Not a big fan of BaoFengs. They seemed cheaply built. Don’t have a particular opinion about wouxon. I’ve never owned nor used one. That said, I do have several models of TYT radios. I’ll list them below with an opinion of each.
TYT TH-9800 — It works — most of the time. It cross-bands easily. That said, it is very susceptible to extreme temperatures and unit heating. It is also susceptible to strong or close magnetic fields. The first thing to go is the CTCSS oscillator. After that, the final amplifiers get sketchy, then it’s cooked.
The bright side? It didn’t cost like a Yaesu.
TYT TH-7800 — It works … most of the time. Cross-bands easily. It’s a little more durable than the TH-9800 … but I wouldn’t put it in mission critical mobile applications. It is also heat susceptible, although not as bad.
In a cool controlled environment, it is, however, a pretty decent performer. If you’ve got it in the shack, and don’t abuse it, you’re good to go.
TYT TH-8600 — This one is basically box-of-rocks tough, but it isn’t real asthetic. It’s an ugly little thing, but it’s solid, weatherproof, and almost idiot proof. The screen leaves a lot to be desired, but it is a reliable performer in the mobile and field environments. Program it so you don’t have to stare at the screen, and just use it. I have yet to cook one of mine, and that’s actually saying a lot. I’m kinda hard on mobiles.
TYT TH UV88 — This little beastie sits in good company with the TH-8600. It ain’t real pretty, but it’s a hockey-puck of a radio, pretty decent on batteries and sports limited controls, which makes it a good channelized functional communication device. If it means anything, I haven’t managed to break mine yet. But I will keep trying. This is my go-to tactical fire-ground radio. An added bonus is, if I do manage to destroy it, I’m only out $40.00. Keep a spare in the go-bag.
TYT TH-350 — This “tri-bander” is a good rig for those who like to fiddle and futz with their handhelds. It’s a little more traditional Ham-HT than the UV88. I enjoy mine. It’s fun. I drag it around with me for kicks and giggles. But … when the poo-poo gets deep, and things get serious, I’ll leave it in the charger, and shag the UV88s.
And that’s all of them I have played with so far. If you’ve tinkered with others, please post the assessment and results below.
TNX, Dit-dit.