**This is not a sponsored product review. I purchased the product myself and it is my honest opinion.**
A few weeks ago I was catching up on some amateur radio content on YouTube and noticed that there was a new radio (well they revised the software) was getting some decent reviews. I opened up amazon and checked out the TIDRADIO TD-H8 HAM*, and picked one up in clear. Being Amazon it arrived fast and I dove in.
Specs
TIDRADIO TD-H8 HAM
| General | |
| Frequency Range | 144-148MHz & 420-450 MHz (TX) 136-174MHz & 400-512 MHz (RX) |
| Memory Channels | 200 |
| Operating Voltage | DC 7.4V ± 10% |
| Battery Capacity | 2500mAh (Li-Ion) |
| Frequency Stability | ± 2.5ppm |
| Operating Temperature | -20°C (-4°F) to 50°C (122°F) |
| Mode of Operation | Simplex |
| Antenna Impedance | 50Ω |
| Transmitter Part | |
| RF Output Power | ≤10W |
| FM Modulation | 11K0F3E @ 12.5KHz |
| Adjacent Channel Power | 60dB @ 12.5KHz |
| Transmission Current | ≤ 1500mA |
| Receiver Part | |
| Receive Sensitivity | 0.25µV (12dB SINAD) |
| Adjacent Channel Selectivity | ≥ 55dB @ 12.5KHz |
| Intermodulation and Rejection | ≥ 55dB @ 12.5 KHz |
| Conducted Spurious Emissions | ≤ -57dB @ 12.5KHz |
| Rated Audio Power Output | 1W @ 16Ω |
| Receive Current | ≤ 380mA |
| Rated Audio Distortion | ≤ 5% |
Included in the box you get all the usual goodies you would expect, radio, antenna, battery, charger, power brick, cable, clip, wrist strap and manual.
Review
First impressions. The TD-H8 HAM feels good in your hands. I has a good amount of weight to it fits well in my giant hands. I love the look of the clear plastic case, I have loved electronics in clear plastic cases since I was a kid. The screen is nice and bright. There is a USB-C charging port on the battery which is extremely convenient .
The sound of the radio is pretty good considering that it is in the $50ish price range.
The bad though comes from the fact that the port for the headphone/data connector is pretty deep into the case. This requires you to have to manually hold most cables pressed into the radio to work. A bit of an annoyance but not a good reason to not buy a handheld. Another minor issue is that I have not been able to get the radio to charge from my USB-C PD power bricks that I use with my computers and other devices. The radio also has built in bluetooth for programming, a very good idea but the execution is poor. It requires you to use the Odmaster app which is so bad I will not even link to it. You have to program one channel at a time and its leaves a bad taste in my mouth from an IT security standpoint.
The only thing that I cannot do is a proper test to see if the output is spectrally pure. But others have been able to test the spectral purity of these radios.
The TIDRADIO TD-H8 HAM is a nice improvement over the ever popular BAOFENG UV-5R and has become the radio that lives in the center console of my truck and goes with me when I am not at home.
*Affiliate link, I may make a small commission if you use this link to buy the radio.