Review on Radioddity GD 77 Digital Channels Programming by Matthew Marquez

Let me start my review with that. My experience with DMR was limited to TYT MD-380 which I bought about 5 months ago. I am by no means an expert on DMR. I found my first leap into DMR radio programming a daunting task. CodePlugs, TalkGroups, Zones etc. were a foreign word that I had to deal with. Youtube was my friend here. With all that said, let me talk about the GD-77. I think it's pretty durable. I haven't abused it more than tossing it on my truck's seat, but I think it will survive a fall to the ground. Holding it in my hands it feels solid unlike some other HTs I own. The display is pretty straight forward. I had to stretch the backlight timer a bit. I can't read the display without the backlight. I see other reviews where people say otherwise, not sure what the difference is between my radio and theirs. I have the latest available firmware (2.6.6). The programming software seems almost identical to what I use for the MD-380. I couldn't imagine what it would cost to program a DMR radio without software, if at all possible I would probably avoid it at all costs. I programmed some local repeaters as well as my RaspberryPi with P-Star. I have found that from my driveway I can hit a repeater about 20 miles away using the rubber ducky that was provided. I can't do that with the MD-380 unless I switch to the magnetic antenna on my truck. The sound quality is pretty clear for an HT. The radio included a charger and a belt clip which I could lose after opening the box on day one. He's in my garage. somewhere :) DMR is a trial and error experience for me. I try to do what I can without asking for help. I really don't think setting up and using the DMR gets any easier than using the GD-77. They seem very helpful and responsive on their FB page. It's really cool that they are so involved in customer feedback. I appreciate Radiottity and GD-77. I want them to make an affordable mobile device that fits in my truck.