If you are interested in seeing how this story ends check out the "A36 gets a firmware update" video here - th-cam.com/video/PhRKhduYu6E/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Mkf3a8-02gZRw-9G
I have the Talkpod A36 plus and like it. I have got all positive feed back when I hit the GMRS repeaters everyone says I have a good clean audio and strong signal.
I got the clear one and I immediately unlocked it and it does pick up Airband you really can't beat GMRS,HAM, AIRBAND and a few other goodies for only $50 I think it's a fair deal. I'm not thrilled with it but I'm not disappointed.
Same. Got the green one for 40 on Amazon. I definitely not disappointed with mine either. I love how quickly it scans privacy tones. This guy is just a ☹️🐖
@@Gta2O13 My only complaint is the build quality is crappy. It feels like It could break in my hand if I squeeze it but otherwise it's a great Raido for the price range and they compromised on materials and that's fine with me.
The reason I got this was for the extremely good clarity on AM Aircraft receive. It does that exceptionally well. It cost extra for the high vis green. Not a ham radio but, a good AM 18:24 Aircraft band monitoring radio. Small footprint, high visibility, you won’ lose the green one. 73’
I also tried this radio and due to the emissions problem, I read about it I decided to return it. I did ask the person who reviewed it how it did on the GMRS channels and he said it was fine. At least I took him to mean it was fine.
The Explorer QRZ-1 is a rebadged TYT TH-UV88. Which is also functionally identical to the Retevis RT-85. I reviewed both of those radios in this video th-cam.com/video/9_8KcnWhnq8/w-d-xo.html . The only difference I can find is that the QRZ-1 is hard locked into the amateur radio bands. It's a good entry level radio and much better than the Baofeng UV-5R that is typically recommended.
First, good for you sticking up for ethical business! I'm with you. So...When I saw my first review on this rig, I was kind of excited and hopeful that it had more complete voice prompts, as I heard voice prompts for unusual menu items. So I asked about obtaining one to document for blind operators as I sor,t of alluded to in your Quansheng post. So they sent me one. Then I saw the review calling out its lack of harmonic suppression, and not just slightly out of spec, but *badly* out of spec. I was concerned. Got the radio, and...I don't like the battery latches, which are hard to operate. Voice prompts...many are missing, so doesn't seem great for blind ops. And I shoud definitely not hear myself on 293.04 when transmitting on 146.52. I brought up these concerns with Talkpod, and they asked for more details. Ummmm ... In short, I am not going to document this one for the blind community after all, and also don't recommend. At all. But really like the Quansheng UV-K6.
This harmonic stuff is rubbish. If you happen to use the radio near a military base or airport, you might interfere with other transmissions. Is anyone REALLY going to notice your specified 5 watt radio on other frequencies for the few minutes you might be talking? highly unlikely. Nitpicking.😢😅
Yep... slipperly like those Baofeng 18w HT's. 18 WATT!!! Nope...they take high power + low power on both frequencies and add them all together for 18w. While we're on to chapping our backsides is all the TH-cam "used car salesmen" that get their product for free in exchange for a review. It's the greatest radio ever AND it's green affiliate link below. THANK YOU for declining their offer and staying honest.
If your a Ham you may not like this radio because of the known spurious emissions, which are actually worse than some of the cheaper chinese radios like some of the Baofeng models. I only found one review that disputed the number of memory channels, although that guy claims its since been addressed with a firmware update can anyone confirm that? but if you just want a low cost GMRS radio its fine yes? well maybe, maybe not. unfortunately the same reviewer who challenged the number of memory channels, also claims the A60 has not been programmed correctly for GMRS! with incorrect power levels and incorrect repeater programming and the latter meaning you cant even use a GMRS repeater is anyone able to confirm that? whether that issue has also been addressed recently I dont know? but that could also mean you are operating on GMRS illegally without even realising so of course.However, I believe it still represents good value for money for two reasons: 1) The problems ive highlighted bar the emissions are all fixable thanks to the radios chirp compatibility. 2) its a great radio for anyone who wants to use FRS and monitor the Aircraft band! and since Aviation RX is vastly superior to any other chinese HT including the Quansheng K5 and K5-8 its a no brainer for that purpose, and if you know how or the dealer can do it, the FRS channels could be programmed in of course.
For $50 I think it's pretty good TBH. Rx sensitivity is excellent, Tx PO is as expected around 5W, TX Audio is great, RX Audio is fine, though limited by the very small speaker. It has programming support in CHIRP making it very easy to program for ham radio use. Yes, it's a bit clunky, but as an experienced radio user, I think it's great and it gets the job done very well for the price point. For those just entering the radio hobby or not overly interested in spending time souring the web for info and how-to docs, this may not be a great choice for you. The only real criticism I have is the Tx spurious and harmonics go nowhere near meeting the guide lines, which I understand needs to be no more that -13dBm worse case. At least that's number for Australia, and I think we take that from the ITU, so likely the same spec is required for most western countries. For this reason, it is basically not legal for a ham use, unless he were to add additional filtering of the offending harmonics.
I've got one of these for testing. I agree with your review and can confirm the problems with spurious emissions - it is off the scale on my spectrum anlyzer. I have no idea how this thing got FCC certification even for GMRS. I did look at the test data that they submitted to the FCC and their report is not at all indicitative as to how these radios actually perform out of the box.
a lot of these manufacturers don't even publish tests for TX, only for RX (spurs from the primary oscillator), and biological EMF limits. then they publish an "FCC ID" on their product, making everyone think they are good to go on TX. if you look up, they are certified as "radio scanner" only! very sneaky.
Dude is complaining about a $40 radio that works great for FRS and GMRS. You also get a $10 cable that most other radios don't come with. It's a bargain and the kids love the crystal clear radios because the whole thing lights up.
@KS6DAY that loose battery too. For the price im not sure why these guys are gobbling up this radio. I thought air band was no better than my uvk5 (8) . The uvk5 is way more solid feeling to me so i sent the crap pod back and kept the quansheng
@@paulsylvester1394 No the obsession is to try to control others because you think your opinions are superior to other's opinions. Your opinions of any product does not factor into people buying that product, nor does your experience mean others should not but it. The internet really has made narcissist of people like yourself. How about this, you buy what you wanna buy, and let others buy what they wanna buy.
@@chrisgullett4332 I’m not trying to control anyone! You are the one trying to control what others think. And you don’t care if specs and descriptions lie to achieve a sale. You are free to buy what you like, others are free to share their experience, and clearly, others on the internet are interested in hearing valid opinions. What are you afraid of?
If you are interested in seeing how this story ends check out the "A36 gets a firmware update" video here - th-cam.com/video/PhRKhduYu6E/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Mkf3a8-02gZRw-9G
I have the Talkpod A36 plus and like it. I have got all positive feed back when I hit the GMRS repeaters everyone says I have a good clean audio and strong signal.
I love this radio! It kicks out 8 watts on 2 meters, is good for airband, and has good audio all round.
i bought one some days ago in order to use it for airband listening too!!!
I got the clear one and I immediately unlocked it and it does pick up Airband you really can't beat GMRS,HAM, AIRBAND and a few other goodies for only $50 I think it's a fair deal. I'm not thrilled with it but I'm not disappointed.
Same. Got the green one for 40 on Amazon. I definitely not disappointed with mine either. I love how quickly it scans privacy tones. This guy is just a ☹️🐖
@@Gta2O13 My only complaint is the build quality is crappy. It feels like It could break in my hand if I squeeze it but otherwise it's a great Raido for the price range and they compromised on materials and that's fine with me.
@@michaelesposito239 I don’t think it’s crappy it’s just smaller and thinner then most radios.
The reason I got this was for the extremely good clarity on AM Aircraft receive. It does that exceptionally well. It cost extra for the high vis green. Not a ham radio but, a good AM 18:24 Aircraft band monitoring radio. Small footprint, high visibility, you won’ lose the green one. 73’
Just unlock it and can talk to the sad hams
@@Gta2O13 lol
Its a good radio. I have one and another ordered on the way. Its easy to use, not as easy as UV-5R but it has better reception
Who in the blue f@c4 needs 512 memories anyway?
I am a student pilot and I need an inexpensive radio to listen to the airband, is the Talkpod A36 Plus a good option for me? Thank you.
I also tried this radio and due to the emissions problem, I read about it I decided to return it. I did ask the person who reviewed it how it did on the GMRS channels and he said it was fine. At least I took him to mean it was fine.
So if I expand this radio by using the 8 button, it will work on gmrs and ham?
Got mine yesterday and love it. Yeah, it might be "cheap chiny junk" but for what it recoeves and the odd factor, it was a great buy. In my opinion.
Thanks. I'd like to see your take on the Explorer QRZ-1 radio. I got one as a loaner and seeing about getting my daughter into amateur radio. 73
The Explorer QRZ-1 is a rebadged TYT TH-UV88. Which is also functionally identical to the Retevis RT-85. I reviewed both of those radios in this video th-cam.com/video/9_8KcnWhnq8/w-d-xo.html . The only difference I can find is that the QRZ-1 is hard locked into the amateur radio bands. It's a good entry level radio and much better than the Baofeng UV-5R that is typically recommended.
@@KS6DAY Thanks.
I love my A36, solid af.
…so…none of us are gonna talk about how huge this dudes hands are huh? You gotta make ME say it? Thanks guys…thanks. That’s just wonderful
First, good for you sticking up for ethical business! I'm with you.
So...When I saw my first review on this rig, I was kind of excited and hopeful that it had more complete voice prompts, as I heard voice prompts for unusual menu items. So I asked about obtaining one to document for blind operators as I sor,t of alluded to in your Quansheng post. So they sent me one. Then I saw the review calling out its lack of harmonic suppression, and not just slightly out of spec, but *badly* out of spec. I was concerned. Got the radio, and...I don't like the battery latches, which are hard to operate. Voice prompts...many are missing, so doesn't seem great for blind ops. And I shoud definitely not hear myself on 293.04 when transmitting on 146.52. I brought up these concerns with Talkpod, and they asked for more details. Ummmm ... In short, I am not going to document this one for the blind community after all, and also don't recommend. At all. But really like the Quansheng UV-K6.
This harmonic stuff is rubbish. If you happen to use the radio near a military base or airport, you might interfere with other transmissions. Is anyone REALLY going to notice your specified 5 watt radio on other frequencies for the few minutes you might be talking? highly unlikely. Nitpicking.😢😅
Ok so I got to say, why does the radio look like a tic tac next to his hand? Good review.
I knew it was bad but that 512 memories is simply criminal. Glad you produced feedback to them, whether they really wanted it or not.🍻🤠
Very easy to loose it, battery just falls off if any pressure applied to it while on your belt.
Interesting, I had not heard of this one. Useful to know all this.
Chip?
Yep... slipperly like those Baofeng 18w HT's. 18 WATT!!! Nope...they take high power + low power on both frequencies and add them all together for 18w. While we're on to chapping our backsides is all the TH-cam "used car salesmen" that get their product for free in exchange for a review. It's the greatest radio ever AND it's green affiliate link below. THANK YOU for declining their offer and staying honest.
> all the TH-cam "used car salesmen" that get their product for free in exchange for a review.
aka notarubicon
Because thing about the radio is the tone and frequency sniffer.
To be fair, you can modify a Yaesu in 15 seconds by peeling a sticker and breaking off a resistor.
If your a Ham you may not like this radio because of the known spurious emissions, which are actually worse than some of the cheaper chinese radios like some of the Baofeng models. I only found one review that disputed the number of memory channels, although that guy claims its since been addressed with a firmware update can anyone confirm that? but if you just want a low cost GMRS radio its fine yes? well maybe, maybe not. unfortunately the same reviewer who challenged the number of memory channels, also claims the A60 has not been programmed correctly for GMRS! with incorrect power levels and incorrect repeater programming and the latter meaning you cant even use a GMRS repeater is anyone able to confirm that? whether that issue has also been addressed recently I dont know? but that could also mean you are operating on GMRS illegally without even realising so of course.However, I believe it still represents good value for money for two reasons: 1) The problems ive highlighted bar the emissions are all fixable thanks to the radios chirp compatibility. 2) its a great radio for anyone who wants to use FRS and monitor the Aircraft band! and since Aviation RX is vastly superior to any other chinese HT including the Quansheng K5 and K5-8 its a no brainer for that purpose, and if you know how or the dealer can do it, the FRS channels could be programmed in of course.
For $50 I think it's pretty good TBH. Rx sensitivity is excellent, Tx PO is as expected around 5W, TX Audio is great, RX Audio is fine, though limited by the very small speaker. It has programming support in CHIRP making it very easy to program for ham radio use. Yes, it's a bit clunky, but as an experienced radio user, I think it's great and it gets the job done very well for the price point. For those just entering the radio hobby or not overly interested in spending time souring the web for info and how-to docs, this may not be a great choice for you. The only real criticism I have is the Tx spurious and harmonics go nowhere near meeting the guide lines, which I understand needs to be no more that -13dBm worse case. At least that's number for Australia, and I think we take that from the ITU, so likely the same spec is required for most western countries. For this reason, it is basically not legal for a ham use, unless he were to add additional filtering of the offending harmonics.
This thing is so easy to operate with out the manual.
I've got one of these for testing. I agree with your review and can confirm the problems with spurious emissions - it is off the scale on my spectrum anlyzer. I have no idea how this thing got FCC certification even for GMRS. I did look at the test data that they submitted to the FCC and their report is not at all indicitative as to how these radios actually perform out of the box.
🙄 🐖 tarded
a lot of these manufacturers don't even publish tests for TX, only for RX (spurs from the primary oscillator), and biological EMF limits. then they publish an "FCC ID" on their product, making everyone think they are good to go on TX. if you look up, they are certified as "radio scanner" only! very sneaky.
Easy to jailbreak the radio for all bands
So it can be junk on all the bands....yay
I have watched a number of videos over this radio.
I can be unlocked for ham radio.
Even the yaesu ft 60 can be easily modified.
Dude is complaining about a $40 radio that works great for FRS and GMRS. You also get a $10 cable that most other radios don't come with. It's a bargain and the kids love the crystal clear radios because the whole thing lights up.
The radio claimed to be a ham radio yet out of the box, it was not! What if GMRS was locked out? Would we then call you an idiot for complaining?
L👀k at them Paws😮😂
He’s a waterhead
Lipstick on a ham
One of the cheapest radios ive reviewed ever! Over priced and doesnt fit most antennas.
It really is awful on every level.
@KS6DAY that loose battery too. For the price im not sure why these guys are gobbling up this radio. I thought air band was no better than my uvk5 (8) . The uvk5 is way more solid feeling to me so i sent the crap pod back and kept the quansheng
What is the obsession with trying to control what others choose to own? Seems quite childish.
The obsession is to have truthful descriptions and good products. Informing others is not trying to control them!
@@paulsylvester1394 No the obsession is to try to control others because you think your opinions are superior to other's opinions. Your opinions of any product does not factor into people buying that product, nor does your experience mean others should not but it. The internet really has made narcissist of people like yourself. How about this, you buy what you wanna buy, and let others buy what they wanna buy.
@@chrisgullett4332 I’m not trying to control anyone! You are the one trying to control what others think. And you don’t care if specs and descriptions lie to achieve a sale. You are free to buy what you like, others are free to share their experience, and clearly, others on the internet are interested in hearing valid opinions. What are you afraid of?