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Good buyer, prompt payment, valued customer, highly recommended.
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Good buyer, prompt payment, valued customer, highly recommended.
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satisfyelectronics (217605)- Feedback left by buyer.
Past 6 months
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Quick response and fast payment. Perfect! THANKS!!
yl-craftaccessories (1763)- Feedback left by buyer.
Past 6 months
Verified purchase
Quick response and fast payment. Perfect! THANKS!!
survy2014 (289878)- Feedback left by buyer.
Past 6 months
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Quick response and fast payment. Perfect! THANKS!!
Reviews (1)
08 Feb, 2018
My ideal DMR radio for now
4 of 4 found this helpful I bought the GD77 and got into DMR in October 2017, without knowing the AnyTone AT-D868UV. The GD77 is fine for its price as a dual band radio, with similar functionality and limitations as other DMR radios at that price point. As soon as I read about the D868 I ordered one from Bob of letsgetready immediately. After using the D868 extensively in the past 2 months, I am now convinced that the D868 is worth its price at twice as much as the GD77.
First of all the D868 is not difficult to set up and use. Just set up the USB port with the appropriate driver for my Windows 7 PC (just like the GD77); install the CPS and read the radio to get a template to import the data I have used to program the GD77 via csv files in Excel. Unlike the GD77 which has a limitation of 16 channels per zone (same as many other DMR radios), I was able to put as many as 61 channels (tried 200 or more is possible) in one zone, which allows me to group, and thereafter access or scan all the local analog repeater frequencies in the area I live. I also downloaded the complete DMR ID database directly applicable to the D868 from one of the sources online (82k entries, updated regularly); so when I receive a DMR call on the radio from a user with a matching ID in the database it will show the call sign, name, city/country of the caller in addition to the DMR ID and the Talk Group. The Digital Monitor can be activated for either single or both time slots – I can tune in to any DMR Talk Group on my local DMR repeater and receive any Talk Group (in any time slot) supported by that repeater.
Physically the radio looks and feels professional. Keys have a tactile and positive feel. The color display is very easy to read, with different font sizes for different information. The supplied 3100 mAh battery is a bit on the heavy/bulky side but lasts up to 2 days of monitoring with occasional transmit. The receive audio from the speaker (SMD type) is surprisingly loud and clear.
The receive audio is noticeably better than the GD77, especially in DMR mode. I also got good signal reports from both analog and DMR transmissions. BTW after many hours monitoring the local DMR repeater I found most DMR radios (MD380, MD2017, GD77, D868) sound good, hard for me to tell which one is clearly better than the others, if they are all transmitting a good signal via a local repeater.
The GPS does take a bit of open sky to get a fix, usually in less than a minute. The result agrees with the GPS in my smartphone to the .0001 of a degree. Between the GD77 and the D868 I have also tested the following digital functions in simplex mode: Text Messaging and Remote Monitoring (call another radio by its ID and listen to what its microphone captures). The GD77 could send text messages to, and remote monitor the D868 but not the other way round. I have no other radios to test further on compatibility but am not surprised if radios from two different design brands are not fully compatible here.
For day to day use the D868 in analog mode can take the place of my trusty Yaesu FT60R and saves me from carrying 2 radios around, which was my main reason for getting a dual band DMR radio. With further improvements by firmware updates (also an easy process), I look forward to many years of satisfactory use of this radio.