit follow up to my first comment,, did you notice any change in receive quality after the firmware upgrade,, It seems to my wife and I that it has improved,, just wondering if you may have noticed or thought so..
@HeavyMetalHorizons I do have the radtel 470x and I do have my FCC license and can't figure out how to program to my local repeaters? Do you have any videos step by step to transmit and receive on this radio? Also so your saying the 470 is not a GRMS radio? I live in Genesee County MI and my closet repeater is Flint Michigan. WSDW200
@@kidcarr51 You have a license and you're operating on GMRS frequencies, so you should already know that it is unlawful to transmit on GMRS frequencies using this HT. There's a lot of bad information in this video.
I don't see how this can be effective in a radio that was originally designed for a much narrower range. Most of these direct conversion radios have 2 RF final output drivers, one for VHF and one for UHF. On everything but the worst bargain-basement brands, each is (supposedly) tuned with a bandpass filter in the selected frequency range, to keep harmonics outside the band down to an acceptable level. Opening up a radio to double the maximum Tx frequency either implies there aren't any effective bandpass filters in place, they're being disabled by this firmware, or Tx power drops off due to the final output filter being designed for a much smaller band. It would be interesting to see results from a power meter as well as a spectrum analyzer to see how well-behaved this radio is, with both the old and new firmware. That testing should be done into an impedance-matched dummy load, since no single antenna is going to be tuned to the entire frequency range the new firmware can transmit on. I say "supposedly" because different units of the exact same model and firmware have shown vastly different results on a spectrum analyzer (for quite a few assorted radio models and manufacturers). It seems like the filters aren't being "tweaked" by changing the coil spacing, so however it was assembled is what you get. I also wanted to address your comment about 'open source' firmware - I believe the groups that are doing this have looked at the factory firmware binary files and found the places where certain limits are stored (like 174 being the top frequency in VHF) and allow those to be changed. They've also found empty space in the radio flash memory and added some cool new features (for example, I believe there's a frequency waterfall display). But these are all things that are added by their customization utility to a factory firmware image, not a completely new image. And just because it is a bunch of volunteers doing this instead of a large corporation doesn't necessarily make the code worse, and you can always revert to pure factory firmware. While I don't do firmware mods, I do modify the programming software (and I've looked at the "All Band Walkie" software you're using but haven't done anything with it yet). Did you notice the yellow "Do you want to allow this app from an unknown publisher to make changes to your device"? All of the factory software does that because it isn't digitally signed, could have malware from the factory (unlikely) or could have been tampered with along the way. My "hobby" version of the CPS is digitally signed with my Windows code signing key and you get a blue box with a "verified publisher" notice instead of the scary warning. My resolved bug fix / improvement list for the UV-17 Pro GPS radio family CPS is over 280 items at this point and has been very well received. So please don't dismiss something just because volunteers are doing it. If you want to look at it, you can find it on Miklor's UV-17 Pro GPS page, along with the factory programming software.
To see what all the fuss was about, I picked one of these up. Transmitting outside of the original specified bands (into a dummy load through a power meter in an anechoic chamber) gave me 2nd and 3rd harmonics at several watts (yikes!) and at the upper range produced negligible power on either the selected frequency or any harmonics. So I think there's a low-pass filter in the 550MHz range. Also, on my unit the flap that covers the programming connector simply will not stay shut - I've tried squeezing it in a variety of ways, but it simply won't stay shut. The USB-C charging port on my radio's battery won't operate with a real USB-C Power Delivery charger. USB-A to USB-C cables work. This is an indication of incorrect or missing Charge Control 1 & 2 programming resistors inside the battery pack. So I'm limiting mine to Rx only, as the Tx harmonics are really bad. Also, in VFO mode you can transmit on the FM broadcast band and do all sorts of other things that will make the FCC and your fellow radio enthusiasts very unhappy. Your mileage may vary.
I just updated to V2.13A (470x) and lost my AIRBAND frequencies 122.200 etc. I try to key it in and it says cancel, so I thought it would expand the frequency range, what happened?
FYI: I was stupid enough to buy 3 of them and I regret wasting money. After buying a tinySA I find that harmonics rob 2/3 of the power, so only 1/3 is on the fundamental, because it has NO FILTERS. It's a splatter box and the worst radio I have come across. On the other hand I have 3 TIDRADIO H8s and they're clean 10 watts on frequency at a comparable price. Not all cheap Chinese radios are created equal. Though they are unlockable for VHF and UHF there's not airband, etc. A clean transmitting ccr with airband is the QUANSHENG UV 5 series. This $12 radio shows that radtel is lazy, stupid, or just greedy to market their crap. 73 KN6VYP
Bad and unlawful information in this video. First, it is illegal even to possess a receiver capable of receiving the frequencies you claim. That's a Federal crime. Next, it's not FCC certified to transmit on the frequencies that you claim it can transmit on, so that too is unlawful. That's enough right there to stay away from this HT. Additionally, even if it could RX/TX on the frequencies you claim, its antenna won't even come close to achieving that. And there's absolutely no way that HT will even come close to 10 watts PEP on that range of frequencies. Put it on a spectrum analyzer and see the real story here.
Thank you for your recognition and support of our walkie talkie. The introduction is very detailed👍👍
I've been watching your guitar videos for years and just stumbled across this channel now. Just started in GMRS and I'm studying for my HAM license now. 30 year aircraft mechanic/A&P also. If you haven't tried metal detecting yet, I highly recommend it. Based on your interests, I can confidently assume you'd enjoy it. Keep up the videos. 👊
Hey cool! I do have a metal detector and I have gone out a few times, but figuring out a location to go to is always my challenge (aside from the beach).
@@HeavyMetalHorizons indeed. Somebody owns the land and getting permission can be tough. In Arizona most city and county parks are by permit and I try to find BLM land that's not too full of trash. I did just pick up an Equinox 800 and will be hitting the beaches in San Diego sometime in the near future. I can actually get into the water with this new machine which I was unable to do with my old Fisher.
Excellent excellent information! I've been looking at in between the 470 and the 490. I also saw a firmware update for the 490. I already have a jc-8629. Want the gps. But this was eye opening for the 470.
Great tutorial. I think I'll order one to go with my Radioddity and Baofeng Radios. Looks like a nice step up.
Thank you so much for the video tutorial! Gentlemen who talk about harmonics and spurious, should know that it is always better to transmit only on frequencies 144 - 430. The rest is intended for reception only. But this is on all radios. Whether Quansheng or Baofeng!
Nice video,, I currently have this radio , along with a couple of Baofengs and a tyt, and was looking for more info on the firmware update!! Simple, straight to the point!.. It is an awesome radio and I too have it with me in the vehicle! From one guitarist to another,, great job!
top video and a great radio. be aware those cables carry an older clone chip that only works on Windows 10 (or earlier), for Windows 11 look for a cable utilising the FTDI chip.
That’s pretty awesome I have the same radio, I’ll have to check that out, I mainly only use the 2m and Gmrs bands but that is cool to pretty much have that many frequencies to choose from 👍
Max?!
Wow I didn't know you were a radio guy too, that's awesome... Subbed!
Hey cool, thank you!
@@HeavyMetalHorizons Surprised I didn't come across this channel sooner.
Hi hello English England here where's the URL for the firmware update
Vielen Dank für deinen Support, es hat perfekt funktioniert 👍
Eine Frage habe ich an dich und villeicht kannst du mir auch da helfen.
Wenn dein Display aus ist, leuchtet dein LED grün. Das ist ist super, denn wenn mein Display aus ist, leuchtet nichts.
Ich sehe also nicht ob mein Gerät an oder aus ist.
Danke für deine Hilfe.
Great video. Useful, direct and concise information! Subscribed.
Glad it was helpful!
My 2m harmonic radiation test with a Tiny SA unfortunately showed that this handi (the one I got anyway) does not meet the FCC standard, it has sstronger than -40dB signals out of band.
I am thinking to get a Radtel RT-730, can you make a video of that?
There is a new firmware for new PCB, it adds AM/FM modulation from 18m-1000mhz.
The new pcb version has lower filtering on vhf so it can output 5W on 295mhz (military satcom sattelites), old one will still do 4W, also...the old and new pcb will actually both tx under 100 mhz 😸
Thank you for the info!
Wow I didn’t know you were a ham. Nice 👍
Is there any softwere for recording audio coming from the RT470?
There's one in every bunch...as the old saying goes.
After watching this, I bought the 470 from Amazon. This was a reject from the get-go. It had cosmetic issues just to start with. After spending 3 hours programming it wouldn't hold ANY programming. The biggest issue was the interference it cause each time the mic was keyed. At 6 feet, it caused 2 laptops to go to black screen. At 15 feet it caused intermittent interference with 3 other electronic devices, AND still wouldn't hold programming.
Needless to say it's boxed up and on it's way back.
I've heard of radios doing that. Lol. Who needs an EMP when some radios give off that much electromagnetic junk. They will fry electronics.
Hi, there! Can you connect it to a Bluetooth speaker/headset? And if yes - can you use the VOX function? I am asking because I am looking for a radio for a motorcycle helmet.
I just buy the R490 any tutorial soon ?
Interesting, since FCC regulations require blocking cellular frequencies. Not as much of a problem now, but much earlier, scanners that could receive cellular could listen in on anyone’s cell phone calls.
A quit follow up to my first comment,, did you notice any change in receive quality after the firmware upgrade,, It seems to my wife and I that it has improved,, just wondering if you may have noticed or thought so..
👏Radtel 470X é um ótimo custo benefício falando de um modo geral perto das outras marcas👏
does it compatible with baofeng k type adaptor?or is it narrower
It's the same size.
Is it possible to update the firmware using CHIRP?
Is it possible to do this in a MAC computer?
Hello Does the Radtel 470 support GMRS radio?
Not really. Technically it can receive and transmit on the GMRS frequencies, but it's not a dedicated GMRS radio.
@HeavyMetalHorizons I do have the radtel 470x and I do have my FCC license and can't figure out how to program to my local repeaters? Do you have any videos step by step to transmit and receive on this radio? Also so your saying the 470 is not a GRMS radio? I live in Genesee County MI and my closet repeater is Flint Michigan. WSDW200
@@kidcarr51 You have a license and you're operating on GMRS frequencies, so you should already know that it is unlawful to transmit on GMRS frequencies using this HT. There's a lot of bad information in this video.
Does it recieve 11m AM/FM? And SSB? Is this radio better than the quansheng UV-K5?
You're talking about the new firmware for the Quanshengs yes? No this radio can't do that stuff.
I don't see how this can be effective in a radio that was originally designed for a much narrower range. Most of these direct conversion radios have 2 RF final output drivers, one for VHF and one for UHF. On everything but the worst bargain-basement brands, each is (supposedly) tuned with a bandpass filter in the selected frequency range, to keep harmonics outside the band down to an acceptable level. Opening up a radio to double the maximum Tx frequency either implies there aren't any effective bandpass filters in place, they're being disabled by this firmware, or Tx power drops off due to the final output filter being designed for a much smaller band. It would be interesting to see results from a power meter as well as a spectrum analyzer to see how well-behaved this radio is, with both the old and new firmware. That testing should be done into an impedance-matched dummy load, since no single antenna is going to be tuned to the entire frequency range the new firmware can transmit on.
I say "supposedly" because different units of the exact same model and firmware have shown vastly different results on a spectrum analyzer (for quite a few assorted radio models and manufacturers). It seems like the filters aren't being "tweaked" by changing the coil spacing, so however it was assembled is what you get.
I also wanted to address your comment about 'open source' firmware - I believe the groups that are doing this have looked at the factory firmware binary files and found the places where certain limits are stored (like 174 being the top frequency in VHF) and allow those to be changed. They've also found empty space in the radio flash memory and added some cool new features (for example, I believe there's a frequency waterfall display). But these are all things that are added by their customization utility to a factory firmware image, not a completely new image. And just because it is a bunch of volunteers doing this instead of a large corporation doesn't necessarily make the code worse, and you can always revert to pure factory firmware.
While I don't do firmware mods, I do modify the programming software (and I've looked at the "All Band Walkie" software you're using but haven't done anything with it yet). Did you notice the yellow "Do you want to allow this app from an unknown publisher to make changes to your device"? All of the factory software does that because it isn't digitally signed, could have malware from the factory (unlikely) or could have been tampered with along the way. My "hobby" version of the CPS is digitally signed with my Windows code signing key and you get a blue box with a "verified publisher" notice instead of the scary warning. My resolved bug fix / improvement list for the UV-17 Pro GPS radio family CPS is over 280 items at this point and has been very well received. So please don't dismiss something just because volunteers are doing it. If you want to look at it, you can find it on Miklor's UV-17 Pro GPS page, along with the factory programming software.
To see what all the fuss was about, I picked one of these up. Transmitting outside of the original specified bands (into a dummy load through a power meter in an anechoic chamber) gave me 2nd and 3rd harmonics at several watts (yikes!) and at the upper range produced negligible power on either the selected frequency or any harmonics. So I think there's a low-pass filter in the 550MHz range.
Also, on my unit the flap that covers the programming connector simply will not stay shut - I've tried squeezing it in a variety of ways, but it simply won't stay shut.
The USB-C charging port on my radio's battery won't operate with a real USB-C Power Delivery charger. USB-A to USB-C cables work. This is an indication of incorrect or missing Charge Control 1 & 2 programming resistors inside the battery pack.
So I'm limiting mine to Rx only, as the Tx harmonics are really bad. Also, in VFO mode you can transmit on the FM broadcast band and do all sorts of other things that will make the FCC and your fellow radio enthusiasts very unhappy. Your mileage may vary.
I just updated to V2.13A (470x) and lost my AIRBAND frequencies 122.200 etc. I try to key it in and it says cancel, so I thought it would expand the frequency range, what happened?
Atualiza para V 2.13C que voltará as frequências.
Any idea if you can do this with the 470x 10 watt?
I don't think there is a 10 watt version of the 470x, but yes you can change the firmware for the 470x!
Does this work for the 5W 470X version?
Kind of. It requires a different firmware, but you can do the same process for the 470X.
Is there any radtel that can transmit from 100? I don't want to buy an expensive radio to transmit to CTAM
I'm not sure what you mean by "transmit from 100".
@@HeavyMetalHorizons I need to be able to speak to 118.100 but my radtel radios only receive in this frequencies
Easy Peasy.
FYI: I was stupid enough to buy 3 of them and I regret wasting money. After buying a tinySA I find that harmonics rob 2/3 of the power, so only 1/3 is on the fundamental, because it has NO FILTERS. It's a splatter box and the worst radio I have come across. On the other hand I have 3 TIDRADIO H8s and they're clean 10 watts on frequency at a comparable price. Not all cheap Chinese radios are created equal. Though they are unlockable for VHF and UHF there's not airband, etc. A clean transmitting ccr with airband is the QUANSHENG UV 5 series. This $12 radio shows that radtel is lazy, stupid, or just greedy to market their crap.
73 KN6VYP
Wow! Thank you for the info.
Show us on the doll where the RT-470 hurt you.
You are ignorant of the harm you are doing.
Why dont you inform him ?
@@R.Stridstrom😂😅
Hater! U said he transmits out of band? I double doesn't. Go away and cry elsewhere.
Bad and unlawful information in this video.
First, it is illegal even to possess a receiver capable of receiving the frequencies you claim. That's a Federal crime. Next, it's not FCC certified to transmit on the frequencies that you claim it can transmit on, so that too is unlawful.
That's enough right there to stay away from this HT. Additionally, even if it could RX/TX on the frequencies you claim, its antenna won't even come close to achieving that. And there's absolutely no way that HT will even come close to 10 watts PEP on that range of frequencies. Put it on a spectrum analyzer and see the real story here.
Which frequencies are illegal to listen to, and why? I'm trying to learn something here.