Review on 📻 TIDRADIO UV-9R Plus: Waterproof 2 Way Handheld Ham Radio with Full House Kits - 1 Pack by Chris Russell

Dual Band HT TIDRADIO UV9R rebadged from Baofeng. TIDRADIO claims it is IP67 waterproof. So after programming I had to find out if it really is waterproof and have fun at the same time. The IP67 rating means the device can be submerged in up to a meter of fresh water for half an hour. I filled the kitchen sink about eight inches with cold water and threw the radio in the sink. (I turned it off first, but not very carefully put it in the sink. After all, if it falls into a lake or stream, the fall won't be gentle.) I left it floating (well, it actually sunk to the bottom of the sink) for one minute . Then dry and turn on. Yes, it still works, although the speaker may have taken a hit. It's not as loud as before swimming and sounds more distorted. But I will let it dry overnight. (I'm attaching a photo in the sink and after. You can barely see the water in the sink, but believe me it's there.) The radio itself is typically Beofeng. The antenna sucks. With a standard antenna, the radio cannot reach any of the local two-meter repeaters except one a mile away. However, the first thing many radio amateurs (including me) do is change the antenna for a better one. Due to the construction of the antenna socket on the radio, my good dual-band diamond antenna did not fit. It was disappointing. To make it waterproof, the radio has an atypical connector for an external speaker and microphone. The plastic panel is held in place with a tiny Phillips head screw. It's a real pain to remove the screw to install the programming cable. (Please note that microphones with a standard Type-K connector sold for most Baofeng radios will not work with the TIDRADIO UV9R. This radio uses a special connector.) The TIDRADIO UV9R can be used with CHIRP or manufacturer-specific software to be programmed. For some reason, TIDRADIO requires account registration and login before the programming software and cable driver can be downloaded. This is totally unacceptable. If the driver and software are not included with the radio, they can simply be downloaded without the need to create an account.