Licence-Free Radios with 2 Great Hidden Features

[@JustLearning]

Good review. Glad you mentioned that the CTCSS and DCS do not prevent others from listening to you , they only stop you from hearing them if they do not use the same CTCSS or DCS code. One time i was in a Radio Shack store and the sales person was showing a walkie talkie set to someone and was insinuating that the privacy codes stopped others from hear you. I did not want to mess up his sale but the info he was providing was wrong. Perhaps even he did not know how privacy codes worked.

[@narkfly]

Stopping a coercive sale based on either bad faith or unintentional misrepresentation is justifiable. In the long run, it's in the seller's interest to give customers correct information - to avoid earning a bad reputation. And it's obviously in the buyer's best interest to make an accurately informed decision. They may still buy it even if they know the truth, but it would be a fully informed, good faith (consensual) transaction rather than one from misrepresentation.

[@JustLearning]

@Hmz1417 mslm You would have to use encryption. Don't know if GMRS radios allow for encrypting but that is all you can do. I know companies try to sell the radio with "Privacy Codes" but all that does is prevent YOU from hearing others and not them from hearing you. I think the telephone is your best bet.

[@HarryHamsterChannel]

Does the "Foxhunt Feature" work? Channel 12. Hold Down upper side key and PTT, both, while turning it on. Transmitter cycles on/off every 20 seconds. Works on BF888S and H777's.

[@BensCoffeeRants]

I like the scrambled audio sound, reminds me of the 'Combine' Aliens talking in Half-Life 2, they probably used that feature actually.

[@mikesey1]

I have had four of these for around three years. Consulting with other users of them always brings up the apparent "deafness" of them at anything except quite close range. No Dxing I'm afraid. The features like CTCSS, DCS are useful, but I have remonstrated with Retevis & other makers of this class of radio, to supply them as open, to allow contact with users of other makes of 446 radios. The user should be allowed to choose whether he wants codes or not. One thing you missed when talking of the software, is the ability to adjust the power output from 0.5 watts to 2 watts, marked by a high or low power setting. The circuitry is basically the same in the US or European models, just the power needs adjusting in the Euro model. I like this radio; if the receive section wasn't so insensitive, it would be a real winner, even with a non-removable antenna.

[@radiosification]

That's interesting Mike. I personally haven't found them to be deaf. Admittedly I haven't gone out with them and done a range test. I actually used one on a 70cm repeater and found it about as sensitive as my other radios, but I recognise that is a different frequency from pmr446.

[@michaelloughlin734]

@@radiosification I was going to point that out as well these radios are great for close call and that's about it very deaf on receive at longer ranges a shame as it is a very well built radio I've got a pair which unfortunately have just been put into storage because of this no good on pmr 446 nets

[@1billiedale]

Good demo and explanation.

[@TRIPPLEJAY00]

Yes of his hand.

[@ourfrugallife]

I just bought these for my neighbour. He's in his late 70s and needed something easy to use. He's over the moon with them.

[@radiosification]

That's great. What's it for? So you can chat to him?

[@Jamienomore]

Enjoyed your Video. Only problem I have is you did not show how to Charge the Battery. I did hear you say you could Charge it by plugging it into your Computer. I got mine today and I tried to put one of the walkie talkies into that Base Unit with the USB Cable. No matter how hard I tried it would not go in. I forgot to ask. How do you know when it is fully Charged?

[@WaschyNumber1]

Is ther a budget with display hf radio with scrambler Funktion 🤔

[@tomcapehart1878]

If you are referring to the ctcss codes - they do NOT make your transmission private. All they do is set the radios squelch to NOT open unless that set tone is used. If you use NO tone, or run open squelch you can hear ALL transmissions on that frequency.

[@radiosification]

@@tomcapehart1878 is this aimed at me or some other comment?

[@414RadioTech]

I've got the VHF version of m u r s from the same manufacturer and they do come in handy since they're less congested but very rarely used

[@MrGoodSkills]

Do you know if the RT27V, MURS version, has the same capabilities as RT27?

[@redjohn20001]

The scramble function was available on some older Motorola pmr446 radios. The radio I have is the Motorola T6222 that has this function, some ten years old now. I also think it is currently available on the XT420 and XT460 semi pro radio but you need the very expensive Motorola programming software/hardware to enable this.

[@radiosification]

Yeah the scrambler is not the one I've never seen before if that's what you're saying. Thanks for the input

[@milangacic4043]

Some newer motorola pmr446 radios have tone scan function. Btw if i have scramble function on radio can i hear other manufacturer radio with the same function?

[@redjohn20001]

@@milangacic4043 Do a search for Beat Shift. Ringway Manchester did a video on this some years ago. The scramble function does not actually scramble the audio it does some kind of frequency offsetting that makes it difficult to understand. Unless the radios are a matched pair, it may not restore the audio to normal. Some semi pro Motorola's had multiple settings for this function. My T6222 only has one. I once saw a KZbin that demonstrated how to listen to a radio, using this function, on a scanner. After all scrambling is illegal but I guess frequency shifting is not. That is why it could be legally provided on some PMR radios.

[@milangacic4043]

​@@redjohn20001 I think it's called voice inversion still not sure wheter is leagal on pmr, I wonder about cross channel too.

[@redjohn20001]

@@milangacic4043 Whether its frequency inversion, frequency shifting or a combination of both I think its totally legal as Motorola would not have included the facility on their PMR radios. A quick search on the web seems to indicate that its a simple process to descramble using an SDR receiver. It just gives you a level of privacy from some one else using a PMR radio. Interesting stuff though.

[@Soporte-PARSEC]

I have RETEVIS RT27. I have programming cable and software. I tried programming the radio by adding scramble and tones. I turned radio on, now a red light remains on and I cannot transmit or receive. I tried reading data from radio on the programming software, but it won’t read from or to the radio anymore. please help.

[@radiosification]

That's strange. I don't really know the solution. If you had the programming data saved you could try writing it again. Maybe you used the wrong software? If so you could try to find the right version and write to the radio again

[@gblan]

You can smooth those sharp edges down in a flash with an emery board.

[@BarefootBeekeeper]

I thought that channels 9-16 were digital only?

[@radiosification]

They used to be, but the rules were changed a few years ago. You can now use all of them in either analog or digital. It's pretty good because if you have a dPMR446 radio then you have 32 channels now.

[@knoxieman]

Good video, great to see you posting, i like the DCS encryption, I have seen quite a few of these radios with voice inversion scramblers but its not a feature that I turn on because it really reduces transmitted audio quality, I am surprised you havent had the usual internet police pipe up yet though because if the radios are programmable off band by the end user then they dont meet 446 spec, also I dont think voice scrambling is allowed either, are the antennas removable on these sets? the usual trick they pull is superglue on the threads, the chinese vendors have realised there is a big market in PMR446 but its cheaper to hack their existing products to try and meet the spec, the are lots of PMR446 radios selling on Amazon and Ebay that are not technically legal to use licence free, I know because I have got loads of them ha ha. More from you young man please :-)

[@radiosification]

Thanks! The antennas aren't removable. They could be glued in but not sure. Another commenter was talking about some Motorola pmr446 radios having scramblers so surely that must be legal. You have to get the cable and software to change the frequencies so it might be borderline as they cannot be changed from the radio. It would be a real shame if these were not legal even though they're being sold as PMR446 radios. I wish there was some regulation of this stuff as it's so difficult to know what's legal. If people like you and I can't even be certain then how can an average person who isn't interested in radios and just wants some licence free radios be expected to know.

[@lizmontivani]

scramblin as you call it normally just "voice inversion"anyone iS allowed to use "voice inversion" in the uk,Its not a CODE Cypher.

[@mikesey1]

@@lizmontivani I disagree. The scrambler on these is five-level, and isn't inversion at all, that is quite apparent.

[@mikesey1]

@@radiosification Remember these are the 2 watt radios as supplied for the US market, so the option to choose the power low/ high is in the Software. So two watts can be chosen for the 446 version. You couldn't get on with the Vox because you didn't turn up the gain, which is also done via the software. I think you could have done with more time with these radios.

[@mikesey1]

Incidentally, I have programmed two UK UHF business- lite frequencies into two of these, and they work well.

[@briankendall1978]

I was curious to know what it sounds like when you have scrabbler enabled on the receive radio, if someone transmits with a radio without the scrabbler enabled? Will and unscrambled transmission break the squelch on a the receive radio with scrabbler enabled? Obviously the receiving radio has to decode the scrabble, but how does it handle and unscrambled signal when expecting the scrambled signal?

[@radiosification]

It tries to unscramble it and sounds incomprehensible. Similar to if you listen to a scrambled radio without a scrambler on the receiving end.

[@OKBAOK]

The topic at around 9:20 is very good info👍 but thanks for overall info🙂👍

[@buying_Time]

Nice review. Improving the problem means they will introduce a belt cutter to the clip on the next design? 😉 I don't need the scrambler though, because I have one built in. I and the people I use them with speak fluently Dutch, outside of the Netherlands.

[@radiosification]

haha 😂

[@jamieb9556]

What software to use on the MURS version? I can't seem to find it.

[@radiosification]

Is it not the same software?

[@CzechSixTv]

@@radiosification The programming software is different between the three bands(FRS/MURS/PMR) these come in. If you search Retevis RT27 and go straight to their website, click on support and then firmware/software, you'll find 3 possible softwares to download. The MURS software is "RT27V_programming_software".

[@michaelking1529]

I have the MURS RT27V and at the Retevis site I can’t find the option for scramblers??

[@Johnyrocket70]

Some of these license free radios are pre programmed with licensed gmrs channels that interfere with our gmrs repeaters sometimes so bad they make them unusable. We recently had to use a dual input and output tone just to use the repeater. Using only 1 tone was useless because companies use radios being marketed as license free using licensed frequencies. Amazon is guilty of selling these radios.

[@Carred20]

Make a complaint to the FCC and hope they crack down on the manufacturer. They will put import restrictions on them and outright ban them if they don't comply.

[@double5bbq]

I just purchased five of these radios for our church security team and I am interested in using the CTCSS codes. What is the difference between the scrambler and the codes? Seems they accomplish the same function. Also, where do you get the software and Will CHIRP software work on this one? This model is not listed on the CHIRP website so I was just wondering. Thank you for a great video.

[@Johnyrocket70]

Scramblers are illegal to use in the USA

[@double5bbq]

Thanks. Good info.

[@paganphil100]

I think the "Vox" function is designed to be used like a "hands free" phone with a boom-mic & earpiece (included with many PMR radios) with the radio itself on your belt or in your pocket. You can use it with the mic held up to your mouth but that seems pointless.....although it does save you the "effort" of having to press the PTT button :-)

[@radiosification]

Yeah, I thought so but then the microphone would have to be kept so close that it would go off every time you breathe

[@paganphil100]

@@radiosification: Good point !! I'm currently using Motorola T82 Extreme radios and the Vox function has 3 levels of sensitivity that you can select in the menu......even with the most sensitive setting (level 3) you still need to speak quite loudly to activate the TX.

[@1billiedale]

You are right.

[@torpe1]

I was looking at some pmr446 legal including this from Retevis but they do not have the programming software available for download anymore in any of their PMR446 range (apart from only RT24 which is chirp supported). anyone knows why?

[@radiosification]

I don't know for certain but I can only guess that they decided they didn't want people changing the frequencies and power level which could make it illegal to use

[@torpe1]

@@radiosification True but the option of changing dcs and ctcss (if staying legal) wont be possible anymore. hence making these radio unusable to some.

[@radiosification]

@@torpe1 Yeah I know, it is a shame that they removed the software

[@torpe1]

@@radiosification yeah, shame they did. i hope they would realise because it could translate to their sales. i was put off because of that. thanks.

[@jameshurrell]

Software is still available, e.g. for the RT27: www.retevis.com/RT27-FRS-or-PMR-License-free-Portable-Walkie-Talkies/#A9133D - click the Support tab at the top right, then choose Firmware/Software on the left.

[@smujohnson]

Scrambler test example at 8:55

[@viewatyourownrisk]

The kirisun TP-660, do you know if it's a super heterodyne or direct conversion receiver? I've spent hours looking now.

[@radiosification]

How much does it cost? If it's cheap it probably doesn't.

[@viewatyourownrisk]

@@radiosification I'm finding that hard to judge, I found them on mtc radio and they're a 3 pack for $200 or a single for $50 with a $50 purchase. They may be an older model as they don't seem to be widely available and the information on them is scant at best. The one MTC is selling is a single band UHF HT with 1/4 watt output. EDIT: 1 or 4 watt output, changeable in programming.

[@radiosification]

Yeah sorry I have no clue

[@viewatyourownrisk]

@@radiosification That's a bummer, but it's still awesome that you're following up on these things months after you post a video. So thank you very much!

[@Johnyrocket70]

As for chinese radios Only Wouxun uses those receivers but they cost more.

[@TodaysAmericanCowboy]

in america is it still licence free if you program it?

[@radiosification]

If you change the frequencies or power level then no it wouldn't be, but you should be able to change CTCSS and DCS codes legally

[@G0NMY]

You say they are programable, do they come with the software? And what is the specified frequency range? or are they fixed on 446MHz only? Cheers Mark

[@radiosification]

Officially PMR446 only but I believe they work 400-470. Software is available on retevis website.

[@WaschyNumber1]

Nice information 🖖👍

[@M6JKW]

Great video thanks for posting 👍

[@bulldogbrower6732]

If 27V is marketed as a MURS radio for the US market, why aren’t the antennas removable ? Are these truly 2 watt radios ?

[@wisteela]

Seems they are 2 watts if set to high.

[@rasheedali2587]

Hello my friend I need help ... how I can contact with you? .. please

[@radiosification]

You can contact me right here in the comments

[@N4EJM]

These would be great for our church security

[@Oscar230]

Thanks :)

[@wisteela]

I wasn't aware of DCS encryption. Thanks for the heads up! 👍 73s M7TUD

[@sevenman9672]

Squelch tail

[@godfree2canada]

I call DCS the bozoo filter since most license free radios. Use ctss

[@cjvan713]

That hand needs a puppet.

[@sunilscorpy4594]

Just curious... Are they made in china?

[@radiosification]

I didn't check, but retevis is a Chinese company so I think they are

[@sunilscorpy4594]

@@radiosification thanks. ☺

[@bryanmanx]

They must have gotten their English from someone in New Jersey. Open the radio, close the light.

[@OKBAOK]

Range question answer: For anyone's info. In a straight line of sight 1watt equals to 1 mile range. Like driving straight to freeway.

[@radiosification]

That's wrong

[@jean-daniel9709]

pour toute information la fonction' scrambler' est interdite en France sur le PMR 446.

[@radiosification]

I didn't know that. Thanks. By the way how were the subtitles? I'm guessing that you watched with French subtitles on? They were translated automatically so I hope they make sense!

[@godfree2canada]

Squelch tail eliminate

[@CrackerJohn100]

Bro, how TF do you activate VOX? You actually talk 20 fking seconds about it, not showing it, not testing it, nothing. WTF

[@TRIPPLEJAY00]

I found this "review" quite unfinished, lack of show more tell. Maybe showing the features on PC.