After watching your video again, I ended up ordering one myself. Not that I "needed" another radio, but I was really curious. Got it this morning. Great receiver, just like you said. Did some online digging, and it looks like it's a close relative to the TYT TH-88/Retevis RT85 models. Those radios started using Beken chips instead of the 1846 chip found in ordinary Baofengs, Btechs, etc. Since there is no "birdie" at +275 kHz, I assume the chip is BK 4819. Since this radio does not aim to be a wide-band receiver like the UV-K5, it looks like they were able to implement some better RX filtering on 2m and 70cm. The radio receives very well on an outside mobile antenna (5/8) in my RF polluted environment. As always, thank you for your video!
After watching this video, I just had to do some research. Apparently, GM30 is a GMRS version of the Retevis RT85 radio. If so, it runs on the Beken 4815 chip. While it is not the most recent Beken 4819 chip, it is considered to be "better" than the RDA chip. With proper filtering, you can start approaching superheat radios in terms of RX. I can attest to that because I just tested my Retevis RA685 radio, which is based on that 4815 chip, and it hears quite well and does not overload even on a 5/8 over 5/8 outside antenna in an urban setting. This is pretty remarkable for a direct conversion radio. So it would be interesting to find out how the GM30 handles weak signals with antennas of different size and gain. Can anyone chime in?
I plan to find out. 😄 Funny you mention this. Last week several HTs were turned on, most were scanning. The GM30 and a KG-916 were listening to the same freq when a weak signal came through. The GM30 heard it, the 916 did not. They were inside with a good deal of electrical/electronics close by. Very close to a switch and NVR. Thinking the switch was interfering, I switched out the radio locations and the 916 did hear the signal, but so did the GM30. Inconclusive, but it does open the door to testing.
@@Soladaddy Sorry for posting too much on this channel. I thought I should mention this. There is a neat little trick how to figure out if the chip in your radio is Beken BK 4815. This chip has a characteristic "birdie" at +275 kHz. That is, a signal received on frequency X will also be heard on frequency X + 275 kHz, as long as the signal is strong enough. For example, you could tune your GM30 to 462.975. Then transmit from another radio on 462.700. If the GM30 hears it, then the chip is 4815. If not, it has probably been upgraded to BK 4819. I don't know where the 4819's birdie is, but most radios probably have them somewhere (e.g. the popular kg-935g has one, and superhets have them by definition). Either way, these are good chips if implemented properly. I wouldn't have dug so deep if it weren't for your channel!🙂
@@SK-rj1ti No, no. I like these thought provoking ideas. I tested the GM30 and it did not pickup on a freq +275 kHz signal. Maybe its a new chipset. The performance has been great so far.
@@Soladaddy A bit more on the "birdie"/"image" frequency topic. My UV9 superhet has one at freq minus 90.1 MHz (and so does kg-1000g). For example, it hears GMRS Ch. 21 (462.700) on 372.600. Does your UV9 do the same? The 1P has its own image, but can't remember what it is... This is not much of an issue with "true" double-conversion superhet radios, because the image is usually intended to be way out of the expected frequency range. But It becomes more of an issue with direct conversion FM radios. Folks may not realize this, but such radios also use an intermediate frequency (IF) much like superhets, except that the image frequency may show up not too far from the true frequency. This may create confusion: you hear the signal at two relatively close frequencies, but which one is real? I think manufacturers should become more open about what image frequencies are to be expected from their different radio models. On our side, we could at least try to keep track (create a database?) of radios and their image frequencies. I hope this makes sense...
I like my GM-30s. Got a 2 pack. This is perfect for its intended purpose of caravan travel handouts. Not sure if battery will hold charge or has parasitic drain. Might be in my wife’s car un-used for a period of time before I find this out. Speaker audio is great. I was out in the Las Vegas desert last week and this radio was able to hit a repeater and open it while a Baofeng UV5G plus did not. Looking to see if they make a battery eliminator but haven’t found one yet. One thing I noticed was the internal lcd screen is a bit cockeyed and skewed by a degree or two. Noticeable to me but not deal breaker. Assembly QC issue maybe ? My 2 radios exceed the rated output with my power meter showing between 5.2 to 5.6 watts output across the GMRS band. I'm keeping them.
Nice review Mark and thanks for the mention! This would be a nice radio to give to the spouse or kids - not too much invested, while the primary user has a UV9G PRO or UV9GX with all the bells and whistles. ;)
When you do a follow up on this radio, could you please take a closer look at how this radio behaves when being charged via USB-C? For example, does its own RX suffer from such charging? Does such charging also block RX on nearby radios? The reason I am asking is because of my bad experience with the Retevis RA85 GMRS radio. Here are a few quirks I have observed with the RA85: 1. It will charge from a "simple" USB adapter connected to the radio via a USB - to - USB-C cable; it won't charge if connected from a Mac laptop charging block via a USB-C - to USB-C cable. This is something Mac users might want to keep in mind. But it is a minor issue because it can be easily resolved. 2. When being charged via USB-C, the RA85 is totally deaf. That is a major issue because you can't use the radio while charging. 3. When being charged via USB-C, the RA85 completely jams the RX on other HTs in my little shack, direct conversion or superhet. This is also a major issue. This raises concerns about the way USB-C charging is implemented in different radios, perhaps including the GM-30.
So far I've only used a wall wart charger for the GM30. The radio has been off while charging, mainly because the C-port is on the bottom so the radio has to lie down to charge. Not sure with Macs, but for most PCs, the USB A ports collectively only have a 500 milliamp current capacity so it would be a slow change and would take forever with other USB devices in use. Many of the C ports handle more current so that is weird the Mac won't charge. Next time I'll leave it on with other radios nearby and see what changes. I will note that my GM30 C port is a bit off from the external case and takes a little work to seat a cable plug. It needs to go in at an angle.
Thank you for the video! I can't wait for someone (like Retevis, for example) to make a dedicated GMRS radio based on the Beken 4819 chip. This chip is used in the currently very popular Quansheng UV-K5 series radios and in the Retevis RA89 (this one compares favorably to the Wouxun KG-UV9 series). The chip is far superior to the RDA chip used in many older and current direct conversion radios. Excellent sensitivity and selectivity, little or no front end overload. Okay, the UV-K5 overloads a bit, but not as much as a Baofeng or Btech. The RA89 does't seem to overload at all, even with a big outside antenna. Given the current price of the UV-K5 series radios, I hope a GMRS version could be very reasonably priced also...
@@Soladaddy Come to think of it, there is one thing you might not like about the RA89. It is the receive audio. It is somewhat "buzzy" on highs. As much as my ears hear better on highs than on lows, even I have to put my thumb on the speaker to suppress that buzz.
Newbie to GMRS / bought 2 GM30’s tried to use as radio to radio comms, with unsuccessful results. What am I doing wrong? User manual didn’t provide step by step set up instructions for a newbie, please help if you can.
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
After watching your video again, I ended up ordering one myself. Not that I "needed" another radio, but I was really curious. Got it this morning. Great receiver, just like you said. Did some online digging, and it looks like it's a close relative to the TYT TH-88/Retevis RT85 models. Those radios started using Beken chips instead of the 1846 chip found in ordinary Baofengs, Btechs, etc. Since there is no "birdie" at +275 kHz, I assume the chip is BK 4819. Since this radio does not aim to be a wide-band receiver like the UV-K5, it looks like they were able to implement some better RX filtering on 2m and 70cm. The radio receives very well on an outside mobile antenna (5/8) in my RF polluted environment. As always, thank you for your video!
After watching this video, I just had to do some research. Apparently, GM30 is a GMRS version of the Retevis RT85 radio. If so, it runs on the Beken 4815 chip. While it is not the most recent Beken 4819 chip, it is considered to be "better" than the RDA chip. With proper filtering, you can start approaching superheat radios in terms of RX. I can attest to that because I just tested my Retevis RA685 radio, which is based on that 4815 chip, and it hears quite well and does not overload even on a 5/8 over 5/8 outside antenna in an urban setting. This is pretty remarkable for a direct conversion radio. So it would be interesting to find out how the GM30 handles weak signals with antennas of different size and gain. Can anyone chime in?
I plan to find out. 😄 Funny you mention this. Last week several HTs were turned on, most were scanning. The GM30 and a KG-916 were listening to the same freq when a weak signal came through. The GM30 heard it, the 916 did not. They were inside with a good deal of electrical/electronics close by. Very close to a switch and NVR. Thinking the switch was interfering, I switched out the radio locations and the 916 did hear the signal, but so did the GM30. Inconclusive, but it does open the door to testing.
@@Soladaddy Sorry for posting too much on this channel. I thought I should mention this. There is a neat little trick how to figure out if the chip in your radio is Beken BK 4815. This chip has a characteristic "birdie" at +275 kHz. That is, a signal received on frequency X will also be heard on frequency X + 275 kHz, as long as the signal is strong enough. For example, you could tune your GM30 to 462.975. Then transmit from another radio on 462.700. If the GM30 hears it, then the chip is 4815. If not, it has probably been upgraded to BK 4819. I don't know where the 4819's birdie is, but most radios probably have them somewhere (e.g. the popular kg-935g has one, and superhets have them by definition). Either way, these are good chips if implemented properly. I wouldn't have dug so deep if it weren't for your channel!🙂
@@SK-rj1ti No, no. I like these thought provoking ideas. I tested the GM30 and it did not pickup on a freq +275 kHz signal. Maybe its a new chipset. The performance has been great so far.
@@Soladaddy A bit more on the "birdie"/"image" frequency topic. My UV9 superhet has one at freq minus 90.1 MHz (and so does kg-1000g). For example, it hears GMRS Ch. 21 (462.700) on 372.600. Does your UV9 do the same? The 1P has its own image, but can't remember what it is...
This is not much of an issue with "true" double-conversion superhet radios, because the image is usually intended to be way out of the expected frequency range. But It becomes more of an issue with direct conversion FM radios. Folks may not realize this, but such radios also use an intermediate frequency (IF) much like superhets, except that the image frequency may show up not too far from the true frequency. This may create confusion: you hear the signal at two relatively close frequencies, but which one is real?
I think manufacturers should become more open about what image frequencies are to be expected from their different radio models. On our side, we could at least try to keep track (create a database?) of radios and their image frequencies. I hope this makes sense...
I like my GM-30s. Got a 2 pack. This is perfect for its intended purpose of caravan travel handouts. Not sure if battery will hold charge or has parasitic drain. Might be in my wife’s car un-used for a period of time before I find this out. Speaker audio is great. I was out in the Las Vegas desert last week and this radio was able to hit a repeater and open it while a Baofeng UV5G plus did not. Looking to see if they make a battery eliminator but haven’t found one yet. One thing I noticed was the internal lcd screen is a bit cockeyed and skewed by a degree or two. Noticeable to me but not deal breaker. Assembly QC issue maybe ? My 2 radios exceed the rated output with my power meter showing between 5.2 to 5.6 watts output across the GMRS band. I'm keeping them.
If it's sitting in a car for a while, try removing the battery to stop any drain.
No scramble ?? 😢
Just went through the manual and do not see anything scramble related in the settings and menu.
@@Soladaddy
Well, back to retevis RT 81 and rt10
Nice review Mark and thanks for the mention! This would be a nice radio to give to the spouse or kids - not too much invested, while the primary user has a UV9G PRO or UV9GX with all the bells and whistles. ;)
Absolutely. Lock the keypad too so they don't change settings on accident.
When you do a follow up on this radio, could you please take a closer look at how this radio behaves when being charged via USB-C? For example, does its own RX suffer from such charging? Does such charging also block RX on nearby radios?
The reason I am asking is because of my bad experience with the Retevis RA85 GMRS radio. Here are a few quirks I have observed with the RA85:
1. It will charge from a "simple" USB adapter connected to the radio via a USB - to - USB-C cable; it won't charge if connected from a Mac laptop charging block via a USB-C - to USB-C cable. This is something Mac users might want to keep in mind. But it is a minor issue because it can be easily resolved.
2. When being charged via USB-C, the RA85 is totally deaf. That is a major issue because you can't use the radio while charging.
3. When being charged via USB-C, the RA85 completely jams the RX on other HTs in my little shack, direct conversion or superhet. This is also a major issue.
This raises concerns about the way USB-C charging is implemented in different radios, perhaps including the GM-30.
The above observations also apply to the Retevis RA685 radio. RA85 (GMRS) and RA685 (ham) are essentially the same radio.
So far I've only used a wall wart charger for the GM30. The radio has been off while charging, mainly because the C-port is on the bottom so the radio has to lie down to charge. Not sure with Macs, but for most PCs, the USB A ports collectively only have a 500 milliamp current capacity so it would be a slow change and would take forever with other USB devices in use. Many of the C ports handle more current so that is weird the Mac won't charge. Next time I'll leave it on with other radios nearby and see what changes. I will note that my GM30 C port is a bit off from the external case and takes a little work to seat a cable plug. It needs to go in at an angle.
Thank you for the video! I can't wait for someone (like Retevis, for example) to make a dedicated GMRS radio based on the Beken 4819 chip. This chip is used in the currently very popular Quansheng UV-K5 series radios and in the Retevis RA89 (this one compares favorably to the Wouxun KG-UV9 series). The chip is far superior to the RDA chip used in many older and current direct conversion radios. Excellent sensitivity and selectivity, little or no front end overload. Okay, the UV-K5 overloads a bit, but not as much as a Baofeng or Btech. The RA89 does't seem to overload at all, even with a big outside antenna. Given the current price of the UV-K5 series radios, I hope a GMRS version could be very reasonably priced also...
You put me down a rabbit hole... That RA89 is looking good.
@@Soladaddy Come to think of it, there is one thing you might not like about the RA89. It is the receive audio. It is somewhat "buzzy" on highs. As much as my ears hear better on highs than on lows, even I have to put my thumb on the speaker to suppress that buzz.
Newbie to GMRS / bought 2 GM30’s tried to use as radio to radio comms, with unsuccessful results.
What am I doing wrong?
User manual didn’t provide step by step set up instructions for a newbie, please help if you can.
Do they not hear each other? Poor range?