It's good but could be great

[@drright71]

WoAD does work. If yours doesn't, keep reflashing and resetting the radio til it does. Also make sure you have the correct channel selected for the TNC. It does not automatically use the channel you're set on. That said, it's not flawless. Sometimes you have to redo the message entirely to get it to send.

[@GerForever]

When it comes to HTs I am pretty much just an FM guy, Thanks for digging through these radios. I learn things.

[@johnk23705]

Thanks for giving all the details Jason. Too many YT channels only give the good and skip the bad. I'm told by a friend that one of the major flaws in the firmware have just been fixed, didn't get the details though. Looks like a good radio. I've been waiting to buy one until I see if the bugs in the firmware can get fixed. I already have a couple good APRS radios in the shack. You're straight forward information is why you are one of the best YT channels on the tube. These cheap radios may finally force the big two to improve what they offer in their radios. Thankyou for all you do.

[@MegaChiliMac]

Was not aware that it doesn't do message retry. Strange choice there. Hope it changes in a future firmware update. I've only had this radio a few weeks but overall I like it. It's my first HT that is not a UV-5R style HT and for me it was the perfect step up in features vs price. Thanks for the video, Jason!

[@Siskiyous6]

As I told TO in the comments on your last video on the Vero, your interest will spur innovations for the software apps that this radio needs.

[@TestSpaceMonkey]

Let's hope so. My cynical side is pretty sure that, once the BT TNC firmware is out of beta, the feature/price point will be a good enough value proposition that they can just quit development. Consider how long some combo of the app and hardware have been out with the VGC headless mobile radio (N7500) and there's still so many rough edges on the APRS functions: mis-parsing of packet header info into the packet message or how easy it is to lose messages if the phone isn't *constantly* connected to pick them up as they come in (no sync of new messages, every new message from the same sender overwrites the last one on the radio, and other examples from this video.) There's a reason a lot of tech reviewers warn that you should only ever buy based on the product as sold and never on the promises.

[@SheepdogPreparedness]

I received mine a few days ago, and love this radio! I keep updating my firmware with every beta, and it is performing very well. I can't wait until they get all the little tweaks finished. My only complaints are that I would love to see custom color control of the display elements, and I would like to see all channels in one big bank, instead of 6 banks of 32. I want to be able to have different banks selected at the same time for dual watch.

[@jarredjones8476]

Wondered when you were going to do a video of these ..I have it and the uv pro for months now and I'll have it at the parade...I also have a Facebook group for it and the variants

[@AdamSWL]

Thanks Jason! I am awaiting delivery of a VR-N76 and am really interested to do some testing. One YT video out of many bothered to mention that it only has 16 memories which I watched AFTER buying one. Then another mentioned it has banks of 16 channels which was a bit of a relief. So OK, back to 90's Motorola channel convention then.

[@davemichaeli5339]

I’ve got the BTech version of this radio, and it has six channel banks with 30 memory slots in each.

[@theodoreboyer2275]

just upgrade the firmware and it will do 32 channels per group

[@matsherwood6277]

I'm glad to see you breaking this down. It's interesting but I'm not a fan of Chinese radios generally. This one seems like maybe it's a better execution.

[@KS0JD]

I have the VGC as well and had the same problem with WOAD. I have yet to try Radio Mail. i will follow this one closely! Thanks for the video! 73

[@bbc581]

Request: I would really appreciate more information on the BSS (Basic Service Set) Protocol functionality that is available with these devices. From what I can gather it appears to be an off-shoot of Nokia's GSM (GPRS) communication. Not much is offered as far as the technology other than it was designed for those without a HAM License and callsign. I am curious how this is different from AX.25 or APRS stuff and where to find more details. It seems to be intended for emergency responders and team activities but I am anxious to receive my 2nd HT so I can do some signal analysis with an SDR. Any help, advice or other information you (or the community) might offer would be most appreciated. Is there anyone else looking into this?

[@KM4ACK]

Can't currently test the BSS. I only have one of their radios. I'd need another to do the decode

[@johnblaisdell2179]

I've had my VGC VR-N76 for a couple months now. Running the new beta firmware also and found the same issue with WoAD. APRSdroid seems to work. If future updates fix the WoAD problem I may just sell my D-74. Thanks for the video. 73 de W4CJB

[@M0KVI]

Unsure if you ever got WOAD working using packet, it's fine for me with some fiddling. TBF it's using my own gateway So am yet to do range tests. I have exactly this setup and run the N76 over BT with Linux android and windows. Using AX25 linBPQ winlink and more. Very cool radio at the price point!

[@KM4ACK]

WoAD, RadioMail, and Linux are all working here with the latest firmware on the radio.

[@vincentdenich5034]

Great video. I really like my VGC radio as well. Can you tell me which SMA antenna you are using in the video? Do you like the one you are using over the stock antenna? Thank you and best 73!

[@KM4ACK]

I adapt all of my HTs to BNC. In the video I am running this Diamond antenna www.dxengineering.com/parts/dmn-rh519

[@n8jsn]

Last few beta updates have been up and down. I'm currently using it with radiomail. I'm sitting on this update at this point since it works for what I want.

[@Macro0rganism]

Just got mine. Not sure how much I’m going to enjoy it. I think the audio quality is poor coming out of the speaker, I feel like the reception is weaker than on other devices, and my battery meter jumps all over the place. I’m not sure if mine has a problem or if this is how this radio is.

[@KM4ACK]

You may have gotten a bad radio. I have not had the issues you described.

[@Macro0rganism]

@ I messaged them and they essentially made excuses for the issues I was experiencing. This one will likely just sit in a drawer. Not a fan of the company.

[@timbookedtwo2375]

How readable is the color display in normal sunlight? I once bought an HT with color display that was totaly unreadable outdoors in normal sunlight. It now functions as a very expensive paperweight on my desk.

[@californiakayaker]

About the only company that could compete with this company is Quansheng. They put out some innovative radios and that programmer has either been taken aboard by Quansheng (giving him access to their firmware) or he has hacked it. Its absolutely amazing what he is writing for the Quansheng portables. He is Brazilian and doesn't speak in his videos but he does amazing work ! If he were given access to the firmware of this radio he would make it fly.

[@CJburk]

Hey Jason, for WoAD, set the TX delay to 1000ms. That should fix the issue. 73 de KJ7LLS

[@KM4ACK]

I wish that would've worked

[@arthurbrown13]

Thx for review. I'm going to the BTech version, same radio.

[@lukebryan1848]

What model?

[@arthurbrown13]

@lukebryan1848 The BTech UV-Pro. It comes in black only, but I purchased other HT's from them and had a great experience. Sometimes it's cheaper to buy directly from them than buying Amazon

[@ChrisKD9YSW]

Yep thinking next ht for me

[@brianeaster9679]

Hey Jason nice video. What antenna do you have on the Vero in this video?

[@KM4ACK]

www.dxengineering.com/parts/DMN-RH519

[@chrisjohnson8741]

I have the btech version and it's great, but the documentation is nearly worthless. KZbin saved my life on this one. The radioddity clone has better docs and they are available online. For aprs, it could really use an address book of some kind.

[@menajemh]

if getting it in the us get the btech, u'll get support in the us, plus wx channels preset and weather alerts. no colors choice, just black.

[@jarredjones8476]

The tech support is still the same..

[@wm6h]

My uv-pro version works with KISS over BT on both Android and iOS. I have never seen that before! On Android it uses BT Classic SPP profile and on iOS it uses BLE Bluetooth Low Energy which Apple requires.

[@One-Eyed-Willly]

Exhalent video. So many options out there. Do you know about LARA APRS. I would like a compassion bettwenn the 2M band and the 900Mhz band.

[@thuff3207]

I do not know the battery size of this radio but I do on the D75/D74 and it is way too small. I do not know what GPS they use or if the packet engine they use. I would be interested in what is the same and different between them including battery size.

[@jarredjones8476]

2600mah but needs to be bigger

[@KM4ACK]

Battery on this one is 2600mAh

[@moga864]

I've seen a presentation of another radio content maker pairing the N76 in KISS tnc mode to a mobile handset that runs aprsdroid. That would provide the smart beaconing feature. Maybe I'll give that a try when I next go out for parks on the air work. ETA: next time I'll watch the video to the end before I begin to make comments 😂

[@menajemh]

it works with aprsdroid

[@KM4ACK]

APRSdroid isn't an issue. Works fine.

[@moga864]

This is my first radio that's not Japanese. Relieved to report that I have not had a regret. I also programmed seven or eight memory entries by hand, which is fairly straight forward. None of my local amateurs use aprs so I haven't even enabled it on the N76. Disappointing, I know.

[@chrissewell1608]

If someone is using APRS for its ability to send a text message. Then this may be a deal breaker.!? I will wait on a firmware update that fixes it or a Gen. 2 radio.

[@KM4ACK]

Hopefully they fix the message issue in the next firmware release.

[@BenjaminPauly]

APRS messaging has been fixed with the newest firmware.

[@jsm136]

Very good video pointing out the shortcomings of this radio, this helped me decide to not purchase it.

[@KM4ACK]

It's getting better with each firmware release.

[@bulldogbrower6732]

There are no shortcomings with this radio. It works far above any other at $160.00

[@KM4ACK]

@@bulldogbrower6732 there are shortcomings but they are working to fix with each update. APRS messages still don't follow the spec and shouldn't be relied on.

[@nicke.3011]

It may be good, but it is overpriced by double.