Tidradio TD-H6 with Driver Free Programming Cable Ham Radio

My husband has started investigating various ham radio products and wanted a handheld unit. This one works well for beginners. The only reason it doesn't get 5 stars is that it doesn't come with any instructions for operation and it took him a while to find the instructions online.

TID customer service has been excellent in many ways. I had problems with a programming cable and they quickly responded. I received a blue tooth programming unit to resolve my problem and it worked. Thank you TID Radio.

This radio works perfectly for most of your basic communications such as day at the crowded malls with family/kids, camping, road trip, hiking, working, concert, etc. I got this mainly for airsoft where communications is very important. Before I got this H6 model, I already have bought the Tidradio H8 model and that was stellar in its own rights! Back to airsoft, I decided to get this so I could run dual radios so I could communicate with at least 4 different person for tactical planning and team assessment. This package comes with plenty extras to enable you to try out at least 3 different styles of mic/comm that suit your prefer way of transmitting your voice and receiving your transmission. Another great plus is this comes with an extended antenna to reach farther distance and also a programming cable to customize your radio for many extra frequency and privacy settings you may need to as your skill advance in radio usage. This radio is highly recommended!

I already owned a Tidradio TD-H5 GMRS and was happy with it, so expected good things from this one. The TD-H6 is similarly solidly built and has lots of useful accessories. It doesn’t compare to HT’s from the major ham equipment manufacturers, but I don’t think that’s their goal. The speaker mic is solid and a lot nicer than ones that other budget radio kits include. The 12v car adapter is an extra that is often omitted. For the price and included goodies, it’s a great value. Don’t forget to look under the plastic tray for the 771 antenna! I don’t have a power meter, but tests I’ve seen show the H6 to put out somewhat less than the advertised 10 watts, which for reasons I don’t understand, seems to be a common tactic. It compares to other radios in that regard. The power/volume knob feels a little uneven, initially having more resistance than when the knob is in the full volume position. The up arrow seems a bit harder to push than the others. I don’t expect these to be issues; I guess it’s a tradeoff you make when building for this price point. I didn’t see a mention in the Amazon description, but please be aware that the CH340 programming cable included is not compatible with Linux, according to Tidradio’s website. I’m not totally convinced of that yet, but initial attempts have failed. Comment if you have any leads on making it work. One thing I do not like at all is that Tidradio will not let you download their software without creating an account and logging in to their website. I think folks already have too many useless accounts and logins to keep track of. Other companies don’t do this, and it’s a turnoff for me. Fortunately, most people will want to use CHIRP anyway. Overall, you can’t go wrong for the price and the value you get with this kit.

Great little radio easy to program