Review Of The Talkpod A36Plus Ham GMRS Combo Radio - Power & SWR Test And Everything Wrong With it

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Review Of The Talkpod A36Plus Ham GMRS Combo Radio - Power & SWR Test And Everything Wrong With it

Рет қаралды 56,761

Күн бұрын

You can get your very own Talkpod A36Plus radio here: amzn.to/47v8xBQ
You can get the Lime-Green A36 Plus here: amzn.to/45mJpM2
Or the standard/black Talkpod A36Plus here: amzn.to/45lF3EF
In this video I review the Talkpod A36Plus GMRS & ham radio - A radio that can transmit and operate on as both a ham radio and a GMRS radio WITH FCC approval. The Talkpod A36 Plus ham / GMRS combo radio does have a few issues that I explain, but overall it is not a bad radio.
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Пікірлер: 394

@RLVTECHUSA 4 ай бұрын

No such thing as ham ! It's called amateur radio

@TheNotaRubicon 4 ай бұрын

Obviously you do not have a HAM license or you would know the actual correct term is H.A.M.

@FosterFarmsOk Жыл бұрын

Oh man sad hams are gonna hate this one.

@cliffordparmeter6940 Жыл бұрын

😂😂😂

@jessikainla Жыл бұрын

here's hoping 🤞

@covert0overt_810 Жыл бұрын

i see sad ham jokes… i laugh… life is simple

@TribbleBot Жыл бұрын

yeah but what don't they hate

@The_trees_have_ears Жыл бұрын

The salt from their tears will feed the American salt market for 18 months

@user-yo3bh4nx4m Жыл бұрын

It never ceases to amaze me the number of people that don't get the humor. Keep up the good work.

@Wildhare-uo5vj Жыл бұрын

I threw caution to the wind and ordered one a few weeks ago. It has quickly become my favorite of the cheap HT's. I even got the 3200mah battery. It's not quite cheap enough for me to consider it disposable though. Baofeng still holds that honor.

@jessikainla Жыл бұрын

Normal and been around the gmrs block a few times so just bought one. Thx for the great breakdown. Worse case I can grab it by the antenna and throw it at my kid when he pisses me off (he's thirty-three so its assault not child abuse)

@MacioRodriguez Жыл бұрын

Domestic violence 😂😂😂

@Sam2sham Жыл бұрын

Only if hw lives in her basement, in which case it is justified.

@nicke.3011 Жыл бұрын

I throw stuff at my 33yr old son often. So far avoided jailtime.

@TribbleBot Жыл бұрын

"It's over son, I have the high ground"

@crominion6045 Жыл бұрын

Just turn it on and listen. That'll tell you if it's ham or gmrs. If it's ham, the only thing you'll hear is two 80-plus year old guys comparing their new hips for 15 minutes, followed by dead silence for 43 hours, followed by the same two octogenarians comparing their wives' new knees for 15 minutes, followed by 71 hours of dead silence, etc. Easy peasy.

@mastrsk8 6 ай бұрын

Dude! I turned on my HAM HT today and heard almost that exact same thing! I turned it off as I sighed and now I’m here on a GMRS YT channel. Getting my HAM during the lock down here was ridiculous! To this day I have not heard back from any of the 4 HAM clubs I emailed as I was looking for a Mentor. Some people wonder why HAM is not more popular.. anyway, thanks for the chuckle.

@xenomorph999 6 ай бұрын

On my Gmrs I overheard and participated in a discussion about muff diving with complete strangers.. Totally worth the price and time getting my Gmrs up and running!

@anthonykoogler5489 5 ай бұрын

Literally exactly what I heard the last time I listened to my local ham repeater. 😂

@slendermanxj1884 Жыл бұрын

I hope I’m not the only one who saw the background website when he pulled up Chirp 😂 this channel is extremely entertaining and informative at the same time Great videos Randy and I look forward to the next one. 👍🏻

@andrewyoung-n8ary Жыл бұрын

LOL. I went back and looked.

@panchopistola8298 Жыл бұрын

At least we know what his fetish is 🤣

@longtonailtrdwtr8715 11 ай бұрын

@@panchopistola8298or maybe his feet are a side gig

@PopeBrak Жыл бұрын

Greetings, sir! Long time listener, first time caller. Your videos helped encourage me to get my GMRS license about a year ago. I did wind up getting my tech license a few weeks later, but I keep coming back here to see what new hotness is happening in the GMRS world, and I really appreciate your style and attention to user-factors. Many thanks, and please keep up the great work!

@chuckrobinson5674 11 ай бұрын

I had actually bought one before this video was posted and it was the same as yours, able to transmit on everything but needed the channels fixed using CHIRP. I bought a second one and it arrived today. It would only transmit on the FRS and GMRS basic channels. It would not transmit on the repeater channels. I saw a video where it could be unlocked by turning it off, holding PTT +8 while turning it back on, the screen came on and said "expand". I did this and transmitting on everything (for emergency purposes) was activated.

@michaelcoursey2220 Жыл бұрын

I came to the comments looking for sad ham rants and was disappointed to not find them 😢…. I guess you CAN teach old hams new tricks!

@slopsec2358 11 ай бұрын

Shake Dizzy is a very old technology. We had it when I was in Law Enforcement many decades ago. It came with both our Motorola and GE model radios. The way it works is, you hold the radio by the antenna and swing the radio towards the ear of an unruly person, or sometimes a dog. Almost always they could hear the radio extremely well, but with an unexplainable dizziness.

@Zubbbz 11 ай бұрын

Very interesting. Any other interesting technologies? I'd love to hear more

@stupidkid351 11 ай бұрын

Hey that's a very good technology people should use it more often

@GerryMandese 11 ай бұрын

I had a baseball bat with the same technology.....Analog though.....

@baronedipiemonte3990 11 ай бұрын

@slopsec2358... Been there done that. The old Erickson and Moto "bricks" were innocuous/innocent enough to hold and yet have oomph when needed. 😅 the Baofeng AR152 is good for a few things... including that. ATB

@BarndoVilla Жыл бұрын

The hand modeling of this video is through the roof!

@cadesmith4278 Жыл бұрын

They actually didn't lie about the 512 programmable channels--there are 256 on each radio, and they sent two; therefore VOILA! 512 programmable channels! BTW, I must say that no one, and I mean no one, does a better job of showcasing a wrist strap than you do.

@Adoced 6 ай бұрын

Some people may find it annoying how you talk about how to plug in a USB charger into the wall and the USB C cable gets plugged into that and that goes into your radio, but I appreciate it. My uncle is 67 and did not know what USB C was or how to use it until you taught him.

@P20588 Жыл бұрын

At 0.32 sec I get goose bumps. I love how you pick me over all your followers.

@Pigtron Жыл бұрын

Loving the picture of Jeff and Max

@TravisGDecker Жыл бұрын

This is, infact, the radio for me. Thanks for you work!

@jimbefit3073 11 ай бұрын

Thats one powerful radio! The moment you hit the PTT button - my bathroom light flickered! Holy crap! Eastern Wa. State!!

@cryptkeeper001 Жыл бұрын

I have learned much from your videos and I still learn new skills every time I watch your videos thx for all the help. P.s. plz sharpen that pencil ✏️

@Bill_tyler Жыл бұрын

It’s chewed up! 😂😂

@pchris6662 Жыл бұрын

I wasn’t expecting quite that level of detailed review. Well done. You spent some decent time testing and looking at details. Glad to see one that wasn’t just a phoned in “unboxing” video. -Love Ghislaine

@budgetbasscovers Жыл бұрын

Ghislaine, you up?

@GerryMandese 11 ай бұрын

I have 2 BF UV-82s, both programmed the same in CHIRP. I added this Talkpod A36 Plus, by first downloading the radio and saving the image as factory. I then deleted all the memories. I opened the Baofeng most recent image in another tab, and copied the memories to the Talkpod empty tab. Made adjustments to the settings specific to this radio, uploaded it, and save the image as Talkpod Baofeng copy. so, it was really easy to clone the Baofeng to this radio, all work the same, basically. This Talkpod has Airband receive, and several ways to expand using PTT + # + Turn on, which gives a lot more bands that the Baofeng doesn't have.

@GerryMandese 11 ай бұрын

BTW, I should add, I'm an American living in Brazil, I bought this from AliExpress, and got the V1.17 International FW that's not restricted. Upgraded to the V1.20 international FW. Any version higher than this has a problem with CHIRP, I get the message "radio returned unknown identification string" , so apparently the lates version of CHIRP doesn't support the latest firmwares. I tried V1.22 and had to downgrade. The Talkpod CPS program from their site DOES work fine with the latest V1.22

@DM-qm5sc Жыл бұрын

This is game changing! Ive never seen both Ham and GMRS on the same radio!

@caseblaisdale3359 Жыл бұрын

😂😂

@N2YTA Жыл бұрын

I'm not sure what game it changes.

@dbtech58 Жыл бұрын

I am not sure it is legal.

@Struthio_Camelus Жыл бұрын

@@dbtech58I'm not convinced that 'legality' matters here.

@N2YTA Жыл бұрын

@@Struthio_Camelus I agree.

@ckelly1974 Жыл бұрын

I bought one of these radios based on your video. I think you said in not so many words that this radio sucks. Well it defiantly does suck. It made me appreciate my baofeng UV-9G even more. I love the channel. Your videos are great.

@tariqschmidt1413 4 ай бұрын

This is a great radio. It includes Airband for monitoring local air traffic! Nifty!

@mikeperry2814 Жыл бұрын

Hi! Glad you are feeling better!

@HamRadioDX Жыл бұрын

You are right about the manual.... they do have a more in depth manual on their website now that looks like it was written by someone who knows how to use spell check in US (English).

@christominded4726 Жыл бұрын

Love the channel and the comments. It’s a breath of fresh air to have fun while learning and some laughs. Keep them coming brother. You should be doing standup. 😂

@Reverend.John_Ignatowski Жыл бұрын

I don’t have a more info screen for I am your favorite viewer and Xenu allows your content to flow directly to my soul, with a Roger beep when completed

@jwatkins320 Жыл бұрын

You should make a screen protector peeling compilation video of all of the radios you have reviewed.

@sparky413 Жыл бұрын

As a happy ham i appreciate the reviews on this channel very much.

@Kenh2os03 Жыл бұрын

Loved your Review, thanks for the update. Glad to see more of your videos.. As for some of the comments below from people, don't mind them. They are all looking for that Walter Cronkite Monitone review that puts you to sleep. I don't think they're used to understanding the entertainment factor. Always great to pass on your videos to friends and family. You should come out here to Texas, we have some challenging Repeats out here in the Land of flat ground... LOL

@manuel0689 6 ай бұрын

Love the family photo slide running in the background hahaha

@dennistate5953 11 ай бұрын

I tell everybody about being your favorite viewer!

@dont4450 3 ай бұрын

I bought both the 5watt and 8watt. To be honest, I could never reach the gmrs repeaters in my area with the 5 watt, but was able to with my 8 watt. So the extra power did make a difference. This is for gmrs mode.

@JoeFramo-uw9fp 7 ай бұрын

Hey buddy I've been I'm back on watching your number one on KZfaq I like this radio cuz it works on the 2 m and 70cm❤

@jonnporter6081 Жыл бұрын

Your mesmerizing voice combined with your perfect hands prevents one from focusing on the cool desk mat.

@68CHUCKLES Жыл бұрын

Randy could probably work on one of the game shows showcasing the prizes like "The Price Is Right" !!!🤣

@christaylor7539 6 ай бұрын

How bout the Epstein photo in the back ground haha

@volvo09 Жыл бұрын

i just learned what that "digital sound" tone was for 16:07 And i loved your buddy concealing his face 😂

@richardskaff1 11 ай бұрын

Sir, you've missed your calling!!!! Have you ever tried out being a comedian, because you make me laugh every time I watch one of your wonderful videos. And thank you for the laughs!!!

@markdewey5412923331 Жыл бұрын

I HAVE BEEN A HAM OPERATOR SINCE 2/18/23 - and I can say with my extensive HAM experience that spurious emissions is a big deal! Especially when the planetary alignment and the DUHlithium crystals are at full power on your transmitting device (5W). In these conditions there are "SOME PEOPLE" that cant sleep at night due to the sensitivity to the left side of there HAM-lobes. Under certain conditions with propagation and the ionospheric layers that duct signals though the air waves the spurious electricity's can be heard by "SOME PEOPLE" at night - in bed. I like your shirt and Thank you for caring about my feelings.

@DataGhostGhostware Жыл бұрын

I have learned so much from you man, awesome videos. Thanks for making things so informative. Love the humor, keep up the awesome videos. Cheers from Canada where.... well you get it. 🍻

@ScorpioSin777 Жыл бұрын

My cat, Charlie, is your biggest fan, and he hates sad hams!

@DanCallahan1 Жыл бұрын

i lost it with the introduction of your yellow left angle precision pointing device..😂

@michaelwalsh3474 Жыл бұрын

I've seen this radio pop up on other channels and have not been interested until now. I'm honored that Randy wants to share his thoughts on this radio with me, his favorite viewer. ☺ Also, that image in the background reminds me of a quote. "love is when you finish each other's sentences: 😂

@iancgomez1890 Жыл бұрын

Just came across your channel recently and wanted to say your content is great I recently got my gmrs license and have orderd a radio.

@Miniscapes515 9 ай бұрын

I like that the radio companies are offering the clear case prison option.

@BeetleBuns 7 ай бұрын

matches my gameboy advance lmao

@68CHUCKLES Жыл бұрын

I always thought it was strange ever since I was introduced to the HAM community that emotions and politics are such an integral part of the system. That's part of what kept me at a distance, since I thought a voluntary hobby was supposed to be fun. Either way, I'm not going to get a license since my only intentions are to either be informed by listening or communicating in an EMERGENCY for which I don't need a license ! Love ALLLLLL your content RANDY ! Speaking on common mistakes: keying up and at the last moment deciding not to say anything ; transmitting while accidentally holding the antenna with my bare hand.......

@N2YTA Жыл бұрын

People who buy amateur radio equipment just for emergencies and don’t intend to get licensed are likely to be very disappointed in the event an emergency does happen. In the activity of ham radio, e-comms is just a small part. Most hams have little or no experience in emergency communications (including myself).

@baronedipiemonte3990 11 ай бұрын

@68CHUCKLES... I got my Amateur license right after 9/11 and was active in emcomms during and after Hurricane Katrina. I didn't stay active in the "hobby" and quit two "clubs" for the reason of the "politics" and ubiquitous required @ss kissing. I'm a disabled veteran and former LEO and no stranger to emergency communications. Perhaps I can't afford thousands of dollars for the name brand prestige gear, but I know what to do with it. My interest in comms now is strictly taking care of my family and myself. I let my license expire and I have one year grace to renew. Haven't decided yet. I have my GMRS, and my LMR. What's sad is that the local "club" who is "king of the hill" now is trying to take over local GMRS. And I'm expecting MURS too. ATB

@Bill_tyler Жыл бұрын

😂😂😂😂😂 that pencil is chewed TF up 😂😂

@ChuckRowe 6 ай бұрын

Very cool. I wish Chuck U. Farley would allocate more spectrum to GMRS, but we know that’s not gonna happen.

@Trevorburk1 7 ай бұрын

I just bought one off Amazon for $34. After this review I had to give it a try. It’s my first gmrs now if I can figure out the fcc website to get my license

@BeetleBuns 7 ай бұрын

for being the fcc they are sure bad at the "communication" part of it all. That website is ATROCIOUS

@Frisky0563 10 ай бұрын

Hi Randy hope you have been well! I like this little lime green radio. Thank you for your honest review.

@heatherryan9820 Жыл бұрын

So, just a heads up, I’ve had to subscribe to your channel at least 3 times over the past year. I really like your videos, but for some reason KZfaq Jerod unsubscribing me. 😡😡😡😡

@KeithFacc Жыл бұрын

That pencil at time stamp12:45 looks familiar ...You used to have fancy showoff ones that bothered me and hurt my feelings...now you look like raided my toolbox for a pencil...LOVE IT!

@fredmarziano6345 Жыл бұрын

Randy, I freakin love you and your vids. Epstein and Maxwell in the pic….priceless!!!

@LeeSandusky-nz7xn 9 ай бұрын

Thanks!

@ericwilliams952 11 ай бұрын

Great review. 73’s W7EMW San Diego county.

@mwolrich Жыл бұрын

Randy having another screengasm, as he peels of the plastic protective film from the LCD 😂 The FCCs are going to be kept busy sending letters to the mfr in 4-5 years 😂 Talkpod has some editing to do, and apply the fix in manufacturing.. just like TIDRADIO and BaaaaooooFffaaang have done before

@ddolfi2178 Жыл бұрын

Can you review the TD-H8 radio from Tidradio? Thanks in advance...

@DargoDog Жыл бұрын

A little technical clarification here, so that people don't get confused... If you exceed the number of 'fars' to another station and can no longer hear them (or them you), you are considered to be "fars out"... If you know the identified gender of the other talker, and it is a male, then the technical term here is "fars out, man". I hope this helps your number Juan viewer...

@dropsofink1336 Жыл бұрын

Definitely fancy and spurious! I think I may need one.

@shanemorgan12345 Жыл бұрын

Can you show us how to install that wristband. That radio ain’t gonna hang itself

@RandellReeder Жыл бұрын

Very nice and I have this radio and transmit all over the world bands and anyone who can hear me. Thanks for the review

@pablod6872 Жыл бұрын

Have you figured out how to use the "shake dizzy, shake fraud, shake up" features?

@covert0overt_810 Жыл бұрын

Hahaha always has the best background pictures 😂

@daytona1212 Жыл бұрын

Nice radio thisTtalkPod. The Quansheng UV-K6 can also show channel mode and frequency mode on the same screen.

@RisingTidesAC Жыл бұрын

The Quansheng UV-K5 and K6 are both nice little units for the price.

@uMalice 11 ай бұрын

If you do not know, I'm about to tell you; nice video Randy!

@quentinh4316 8 ай бұрын

You should make a video explaining the settings that should be set and fixed to be compliant

@chrislj2890 Жыл бұрын

Oh gawd, that t-shirt made me lose it, lol. Uh-oh, just noticed the picture.

@koosme6624 Жыл бұрын

Same here, love the shirt 😂

@FkTheGov Жыл бұрын

If You Swing The Radio Around By The Antenna, Al Quaeda Will Come Out Of It Like A Genie In A Lamp. That's Why It's Highlighted In The Manual.

@user-jy7to4nh3w 3 ай бұрын

Thank you.

@spyder6423 Жыл бұрын

That's a mighty fine couple on your tv there. They look like nice people. lmao.

@jamesd4013 Жыл бұрын

How can I learn more about spurious emissions.....it sounds sexy

@mikeangelastro7648 6 ай бұрын

Great video🇺🇸

@chriscook215 Жыл бұрын

Love this guy !!!

@Marty48034 11 ай бұрын

Oooooh!! I'm your favorite viewer!

@drillbittreed10 Жыл бұрын

I'm going to buy this radio just because the FCC is going to bann it before long. .

@georgeperez4231 10 ай бұрын

Love the shirt 😂😂

@user-bd6db9ir6d 6 ай бұрын

it's called a alternating electron dispensing receptacle

@jasonlanglois7906 Жыл бұрын

I’m totally going to refer to my phone as a talkpod from here forward.

@rsandu2007 Жыл бұрын

Hello! Thank you for your review, which gives much insight! May I kindly ask you to do a similar one for the Midland G7XT, that is a popular radio on the European market?

@brianengelhardt6650 Жыл бұрын

Is it unlocked enough to cover the MURS frequencies to transmit?

@SGMPhil Жыл бұрын

I bought one of these to dink with and it is pretty cool. It will transmit from 136-179 MHz so yes, it will work on MURS frequencies though it is not FCC certified to do so. I did put this on a specreum analyzer and verified that the spurious emissions are off the charts so I am not sure how it ever got FCC certified to be sold in the US on any band. That being said, it sounds fine on the air.

@MacioRodriguez Жыл бұрын

The Ham assault team is on the move looking for you😂😂😂

@andrewyoung-n8ary Жыл бұрын

I just got mine today. The only channels programmed were 1-22 and there were no tones set. I added repeater channels and some local ham repeaters. I have a feeling the FCC will notice these soon and send a mean letter to Talkpod.

@maikerumine Жыл бұрын

No kidding about not a bad choice! Me likey the 3-d printed look too.

@cam_o_style91 Жыл бұрын

I have the black one

@huf67 Жыл бұрын

Oh Ghislaine ♥️☠️🥰

@MrZerohour1967 9 ай бұрын

You'll find it can do 512 channels, but you'll have to DL a more recent release of FW. For the price it's an amazing radio. User interface works, but clunky, manufacturers programming software is painful, in that can can't import or export or move channels around. Chirp likely the better bet. No chance of being compliant with the ham regs which basically say spurious has to be better than -13dBm, this thing would be closer to +10, but as you say, the chances of a harmonic hitting something important are low. RX sens good.. I didn't test in detail, but I'd expect better than 0.2uV for 12db. Plenty of power, audio good. It is what is is for $50

@theomerian6102 Жыл бұрын

Not that it matters, but I'm curious... Randy, IYO, where does the blame lie with the botched up channel programming? Does the FCC look at that or are they just concerned with the hardware? If that's the case, the manufacturers are responsible for adhering to the FCC "guidelines?" Keep up the awesome content!

@Nope145 Жыл бұрын

They wrote that swing comment in the user manual just for you.

@SgtSkrog Жыл бұрын

When I am up late at night having my spurious emictions during my shake dizzy roger tones my wife reaches over and smacks me back into 3 giggle hurts my arm. My earballs now hertz.

@licence1001011 11 ай бұрын

im a beginner with radios, besides just really solid frs 22channels radios for years around the range and at work, but i just got a gmrs radio to start with thinking it was a ham,,,didnt read it apparently,,,i think im going to get the radio from this video, its good price. WHAT DO YALL THINK?? remember, im a beginner

@SeanFlaherty Жыл бұрын

Ah, the clear case, prison version. Planning a trip upstate?

@michaelwalsh3474 Жыл бұрын

I was just thinking that a three way review of the Talkpod A36 plus, Baofeng uv-5r and Tidradio td-h8 would be a good video 🤔

@RustamHallelujah Жыл бұрын

My Baofeng Uv-5r saves my money by not charging for the same printed text on a fancy box.

@donaldfuller5058 Жыл бұрын

I just ordered one

@carltice544 Жыл бұрын

Spurious emissions is how I ended up with four children....

@HamRadioDX Жыл бұрын

lol

@freeidaho-videos 7 ай бұрын

Pretty stealthy with the foot thing.

@morthomer5804 Жыл бұрын

It's the battery that fills up with electricities if you connect to the USB-c hole. The radio only fills up with electricities if you plug it into your USB a-hole. 😮

@dcolb121 Жыл бұрын

What are you implying?

@abrickfullafist Жыл бұрын

Instructions unclear. Radio caught in USB A-hole.😢

@dont4450 5 ай бұрын

Another great review that's easy to understand. Thanks

@chuckrobinson5674 Жыл бұрын

I was in the same boat didn't like them stacking FRS and GMRS channels on top of each other and of course the tones on every channel. Once i customized it in CHIRP I had a decent GMRS radio with color screen and air band and the ability to transmit on extra frequencies... In the event of an emergency of course

@jessikainla Жыл бұрын

👍 - "In the event of an emergency of course"

@RKingis Жыл бұрын

I'm a bit confused. FRS & GMRS share all 22 channels.

@chuckrobinson5674 Жыл бұрын

@@RKingisexactly, they were redundant by putting the same channels in twice