The Retevis RT84 is a semi-competent handheld radio. It is a good contender as a starter into the world of Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) that is both affordable and usable. A lot of digital radio at the moment is quite expensive and can demand quite a premium over the analogue radios with the Retevis RT84 being three times the price of the Baofeng UV-5R. The Retevis RT84 is one of the cheapest VHF/UHF DMR’s on the market right now. This makes it a good radio to look into, to test the waters as it were to see if it is worth investing in a more expensive solution or not. However they’re not without their faults, and there is a lot of them.
I am an advocate for PMR446 radios and I believe that licence free radio is a fantastic way of getting people interested in radios. There are many uses for PMR446 radios too. Yes, even in this highly connected world of mobile phones and internet messenger apps. Unfortunately, there is quite a bit of misinformation about PMR446 radios. The way that companies advertise and market them, for example, often leaves a lot to be desired. I hope to demystify any misconceptions, the stuff that those pesky marketers say, and hopefully leave you, the reader with more information on this very subject by the end of the article.
The Baofeng UV-5R is an extremely capable radio for its price point. They are easily the cheapest VHF/UHF radio on the market right now, that I know of. You can rest assured that you’re not going to break the bank buying one of them. There are a few things to bear in mind and consider when purchasing these radios. If you’re an amateur and you’re wanting a cheap mobile unit to go on the air with – this is the radio for you.
This article is in itself an introductory article, I will be writing a series of articles on or around the subject of “Creating a budget shack”.
