Review Of The Talkpod A36Plus Ham GMRS Combo Radio - Power & SWR Test And Everything Wrong With it
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- čas přidán 10. 08. 2023
- You can get your very own Talkpod A36Plus radio here: amzn.to/47v8xBQ
You can get the Lime-Green A36 Plus here: amzn.to/45mJpM2
Or the standard/black Talkpod A36Plus here: amzn.to/45lF3EF
In this video I review the Talkpod A36Plus GMRS & ham radio - A radio that can transmit and operate on as both a ham radio and a GMRS radio WITH FCC approval. The Talkpod A36 Plus ham / GMRS combo radio does have a few issues that I explain, but overall it is not a bad radio.
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No such thing as ham ! It's called amateur radio
Obviously you do not have a HAM license or you would know the actual correct term is H.A.M.
Oh man sad hams are gonna hate this one.
😂😂😂
here's hoping 🤞
i see sad ham jokes… i laugh… life is simple
yeah but what don't they hate
The salt from their tears will feed the American salt market for 18 months
Just turn it on and listen. That'll tell you if it's ham or gmrs. If it's ham, the only thing you'll hear is two 80-plus year old guys comparing their new hips for 15 minutes, followed by dead silence for 43 hours, followed by the same two octogenarians comparing their wives' new knees for 15 minutes, followed by 71 hours of dead silence, etc. Easy peasy.
Dude! I turned on my HAM HT today and heard almost that exact same thing! I turned it off as I sighed and now I’m here on a GMRS YT channel.
Getting my HAM during the lock down here was ridiculous! To this day I have not heard back from any of the 4 HAM clubs I emailed as I was looking for a Mentor. Some people wonder why HAM is not more popular.. anyway, thanks for the chuckle.
On my Gmrs I overheard and participated in a discussion about muff diving with complete strangers.. Totally worth the price and time getting my Gmrs up and running!
Literally exactly what I heard the last time I listened to my local ham repeater. 😂
I threw caution to the wind and ordered one a few weeks ago.
It has quickly become my favorite of the cheap HT's.
I even got the 3200mah battery.
It's not quite cheap enough for me to consider it disposable though. Baofeng still holds that honor.
Greetings, sir! Long time listener, first time caller. Your videos helped encourage me to get my GMRS license about a year ago. I did wind up getting my tech license a few weeks later, but I keep coming back here to see what new hotness is happening in the GMRS world, and I really appreciate your style and attention to user-factors. Many thanks, and please keep up the great work!
Normal and been around the gmrs block a few times so just bought one. Thx for the great breakdown.
Worse case I can grab it by the antenna and throw it at my kid when he pisses me off (he's thirty-three so its assault not child abuse)
Domestic violence 😂😂😂
Only if hw lives in her basement, in which case it is justified.
I throw stuff at my 33yr old son often. So far avoided jailtime.
"It's over son, I have the high ground"
I hope I’m not the only one who saw the background website when he pulled up Chirp 😂 this channel is extremely entertaining and informative at the same time Great videos Randy and I look forward to the next one. 👍🏻
LOL. I went back and looked.
At least we know what his fetish is 🤣
@@panchopistola8298or maybe his feet are a side gig
They actually didn't lie about the 512 programmable channels--there are 256 on each radio, and they sent two; therefore VOILA! 512 programmable channels! BTW, I must say that no one, and I mean no one, does a better job of showcasing a wrist strap than you do.
It never ceases to amaze me the number of people that don't get the humor. Keep up the good work.
I had actually bought one before this video was posted and it was the same as yours, able to transmit on everything but needed the channels fixed using CHIRP. I bought a second one and it arrived today. It would only transmit on the FRS and GMRS basic channels. It would not transmit on the repeater channels. I saw a video where it could be unlocked by turning it off, holding PTT +8 while turning it back on, the screen came on and said "expand". I did this and transmitting on everything (for emergency purposes) was activated.
This is, infact, the radio for me. Thanks for you work!
I have learned so much from you man, awesome videos. Thanks for making things so informative. Love the humor, keep up the awesome videos. Cheers from Canada where.... well you get it. 🍻
Just came across your channel recently and wanted to say your content is great I recently got my gmrs license and have orderd a radio.
Love the channel and the comments. It’s a breath of fresh air to have fun while learning and some laughs. Keep them coming brother.
You should be doing standup. 😂
I don’t have a more info screen for I am your favorite viewer and Xenu allows your content to flow directly to my soul, with a Roger beep when completed
The hand modeling of this video is through the roof!
Hi Randy hope you have been well! I like this little lime green radio. Thank you for your honest review.
I came to the comments looking for sad ham rants and was disappointed to not find them 😢…. I guess you CAN teach old hams new tricks!
Hi! Glad you are feeling better!
Shake Dizzy is a very old technology. We had it when I was in Law Enforcement many decades ago. It came with both our Motorola and GE model radios. The way it works is, you hold the radio by the antenna and swing the radio towards the ear of an unruly person, or sometimes a dog. Almost always they could hear the radio extremely well, but with an unexplainable dizziness.
Very interesting. Any other interesting technologies? I'd love to hear more
Hey that's a very good technology people should use it more often
I had a baseball bat with the same technology.....Analog though.....
@slopsec2358... Been there done that. The old Erickson and Moto "bricks" were innocuous/innocent enough to hold and yet have oomph when needed. 😅 the Baofeng AR152 is good for a few things... including that. ATB
Thats one powerful radio! The moment you hit the PTT button - my bathroom light flickered! Holy crap! Eastern Wa. State!!
I bought one of these radios based on your video. I think you said in not so many words that this radio sucks. Well it defiantly does suck. It made me appreciate my baofeng UV-9G even more. I love the channel. Your videos are great.
As a happy ham i appreciate the reviews on this channel very much.
i just learned what that "digital sound" tone was for 16:07
And i loved your buddy concealing his face 😂
Very nice and I have this radio and transmit all over the world bands and anyone who can hear me. Thanks for the review
Have you figured out how to use the "shake dizzy, shake fraud, shake up" features?
Loving the picture of Jeff and Max
I have learned much from your videos and I still learn new skills every time I watch your videos thx for all the help.
P.s. plz sharpen that pencil ✏️
It’s chewed up! 😂😂
Love this guy !!!
Loved your Review, thanks for the update. Glad to see more of your videos.. As for some of the comments below from people, don't mind them. They are all looking for that Walter Cronkite Monitone review that puts you to sleep. I don't think they're used to understanding the entertainment factor.
Always great to pass on your videos to friends and family. You should come out here to Texas, we have some challenging Repeats out here in the Land of flat ground... LOL
Definitely fancy and spurious! I think I may need one.
Love the family photo slide running in the background hahaha
i lost it with the introduction of your yellow left angle precision pointing device..😂
Some people may find it annoying how you talk about how to plug in a USB charger into the wall and the USB C cable gets plugged into that and that goes into your radio, but I appreciate it. My uncle is 67 and did not know what USB C was or how to use it until you taught him.
if you have an unlocked version, can it be programmed to transmit on 461 mhz?
Your mesmerizing voice combined with your perfect hands prevents one from focusing on the cool desk mat.
Randy could probably work on one of the game shows showcasing the prizes like "The Price Is Right" !!!🤣
How bout the Epstein photo in the back ground haha
You should make a video explaining the settings that should be set and fixed to be compliant
thank you . Well done .
Hey buddy I've been I'm back on watching your number one on CZcams I like this radio cuz it works on the 2 m and 70cm❤
Hello! Thank you for your review, which gives much insight! May I kindly ask you to do a similar one for the Midland G7XT, that is a popular radio on the European market?
I have 2 BF UV-82s, both programmed the same in CHIRP. I added this Talkpod A36 Plus, by first downloading the radio and saving the image as factory. I then deleted all the memories. I opened the Baofeng most recent image in another tab, and copied the memories to the Talkpod empty tab. Made adjustments to the settings specific to this radio, uploaded it, and save the image as Talkpod Baofeng copy. so, it was really easy to clone the Baofeng to this radio, all work the same, basically. This Talkpod has Airband receive, and several ways to expand using PTT + # + Turn on, which gives a lot more bands that the Baofeng doesn't have.
BTW, I should add, I'm an American living in Brazil, I bought this from AliExpress, and got the V1.17 International FW that's not restricted. Upgraded to the V1.20 international FW. Any version higher than this has a problem with CHIRP, I get the message "radio returned unknown identification string" , so apparently the lates version of CHIRP doesn't support the latest firmwares. I tried V1.22 and had to downgrade. The Talkpod CPS program from their site DOES work fine with the latest V1.22
AMAZING!
You should make a screen protector peeling compilation video of all of the radios you have reviewed.
Can you review the TD-H8 radio from Tidradio? Thanks in advance...
I wasn’t expecting quite that level of detailed review. Well done. You spent some decent time testing and looking at details. Glad to see one that wasn’t just a phoned in “unboxing” video.
-Love Ghislaine
Ghislaine, you up?
Thank you!!
I just bought one off Amazon for $34. After this review I had to give it a try. It’s my first gmrs now if I can figure out the fcc website to get my license
for being the fcc they are sure bad at the "communication" part of it all. That website is ATROCIOUS
You are right about the manual.... they do have a more in depth manual on their website now that looks like it was written by someone who knows how to use spell check in US (English).
I just got mine today. The only channels programmed were 1-22 and there were no tones set. I added repeater channels and some local ham repeaters. I have a feeling the FCC will notice these soon and send a mean letter to Talkpod.
Is that beltclip FCC approved?
This is a great radio. It includes Airband for monitoring local air traffic! Nifty!
This is game changing! Ive never seen both Ham and GMRS on the same radio!
😂😂
I'm not sure what game it changes.
I am not sure it is legal.
@@dbtech58I'm not convinced that 'legality' matters here.
@@Struthio_Camelus I agree.
No kidding about not a bad choice! Me likey the 3-d printed look too.
Hahaha always has the best background pictures 😂
Another great review that's easy to understand. Thanks
512 programmable channels 15:34 Randy, is it possible that the A side of the radio and the B side each have 256 seperate memory channels?
no, it is 256 total.
Can you show us how to install that wristband. That radio ain’t gonna hang itself
😂😂😂😂😂 that pencil is chewed TF up 😂😂
would like to see your review of the Tidradio H8 2nd generation.
Sir, you've missed your calling!!!! Have you ever tried out being a comedian, because you make me laugh every time I watch one of your wonderful videos. And thank you for the laughs!!!
Great review. 73’s W7EMW San Diego county.
Randy, I freakin love you and your vids. Epstein and Maxwell in the pic….priceless!!!
confused here in Australia pofung worked will these new ones and what mode???
That pencil at time stamp12:45 looks familiar ...You used to have fancy showoff ones that bothered me and hurt my feelings...now you look like raided my toolbox for a pencil...LOVE IT!
Is this a better option than beofeng GM15 PRO ?
My cat, Charlie, is your biggest fan, and he hates sad hams!
Is it unlocked enough to cover the MURS frequencies to transmit?
I bought one of these to dink with and it is pretty cool. It will transmit from 136-179 MHz so yes, it will work on MURS frequencies though it is not FCC certified to do so. I did put this on a specreum analyzer and verified that the spurious emissions are off the charts so I am not sure how it ever got FCC certified to be sold in the US on any band. That being said, it sounds fine on the air.
How does this get around the non-removable antenna provisions of the GMRS rules?
Easy: No such rule exists, unless the radio transmits digital location information.
I just ordered one
If you do not know, I'm about to tell you; nice video Randy!
is delta 700 gonna be online again?
Thanks!
Thank YOU!
That's a mighty fine couple on your tv there. They look like nice people. lmao.
Love the shirt
I bought both the 5watt and 8watt. To be honest, I could never reach the gmrs repeaters in my area with the 5 watt, but was able to with my 8 watt. So the extra power did make a difference. This is for gmrs mode.
How can I learn more about spurious emissions.....it sounds sexy
im a beginner with radios, besides just really solid frs 22channels radios for years around the range and at work, but i just got a gmrs radio to start with thinking it was a ham,,,didnt read it apparently,,,i think im going to get the radio from this video, its good price. WHAT DO YALL THINK?? remember, im a beginner
Does it transmit a real mdc that you can set the value of
Great video🇺🇸
I was just thinking that a three way review of the Talkpod A36 plus, Baofeng uv-5r and Tidradio td-h8 would be a good video 🤔
I like that the radio companies are offering the clear case prison option.
matches my gameboy advance lmao
I tell everybody about being your favorite viewer!
I’m totally going to refer to my phone as a talkpod from here forward.
At 0.32 sec I get goose bumps. I love how you pick me over all your followers.
Very cool. I wish Chuck U. Farley would allocate more spectrum to GMRS, but we know that’s not gonna happen.
Randy thanks for the video does the radio have airband?
In other words, you didnt watch the video?
@@TheNotaRubicon your right sorry I didn’t I will get around to watching it though Thanks
@@Ross13fulwhat did you find out?
Can you use an Apple iPad or Mack Book to work with Chirp for programs this radio or Boufung radio.
CHIRP runs on Windows, MAC OS, and Linux.
@@TheNotaRubicon Thanks I am thinking about getting into GMRS because I don’t want to take a stupid test.
Hi, i picked up this radio, made all the necessary adjustments, and it's an excellent radio for the price. I bought the 5 watt version for the bigger battery. Are you using the stock antenna? Do you have a suggestion for a better one? Thanks. FOLLOWUP I have a yaesu vx-6r with a diamond srh320A antenna. The talkpod is outperforming the yaesu. I'm using just the stock antenna and it's the 5 watt version. Hard to believe.
Uh oh, been using my UV-5R for both GMRS and Ham, and even marine VHF. That bad?
Reported
I have those holes in the cieling will they work aswell?
Dude, do you use a beaver to sharpen your pencils?
Randy having another screengasm, as he peels of the plastic protective film from the LCD 😂 The FCCs are going to be kept busy sending letters to the mfr in 4-5 years 😂 Talkpod has some editing to do, and apply the fix in manufacturing.. just like TIDRADIO and BaaaaooooFffaaang have done before
I've seen this radio pop up on other channels and have not been interested until now. I'm honored that Randy wants to share his thoughts on this radio with me, his favorite viewer. ☺ Also, that image in the background reminds me of a quote. "love is when you finish each other's sentences: 😂
I would get confused which call sign is for which channel if I used this radio.
I'm also wondering about the "Feet pics website in the background - lol.
So, just a heads up, I’ve had to subscribe to your channel at least 3 times over the past year. I really like your videos, but for some reason CZcams Jerod unsubscribing me. 😡😡😡😡
Love the shirt 😂😂
Another great review, Randy! Where can I find a chart to use with CHiRP so I program my GMRS channels correctly? Thanks! I'm told that if one holds down the number 8 key while depressing the transmit PTT button and then turn on the vol/power knob, you will see "expand" in the display and additional freqs are available.
I bought one of these recently (in hot RED) and I really got a kick out of listening to the control tower at my local airport (Reagan); but, the function lettering on the buttons is difficult to read (as was the manual!) and the FM broadcast stations had powerful "images/ghost" broadcasts found throughout that band.....no filtering/discrimination like my Baofeng. Loved the color display; but, they have a little more refining to do on this model, IMHO..
FCC website?
Thanks! Hoping Randy had some link he preferred. FCC as a last resort. Too many sad Hams hanging out there, LOL
@@Redbaron3314733Radio reference has one as well, and Wikipedia. 😊
I challenge you to find it on the FCC website. Instead, look here: www.notarubicon.com/gmrs-frs-murs-frequency-lists/
@@TheNotaRubicon Perfect Randy, thanks!
I always thought it was strange ever since I was introduced to the HAM community that emotions and politics are such an integral part of the system. That's part of what kept me at a distance, since I thought a voluntary hobby was supposed to be fun. Either way, I'm not going to get a license since my only intentions are to either be informed by listening or communicating in an EMERGENCY for which I don't need a license ! Love ALLLLLL your content RANDY ! Speaking on common mistakes: keying up and at the last moment deciding not to say anything ; transmitting while accidentally holding the antenna with my bare hand.......
People who buy amateur radio equipment just for emergencies and don’t intend to get licensed are likely to be very disappointed in the event an emergency does happen. In the activity of ham radio, e-comms is just a small part. Most hams have little or no experience in emergency communications (including myself).
@68CHUCKLES... I got my Amateur license right after 9/11 and was active in emcomms during and after Hurricane Katrina. I didn't stay active in the "hobby" and quit two "clubs" for the reason of the "politics" and ubiquitous required @ss kissing. I'm a disabled veteran and former LEO and no stranger to emergency communications. Perhaps I can't afford thousands of dollars for the name brand prestige gear, but I know what to do with it. My interest in comms now is strictly taking care of my family and myself. I let my license expire and I have one year grace to renew. Haven't decided yet. I have my GMRS, and my LMR. What's sad is that the local "club" who is "king of the hill" now is trying to take over local GMRS. And I'm expecting MURS too. ATB
You'll find it can do 512 channels, but you'll have to DL a more recent release of FW. For the price it's an amazing radio. User interface works, but clunky, manufacturers programming software is painful, in that can can't import or export or move channels around. Chirp likely the better bet. No chance of being compliant with the ham regs which basically say spurious has to be better than -13dBm, this thing would be closer to +10, but as you say, the chances of a harmonic hitting something important are low. RX sens good.. I didn't test in detail, but I'd expect better than 0.2uV for 12db. Plenty of power, audio good. It is what is is for $50
Not that it matters, but I'm curious... Randy, IYO, where does the blame lie with the botched up channel programming? Does the FCC look at that or are they just concerned with the hardware? If that's the case, the manufacturers are responsible for adhering to the FCC "guidelines?" Keep up the awesome content!