To be fair, FT-5 does drop to almost anytone prices, during black friday or random sales it does come in at around 375 with Yaesu 50$ rebate that puts it into the 325 range. Won't say that it's a night and day difference, but Yaesu does feel just a little bit more solid and analogue receive is just a smidge more pleasant. At any rate Anytone is my daily driver for the DMR support alone. In DMR space there's simply nothing else that comes close.

I use my Sony Xperia 5 II. It is my cell phone. My settings are 4K60 in ultrawide with HDR.

I agree. It is a solid radio. Probably one of the best ones on the market.

I don't feel that the FT70 is in the same league as the Anytone. The FT70 is an amazing radio, but I would put it at the top of the mid-range. It lacks dual VFOs. It doesn't have the cleared menu system. It does have YSF, which is awesome.

For high-price radios, buy commercial equipment. Sure, the high-end stuff is seriously expensive, but it's built to take a beating over a ten-year service life in public safety or industrial use. Drops, dunks, rain, and dust won't faze it.

This radio is excellent. It does everything well. The newest model has send and receive APRS, so a solid all around radio, even if you don't use DMR.

I can try to explain this. When they talk on the other side of the world, they are using HF. This radio runs off VHF/UHF, which is much higher in frequency. Range is typically line of sight, but is usually longer as propagation can cause variation. Without a repeater, a point to point signal for these is around 10-ish miles, give or take. If you are over water, it can travel further. If you are in a rocky area, maybe a little less. These are just ballpark numbers. I'll do a video talking about it.

@@kd9nrt Thank u man much appriciated :)

@@kd9nrt Some pointers for the video, like is the conversation one on one? i watched couple videos that talk about watts and channels but its still not clear because they are talking like i already know the basics about radios. can u like add the frequencies like a number and ur partner add the same number and then u can talk? pleasae add this in ur video too

What country do you use yours in? Is it a remote area and easier than HF for beginners?

Agree. My issue with HTs is that they always have one feature that keeps them from being perfect.

@@kd9nrt Honestly, I am shocked that the big names keep repackaging radios without modern features, IP67 durability, tri-band capability, etc and calling them innovative with huge price tags. I mean really, ICOM puts out what is functionally equivalent to Woxun basic dual band without so much as a modern display and people fall all over themselves to pay almost $300 for it. Really? They keep putting out the same radio over and over. The D74 still doesn’t have a competitor and it’s run it’s course and been discontinued. I swear that ICOM and Yaesu are doing nothing but coasting on clout in the HT market. Kenwood has exited the field. Anytone is doing good things in the middle tier, but no one is making a feature rich ham HT anymore in the high end. Why don’t all the high end radios have full APRS implementations, TNCs and sound cards built in, USB and Bluetooth CAT control and audio profiles? You should be able to plug a single USB C cable into any top-end HT or connect Bluetooth and do packet/VARA stuff today. Hell, if someone made an HT that was marketed for Sat work with true dual receive, maybe a sat tracker app on it with audio recording, they would sell out before they were shipped. Where are the SSB HTs for SOTA? The manufacturers get so hung up on HT Repeater use cases they seem to forget all the other stuff you can do with them, especially Techs out there who would like to do more than that without upgrading their ticket. It is FRUSTRATING to see cool features on an HT only to learn that they hadn’t been made in 10 years and the “successors” just dropped the feature that made them cool with no replacement. Why is it that the most capable HT ever made was released in 2016 and is now discontinued without a replacement or equivalent? That does not happen in any other consumer electronic market. What if phones manufacturers put out new models every year and just decided to not include texting, or 5G? Maybe our new flagship phone should ship without a camera this year… Would not happen.

Yes. I never use the Bluetooth feature on radio as the implementation isn't as polished as I would like.

I'm not sure. I would guess it doesn't since it needs a code plug.

I would recommend it. Obviously, it includes DMR, but I rarely use the DMR functions.

Icom Icv86. 2 meter analog. 7 watts.

Power isn't going to be that big of a deal with an HT. Most Baofengs don't get 8 or 10 W anyway. There is more to a radio than power. Internal components and antennas will take you further.

@@kd9nrt Thank you!!

Agreed I have AnyTone 878 and several new Hyteras. The Hytera is indisputably better (by a lot). Their CPS isn't recognizing my copy of Excel but that's a small complaint.

Mostly it comes down to which digital mode you prefer or have access to. The Yaesu is a better radio, but the Anytone is a good option if you want to save some money. The Anytone is a little more robust. It doesn't have the soft touchscreen the Yaesu has.

First, my daily is a FT-5DR. I understand the difference: Yaesu (or similar) and Baofeng. But... What are you talking about? The Baofeng is perfect for this use case. The UI is limited, but very easy to manage and learn. It has excellent sound quality when paired with a good antenna, 2m / 70cm, scans well, and you can own a zillion of them for worst-case scenarios and distribution in your network of prepared people. You might not be able to find a better radio for your use.

The ft5 dr receive audio sucks. Very tinny.

One problem I'm having from my FT3/FT5 batteries is fade. I charge them overnight, and they read at 80% the next day. I think it may be time for a new set of batteries.

So right. Mine got mothballed because of the abysmal sensitivity and squelch sensitivity sucks worse.

Not sure... but, Kenwood might still make repeaters for 2 meters & 70 cm (Amateur freqs).

That is why I don't do affiliate links. I have no problem with getting a radio for review, but I want to be honest about the radio and want to use it for more than just a few days.

Finally! Someone else mentions poor sensitivity. They suck on analog receive.

Agree that this is a solid DMR or analog radio. AnyTone is one of the few quality Chinese radios. You get what you pay for with this radio.

But let's be honest. You will never end-up with one radio or one watch. ;) You will always wants more... It will never ends. BTW... Happy New Year! 73 from Poland.

Unfortunately or fortunately it appears to be prevalent in my country the DMR. So anytpne it's the choice.

A new Lamborghini is $300,000. That doesn't stop people from getting reasonably priced cars. The 878 isn't the floor. It is more like the 10th floor.

@@kd9nrt You are addressing someone who has had the same vehicle for 27 years because of what the payments and price have become and how ugly the modern cars have become. I saw small transceivers in Amazon going for $20 to about $150. However, what kind of transceiver would I be getting? They are likely all 4 watts with FM mode only and no advanced digital capabilities, nor multiple bands. I think I will likely stay just a hobbyist. People bring me radios to repair and I love listening to my communications receiver. I guess that is enough for me.

No. I don't use affiliate links. Everyone says they don't influence reviews, but they can. I don't want to be tempted to review a product positively for the sake of gaining some clicks on affiliate links.

@@kd9nrt You don't have to use affiliate. It would be nice to be able to follow the links to the products anyway. Its a pain in the @$$ when I have to stop the video, write down what it is then google. Make things easier on your viewers.

I was in the same boat. The learning curve is steep, but it is a great radio

what ya running now for a hand Held ?

Sounds like you may have just had a bad unit.

@@kd9nrt Yes, two of them. That's why I gave up.

Thank you for the comment and the view.

It’s a brick. That’s the only real reason I don’t carry it everyday. Check out the Aliunce HD1 if you want a radio that is tough and built right for the hand.