Tidradio TD-H8 (2nd Generation) GMRS and/or HAM 70cm/2m! Watch for FREE GIVEAWAY

TOTALLY improved and FCC approved 2nd Generation of a very good, high quality radio. This has been reviewed by several people who have tested for emissions, and have reported it to be quite clean! I do not have the right equipment to test that, so I am accepting other reviewers information.
Tidradio has been very responsive while I was testing, with very quick answers to my questions, and accepting any input I gave them.
They are also working to help out buyers of the early version, through refunds or coupons for new purchases. Impressive.
I was very pleased with this radio while testing for two weeks now.
They respond faster than any other company I have contacted (even some of the big one!)
Winner has been drawn! 08/25/23!
If you would to help the channel, please buy me a coffee: www.buymeacoffee.com/chammaston2
Afilliate links to these products: (if you order through these links, the channel gets a small kickback WITHOUT affecting your purchase price, and I really appreciate it)
GMRS version 5W: amzn.to/457PvjE
HAM version 10W: amzn.to/3KANPqn
Bluetooth programmer: amzn.to/3OVZQtc
or:
ORDER direct from TIDRADIO with a discount code!
tidradio.com/?ref=fit-to-a-t
ENTER CODE: FIT-TO-A-T for a 10% discount of any radio order!
Affiliate links to tools I use when testing for review:
NanoVNA (antenna tuning) : amzn.to/47glgbF
Power & SWR Meter: amzn.to/43S5OiZ
Multimeter: amzn.to/43Xft8b

[@fittoat9261]

Glad I could help! I am not affiliated with them, BUT, they have always responded to my emails and asked me a lot of questions, based on my feedback! And they keep making improvements!

[@ooglek]

Thanks for the review! It's nice to see innovation in the lower priced budget radios. The bluetooth app integration is pretty awesome. Thanks!

[@fittoat9261]

My pleasure!

[@ajwhitehill6368]

this radio is amazing, great battery life and bluetooth is a gamechanger.... i can now program local repeaters on the fly faster than most can look them up :D

[@tech53tjw77]

I just got my radio and I love it. The Bluetooth, battery life and ODmaster program makes this radio durable and very easy to navigate for a beginner.

[@jeremiahjohnson7741]

I'm looking at adding it to my "fleet" and appreciate your feedback as a beginner.

[@TwitchRadio]

If they keep innovating with the radio and not change it as much then they're on the right track to take over the market that's for damn sure I'm probably going to pick up one of these in the next few months to test out myself.. Thanks for your time and the video 😎👍

[@gregvillerot5945]

Thank you for the review. It was a straight forward review. I bought one with your help. Thank you

[@fittoat9261]

Glad to be of assistance!!

[@fittoat9261]

They are worth the wait! You’ll love them!

[@RhinoHBO]

Excellent review! Good luck on your channel 👍👍

[@fittoat9261]

Thank you!

[@marialemke297]

I bought this radio for Christmas. I got the green one. It is a very good radio. The Odmaster is clunky. Best recommend to use Chirp. My main problem is, wish it had ingress protection. Otherwise, it’s a good radio.

[@johnhelt5475]

Thank you for the great review.

[@fittoat9261]

👍

[@kurttuttle1817]

Good Review. Like you I have been interested in the H8, but had some things that caused me to think twice. Latest I saw was the battery getting hot (saw on another review). I would (will) pick up the Ham version, probably soon.

[@fittoat9261]

In all fairness, and with two units, I have NOT come across that, so anything is possible, I suppose it may have been a faulty battery perhaps????

[@xexat]

Recently received this and it's probably going to be my main radio until I get one with DMR

[@fittoat9261]

I am currently using it as an EDC, but I sure wish it had Airband!

[@phoenixrising4031]

Great video. Very informative. I just bought mine and love it.i love the screen, easy to read. Bluetooyh capabilities are awesome including the pre downloaded emergency channels like NOAA. Only thing I would probably change is having battery power/life available to see when using radio and charging. Right now as I am charging the battery is neither red nor green and instead clear and radio won't turn on. So I have no idea how close I am to it being charged. The charger also does not specify if it's for an Ion battery.....and when you have as many gadgets as I do....and there's no picture in the manual of the charger used nor one on KZbin or Amazon, it's super hard to know if your using the right battery charger or not or if the charger is faulty. I do like the dual use plugs though for the charger. I just can't tell if this is actually charger or not. The battery as I attempt to charge it isn't getting hot, so I have no idea if this is charging or if totally dead battery with faulty charger not working. Hoping it eventually charges so I can use the radio.

[@lizzapaolia959]

Thank you for sharing this video. It provided us with valuable information on the functions available. 👌🙏

[@fittoat9261]

See my second video on the HAM version of this radio, with a link to order it both from Amazon or directly from TIDRADIO with a discount code!!

[@xtek13]

Thanks for reviewing this radio. I just used your affiliate link below 🤙🏽. Bought 5 of them for the family and I can’t wait to try them out!

[@fittoat9261]

I am glad to have been of help! It is quite a good radio. I actually have several of them, keep one in the car, and one I carry. Follow up on the site, they DO update firmware every once in a while and it keeps improving the radio. BTW, thanks for using the link, it helps the channel!

[@keathrhymer5449]

Have mine for a month easy to program once the bluetooth connects sometimes take a few tries power out 9.5 to 11.5 all bands. good battery life. does get warm when under heavy use but not hot . i have a ft60r this is replacing as main HT still love my ft60 r but this is easy to program on the go

[@kevinnobis5716]

I really like this radio!

[@kchaney56]

Just got mine to play with and I am impressed. I am comparing it to the KG-Q10H

[@roccity_indo_growz]

That's awesome that Tidradio has their ears tuned to the community needs, Respect to them and you as well brother, Stay blessed 😎🤙

[@fittoat9261]

Much appreciated

[@brentboydston2565]

Ditto on the actual received signal strength meter. Really come in handy for

[@willwaconsya3433]

I just bought the two pack for $89.95. also the optional wireless programmer. I have been tracking the shipment. So far it has not left china yet. But it usually takes over a week to come here through customs and normal shipping routes. I cant wait.

[@shadowpapito]

Thank you

[@PghFlip]

nice review!

[@fittoat9261]

Thank you!

[@togeika]

Thanks!

[@fittoat9261]

Thank you.

[@lanztv3882]

wow nice radio

[@IBEW44]

Very nice radio, is it kinda water proof 😊

[@legallimitoutdoors9917]

Does the ham side of the radio with the long antenna work better than gmrs side? Will I get out better in the mountains with ham side

[@miketravis4379]

supper thanks

[@togeika]

Most problems were addressed for Gen I with firmware upgrade. You can also change from GMRS, Ham or open on Gen I just with buttons. You can get Gen I for less.

[@fittoat9261]

Indeed they have, and yes you can! And THANK YOU!

Hi! Can the programmable buttons to be used as PTT B? Thanks!

[@zaldronthesage]

What is a good upgrade antenna for this?

[@360plussynthetics]

I just got the H3. Looking at getting the H8, because more radios. Question about using both ham and gmrs. On my h3. I can only set itbup for one or the other even in "normal" mode. On my Baofengs, i can transmit and monitor both ham and gmrs at the same time without re uploading one or the other profiles. Is that the case on the H8 or does it have to be reuploaded to switch for ham or gmrs use? Inlike my Baofengs for one radio to monitor AND use at the same time.

[@polatkatranc1514]

Video için teşekkür ederim.

[@bigjj974]

Does it have Air Band Frequencies bands? Does it have groups/banks?

[@dudeski934]

How do I know if I have a gen 2 ?

[@josephgalluccio212]

I’m new to Radio/GMRS. How do you get the show GMRS 1 and GMRS 16 channel displayed on your screen? Did you have to name the channel and is that done with the OD app?

[@fittoat9261]

You can name channels when programming, either on a PC connection (works with CHIRP) or using your phone and the OD app!

[@bedsy1]

Love the review can you please tell me if you know will this radio work in Australia as we use UHF thanks

[@fittoat9261]

It will work Worldwide! I travel through Europe with it and it works on pretty much everything I need in VHF and UHF! Enjoy! And thank you for the kind words.

[@fortdixie]

Great review. I do have a question about switching from GMRS to Ham use. When buying the GMRS model at 5 watts, then switch to Ham use, does it then power to 10 watts? Somewhat confusing based on the unit you purchased

[@fittoat9261]

Yes it actually does! See my newest review on the 'HAM' version which is actually 10 WATT, but if you put it in GMRS mode, it goes to 5 WATT! kzbin.info/www/bejne/opWmgaWIm86BncU

[@dougjimison5026]

Has annyone tried 1.25 (220mhz)? The stuff i am seein online show that it should tx rx on a range that includes but was wondering if anyone tested or uses.

[@legallimitoutdoors9917]

So the short antenna is for gmrs and the long antenna is made for ham. Did not know that I've been using the long antenna for my gmrs side is this bad or good what ruined my radio I'm confused now

[@Bill_Maine]

I am a complete novice regarding radios but I am intrigued by your review of this model. My use would be communicating in the back country of the North Maine Woods where I spend a fair amount of time. This is extremely heavily forested areas with hills and valleys. Small handheld consumer radios just won’t work. So I am thinking a higher wattage radio might solve that problem. Do you have any experience in this regard with this radio meeting those needs? I don’t think my needs would go beyond 2 or 3 miles communicating with hunting or fishing partners. Also, I might have missed it but did not see a lanyard. Would you consider these rugged enough to withstand a drop of, say, 4 feet? Sorry I am late to this party with my questions.

[@fittoat9261]

Hi, welcome to radio! I am not too sure I can answer your question with a definitive answer! Range is very dependent on clear line of sight. The better the line on sight the better the range. Densely wooded area will cut down UHF range to very low, where VHF might have a little better range. The higher power will help a little, but is never the only criteria to get range. Anyone wants to help in this conversation, please free to add!

[@TheShahrokh9]

how can I set my radio to 158,400 !!!??? when I try to transmit, it says cancel!! could you please help me on this ! thanks

[@edwardrahm5435]

Can the radio be used while being charged by the USB-C plug? Also, since this video has been out for a while, do you know if there have been any firmware updates that would be considered improvements?

[@fittoat9261]

Yes it can be charged via USB C if you have the 2nd gen version. Every time they out up a new firmware version, there are always improvements, some minor, some more major. I always update the firmware!

[@donaldbeatty4171]

I have aTidradio UV-5R Pro. It stopped working after less than 2 months. I contacted Tidradio about repair or replacement as it was under warranty. They refused to do anything unless I could send them a video that proved it didn't work. How do you make a video "proving" something is broken, especially if you don't have video capabilities? Anyway, I replaced it with a Baofeng and couldn't be happier.

[@jcl6861]

You couldn't make a video that shows radio charging and not working after u turn the power knob and upload that to imgur or something?

[@CredibleHulk10]

​@@jcl6861His ability to do so notwithstanding, that's some shitty customer service.

[@DonzLockz]

The V2 still has some issues, I'm hoping V3 will be perfect.🙏😁

[@mwolrich]

theres new firmware out on “radiosoftware”, fixes the 3 touch tone digits that don’t work, its dated 230823, so is very recent

[@pavelpetr6]

Hello......if I see 2 radios next to each other, how will I know which is the 2nd generation...?

[@brianhendrix]

The 2nd generation of this phone still has issues bad enough for me to not use it. It has a bad "squeal" on transmit. I posted a negative Amazon review and Tidradio support wasn't helpful. They said they'd send me another radio AFTER I removed my negative review! I told them I would not do that. They finally sent a new radio which I'll be checking soon.

[@fittoat9261]

Thank you for the information!

[@HarryHamsterChannel]

Can I skip ODmaster and just use Chirp? Am I to interpret this whole double blessing thing to say the radio automatically cuts back it's power on GMRS? If not, how is it limited?

[@fittoat9261]

Yes you can program it in CHIRP! Someone commented that if you unlock it in HAM it is 10W, but if you do GMRS, it is ONLY 5W. Poppycock! I have both the 10W unit and the 5W unit, BOTH unlocked to all bands. Each one is what it says! (also confirmed by Tidradio)

[@thegreener196]

when i press the vfo button it just beeps and doesnt switch between channel and freq. mode

[@bitrage.]

You gotta do MALAHIT DSP2.... im wanting to buy one

[@Dmaxtyler]

I wish they would have unlocked murs on the Gmrs version, I mean why not it’s some free channels and other Gmrs radios allow it. Also the scan speed is insanely slow. And I wouldn’t exactly say it has more features. It is a good radio but maybe I’m just used to the UVK5(8) which so far is the best cheap radio I’ve ever seen or used.

[@fittoat9261]

Well actually, when you just unlock it, it will be open on ALL frequencies, including MURS!

[@Dmaxtyler]

@@fittoat9261 yes but I don’t own any “legal” Gmrs radios except this one and I want to keep it that way, and it’s not illegal to transmit on murs so why not open that up for us. If I have to hand someone a radio that’s clueless of how to work it when camping or hunting or what not I rather them for sure not be able to transmit on a wrong frequency so I don’t want to unlock this radio

[@relatablehabitat7771]

⁠@@Dmaxtylerso you wanted MURS unlocked for GMRS. He says you can. Then you say you don’t want to because if you give it to a random they might actually use it “illegally”. What was the point of even messaging any of this if you just gave the complete opposite response to the answer given to you. Just don’t give it to a random, or buy another one for $59, or don’t do anything…..

[@joewebertv]

When you switched to ham, did the wattage changed from 5 watts to 10 watts? If not , then It’s better to get the ham version and then switch to gmrs? Is there any difference between the ham and gmrs version?

[@fittoat9261]

Yes! If you unlock or switch to HAM, it goes to 10watt. There is no difference in the radios. It is the same radio!

[@joewebertv]

@@fittoat9261 Thanks for your immediate reply 👍🏻

[@TheDoug625]

Just got the ham version, it unlocks to tx on ham and gmrs and puts out about 8 watts

[@fittoat9261]

It will actually put OVER 10 W on certain frequencies! Multiple reviewers have confirmed this.

[@gmeister03]

Does 10.5w on 467.

[@Vortran]

Does it have dual display/receive?

[@fittoat9261]

Yes it does!

[@russwolf323]

Mine does show a power meter when transmitting in red at the top of the screen.

[@fittoat9261]

Yes it does do THAT, it does not show any variance, it is on or off! (I wasn't clear on that)

[@jasonjon1969]

Purchased, only , disappointment you cant program side buttons with scan , feature .....at least it has scan on front keypad with long press.or short for DTMF

[@jmscrewhead]

So to talk from one too another do they both have to be in the same Chanel? or how does that work …just to talk to family or friends from one to another not using a repeater …I’m a little confuse

[@fittoat9261]

That is correct. They both need to be on the same channel, also known as simplex. Please note that this an amateur HAM radio, and every user has to have a separate license to talk to each other. If you are in the US, you can switch it to GMRS, and then YOU need a license, but your immediate family does not! Please check your local laws, and please use responsibly!

[@jmscrewhead]

You should do a video explaining all that ..on the td h8 gmrs radio 2nd gen..and also how to put a pL

[@HamTechRadioScannerDrones]

Seems ok

[@fittoat9261]

I have seen several vids from people with actual instruments to test emissions (which I do not have) and they seem to confirm that it is fairly 'clean' on the air now.

[@christophe241273]

Hello. Que pensez-vous du tidradio H3. ?

[@fittoat9261]

I will be posting a review on it shortly!

[@PatAutrey]

Does this radio have the ability to scan for GMRS tone codes

[@fittoat9261]

Yes it does. via menu options, seek CTCS

[@PatAutrey]

@@fittoat9261 thanks!

[@AlGuaragna]

Are all of these radios capable of GRMS and Ham. It sounds like there are two different types. Does this particular radio go both ways? Tidradio TD-H8 (2nd Generation) GMRS and/or HAM 70cm/2m!

[@fittoat9261]

Yes they are one and the same! Either can be turned to operate on certain frequencies, like GMRS or HAM, or can be opened up to operate on all frequencies! Enjoy!

[@AlGuaragna]

Thank you for the answer!!!@@fittoat9261

[@tvbox6955]

Is this better than the RUYAGE UV58Plus? ❔

[@fittoat9261]

If it had Airband, YES, but It is a little bigger and more robust! I like it, but wish it had Airband!!

[@davidandrews9048]

When unlocked, frs channels 8 thru 14 dont transmit

[@DaytonaJim78]

Will the gmrs unlocked do 10w

[@fittoat9261]

No. However, if totally unlocked, it will do 10w on GMRS frequencies!

[@creglauda1621]

Can you unlock the ham version?

[@fittoat9261]

You can unlock all versions! Look for videos that show how to do it!

[@paulziminskin2ghr282]

Dont buy a TidRadio H8 I purchased 3 of them .. look and feel very nice, Transmitting on 2 meters the radio squeels very badly , and the battery contacts get hot while transmitting 70 cm there are no issues, I searched around for fixes , was told the firmware update will fix this problem . Well it did not , another firm ware update came out , again did not fix the problem. I now have 3 paper weights , dont waste ur money on a tidradio..There are many more radios out there that actually work ..

[@steveg2406]

That is common with all First (1gen) original H8s. This isn't the only review saying the improvements of 2nd gen. manufactured H8s

[@jackb804]

Thanks!