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France, Paris
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Review on Retevis RT80: Long Range Digital Walkie Talkie for Offroad Adventures - 999CH, Rechargeable, 1500mAh, 1 Pack by Sherman Lancaster

Revainrating 5 out of 5

Great access point in a compact, lightweight and affordable package

This radio is very basic in terms of features. It does not make DTMF from the beginning. Writing plugin code is also a bit different. However, it's great for use with a hotspot. I bought it with the intention of using it for about 4 talkgroups on openSPOT (1st gen). He's great for that. It's also inexpensive, small and light. Perfect for use at home hotspots! I programmed my RT80 for TG9 only and connected to various TGs via Homebrew Call Rerouting on the Brandmeister network. For a small amount of TG, this scheme works for me. It's worth noting that the DMR autocalibration used by openSPOT doesn't work well with this radio. I ended up testing each DMR demodulation mode with Echo until good sound returned (and when I say good, I mean AMAZING!). My radio works best in F mode; jamv. So if you want to write complex plugin code with each existing TG and simplify the connect-disconnect functionality, you can spend a few bucks more on an MD-380 or similar. But if you're using an access point and just want good digital audio in a small, inexpensive and lightweight package, then this might be a good choice. UPDATE 09/08/2020 definitely says it works fine with Brandmeister Homebrew call forwarding. Program a channel for TG9 and add group contacts. Make a group contact at 4000 to disable it. You can enter private calls to use Echo. I've added photos for comparison with the venerable MD-380. I'm not saying the RT80 is better than the MD-380; just makes the difference clear.

Pros
  • Screen flip function makes it easy to view information while you work; and supports other digital radio features like remote kill/stun/activation
Cons
  • Not bad but...