Another great video TO! The $15 off code was enough to push me over the edge. I have a FT5D but also wanted a DMR and was looking at Anytone 878 but I like what I see on this one. Looking forward to your future vids on this guy.
This is a good radio. I have this and the Btech 6x2 - sister of the Anytone - also good. If you ever want to work Sats, this is a cheap way to get a full duplex radio.
Parrot sounded good to me with Factory Defaults, then with the code plug software I turned it up to +8db Mic Gain and it sounded better over brandmeister.
I have one of these on order. From what I have seen on TH-cam liking this better than my AT878II +. But need to get it in hand to say for sure. Thanks for sharing your fresh out of the box experience. 73, AC9DJ
I had a GD-77 that died under warranty so Radioddity gave me full credit for the purchase price and I ordered a GD-88 as a replacement. I already have a DB25-D and from what I understand you can share plugs between the two. Thanks for the review. Jack K5FIT
Radioddity does a great job of supporting customers. Please let me know if you can share the code plugs. I think it is possible too, but I don't have that radio to test with.
@@temporarilyoffline correct but you can't put the codeplug from one to the other unless you modify the codeplug. But there's a third party software available from MM7DBT
@@temporarilyoffline That software would be mine :) I have pushed an update today that adds support for the GD-88, although it is in beta until I get access to the Radioddity firmware to iron out any bugs that may appear. It's working with my Kydera DR880 but I'm not sure what changes have been made for the Radioddity version of the firmware. The .json codeplugs saved using my software aren't cross-compatible either due to the differences in some settings etc.. however it's very easy to export the contacts and zones/channels from the DB25-D codeplug and import them again after opening a gd88 codeplug or reading from the radio.
I would love to order one of these. Could be the AnyTone AT-D878UVII Plus killer. I don't care about the Bluetooth feature of the Anytone, but Cross Band & Mode feature of the GD-88 would be great. I just wish they were available from USA shipping and support. Warranty is useless if you have to pay to ship back to China. If it had USA support I would order one.
Radioddity has been really good about support. This is a black-box radio made for them by Kyderra, so its probably an exchange type of deal. I have sent my Yaesu back to California for repairs and it takes a few weeks to return...
I'm not talking about response by email. The cost to return something to China is prohibitively expensive. They won't even replace a DOA item unless you pay the return cost.
Received mine yesterday also and have some pro's and con's. Pro's - - like the option for separate Control vs separate PTT. - layout and size seem very comfortable Con's - - encoder knob (channel selection) only clicks half way - menu system selection is via encoder know or arrows but encoder jumps around alot BAD IDEA to have pre built codeplug and you can tell it is not programmed in the US. I sort of expected more from a radio with slightly less price point than some other DMR radios.
Interested in seeing about code plug creation, does it work like a typical commercial DMR radio and you have to create a mapping of every TG to every freq/repeater filling up memory slots or more like OpenGD77 where you select the repeater/freq independent of the TG.
I own this radio as Kydera DR880uv since August 2020. Not bad at all. FYI, I'm responsible for the H/L icon in the display, before they only had this useless bargraph. Unfortunetly there was no new firmware released since ages. In the past Kydera was fast: bug reported > same day new firmware. The database upload with all data (city etc.) is unbelievable slow. Crossband repeater analog>DMR and vice versa works great. Price incl. shipping out of china was about US$160.- two years ago. 73 DK5BM
I have had the Kydera DR880UV for a month which is the same radio its absolutely excellent, dual digital receive cross band crossmode ,gps.aprs l/vhf/uhf dual vfo /broadcast FM,lovely easy to program using radio , yes the code plug needs learning but its ok- the bits missing are bluetooth , manual analogue dial dmr .dtmf analogue to dial my allstar node .Menu is different when you are in digital or analogue, factory reset only takes you to last code plug load it doesnt actually factory reset i liked mine so much i sold my 878 .
I'm really curious about this radio. Seems like it could be a compelling alternative to the AnyTone 878 UVII+ at a significantly lower cost. The AnyTone's APRS performance is a bit of a mixed bag too, so if this HT can reliably decode APRS packets and messages it could be a good deal for fans of APRS.
I'm thinking it might be overhyped out the gate.. Let's see when some honest reviewers get one. Radioddity is the worst for marketing junk. Lipstick on pig doesn't make a beauty queen.
So whats your favorite dmr ht i was getting the anytone 878 but on the fence i think we have 2 repeaters on the Alabama gulf coast. I ordered a hotspot to build sice i have a few raspberry pi in the desk drawer unused. Lately be playing with droid star but not sure the benefit of a ht period with droidstar
For everyday use, I like the Btech 6x2 (Anytone clone with extra batteries), but the GD-88 in this video is Full Duplex and will hunt satellite QSOs, so it edges out as a better all around HT. With droidstar, I don't see a need for an HT either.
@@temporarilyoffline seeing i have about 11 uhf and vhf HTs and droidstar and i sold my HF a few year back perhaps i should invest that into hf. Im a extra class and enjoyed hf unfortunately life stuff foce me to sell a lot of my ham hf items, amps and high end flex sdr and icom radios. At onetime i had 15k in my hf shack there some old pics on qrz. Life has settled down over the last couple years and now the ham itch is hitting again.
There were some DMR channels programmed in and I think it had some stuff setup for cross band repeat. You can modify the existing codeplug from the front panel, maybe add a new contact... but I didn't see a way to remove contacts that you didn't want without the codeplug software.
Thanks for the video. I'm a novice (dumb cop who relies on the radio shop guys). I'm looking to scan 400 and digital. The local PDs around me are half and half. Would this be a good option for me to use as a scanner? Thanks
This is probably "passable" if you need a 2/70 DMR HT and also want to do some light duty scanning while out and about. It probably doesn't scan fast enough compared to a real scanner though.
It's certainly a great looking radio with beautiful screen and menu. I'm super keen to see its full functionality video. Bridgecom won't be liking this radio.🤔
Steve, I dint see Bluetooth connectivity in the Radioddity (or Kyocera) specs…like the Anytone 878x does famously. Am I just missing it (as I’m good at doing)?
Does it support APRS messages as well as DMR? It's such a great function, especially since you can use it to send WINLINK emails and SMS messages to cellphone users!
There is nothing in the manual that says this. I'd assume its some kind of SDR based on it being a digital radio, but I could be wrong. I don't want to open the radio because I don't have the tools to re-waterproof it. If you find out, please let me know.
Cool video but I've been dealing with DMR for too long and I have to say it's just not suitable for amateur radio, sorry. And the device is no different. It's a pity I didn't buy a C4FM device right from the start. The sound, the simplicity, the flexibility. Forget the rest, you're just fooling yourself...
I know DMR is popular, but dealing with the codeplugs and CPS programming is a no go for me....and I work in IT. Seems like a nice radio, menu reminds me of an early 2000's pre smart phone.
The software is a dumpster fire. Not even the most basic of editing capability. Editing a zone corrupted the adjacent zone, destroying about 2 hours of effort. The serial drivers are trash. It is 2022 and this is a $200+ radio but still uses the same serial chipset as a $30, junk radio. Manual is fine. Radio operation itself seems to work well, but there are some nuances to using GPS/APRS. And as previously mentioned, no DTMF from the keypad. So if you use repeaters with DTMF activated features, this is a fail. If you will only ever sit in range of your hotspot then it should be fine. But the software may cause PTSD regardless.
@@temporarilyoffline I had just placed an order for this radio. Hoping to get into DMR. What do you recommend as a hotspot for someone who's starting out?
@@mikepeterson443 I didn't see it either. Normally you push the PTT and then at the same time enter the DTMF tones you want to send on the keypad. I just checked on mine and this does not appear to work. I'm reaching out to them.
"I'm now talking to myself. FANTASTIC!"
All things are possible when you are the only person in the room!
Another great video TO! The $15 off code was enough to push me over the edge. I have a FT5D but also wanted a DMR and was looking at Anytone 878 but I like what I see on this one. Looking forward to your future vids on this guy.
This is a good radio. I have this and the Btech 6x2 - sister of the Anytone - also good. If you ever want to work Sats, this is a cheap way to get a full duplex radio.
Very much looking forward to the APRS video on this radio before I pull the trigger
In the works!
Good tip on the lanyard. I never thought of that.
It's got some use afterall!
The radio seems to be a dud so far. Audio is all static on DMR - works ok on analog. I'm waiting for a firmware update before doing my video
Hi Jason!
Well hopefully it’s fixed by the time I get mine
Parrot sounded good to me with Factory Defaults, then with the code plug software I turned it up to +8db Mic Gain and it sounded better over brandmeister.
Mine has been crystal clear on DMR via hotspot and repeater. Maybe you did get a dud?
Contemplating getting this as my first radio for my JK that's my daily.
Us early Millennials will adapt to the T9 texting feature pretty easily 🙃
Yeah. Much better than an ABC keyboard
I have one of these on order. From what I have seen on TH-cam liking this better than my AT878II +. But need to get it in hand to say for sure. Thanks for sharing your fresh out of the box experience. 73, AC9DJ
Let me know what you think of it Jim!
@@temporarilyoffline Will do!
I had a GD-77 that died under warranty so Radioddity gave me full credit for the purchase price and I ordered a GD-88 as a replacement. I already have a DB25-D and from what I understand you can share plugs between the two. Thanks for the review. Jack K5FIT
Radioddity does a great job of supporting customers. Please let me know if you can share the code plugs. I think it is possible too, but I don't have that radio to test with.
@@temporarilyoffline Thanks!!
Nice looking radio. The menu system is very similar to the DB25-D mobile radio I have. I'm still fleshing out all it's capable of.
They are sisters! Its the same UI and programming software from what I've been told.
@@temporarilyoffline correct but you can't put the codeplug from one to the other unless you modify the codeplug. But there's a third party software available from MM7DBT
@@Bernie_DK5BM Thanks for the tip! That software is on the list to play with now!
@@temporarilyoffline That software would be mine :) I have pushed an update today that adds support for the GD-88, although it is in beta until I get access to the Radioddity firmware to iron out any bugs that may appear. It's working with my Kydera DR880 but I'm not sure what changes have been made for the Radioddity version of the firmware. The .json codeplugs saved using my software aren't cross-compatible either due to the differences in some settings etc.. however it's very easy to export the contacts and zones/channels from the DB25-D codeplug and import them again after opening a gd88 codeplug or reading from the radio.
Let me know how I can help. Contact info here or on TOADs discord or KM9G, thanks!
I would love to order one of these. Could be the AnyTone AT-D878UVII Plus killer. I don't care about the Bluetooth feature of the Anytone, but Cross Band & Mode feature of the GD-88 would be great. I just wish they were available from USA shipping and support. Warranty is useless if you have to pay to ship back to China. If it had USA support I would order one.
Radioddity has been really good about support. This is a black-box radio made for them by Kyderra, so its probably an exchange type of deal. I have sent my Yaesu back to California for repairs and it takes a few weeks to return...
I'm not talking about response by email. The cost to return something to China is prohibitively expensive. They won't even replace a DOA item unless you pay the return cost.
Did I miss it? Such a new radio the menu looks like a phone menu. I didn't see the HDMI slot, thanks Steve!
No HDMI or USB... so close and yet so far away
@@temporarilyoffline DVI?😄
@@DonzLockz no DVI either... coming up next on ham nuggets
There's also a LTE version of this radio > Kydera LTE-DR880UV ;-)
@@Bernie_DK5BM another one to checkout. Thnx 👍
Received mine yesterday also and have some pro's and con's.
Pro's -
- like the option for separate Control vs separate PTT.
- layout and size seem very comfortable
Con's -
- encoder knob (channel selection) only clicks half way
- menu system selection is via encoder know or arrows but encoder jumps around alot
BAD IDEA to have pre built codeplug and you can tell it is not programmed in the US.
I sort of expected more from a radio with slightly less price point than some other DMR radios.
Thanks for the info!
Interested in seeing about code plug creation, does it work like a typical commercial DMR radio and you have to create a mapping of every TG to every freq/repeater filling up memory slots or more like OpenGD77 where you select the repeater/freq independent of the TG.
Stay tuned, I have some more videos coming out on this radio... this one was already 20m
I own this radio as Kydera DR880uv since August 2020. Not bad at all. FYI, I'm responsible for the H/L icon in the display, before they only had this useless bargraph. Unfortunetly there was no new firmware released since ages. In the past Kydera was fast: bug reported > same day new firmware. The database upload with all data (city etc.) is unbelievable slow. Crossband repeater analog>DMR and vice versa works great. Price incl. shipping out of china was about US$160.- two years ago. 73 DK5BM
That's great info, thanks!
Does your DR880uv do single frequency repeat in DMR? I am most interested in this feature. Thanks
Great work, TO!
Thank you! Cheers!
I have had the Kydera DR880UV for a month which is the same radio its absolutely excellent, dual digital receive cross band crossmode ,gps.aprs l/vhf/uhf dual vfo /broadcast FM,lovely easy to program using radio , yes the code plug needs learning but its ok- the bits missing are bluetooth , manual analogue dial dmr .dtmf analogue to dial my allstar node .Menu is different when you are in digital or analogue, factory reset only takes you to last code plug load it doesnt actually factory reset i liked mine so much i sold my 878 .
So far it's a great radio! Thanks for stopping by Andreas!
You said it's the same radio, but does your radio do single frequency repeat in DMR?
Often radios that can do cross-band repeat are full duplex, making them useful for FM satellites. Does this one have full duplex capability?
Yes u can tx whilst receiving - m0fxb
Neat. Will have to try this
I have been contemplating getting into DMR, this looks like a good radio to start with.
So far I'm pretty happy with it.
They really need to add a lower power mode. I don't need 2.5 watts to use my hotspot
👍 agreed
Does this radio have monitor mode like the anytone to monitor all colour codes and talkgroups ?
Great review. Question: What are TOADS?
Members of the TOADs discord (the acronym doesn't stand for anything, just needed a name) we are a ham club with the callsign of KT0ADS too!
I'm really curious about this radio. Seems like it could be a compelling alternative to the AnyTone 878 UVII+ at a significantly lower cost. The AnyTone's APRS performance is a bit of a mixed bag too, so if this HT can reliably decode APRS packets and messages it could be a good deal for fans of APRS.
I'm waiting for a good APRS radio again... I'll find out if this is it and post a video.
I'm thinking it might be overhyped out the gate.. Let's see when some honest reviewers get one. Radioddity is the worst for marketing junk. Lipstick on pig doesn't make a beauty queen.
So whats your favorite dmr ht i was getting the anytone 878 but on the fence i think we have 2 repeaters on the Alabama gulf coast. I ordered a hotspot to build sice i have a few raspberry pi in the desk drawer unused. Lately be playing with droid star but not sure the benefit of a ht period with droidstar
For everyday use, I like the Btech 6x2 (Anytone clone with extra batteries), but the GD-88 in this video is Full Duplex and will hunt satellite QSOs, so it edges out as a better all around HT. With droidstar, I don't see a need for an HT either.
@@temporarilyoffline seeing i have about 11 uhf and vhf HTs and droidstar and i sold my HF a few year back perhaps i should invest that into hf. Im a extra class and enjoyed hf unfortunately life stuff foce me to sell a lot of my ham hf items, amps and high end flex sdr and icom radios. At onetime i had 15k in my hf shack there some old pics on qrz. Life has settled down over the last couple years and now the ham itch is hitting again.
@@5stargunsandgear welcome back!
I like the layout of this radio. It seems simpler to face program than my 878. Does it have some preprogrammed stuff on it and if so, what are they?
There were some DMR channels programmed in and I think it had some stuff setup for cross band repeat.
You can modify the existing codeplug from the front panel, maybe add a new contact... but I didn't see a way to remove contacts that you didn't want without the codeplug software.
@@temporarilyoffline awesome. Sounds like it's favoring operating on brandmeister.
Thanks for the video. I'm a novice (dumb cop who relies on the radio shop guys). I'm looking to scan 400 and digital. The local PDs around me are half and half. Would this be a good option for me to use as a scanner? Thanks
This is probably "passable" if you need a 2/70 DMR HT and also want to do some light duty scanning while out and about. It probably doesn't scan fast enough compared to a real scanner though.
@@temporarilyoffline gotcha. Appreciate your opinion, thanks
Is the screen as awesome in real life as it appears in pics?
It's very clear/modern
It's certainly a great looking radio with beautiful screen and menu.
I'm super keen to see its full functionality video. Bridgecom won't be liking this radio.🤔
Bridgecomm might start selling this one instead!
First, thanks Steve for the update on the hardware.
You bet!
Steve, I dint see Bluetooth connectivity in the Radioddity (or Kyocera) specs…like the Anytone 878x does famously. Am I just missing it (as I’m good at doing)?
I don't see it on the radio or in the manual, I think that's part of why it costs less.
@@temporarilyoffline Thanks for confirming. Love the GUI interface!
@@Frank_K4FMH Me too! No problem!
Will it run the Open GD77 firmware?????
I see what you did there! (I don't think it will)
Do you know if there is a way to do the mars mod?
Not yet, but I'll post a video when I find out. Probably a software setting.
@@temporarilyoffline Thank you!
Does it support APRS messages as well as DMR? It's such a great function, especially since you can use it to send WINLINK emails and SMS messages to cellphone users!
It only beacons your position + a custom message (single). It doesn't do "full" APRS, which is a shame.
No DTMF from keypad? Or am I missing something?
I ordered 3 of these it's a badass radio
Ballin!
nice to see some wonderful competition to anytone
I think Radioddity is doing a fantastic job
is superhet reseiver or not ?
There is nothing in the manual that says this. I'd assume its some kind of SDR based on it being a digital radio, but I could be wrong. I don't want to open the radio because I don't have the tools to re-waterproof it. If you find out, please let me know.
Thanks for showing us the GD-88.
I tried to purchase one but the $15 off code did not work for me. 🙁
RO says they are already on sale at the moment, but the discount will work for other things in the cart.
It looks very very nice!
It does!
I wonder if I should think about getting a DMR radio ? ;)
There are some cheap ones out there now!... and some good ones too.
They really thought out this radio and it shows.
I have been really impressed with this. It looks/feels modern and its usable/easy to program.
Please make the APRS functionality video!
In the works!
Looks nice. Love the dual band. No Bluetooth?
Nope 😞
@@temporarilyoffline so it’s just an upgraded /slightly overpriced GD-AT10G.
I have an anytone 878 and I was thinking about ordering this radio is it worth it?
Which model 878 do you have?
@@temporarilyoffline I have the V1 plus
@@matteng2332 The GD-88 does not have bluetooth
How is the analog sensitivity,?
How would one test that? I don't think I have any gear currently for the job.
@@temporarilyoffline pick a wx channel of something that broadcasts continue and compare it to another radio.
Does this do: Dstar Sir?
Not this one. DMR only.
AS OF 9/4/22 this radio is out of stock in the US. Keep trying!
Good news for Radioddity, but not for us! They will have more stock soon
Cool video but I've been dealing with DMR for too long and I have to say it's just not suitable for amateur radio, sorry. And the device is no different. It's a pity I didn't buy a C4FM device right from the start. The sound, the simplicity, the flexibility. Forget the rest, you're just fooling yourself...
100% agree, DMR wasn't well thought out.
I know DMR is popular, but dealing with the codeplugs and CPS programming is a no go for me....and I work in IT. Seems like a nice radio, menu reminds me of an early 2000's pre smart phone.
Yeah, codeplugs make my brain hurt. A lot of things in ham radio should be more advanced then they are. Totally agree on the blackberry look also.
Not really that bad if you jump over to excel to do most of it and then import the csv you create.
Would this radio work satellites by itself? Gerald KG0VA
We think so, bit have to try it out and report back first
looks a lot like the Anytone 878, which i think is the best dmr radio.
That 878 is a great radio
Time will tell if this meets the bar set by TYT. Im thinking anyone jumping on the hype to buy from free radio YT Reviews will be a sad ham.
Interesting choice with TYT. What model are you thinking of?
Nice..........
Thanks
The software is a dumpster fire. Not even the most basic of editing capability. Editing a zone corrupted the adjacent zone, destroying about 2 hours of effort. The serial drivers are trash. It is 2022 and this is a $200+ radio but still uses the same serial chipset as a $30, junk radio.
Manual is fine. Radio operation itself seems to work well, but there are some nuances to using GPS/APRS.
And as previously mentioned, no DTMF from the keypad. So if you use repeaters with DTMF activated features, this is a fail. If you will only ever sit in range of your hotspot then it should be fine. But the software may cause PTSD regardless.
Appears to be an Anytone clone.
Close, this on is a white label kyderra unit.
Put a camera in it and call it Samsung S7.
If be happy with that
@@temporarilyoffline I had just placed an order for this radio. Hoping to get into DMR. What do you recommend as a hotspot for someone who's starting out?
@@mikepeterson443 Something like this: amzn.to/3dRbmWP I did a video on getting your hotspot setup here: th-cam.com/video/XQ7UXeMkYss/w-d-xo.html
@@temporarilyoffline Is it possible to send DTMF tone when in an analog channel? I can't find any info on how to do this.
@@mikepeterson443 I didn't see it either. Normally you push the PTT and then at the same time enter the DTMF tones you want to send on the keypad. I just checked on mine and this does not appear to work. I'm reaching out to them.
As usual with Chinese radios they are making us beta test
Yep, the hardware people so far have done a decent job