CountyComm GP-5 General Coverage Radio Review

The GP-5 general coverage receiver sold by CountyComm covers the Shortwave broadcast bands, HF amateur radio bands and AM/FM broadcast frequencies. countycomm.com/products/count...
It is a decent performer but has issues with its user interface. Most of which I believe is due to the form factor of the radio and the lacking space to place things like a numeric pad for frequency input. If you're a broadcast station listener, take a look at the GP-5 as its Easy Tuning Mode scanning capability make finding broadcast stations easy.
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[@caulktel]

Hi Josh, I have the PL-660 and the GP-5 SSB. I have found that the AM jack on the top of the GP-5 radio serves as the EXT SW antenna also. I use my GP-5 SSB every morning to listen to a 80 meter group while getting my Wife ready to go to work. It's been working great for years.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Great tip!

[@mattlord2906]

@@HamRadioCrashCourse which tip both were great, I need to figure out how to get my wife ready for work so I can stay home and get some reloading done while playing with my Ham radio

[@k5wxp22]

Hey, I have the same radios as you! Both work great! I LOVE that the Countycomm is so light. Easy to toss in a go kit, camping, biking, or just walking around. 73, Brett

[@carlson1664]

Josh, the GP5-SSB has hundreds of memories you can set so you don't have to scroll like crazy for freq adjust. I set memories for all the SW freq's, makes it easy to find the band I want. Thanks for the videos I enjoy them. Tom W7GER

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

That would work for broadcast sw. not so much the amateur frequencies as people move around. But I understand your point. Good tip.

[@timk7749]

@@HamRadioCrashCourse works well for the ham bands too. I've got a couple memories for each of the ham bands. It's easy to get close through the memories then switch to vfo mode to get to another freq. 73 de KF7VUT

[@MrC-Hacking]

I have this radio! I use it for SSB. Amazing stuff! And I know the PL-660 has an antenna port, but the thing still gets the OMISS net or anything else just fine!

[@JosephAnthonyJosefius]

I have this radio, I even have the rubber hockey puck stand for it. Kudos for reviewing it.

[@davidsradioroom9678]

First, this is an excellent and fair comparison between radios. The GP-5 lacks an external antenna jack and a keypad, but the Easy Tune feature would be the main reason I would buy it. I do listen to shortwave broadcasts a lot. Having that feature would be great. I am also a medium wave DX-er. Those two features stand out for me. If you are giving it away, I would be happy to have it. 📻

[@thomasbarnes988]

I like my GP-5 for it's form factor for sure. But as you say, tuning can be a pain until you sort it out. My biggest complaint is that it burns through batteries very quickly, even if you are not using it. Not sure what that is about. I guess I should invest in some rechargeable batteries and have it plugged in on a regular basis. One other downside is that external AM antenna. I have no idea where mine disappeared to! If I ever find it again, I am going to tether it to the radio for sure!

[@WolfQuantum]

I'm running EBL 2800mAh rechargeables in mine. I got the charger and 8 batteries for a decent price. I don't listen to my GP-5 SSB that often, but the batteries stay up for a long time when off. Actually lasts pretty good while using. Especially if I keep the volume on the lower side. Low volume isn't an option at times though, but still does pretty good. We'll see how it does both on battery life and at receiving this Field Day.

[@joeframo3347]

Josh you and Jason 2.0 make the best damn videos on KZbin when it comes to amateur radio thank you for sharing Josh you are awesome

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Thanks Joe!

[@KE8NKO_Radio]

I've had this radio for about 3 years now and absolutely love it. It's a bit tricky learning to use it correctly out of the box.

[@forgetyourlife]

I just carry around a Yaesu 817 for SW and ham band SSB listening. It gets most everything except air band and is still quite small. Eight AA batteries gets 7 hours of RX. The real bonus is you get a receiver that doesn't mute like all the SW radios do.

[@volcanowb]

Excellent! Excellent! Excellent! Very clear, intelligence of helpful information! Great presentation. Thanks

[@roberthoffman4681]

I picked this radio up to keep around for when the power goes out. So far it's worked well for me. I was not familiar with CountyComm products, I figured if it was junk I would send it back. So far it has worked well for me. I had looked at the C Crane radios and this was more affordable at the time. I might have changed my mind if I had watched this first, but over all I am happy with it.

[@jhlewis10]

SDRPlay rxdx for the shack, and the GP5 for the field. Perfect combo.

[@user-mt2qn4yp8w]

Thank you Josh. Now I have to pull out my emergency radio and see what it has. It was one of those buys that you get and say cool then set aside. Lol. 73 Clark KG7LOI.

[@euro9115]

(Kapt Irk) - I purchased the 1st. Gen GP-5/SSB receivers a long time ago. I also purchased a Gen-2 receiver a few years afterward and finally purchased the latest version Tecsun PL-365, which is the same as County Comm's Gen-3 GP5. I gave my brother-in-law the 1st. Gen, keep the PL-365 with me in CA and leave the Gen-2 at my place in AZ, along with a PL-880. They all worked pretty good, especially if using an external antenna. Great little SW/SSB receivers for the money.

[@don_n5skt]

I have the GP5 and the PL-660. The PL-660 sounds better and seems more sensitive to me. I like them both and have carried to work a couple of times. Neither will work at work. I like the GP-5. Our club had Ed Fong come and give a talk out our club. We were able to make a club buy with Ed and Ed sells the GP-5 for $65. I bought another one from Ed to give to my sister. BTW, I totally agree with your assessment of the GP-5 and Joel is correct about the antenna port. One issue with the first one I bought. The little T adapter on mine has a short and I have to hold it in a very particular way to get it to work. It was fine when I bought it but did not hold up well. Also just noticed on my AM antenna that the little caps on the sides have adjustments. There are arrows going up along the sides showing frequencies. I will link a picture in Discord for you. Did yours have that?

[@TheSpitfiregoggles]

Hi Josh, your more recent video on the CountyCom GP7 with its comparison to the GP5 was timely as I've just bought a Tecsun PL-365...stopped by Radioworld and it was on a stand about to be photographed and put on their website as a "bargain" item, like other what piqued my interest was the form factor and that it came with a long wire antenna as well as the T-bar ferrite. Oh yeah, and the £40 ($52) price helped too! So far so good, I'm having a lot of fun with it and slowly learning how to drive it for best effect. Apart from anything else, the sound quality on FM is superb for such a small thing. Thanks for the videos, 73, G0CIQ

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Wow good deal!

[@TheSpitfiregoggles]

@@HamRadioCrashCourse I've been playing with it this evening (it's 21:27 here) and am more and more impressed with it, been listening on 80 and 40 ssb and cw and hearing stuff even on the internal whip.

[@hamandshortwaveradioirelan4773]

Great video confirming that you don’t need to spend a fortune to help the hours of self isolation slip by

[@stridermt2k]

Thanks for this video, Josh! This really is a great demonstration of what you get across a wide array of price ranges. I was really fortunate to get my PL-660 cheap on eBay because it needed some TLC but was perfectly functional. Looking around for used stuff isn't a bad way to get more for your money also, but it requires diligence and patience. Now I want to mod my PL-660 with a lithium battery so it will run longer!

[@alanjhornung7077]

Great Review the best have seen on the CC GP-5 , would it be used by government agency like FEMA for personal to listen to there broadcast frequencies in a time of disaster .

[@justinb.5822]

I just purchased the newest version, the CountyComm GP-7 radio. It looks like CountyComm saw this video and addressed the issues you mentioned. It has a keypad now. They also sell silicone cases to protect and help the radio stand on a flat surface. I'm still learning how to use all the features, so I can't comment on everything. Hopefully you will get your hands on one and let us know how what you think about it. 73, KI5KTQ!

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

I saw that. I’m glad to see the direct input.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Update! I got a GP-7 they updated it and boy it fixed all my issues!

[@n1yln]

I think I'd go with the PL-660 or Skywave for my listening habits as well. Ed N1YLN / WREN421

[@elguinolo7358]

It is a rebadged Tecsun PL-365

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Makes sense!

[@FrancisLitanofficialJAPINOY]

El Guiñolo Bought on sale from $86 Canadian dollars on Aliexpress.

[@AG7SM]

Did you notice that your PL-660 is still set for 9khz channel spacing for MW? I love my PL-660, and I also have the skywaveSSB. Great radios.

[@joeframo3347]

The bottom line my favorite is the 660

[@jerold8908]

I am wondering how the Sony ICF-SW7600GR compares?

[@dougdaniels]

GP-7 is available now, direct frequency entry, rechargeable BL-5C battery. $95.

[@FrancisLitanofficialJAPINOY]

GP-5 aka PL-365 has it’s Longwave tuner but only on 9 kHz mode only and the temperature displayed in ºC there’s a wat to turn off or on longwave are 150 - 1620 kHz and 522 - 1620 kHz. For 10 kHz, displayed only in ºF, 520 - 1710 kHz.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

What radio are you using for LW?

[@QRP700]

Enjoyed your video 73 de Aiden EI8HJB.

[@JohnL1950]

How's the Tescun Pl-880 compare with these radios? Is it worth the money.

[@joeframo3347]

I wish the Skyway was his big as the tecsun

[@shane.callaghan]

Saw your SWL live cast today then hunted this down... Have you seen the update to the complaint of no number buttons? Tecsun PL-368 AH2EJ

[@TechmagosCantido]

it seems like the perfect form factor that you can 3d print a little foot for it to slip into so you can stand it up stable

[@MrC-Hacking]

Countycomm sells a desk stand

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

I might look into make a 3D model for this. Good idea!

[@silvermediastudio]

Route/chisel a slot in wood. Done in a fraction of the time, fraction of the cost, with renewable materials.

[@t2000kw]

I didn't see where you switch from slow to fast tuning on the GP-5. I can't figure that out on mine, but the booklet, which doesn't tell how, says you can change from slow 1 KHz to 5 KHz "fast" tuning. How do you switch between fast and slow tuning? It would seem a good idea on SW bands to program some memories every 1/2 MHz or maybe 1/4 MHz to step up or down much faster to get where you want to be.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Idk either. It seems kind of random when it switches. But even then it’s slow to tune around.

[@cumberlandjed]

Hey Josh, so the SkywaveSSB comes with that antenna on a reel.... Do you think that antenna might have pulled in 10.000 more cleanly? (I get that you're limited when shooting the video, just asking for speculation) BTW the part where you're talking about what you like on the form factor and your like "it has a strap, it has a clip... These are all kinda dumb..." made me laugh hard. Don't EVER script, we love you man!

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

To be honest, I am not sure why it didn’t do as well on 10 MHz. I need to look into that as the sky wave is my Swiss Army receiver so I need it to do well on shortwave. The antenna I use for sw is my end fed half wave. It’s great for shortwave. I have a cool receiving antenna video in the work that I think might do better. Don’t worry about me scripting anything. I don’t think I have more then four videos I have ever scripted. 🤣

[@jeffk7734]

Nice radio, have you used the Icom ICR30? I’ve had mine since February and love it. The coverage as far as frequency coverage goes all the way from 100 KHz through 3399.0 MHz in a variety of modes.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Yep, I reviewed it. It’s pretty cool. It ha does a tone of modes and frequencies. Not a cheap radio receiver. 🤣

[@jeffk7734]

Ham Radio Crash Course That’s for sure. AM on that radio isn’t as good as the CC Skywave. I have the Skywave without SSB. As for the ICR-30 I like the fact that it has a speech synthesizer for reading frequencies. At least, that is all iove been able to get it to do. I want to know more aobut it and in particular the speech output as I am blind, but haven’t been able to find anyone who could help, even over the phone.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Have you tried contacting icom?

[@jeffk7734]

Ham Radio Crash Course No, as I had been putting my feelers out on some lists and groups for people like me. Have you or anyone found anything to monitor above 1.3 GHz? Up until I got this radio I had no access to these higher bands past 1.3 and all I’ve heard are open carriers and data sounds and that’s it.

[@AaronGoodTimes]

Great video! Where can I buy that ferrite device you have plugged into your handheld radio?

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

It comes with it.

[@AaronGoodTimes]

@@HamRadioCrashCourse Thanks!

[@stridermt2k]

Still nice to see the PL-660 holding its own! I still love mine

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

It honestly is a go to radio for me. I like playing with mine.

[@ManOfParts74]

Its so cool though for everyday carry/bug out

[@cmvb69]

What are your thoughts on older desktop shortwave receivers vs new portable ?

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

It depends on the radio.

[@dave_n8pu]

With the link provided it is current unavailable. Not that I'm in the market, just curious.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Yep. They sold out.

[@joeframo3347]

The 660 seems to be the best

[@TheSmokinApe]

I’m a big fan of this radio, just wish it had a keypad 👍

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Ape, the GP-7 that came out recently fixed all the issues. It’s definitely the way to go. I’m impressed.

[@dieselten01]

Nice review but I think you are missing out on some of the potential ways to tune. The band button will select between ham bands when the receiver is in ssb mode, it selects between shortwave bands when in am mode. You can also use the memory pre sets to accommodate the way you tune. You can set the memories for every 1.0 mghz or whatever you want. Use that to get close then manually tune. The am antenna slot will work for shortwave, so wwv will come in on your end fed using the am jack

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Yes. All good points. But I still feel the tuning wheel only is a poor option for control. It’s a compromise to get to that form factor that I really like.

[@dylanlockler1039]

Only 186 views??? I have never been this early

[@silvermediastudio]

County Com might ensure their version is Berry Compliant.

[@JarOfRats]

It's a neat radio, but the lack of direct frequency input is a hard stop for me. Guess I'll hang onto my DX-390 for a few decades longer.

[@carlbrutananadilewski3345]

Good price-point for SSB.

[@srwisner]

Have you ever made a list of those "checkmarks"? If so have you sent that list to any MFR to see what they have to offer? As with any industry including the one I'm in, I often wonder why they do not consult people in the field that use these devices/machines everyday to determine the weak points the strengths and probably most importantly the features that we'd utilize(of course with the understanding that sometimes field people think something would be way better than it would be in reality) human nature.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

That has been an idea for a while. A checklist of all my review "must haves" and sticking to that for rewviews.

[@n4gix]

I have had mine for just over a year. Honestly, it was a waste of money. I've never had any good results from it, and as you made mention many times, tuning is a massive pain in the arse! I've thought about giving it away, but don't dislike anyone enough to inflict them with such a pile of dog poop. 73 de N4GIX - Bill

[@MooseTracks77]

Any thoughts on the PL880?

[@forgetyourlife]

The 880 sucks for SSB. the AGC (automatic gain control) is horrible and a widely known issue. google it and dont by it if SSB is what your after.

[@nabeelalshweli2605]

Best GP-5 or Pl660

[@alex26641]

Sony ICF SW 100 best AM FM SW, usb USB w/ sync. 2AA cells or 3V wall wart, ext. Ant. Jack, with amplified external antenns, slightly larger than a deck of cards. I've had mine for over 20 years. Google for reviews. Two modifications to consider, 1 - reduce spring tension in battery compartment ( easy ), 2 - replace fragile ribbon cable ( part available ) and round off square cable pass through between base and digital display. Regards, Alex KE5HYF

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Those are unicorn radios. I bought a broken one to try and repair it. It’s still dead. 😢 They’re pricey too!

[@wynfrithnichtwo8423]

If only Sony manufactures those radios to this day, but sadly they do not, which leaves us with a used market full of pricey and broken radios to choose from today.

[@stevenemert837]

Great review. I have a question... I have had a PL-660 for about two years, and overall like it but when I try SSB it seems to go deaf. In AM mode I can scan the ham bands and find someone transmitting, but then when I switch to USB or LSB as appropriate for the band, it goes very quiet in comparison to when it was in AM mode. I'll then try tuning the BFO to get the station in. If it's a pretty strong SSB transmission I'll hear him, but if it's a weaker one it just won't come in at all. Switch back to AM mode, staying on the same frequency and I can again hear the typical "quacking duck" sound of the SSB ham station fairly loudly as you'd expect when the radio is in AM mode. Does your PL-660 sound anything like that when trying to pick up SSB, or do I simply have a radio with a problem in SSB? You edited the video when you demonstrated the PL-660 when receiving that station, so I don't know how it sounded as you were tuning it in, so I don't have a direct comparison to hear. By the way, overall, AM SWL broadcast station reception is fine.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

I show listening to ssb ham radio contact on my 660 in the video.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

What antenna are you using?

[@stevenemert837]

@@HamRadioCrashCourse You did indeed. What I meant was there was a cut at 21:03 between first picking up the SSB ham contact and having it fully tuned in, so we didn't hear what it sounded like as you tuned the BFO. You did show fine tuning the CCrane at 20:40. Edit: From your video review, I don't think I'm considering the CountyComm, but am becoming ever more impressed with the CCrane Skywave SSB.

[@stevenemert837]

@@HamRadioCrashCourse You got me there. I am constrained. Outside I've used both the "long" (23'?) wire supplied with the radio, and inside I have one of those cheap MLA-30 amplified loop antennas up on the roof. I power the Bias-T with a USB battery power bank.

[@lalu225]

Question: Why is shortwave called 'shortwave'? Aren't these technically long waves? I thought VHF, UHF and Microwave transmissions are actual 'short' waves... Can't find a proper explanation online.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Long Wave LW, Medium Wave MV and Shortwave SW are all acknowledged bands. They don't really include the higher frequency stuffl like VHF/UHF.

[@lalu225]

@@HamRadioCrashCourse Thank you, is then SW the same as HF?

[@Steve-GM0HUU]

Shortwave is the approximate frequency range 3 to 30MHz or wavelengths 100m to 10m. Going back about 100 years, these were the highest frequencies (shortest wavelengths) that we had equipmnent for. This was the limit of technology in the early days of radio. In later decades equipment was developed for even higher frequencies and the terms VHF, UHF, SHF, microwave came into use.

[@lalu225]

@@Steve-GM0HUU This makes total sense, thank you!

[@johnd5244]

Have one but I really don’t care for it. I also have another radio County Comm put out many years ago that is small and has a LED flashlight option to it. Had 2 of them gave one to a friend. The other one is sealed in a vacuum sealed bag. ( another mystery radio for some govt agency ). I have a Kaito1103 I really like and have had great success pulling in stations from around the world. And my other radio is a Lafayette HA-600A 80 through 6 meters receiver, brought from a guy for $25.00

[@stephaneboudreau1088]

Check out the XHDATA D-808 great radio with SSB

[@eldontyrellcorp]

Yes this is a good radio, only let down by the slow operation (switching bands and modes takes ages) and the poor LW sensitivity. Also, it has a page system for the stations memory and this sucks a little bit. Globally I prefer my pl-380, which I use every day. Also, battery life is not good at all compared to the pl380 (battery life is fantastic). But of course, pl380 does't have ssb, which is not a big deal for me.

[@thecarys563]

Seems like GP-5 is out of stock at countycomm - unobtainium now?

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

I doubt it. They’ll have more.

[@Chef_Alpo]

Alloyed with restockinite

[@Bodhi1satva]

They now sell the 5 SSB for $125. I’ll never understand spending this much for just a recv’r. Especially these days when you can get transceiver’s so much cheaper.

[@williamcorsair2469]

Bingo. Paying that much for a receive-only radio seems crazy when, for half the $125 price, you can buy one of the Chinese transceivers.

[@lanini24]

I have the Gp-5 it eats batteries so fast just sitting turned off, I wish I should of sent it back.

[@PumaM90]

16:48 Me gusta

[@grindz145]

JUST THE TIP! hahah

[@grindz145]

Mega bass 🐠!

[@marko11kram]

I'll stick with my realistic DX-440

[@tommycheshire5508]

It feels like it has awkward tuning. You just can’t overlook that feature.

[@samstterhamstteer]

Hey there, this is somewhat off topic but from my reasearch u seem to know more than anyone about ham radios. If u or anyone that can help id greatly appreciate it. My dilema is this im looking to get some of these rsdios in case phones stop working. I know nothing about ham radios besides the little research iv done. I dont care to broadcast or dont care to listen or any of that. I solely want to be able to reach my parents they are quite old lose their phones all the time and live about 130 miles away from me. Id buy wtv license or anything required thats not an issue . Can u lead me towards the right direction on what my best option is. Despite the things happening id like to have that security they will have nobody coming for them besides me during an emergency. U say ur in CA id even go meet u in person so u can help me program or wtv else i have to do. Id pay u for it as well if wtv im asking for isnt doable online . Thanks again if u can help id owe u

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

The reality, at those distances you would need ham radio, specifically hf radio. That’s going to be more equipment then a simple handitalkie device.

[@samstterhamstteer]

@@HamRadioCrashCourse Thanks for the reply, can u give me some pointers on which hf radio u would recommend? What do u think about the icom ic sat100? Some of my co workers said they are worth the money ?

[@silvermediastudio]

130 miles 🤣 you're gonna need a new plan.

[@samstterhamstteer]

@@silvermediastudio already figured it out lol

[@lyfandeth]

What, no Zenith Transoceanic?

[@srwisner]

BASEBALL?????

[@srwisner]

Disregard, sounds like it was a broadcast from when I was a kid and I'm quite a bit older than you

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Yeah man! The stations that broadcast the games always sound great to me.

[@mozee06]

CountyComm is evil! They keep taking my money! Have a delivery from them due Monday, lol.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

I know. I just dumped another $100 on odds and ends.

[@mozee06]

@@HamRadioCrashCourse It adds up fast! $5 for this, $20 for that, etc., etc., etc.

[@joeym6730]

@@mozee06 It's like going to Costco hahaha! I'll take a box of this, and a box of that and a case of this. 3 boxes and I'm paying $120!

[@mozee06]

@@joeym6730 I need to keep telling myself that I don't need a 4" titanium adjustable wrench! Lol

[@joeym6730]

@@mozee06 Or a Limited Edition Carbon Fiber Comb :)

[@rauldelatorre2833]

THE SKY WAVE ITS SO OVER RATED ITS NOT I'TS WORTH!!!

[@AdamAvacado]

First