A wife who will play radio with you! Congrats, I'm jealous. Thanks for another informative review

It's awesome that your lady is starting to play radio with you. I have a group of older folks I'm helping learn enough to take their tests. A couple of them are happy i can explain things in a way they understand. I might put up some content on my channel regarding radio theory and see how it does. Again, thanks for the content. 73🤙🏽

I’ve used an 868 for over 4 years. Chest pack, backpack, belt holster, light rain, snowing, dropped in the mud, it’s a tool , and on SAR missions. I just upgrade my batteries every other year. I even mount it in a magazine pouch on my SxS and use a headset. Still working, no complaints.

As an Anytone 878 EDC user, I just ordered that kydex radio pouch. Thanks for the link.

I've had an 878 for 2+ years. I run or ruck with it 4-5 times per week though all four+ seasons here in WI. When I run, the radio is in a Salomon hydration vest, buttons facing away from my body. When I ruck, it's in a Spectre Gear pouch on the side of my GR1, with a speaker mic run over my shoulder and clipped to my sternum strap. Probably about 1000 miles per year. No issues yet. If you're concerned about water or sweat, you might try moving the radio off your shoulder where it's likely to collect a lot of sweat, stow it somewhere less sweaty, and use a Bluetooth headset and PTT. Thanks as always for pushing the boundaries of practical radio.

Looking forward to a video on your FCC Business license not a lot of videos on that subject im looking into getting one the 878 is also my current radio i use in the back country no issues with the radio to report

I love my Anytone 878. One of the great features is there doesn't seem to be any parasitic draw. Mine was in a closet for over a year and the battery was still very high. Downside? Proprietary charging cradles suck. having a simple USB-C would be far better for a prepping scenario.

The Anytone 878 is IP54 so I think it will hold up for a bit. I've used my Anytone 868 outside hiking in the heat, rain, and snow. I wear mine either in a radio chest harness or in a pocket of a jacket. I've had mine covered in sweat and water with no problems.

I haven't sweated on my 878s but I have had them out in poor weather. Both rain and snow. They've held up well so far.

I've held the anytone under a running faucet. It does hold up okay against say a water jet like from a shower head or a light rain, but under the faucet it did start messing up.The issue is with the kenwood connector, and the keypad. If you press the buttons on the keypad it will let water egress into the case. I did notice that when water got into the case the radio started becoming very sluggish and unresponsive. I was able to take the battery out and throw it in a boot dryer to get it running again (although I belive the P1 button never worked again). Will say it is not going to be the best for really wet environments (submersion) compared to something higher end. Will definitely beat a baofeng as far as durability goes though. The fact it has true AES compatibillty (I've tested with other brands) and is dual band with decent performance still makes it a good choice for the money. Just know you're gonna have to keep a ziplock bag or something to throw it in if you are expecting heavy rains or if you have to go swimming.

3d print knob caps that are oversized, thats what we do at the firehouse, probably can find free printable files online.

What if you wear an earpiece, and use a disco32 ptt? The earpieces/tubes are plastic and cheap, and easy to replace. We use them a lot in film production, and just open a new one for each shoot. Then you can keep the radio in a pouch on the chest rig. The earpieces also allow you to wear ear pro over them. Common practice for sound mixers in the field, and we sweat all over 50k worth of gear daily.

I love the ad hoc vids. I know you have your gear and kit dialed in but I use biking gloves when I walk/hike/run. The fingers are exposed but you still have padding for your hands if you trip on a rock or root. On really cold days i use gloves. With the time change, it is dark when I get home from work now so I'm carrying a cheap baofeng that doubles as a light as I go out for a workout. I don't do it as a routine but at times I've stuck a microfiber cloth in my shorts to wipe sweat. That is a nice looking holster. Keep up the great work! 73

Love your vids. Good tips and nice to see your results when making contacts.

Good on you for wanting to learn how to sew. It's been an invaluable skill that will literally save you at some point. Learn a running cross stitch first and you'll at least be able to close up any wound. Thanks for the content, brother. I currently rock my btech dmr-6x2 pro in my back pocket for lack of a holster. I got my printer in so I'm learning how to make larger and larger prints. I'll let you know when I get a decent holster printed. 😆🤙🏽

My girlfriend struggles with the tv remote so I picked up a Surecom simplex repeater. Now I can test antennas on my HT's against my home antenna.

Your free style videos are always very interesting! One thought, how about wearing your radio on your waist line? Maybe lower back or hip and running a mic up to your shoulder. Would that keep the radio dryer? It works for me very well doing events but I am not running so don't know how stable it would be. Keep up the good work.

Love the ad-hoc videos! The AnyTone 878 is a lot of radio for the price, but definitely not intended for harsh environments or heavy use. My guess is that it may survive 6 months of daily use in your application. Perhaps if the Kydex holster had a neoprene flap that covered the top of the radio and a thin layer of neoprene inside the front cover it would help with the sweat intrusion. I am looking forward to see how it holds up.

Why don't you use an external mic and extend the antenna with a longer whip? Some coax to the radio, loop it up behind you, and perhaps something for the antenna to sit away from your face like above your head just slightly? You may get a better range, and then protect your radio especially if you don't need to change or scan a lot.

As the year winds down, would you consider doing a 'best of' for 2023? You have so many radios and configurations, I don't know what to invest in. Some are likely dead-ends you experimented with and moved past. And some are on the upper-end of affordability (ie any motorolas). A reliable and affordable family/neighborhood setup would also peak my interest.

Without family or friends "plying radio" is a lot like talking to yourself or listening to people argue at truck stops. Which trucks barely use CB anymore. The no random contacts thing was more real life than we thought because random contacts are few and far in between. Used to be on Channel 1 CB radio was the family channel and every weekend people were on enjoying each others company but not any more. I still like radios but it's tough nowadays.

I really like that radio holster! I have an 878 and would love to get one of these because the form factor of that HT is a little bit on the thick side, I've been putting mine in my sling bag. So I'd like for you to check on a hand mic for these AT DMR HT's - maybe you could keep the rig in a drier spot and use a hand mic? As a retired firefighter and medic we used Motorola HT's and they used to be able to go into a fireground area and in harsh environment without failure. ( had one fall into a snow-bank and stayed there till spring! charged it and it worked just fine! I agree about the Yaesu rigs. - even though they are getting 'old' they still get the job done. I'm an old timer so the DMR stuff is still above me. well done! enjoy your videos! 73 de n3tgy

Have you checked out the TYT UV390. It’s a more robust water resistant cousin of the 380. It has an IP rating of 67.

Love the videos I’m picking up tips to act accordingly.

Gaston, I had an 868 fail on me as in I lost 2 meter receive, but so far, I have not had the 878 fail on me, only time will tell as I have only had it a year now

The kydex case should have a wide velcro strap for securing it in the closed position rather than that skinny one with a snap button. Easier to open and close as well as covers it up for less ingress of dirt or water. The strap could have a paracord loop like the esstac shotgun cards for even easier grabbing since its hard to see right under your chin. Maybe another sewing project?

Take a look at R&S M3TR, these are SDR radios that are rugged looking and is available in manpack config.

That kydex holster is exactly what i have been looking for. Great vid. I hope they 878 goes for a stretch. At least a 1000 ttp miles is 10,000 of mine😅

Hello Gaston, I’ve used the 878 but it seems to have a delay in receive or the receiver is not as good as on my Yaesu radios. Even the Baofeng receives much better. I use the original Nagoya antennas.

My buddy carries the 878 everyday, climbing telephone poles, in the rain, snow, heat, sweat, and everything else you can think of. It's been well over a year now, probably close to 2 years, and it still looks, and works perfectly. He's very happy with that thing.

My guess is it will outlast any of the baofeng radios but not by much. Maybe less than 100mi.

You should join Army or Marines. You'll get all kinds of fun field days.

3d print some new knobs for the 878. apparently, they are super easy to replace.

I am a big fan of the real-time videos. I don't think the AnyTone will survive through the next summer if it even makes it to the summer. It is a great radio for what it is - general ham use.

Great video

Put a good antenna on that 878, they are very good radios for the money.

How much does the business license cost?

She sounds about as enthused by radio as my wife is. The VX-6 should be just about immortal, you'd think.

It will be interesting to see how well the anytone will hold up. Even though it has no rating that i know of, it has held up for me over the past few years. Been through a few rain showers, but salt may throw a wrench in the mix. I look at them as a knock off motorola.

Onde adquirir esse case para ht anytone?

That make some knurled knobs for the 878 on Etsy

What digirig would you recommend? There are different logics to choose from.

Get a big hair pick to throw in your desert gear. They work great for pulling cholla cactus.

What was wrong with the Encryption capabilities

YaY Ms. Tech Prepper !!!!

Nice that you are able to legally talk to your wife now out in-the-field without having to resort to something like a GMRS license, MURS radios, or using APRS to text her. Just some thoughts (warning, long comment): have you used a handmic before? Very likely you have your radio position how you preferred it. I know the cord can be annoying, but it might save quite a bit being able to put your radio someplace else away from sweat and moisture damage. Better to replace a handmic than an entire radio. If the cord is that much of a problem, is there a bluetooth handmic or earpiece that is compatible with the AnyTones or the Motorolas? The issue with the earpiece though is that it may be essential to be able to hear everywhere, and it blocks one side of your hearing. I don't wear it with my FT3D when out due to this reason and just deal with the handmic. I've been out on night rucks and there are coyotes and even bears around. I mentioned to you in your last video about USB recharging. Apparently AnyTone 878s have a battery which can be directly recharged via USB. This might be good for people who want to be able to recharge in-the-field without a cradle charger for say if they are out and about for long hours. For me, it's essential as I was able to practice this while on my trip last week. I have yet to really find a decent DMR radio which can do this that is budget-friendly. There are work-arounds, but it still requires a cradle charger.

I don't see anytone 878 as field radio. Doesn't have certification for water, shock, drop ( MIL-STD-810G standard ). Like hytera or motorola has. I owned anytone and its best price per features radio you can ever get. Also best starter radio as a new ham! But - the more you use it the more you discover quirks that get annoying and it brought you to term called chinisium jokingly. The QC or quality control is fairly low. President of my local Ham club had problem with PTT key after a year, sometimes radio will not receive and you have to turn it off and off again, dual watch was driving me crazy - despite me changing slot it would still receive previous... So that was why the roadmap I took was -> Anytone 787, Hytera PD 785G and now Hytera HP 785. Tools not toys as you like to say.

So do you actually need a business for one of those licenses?

I am interested in knowing the standby current/battery life of the SDR radios with the larger displays. Our throw down Retevis H-777 radios at $15.00 each, go at least 48 hours on a charge. We have been using them over 5 years now, mostly monitoring a UHF channel with CTCSS. The newest Radioddity GD-73 radios at $70.00 each seem to show 30% discharge in an afternoon with little use. The very old, and now trashed, Motorola Talkabouts, did not perform as well RF wise, and all the black rubber parts turned to crumbs. Could be sweat, sunscreen or just age. I am interested in your DMR approach. I like the concept Tools Not Toys. My current need of handheld radios for long distance travel benefits from looking like FRS, with built in antenna and less than 5V battery pack. Being able to select simplex DMR and comparing performance between digital and analog I hope shows a benefit. We will be at sea for nine months.

love it! run around in the desert on a hot day. radio now smells like butt. subtract 2 points from the review and file a warranty claim.

Im trying to see how you get so much sweat on a radio that is in a hard case. Is it when youre taking out of the case? Granted I live on the east coast and not in a desert environment, I don't perceive the sweat issue damaging the radios being a common problem. I have the BTECH 6x2 and the AnyTone 878. I plan to take them on a several hour hiking outing soon, so they will get a test then. Do you recommended using DMR simplex in a wilderness environment, or using analog? I almost forgot to mention I love that case! I am definitely checking it out more and feel an urge rising to buy one.

Love your informational videos!!! Any recommends on SDR Software Defined Radio for a guy setting up a Shack?

P.S. Wish I could run without all that gear!

20+ SOTA with 878; dropped it a few times. Also check mountain goat N1CLC (Ham Ninja) and my own (KC6ARY) 878 pages for more reports. You have unique needs, but the inferior field programmabilty, fiddliness of matching software/firmware revs, subscription and base costs put the Motos out of my usability range. Knobs for gloves - I got 3d prints with better grip and also use knob color to distinguish my from wife's radio.

keep up the ad hoc videos

Need a rig with FM Vara built in.

Aulince HD1 is IP67 analog and digital fully unlocked. Encryption is only real con.

I'm curious how the Anytone holds up for you. ~ 1 year. Mine has never been the same since taking it for an unplanned swim...

Aren’t you worried about 5he 878 not be water proof? I’m afraid to get it wet….

Hey brother, always good to see these videos! I'm with ya on some of the newer stuff just... kinda being a bit.. shit? in far too many cases. I see in the IT world in both software and hardware, and just in everyday life.. manufacturers have just plain lost the plot for real-world use-testing of their products. Especially where humans interface with it. UI, controls, hell.. functionality in general in many cases. Yes, some newer stuff has advanced very very well, and there's some great great stuff that's come out.. but something about how we've just "become stupider" where it counts, has screwed things up. --I'm a bit cooked from some work today, otherwise I'd hopefully have had a more thought-out response than this lol.

I think there's only one person in the world with a use case of rucking/ jogging with your radio on your shoulder. Might be a problem for you, but is the radio ok for more normal field use?

Do you think the kydex carrier held the sweat in

868 / 878 Knobs are horrible. A good upgrade is to change them for TYT MD380 knobs. 73's

If only there weren’t all these different proprietary digital modes…smh.

Oh my God your poor wife. she sounds so thrilled to be communicating with you it's probably because she doesn't have a call sign😂

Freak

'Darling', strange call sign. Or are you a non-licensed HAM?

Stop calling the community hamsters it's offensive you have way too much time on your hands bro

That is a really weird way to mount a radio. what's wrong with a belt clip or a standard radio pouch and Maybe a shoulder mic