Radtel RT-490/Socotran FB-8629 Two Way Radio Review

[@tee_m]

I was so impressed with my rt490 I got a Socotran as a backup, they are 100% identical. I've also just ordered a Jianpai8800 which is apparently the same internals but the case is slightly different and it has USB-C charging. I mainly listen to airband and find the rt490 great for that. Usually use a retevis771 or 701 antenna either directly attached or with a car window mount. Battery seems to last a full day of RX with screen always on, easily. Better than a UV5r for reference.

[@Transmission1]

Hi Tom, yes they are great value for money. I love mine even though I've got a small screen defect (you might have noticed the small line down the screen that goes away after a few minutes as it warms up). I found the radio available under a few brand names but I didn't know the Jianpai 8800 had USB-C, that's very useful. I'm glad that you've confirmed the battery life being excellent - that was my thoughts on this radio along with great audio quality. It's a winner!

[@tee_m]

Update: the Jianpai is here and it's identical software as expected (works fine with rt490 software and app) and the usb c charging works great. Screen is the same but the case and buttons feel different, maybe slightly better quality. The audio/programming port for the rt490 are covered with a plastic cover and a screw. Lost the screw on day 1, thankfully the cover holds itself in place fine. The Jianpai has a rubber cover that lifts and stays in place, better design. Overall, no difference other than the USB C charging capable battery on the Jianpai (also of note, it has a charging indicator LED unlike one of my other usb charging radios). Only major issue I have with any of them is how easily the screen scratches.

[@clivepenny]

Regarding screen scratches, mine had 2 screen protectors the second was a very close fit needing a sharp point to raise a corner.

[@ShortwaveLog]

Just wondering how you get on with listening to airband without the 8.33 tuning steps?

[@robinvanlooy294]

Does the retevis antennas work good for airband since it isn’t the right frequencies?

[@garenkarapetian709]

I've had this radio (Radtel 490 with USB charging) for a year now. Here's my review: I really like it - great for hiking, bushcraft and sailing too. The GPS feature is awesome if you need to pinpoint your location on a paper chart or map. On a sailboat it can serve as you secondary VHF and secondary GPS (a failsafe in case your primary VHF and Chartplotter and Navionics fail and you need to resort to paper charts navigation). In terms of sailing, it's not really a replacement for your standard VHF which is 25W and has antena on top of the mast (big difference), unless you're just coastal cruising. But if you're on deck and single-handed (no time to jump back and forth between helm and radio station in the cabin) and you need to quickly contact the nearby marina, it's great. I also like the USB charging feature, as I can charge from a powerbank and mini-solar-panel. The screen scratches too easily! The antenna on these is not great. Get a better one, and I'm still looking for a really great antenna. The battery life on these is terrible! Looking back, the color screen is an unnecessary excess - drawing too much battery. It'd be great if it was water-proof and floating when dropped in water. It would be great if there was a way to enter your MMSI number and program the Distress button with what sort of information it transmits (with GPS function already built in, this could actually save lives). I still can't figure out how to give custom names to channels, like "PMR 446 ch14" as seen at 5:23 of this video. I never managed to receive any transmissions from any of East London and North London repeater towers and never found any hams (except for one lonely old chap who speaks his mind in the evenings). Maybe I'm doing something wrong. But overall, not a bad piece of kit for 60 quid.

[@leeclements9797]

Two questions: 1)Does this radio allow you to listen to the two displayed frequencies simultaneously, or do you have to swap back and forth? 2)Does the bluetooth allow you to connect a bluetooth speaker or wireless earpiece?

[@JimJepson]

I love mine too, though I don't have my license yet. RadTel emailed me today and said that they are close to being set up with CHIRP

[@Transmission1]

Yeah, they are a great radio for the money. Would be great if they can also be programmed by CHIRP although I've found myself using the Bluetooth application on my android phone more often as it's convenient and works better than I thought it would do!

[@pascalbatard1671]

Bonjour, vous pouvez déjà le programmer par CHIRP depuis plus d'une semaine. Hello, you can already program it by CHIRP for more than a week.

[@mikesey1]

When you first switch on straight out of the box, you might be concerned about the muffled sounding audio as I was. Just switch off the GPS and notice the difference. Only switch that on when you need it. Secondly If you notice a faint annoying tapping sound with the received audio, switch off the received transmission timer to get shot of the noise.

[@ricardoscotta1313]

In some independent tests there was a considerable failure rate in the Radtel rt-470x

[@lesnelson3458]

I have the jjcc jc-8629 one of those radios What I have been trying to work out Is how to use the copy feature Where you use the radio to copy any frec from any other radios even encrypted radio This is the feature I got the radio for

[@jeremyhunter1459]

I bought the jjcc jc-8629 but haven't received it yet. I mainly bought this for the analog gps. I didn't want to be reliant on aprs. Will be using this mainly for gmrs until I get my ham license.

[@hbillsmith]

Terrible frequency bleed test. I saw this on another guys video where he was testing with spectrum analyzer. If you have an RT-490 (or clone) and you have another handheld radio, you can try this test yourself. Put both radios in VFO (Frequency Mode). I used a Baofeng UV-5R and a Radtel RT-490. I set the UV-5R to listen on UHF 439.560 and I set the RT-490 to transmit on VHF 146.52 (make sure your RT490 doesn't add 5000 when you press the PTT button. If it does, press the *< key untill you see "R" at the top line next to "MAIN". When you press PTT and speak on the RT490 using VFO VHF 146.52000, the UV-5R VFO UHF 439.560 receive will light up and will receive that transmission and you can hear yourself on the UV5R.

[@johnroberts6695]

Did you test the power output on these? I bought a couple of RT-470s and the VHS outputs were 13 watts, and the UHF outputs were 11 watts. The battery is massive (3800mAh) and you can get the radio and a spare battery for $67. It, too, has a color screen and many of the same features as your RT-490. Freq. HIGH MED LOW --------------------- 140.000 13.02W 7.91W 6.58W 142.725 12.77W 9.38W 4.37W 143.500 12.91W 9.01W 4.35W 146.355 13.92W 7.61W 4.09W 440.525 10.77W 5.12W 2.22W 442.000 10.75W 5.06W 2.27W 446.252 10.75W 5.08W 2.13W As you can see, the power levels are amazing for a handheld radio. The only real issues are the hiss, and the fact that it has problems using repeaters. I hope Radtel fixes these issues in future iterations. As for now, the radio works well for simplex communications, but has problems with repeaters.

[@realtyrocks1969]

Could test harmonics or watts on 220 mhz? Thanks

[@dalexdba1]

Re- programming cable and software. I had a programming cable for a Baofeng BF888/UV5r and similar radios which worked with the JJC-8629 software. As far as I can ascertain, the radio is not readable on chirp as of the day of testing (Oct 2022). I hope that helps someone as I found it a mare trying to locate any programming software at all. There is mention of something called Super Walkie Talkie that would enable programming from a phone over bluetooth, however this also was unavailable from the google play store.

[@ericnexplore]

Thanks for the comprehensive review. Greatly appreciated, it will help in my purchase. Need this device for communicating with trucks on Forest Service Road in Canada to have access to remote locations. Greetings from Yellowknife.

[@Transmission1]

Glad you enjoyed it and I wonder if you bought any of these radios? I also use mine in one of our local forests on the licence free 446 band in Europe. It works well.

[@ericnexplore]

@@Transmission1 Hello there, just bought it. I will be using it on ice roads 150 ish vhf and on the forest roads in the same band. Cheers and greetings from Yellowknife.

[@Radioksv]

Спасибо! Всё подробно и тщательно рассказано, а GPS показывает только точку нахождения или можно видеть насколько ты отошел от первоначальных координат? Например на запад?

[@hbillsmith]

No more screen scratches. I see a lot of complaints that he RT-490 and it's clones have a screen that scratches too easy. For awhile I was very careful with mine until 1 day I got a tiny scratch from my bag but then a few days later I got another scratch in the corner and it looked like the screen was peeling. NOPE! It turns out that the RT-490 ships with a thin plastic shipping screen cover thats applied so well you can't see the corners. But hooray, it is there and it is easily removable once you peel a corner. I pulled it off, the scratches were on that cover NOT on the glass display. Since then, I toss the radio around a lot and nothing scratches it. Take off your shipping plastic (even if you think it can't be there, it is!)

[@FishingWithNate]

😂😂😂 Same with the Baofeng Uv-13, I put that radio thru hell, it was banged up and covered in paint and scratches, and screen was hard to see, then the cover fell off.

[@chrissewell1608]

Nice unit! I like the bluetooth, GPS, and frequency counter function.

[@williamn7133]

What’s the maximal distance for the “close-call” scan?

[@Transmission1]

Depends on the antenna system really. On the stock antenna just a few metres away from the transmitting radio. It's not really a replacement for a Uniden type close call scanner.

[@DonzLockz]

I really live that bluetooth option. GPS can be useful in a limited capacity to notify your location if lis in the middle of nowhere but still had voice contact.👍

[@mikesey1]

You shall probably have very muffled audio if you run with GPS permanently switched on.

[@exotime]

Hi I have 2 of the "Socotran" variants and they talk with radtel 490 software. However I haven't figured out how to use the voice encryption, with both radios set to same encryption option I could audit the transmission from a different transceiver. Amy ideas?

[@joelmulder]

Also goes under the JJCC brand name

[@pascalbatard1671]

Thank you for this very comprehensive review. I have since yesterday a SOCOTRAN BF-8629, identical radio. I start to program it by PC with the RADTEL software and it works perfectly. However, I have a question, how do I save a GPS position on the Radio?

[@Transmission1]

I'm not sure as I only had one unit with the GPS functionality so I couldn't test this with anyone else.

[@pascalbatard1671]

@@Transmission1 Ok thank you for your answer.

[@lesnelson3458]

Any cable will work even the cheapest one you can get works perfectly

[@theirishoutdoorcook1207]

Nice radio. This is next on my goodie list.

[@baronedipiemonte3990]

I'm leaning towards getting this radio, but without the reverse screen. The other being the Abbree AR-830 (it has a few clones). I used to be put off by the Chinese names. My primary interest now is how well the radio works.

[@Transmission1]

Give it a try! You will be pleasantly surprised for the price!

[@mikesey1]

The USB charging is a plus point.

[@BrianRamseysg01]

Looking around none allowed to export to UK is there a black market now on these radios?

[@Transmission1]

No restrictions, just by the radio off Aliexpress and it will arrive. They are not type approved in the UK or EU but there is no issue getting them into the country. That's where mine came from.

[@barney2x4]

​ @Transmission1 does the BT allow you to connect to a BT headset/speaker or is it just of programing?

[@Transmission1]

Sadly not, the bluetooth function is only for programming frequencies. I've yet to see one of these cheaper Chinese radios integrate bluetooth audio streaming - maybe soon I hope!

[@psychopathfpv1141]

Great review!! Thank you for your time making the vid. Just one question, how can i turn off the code sound when i press the ptt button? You can talk right at once you press the ptt button, in my radio i have to wait for a tone sound then i can speak. Thanks

[@Transmission1]

Glad you liked the review! I had exactly the same problem when I got mine! The radio blasted out a real loud series of tones every time I keyed up before I could speak. Have a look at menu option number 43 and disable "ANI Function". This should stop it doing that ;) It's transmitting it's radio ID number for use on a repeater system. Just turn it off and all should be fine.

[@psychopathfpv1141]

@@Transmission1 thank you so much!! Now works perfect! U r the best.

[@amateurspotter2656]

Hi. Great video with lots of information. I have exactly the same radio 📻 called Jianpai. I think 8800. I’m very pleased with it. I’m an old radio ham, G4TZV. Can you tell me where you got your CB number from? Everything has changed since I last used my radios. Thanks again. G4TZV EAMONN.

[@Transmission1]

Thanks for the comments! Yes the Jianpai is almost identical to this radio and in some ways is probably better since it has the USB-C rechargeable battery pack. The designer of this radio crammed a lot of features in there! CB number.. as in callsign? We don't really use them much on 446 generally. Some of the 11m DX groups issue callsigns.

[@dimebagtribute]

I have the Abbree ar869, which is identical to the Radtel rt490 and I found the scan very usefull! As a paraglider, when I arrive on a site and the guys are already in the air I can easilly catch the frequency they are on! And the power is pretty good as well, even in the mountains where I am you can achieve a very good range of transmitting with this radio!

[@Transmission1]

Yeah got to agree, it's just a great radio for the money. I'm impressed with the output power and audio quality. It's hard to complain about anything for the asking price.

[@NicksStuff]

Is the airband proper AM and 8.33?

[@Transmission1]

@@NicksStuff it’s proper AM but no 8.33 KHz steps.

[@MrHsv123]

How far away can you be to scan to find a frequency of the other radio ?

[@dimebagtribute]

@@MrHsv123 I don't really know to be honest...😟 Sorry. But when I use it as I told in my first post I can catch frequencies from guys who are located around 2 or 3 miles in the air from me!(sometimes more, like 5 miles) I think the unit is able to scan a frequency farther than that, it's pretty efficient honestly!! And the audio quality is very good as well👍 And a last thing that's important is that the screen is clear and powerfull enough to be seen in very bright/sunny environment! I have several colored screens radios and much of them can't be rade when there is too much sun outside, which is a real pain in the ass as you can easily understand!!😄

[@akselebant]

The radio has a serious flaw in regards to Aviation frequencies listening: it goes into FM mode at 136 MHz and it allows transmitting FM on the upper part of the Airband (136-137 MHz). It seems that some manufacturers don't want to accept the fact of extending the civilian aviation use of the spectrum that happened over 30 years ago. It is 108 up to 137 MHz.

[@NicksStuff]

But the airband proper AM till 136 MHz? Is it 8.33 as well?

[@digitalanaloguehamradio]

Great video Simon you and all the comments are talking me into this lol

[@Transmission1]

They are pretty much great for the price and the bluetooth connectivity is a very useful feature. BTW I really enjoy your videos and have been a subscriber for a while! I have some digital gear too including the Anytone AT-D587UV for DMR, great little radio.

[@chilskater]

how is this compare to RT470?

[@chilskater]

i may skip some footage, does it full duplez for satt comm?

[@WaynesWorld69]

Thanks for a great video. I have the Jainpai version and programmed it via PC software. Thanks very much for showing how to use the BT software. If possible would you consider doing more in depth run thru of the BT software?

[@Transmission1]

Glad you liked the video! I may revisit this radio and look at the Bluetooth software in more detail although it pretty much mirrors the capability of the windows software that I didn't show. I really like the convenience of not needing a computer or cables to program the radio. I think they should all be like this!

[@Richard4570]

Thank you for the great review! I have recently bought an ABBREE model AR-869. It appears to be identical to the RT-490. Only difference, you can charge with USB-C cable. For some reason, I am unable to program with the Super Walkie Talkie app. Channel number and name go fine, but as soon as I enter a frequency, the app crashes. So I am unable to program any channels until now. Do you know if there is a way to program a channel manually? Any help would be much appreciated.

[@Transmission1]

The only other way I can think of doing this is via the Windows software if you have a PC available. You'll need a kenwood type two pin programming cable and this should work fine. There maybe be another app available specifically for the AR-869 but I don't know. I'm sure I read that there is an iOS app available if you have access to an iPhone too.

[@leeclements9797]

3rd question, can you charge battery while in use?

[@rodrigooliveira4398]

Can you tell me any model of external antenna that works for 118-136mhz air band?

[@NicksStuff]

Is the airband proper AM and 8.33?

[@scannershack]

No, it does not have 8.33kHz steps or cover above 136MHz in AM. Switches to FM. Its totally useless on Airband as it gets badly overloaded even with weak signals. The audio becomes muffled and very badly distorted. You can't hear a thing!

[@TheJamesdavidmartin]

Great review. Thanks. Question about the BT. Can it be used for audio? or just programming?

[@Transmission1]

Glad you enjoyed it. Sadly the Bluetooth is only for programming in this radio. Maybe future models might include BT audio. Let's hope the manufacturer takes up the idea. I know that Anytone do on their DMR radios.

[@darcifilho5467]

Can we state it's a better acquisition than a yaesu ft65 for instance?

[@contr0lo]

Thanks for the video! I just ordered it from aliexpress. Ps, your coordinates are briefly shown on the video.

[@garenkarapetian709]

Thanks for the review. Does it have a USB cable charging? or do you have to place it in the charger? Also... is it waterproof? Thanks

[@Transmission1]

Glad you liked the video! It doesn't support USB charging so you need to use the desktop charger and it doesn't have any waterproof rating. There is apparently another version of the radio called the Jianpai 8800 which has USB-C charging so that might be better for you if interested. I can't confirm this info but someone else posted a comment about it.

[@MrHsv123]

You have to buy the battery with type c which i ordered .

[@shahparyanproject8958]

hi there could you sort out how to enable frequency hopping or voice encryption on these radios?

[@Transmission1]

Option 8 in the menu seems to have something to do with voice scrambling although I enabled this on my unit and SC appeared on the screen icons but nothing seemed to happen so maybe it's an option that needs fitting at the factory. When I enabled it I couldn't hear anything on receive.

[@shahparyanproject8958]

@@Transmission1 it seems its only a ctss code....any way i would like to hear if you can manage to correctly enable this option thank you

[@SheltonDCruz]

Hi - Can you use this as a normal scanner like a Uniden Scanner to scan a range of set frequencies?

[@Transmission1]

You could use this as basic scanner but it lacks a lot of the features that a real scanner would have and the scanning speeds are really slow. So for programming just a few local frequencies and monitoring those it would be fine but you would soon find it's not the same.

[@foxman-56]

Do you have the link or the full name of the super talkie app ?? I can't seem to find it.

[@Transmission1]

Hi Ian, sure... this is the download page: www.radtels.com/pages/software-download - follow the 7th link down. It's just labelled as Radtel RT490 6 Band Radio Bluetooth APP Download (for Andriod) with the little green Android symbol.

[@mikecrockford6500]

Great Video Simon ! Looks an awesome radio. Thanks for rhe chat tonight with Jason I'm on QRZ M0VOZ 😊

[@Transmission1]

Hi Mike! Great to make the contact with you yesterday! Really enjoyed the chat. I'll look you up on QRZ. I'm G7UFS :)

[@countrymaninthecity]

what is that vertical line in the middle on the screen of the radtel?

[@Transmission1]

My review model had a LCD screen fault but I didn't want to return it to China due to the time it would take to resolve. I haven't seen this as a common problem on other units. I was just unlucky!

[@laszlokirtyan4596]

Hi I'm Laszlo.from Hungary. I just ordered myself a jianpai 8800plus version. I'm quite new in this theme.. I would like to listening aviation conversatiins. Do I need special antenna for this? Any recomendation? Thx for your help!

[@Transmission1]

Hi Laszlo! If you are just using the radio for AM airband reception then the supplied antenna should be sufficient outdoors. It's a dual band antenna for both VHF and UHF frequencies. You could consider improving performance by purchasing a dedicated antenna for the airband frequencies (108-137 MHz) but just try the supplied antenna first rather than spending money on something you might not need.

[@laszlokirtyan4596]

Thanks very much for your answer! My house os on a hill 335m and there is a little sport airport about 5km . I hope I can hear something... The main airport of Hungary is about 30km from here.. Sorry for.my.english...

[@Transmission1]

No problem! You are in a very high location so I'm sure you will pick up signals with the stock antenna. One of the best things about airband reception is the strong signals for many km due to the altitude of the aircraft you will be receiving.

[@pascalbatard1671]

Hello, I am 30kms from a small aerodrome and I pick up well with the original antenna.

[@laszlokirtyan4596]

@@pascalbatard1671 Wow ! Great ! Now I only have to do is wait for the radio from.china😊

[@dionhoward1554]

I recently got a rt 600 and can find much information on it...also I can figure out how to scan all the channels I programmed can someone explain? When I hit the scan button it cans for ctcs

[@onceways]

I picked one of these up in the Ali Express sale, and have no clue how to use it. Can you do a crash course?

[@Ixquick979]

They should make a version that can also do DMR.

[@Transmission1]

Agree! Maybe it won't be too long before we see something like this.

[@icsp2]

How did you program the 446 channel name in that long. Mine won't accept that many characters with spaces.

[@Transmission1]

I used the PC software when I initialy programmed the radio in Windows. It is a surprise as to how many characters it supports. Much better than the average radio. Some of the big manufacturers should take note!

[@icsp2]

@@Transmission1 Thought that would be the case. I've sent for the cable. 😁

[@pascalbatard1671]

Now you can also program it with CHIRP.

[@lesnelson3458]

I have been trying for days and still can't get it to connect in the app My phone can see the radio But the app can't see my radio

[@aka_rook]

Just ordered myself the Jianpai version. Can't wait to have a play with it.

[@Transmission1]

Great! Enjoy your new radio. I've used mine lots over the past few months

[@mike7873]

Hi, I am just looking for a handy like that, I mean all-in-one, and I found your video very useful. Thanks for a good job! Anyway, I did a small research and it looks like this radio has even more other clones than mentioned in the comments here. So far I found those brand names /models (not sure if all of them are identical): JIANPAI 8800 Plus (with USB-C) SOCOTRAN FB-8629 RADTEL RT-490 [also RT-470, not sure if it is different?] HAMGEEK HG-590 ABBREE AR 869 (with USB-C) [also AR-830 ? AR-F8 GPS ?] MML RADIO JC-8629 I found this HT very interesting not just because of so many FM bands (incl. broadcast FM and aviation AM!!!), but also because of GPS, Bluetooth (what a pitty that no audio devices are supported, just programming), quite large battery (versions with USB-C are particulary cool as you can just hook up to your power bank and you have a hell of uptime) and a nice readible display. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but there is not many so versitile devices, especialy within a hundred bucks range.

[@Transmission1]

Thanks Mike. That's quite a comprehensive list. It's a very interesting HT for the money and hard to beat when it comes to frequency coverage. It will be interesting to see what comes out of China in the next few years if they can make such good value radios right now.

[@DocMicrowave]

Radio looks real interesting. I may grab one. I notice a thin line of pixels down the center of the screen. Is that normal? Or is that a bad line of stuck pixels on the display?

[@DocMicrowave]

Just bought the JJCC version of the radio. So far so good it is really good. I think you do have a stuck line of pixels on your display. Mine is clear of that.

[@Maxwelljets]

How good is the RSSI meter? Could this be used for foxhunting?

[@scannershack]

The RSSI meter is useless. Its either on or off.

[@Transmission1]

Yeah I'd tend to agree. It's too small to be useful and not very accurate which is why I didn't mention it in the review. They're not a proper S-Meter. ;)

[@Maxwelljets]

Thanks for the info. Disappointing but not unexpected

[@Sondler_Hasan]

Hi Mate, I have not been able to connect my device with GPS for the second day already🤔

[@lizzapaolia959]

Great video thanks for sharing 😁

[@stevemelbau]

Hi can any body help me here please. I carnt seem to get the AM icon come up on display for AM mode. How do you go about getting into this mode so it shows up the AM icon in the display???

[@Transmission1]

AM only shows up within the airband frequencies range and this happens automatically when you enter a frequency between 118-136 MHz.

[@cosmic_sky_mountain]

is this still a good unit to buy in 2024 or is there a better updated version ?

[@Transmission1]

Still in production now, I think they changed the battery back to give it USB-C on later versions so that's better for charging. It's still a good buy two years later - the AM airband recieve works properly unlike some of the newer radios so in my opinion still worth it. Mine still works (apart from the little line down the screen shown in the review), it's well used now but still making contacts!

[@macdruxxx]

Do you think this app is safe for users? I mean to instal on the smartphone. Do you know why some people change the firmware in Radtel radios?

[@Transmission1]

No idea - haven't heard of the firmware being changed. The app is not in the google play store but you can grab the APK file from Radtel directly. Seems to be perfectly safe. I've scanned it and no malicious software inside.

[@macdruxxx]

@@Transmission1 There are some films on YT with firmware changing. Especially from Russia.

[@armin364]

is for android a software too? 🤔

[@patm5165]

Great vid, does this radio do APRS?

[@drrogue]

No

[@steelgtr]

Do a Chirp review with.pny module!

[@chillychurchil5972]

how this compare to Jianpai 8800?

[@qutube100]

Didn't actually say how long the battery lasts in use?

[@charlesvrogers]

H, I may be worng but I did not here you say the USB-C on the BATT?

[@Transmission1]

On the Radtel version of this radio there is no USB-C connection so you need to use the supplied charger. Unless Radtel have changed this recently that's still true. The Jianpai 8800 version does come supplied with USB-C charging.

[@charlesvrogers]

This radio is about 2 weeks old, and it came with a usb-c port on the BATT. and a charger base. Thanks Good Video.@@Transmission1

[@garenkarapetian709]

Thanks for the elaborate review! Now that 1 year has passed are there better radios in terms of number of features for the price? The channel "Amateur Radio On The Air" has a video kzbin.info/www/bejne/ppiVYp97ZdaGY9k saying do not buy Jianpai 8800 or its other copies (such as Radtel RT-490) because it's not usable in the UK, because it transmits on all bands - even the forbidden ones. Any thoughts? Also, in his review of Jianpai 8800 it's possible to charge via tiny USB port. Is it same on your Radtel RT-490? Thanks.

[@Transmission1]

Yes it's been a while since I tested the radio. I still have it and have used it almost daily for several months and didn't find much to complain about apart from my review model had a slight fault in the screen with a vertical line down it. I'd probably say that manufacturing quality varies between units so maybe the guy in the video you mention got a bad one. All radios put out harmonics on unwanted frequencies but some suppress them better than others. I wouldn't be surprised if most of these chinese radios emit more outside of band than much more expensive handhelds from Yaesu, Kenwood, Icom or Alinco as they are so much cheaper. You get what you pay for in terms on quality and design. There is no USB-C Charging on the Radtel version - just charges via the desktop drop in charger. The jianpai 8800 is probably a better choice if you want that feature.

[@SteveHartmanVideos]

I'm thinking about getting one of these, but it seems like the brand, "JIANPAI 8800UV (plus)" is the one with USB-C charge port. That is a big plus. I was looking for something simple with FPP, and just easy interface to add repeaters as I find them.

[@arlindotelles857]

Seems that it has a problem on the screen, a vertical line, right ?

[@Transmission1]

Yep, my review model had a screen fault. Forgot to mention that when I recorded the video as I've just got used to it being there. It goes away when the radio warms up! Strange really but I've just lived with it as I can't be bothered to send it back to China due to costs and time.

[@ewoudklop8748]

Verry good airband reception, even without 8,33KHz step.

[@Transmission1]

Yes, the RT-490 does work well on the airband unlike some of the new models like the Quansheng UV K5 etc. It's good proper AM demodulation.

[@amateurspotter2656]

This is a Jianpai with another name.. great little radio. G4TZV.

[@Transmission1]

Yes they are great value for money. Lots of features and the bluetooth programming capability is a bonus.

[@HAMRADIODUDE]

Great channel

[@HAMRADIODUDE]

Really good production

[@Pablo-pe4ru]

Thank you for the video, it helps lots... I've got a problem when I try to use BT, when I send to the tranceiver the app closes, is there any other app or do i'am doing anything wrong? If any one can help me... TY. 73 By the way i'am very happy with the device.

[@alexbenavides18]

How can I download the app

[@angeloscirli]

display rotto difettato ?

[@shaunmills1336]

How to put the code vfh

[@hagoarchitekci7226]

Is it waterproof?

[@johnroberts6695]

I just ordered a RT-470 and have a real issue with it. When I try to use it with a local repeater, the dang thing won't switch properly. The repeater is set for 146.355 (input), Frequency A (F:A), and 146.955 (output), Frequency B (F:B). The thing is, I transmit on F:A as I do with all my other radios, then my friend replies on F:B. The thing is, when this happens, the radio switches from F:A to F:B and stays there! If I want to reply, I have to manually switch back to F:A. This doesn't happen with any other radio I own. Not the cheapest Baofeng I own does this. Since your Radtel has the same color display, I suspect it has the same issue. My RT-470 also had more hiss than any other radio I own. If you have any of the same issues, I'd be very interested if you have found ways around them, especially the switching issue. Thanks.

[@racylaserjet]

Try turning TX: A/B OFF or pick the band you want it to stay on.

[@ChannelMatts]

Mine has no channels stored anyone have a file I can upload to it thanks

[@evelfpv]

Can this radio transmit on gmrs frequency?

[@Transmission1]

Yes it can. You just need to program the required frequencies.

[@michaelhannon2452]

Great intro into this radio cheers. A comprehensive video would be fantastic to make proper use and understanding of this great lil radio.. The supplied booklet is very poor and needs a magnifying glass to see.

[@martinryan5069]

Dose the signal meter work i didn't see it move when you were receiving not the bit on the right the s meter on the left didn't move when you were receiving thanks.

[@johnroberts6695]

One more thing. Do you get a lot of hiss with your radio? My RT-470 has a lot of hiss, even when others are speaking. It drives me nuts! To use this radio with a repeater, I have to set one frequency for transmit, meaning I can't transmit on the other. I've compared the RT-470 with my Baofeng UV-5RPlus and my Baofeng actually performs better in some respects. I just get crazy high transmit numbers. The hiss is rather distracting, though.

[@Speaker095]

This walkie-talkie will be able to listen to DMR ??? How to switch analog PMR to listen to digital mode on it??

[@Nathan1975Liggy]

I would send it back the screen is shot with a great big line right up the center

[@Transmission1]

Yeah I know about the line up the screen. It's always been there since it arrived but the strange thing is that it disappears after it's been on for a few minutes, as though it takes time to warm up. To be fair I've had it for 6 months and the cost of returning to China and the long wait wouldn't be worth it. Functionally everything else works fine so I've just left it.

[@Nathan1975Liggy]

@@Transmission1 Oh that's a strainge one. It would drive me crazy but if it is good for you then that is all that matters. A Very nice looking radio. Great review.

[@QUADBOYification]

This is a candidate being a DMR Dual Mode. (RT-590)?

[@sirkyoj1]

Fyi there is a iOS version of the super walkie talkie. Let me know if anyone wants the link. I will forward it to you.

[@jordivlctube]

Please! I make an emergency call, I have the jianpai 8800 Plus for more than two years and I have never been able to use the Super Walkie Talkie APP because it does not work for me. I get a message saying that the APP has a problem and wait for the developer to update it. Please, someone can pass me the APP for my mobile? Thank you all

[@philipchandler330]

Thanks so much, I have one coming soon shipped from China

[@Transmission1]

Has it arrived yet? If so I hope you are enjoying the radio!

[@ocsrc]

The HGA37 looks the same as this and I bought it but I can't figure out how to get the air band to display. It says it does air band There must be a way to get in the air band but I don't know how to get to it

[@Salvadormtz619]

Hi can This radio be used as a police scanner? P25 800mhz?

[@DonzLockz]

No, it's not a digital radio. Also the Police would most likely be encrypted and trunked P25 or simular. Even a high end scanner can't listen to that without the decryption key which would be impossible to get. You would just hear garbled noises.🤷‍♂️

[@BarefootBeekeeper]

AKA Jianpai 8800

[@Transmission1]

Yes, I keep on finding this radio under lots of different brand names and models. Very confusing!

[@tomperone9338]

Mine is a MMLRadio JC-8629. Same internals and case design.

[@wowsly]

i am gutted, been watching vids on this ht all day but cant find it on ebay and now i cant find the app. it was going to be a christmas gift to my self :(

[@bitc0inlightningrules423]

I bought the radtel 470L but it seems only configurable when your pc still has a comport. So while it is new and unused it will probably end up in the trash can.

[@Transmission1]

You don't need a physical comport on a PC to program these radios. You can get lots of USB to COM port leads that will work fine for this purpose for only a few dollars. My laptop doesn't have anything but USB and USB-C ports but I can still program these fine.

[@garenkarapetian709]

Saying battery life is "long" is like saying a piece of string is "long". The normal battery test is 90-5-5 ... 90% standby, 5% receive, 5% transmit. How many hours would it last at 90-5-5 on a full charge?

[@Transmission1]

It wasn't a scientific test really, just an observation that it was better than other HT's I currently own. I've been impressed even after heavy use. I've talked on it more or less non-stop for over a couple of hours when DX'ing from a high location and the battery has still over 50% charge left and that's using high power. The problem with the battery indicator on this radio is that it can show half way power and then suddenly dies. A bit like the old iPhone batteries if I remember correctly!

[@hendry006]

Hi there. How to change the language from Chinese to English. Can any one help me . Thank you

[@AKZP87]

That is same as ABBREE AR-F8

[@Transmission1]

Yeah, seems very similar minus the bluetooth functionality

[@TimonSuricata]

Can u mod it to transmit on 302mhz Lol

[@frankENZC]

Hi, new sub here. I'm new to HTs too. Maybe you help. 1. I want an HT with full duplex (I think) to work Satellites. 2. To have GPS. I'm out in the woods a lot. 3. Dual band 4. spend less than $300.00 US money. Thanks.

[@VoeViking]

This Chinese radios are all the same with different cases.