Review on 📻 Enhanced QYT KT-8900D Mobile Transceiver: 25W, VHF 144-148MHz, UHF 420-450MHz, Dual Band Quad Standby Mini Car Radio by Josh Kim

I received this radio not expecting much. There is a QYT KT7900/8900 group on Facebook that has given mixed reviews about the radio's performance. First, make sure you have the 2nd Gen KT8909D. Apparently there were some issues with earlier radios, but these seem to have been fixed in the second generation. I connected the radio to a 12 volt power supply and turned it on. The radio came with a programming cable but I had to download the driver from Miklor.com. I also used the CHIRP software to program the radio. It is also available online for free. Once the radio was connected to my computer, programming was easy. Programming about 15 repeaters didn't take long. You can also change many settings on this radio. I left most of them as default. There are four VFOs in this setup. You can set it up to show either the frequency, the channel number, or give it an alphanumeric name. Each VFO is programmed differently, so I programmed VFOs A and C with frequency and B and D with letter names. Nice feature. I hooked up the radio to an Ed Fong DBJ-1 dual band antenna and just put it on the back porch. I could easily hit 5 repeaters within 15 miles of my location. If I set it higher I could probably turn on all 15 I programmed. Some people on the forums have complained about poor audio reviews and the built-in speaker's low volume. When I contacted my first station he told me I would remodulate. I walked away from the mic and was told the sound was great. Likewise, all I had to do was turn the radio volume up about 1/4 and I could hear clearly. The sound is very good, not "tinny". It might be different with a moving cat, but I haven't tried it yet. For $85, you can't beat this setup. I have had a license for almost 50 years and would compare this radio to what I had before.