Ailunce HD1 GPS Review.
I have been very interested in the digital modes for quite some time now! DMR has become more and more popular in recent months and I do own quite a few of the DMR radios. When I first heard about the Ailunce HD1 I was very impressed with the stats, 10W on VHF & 8W on UHF! Wow! Plus you can have the full DMR Marc database in the radio! yes at the time of writing this review the database stands at 94,000 users! This radio can hold a whopping 100,000 Contacts! I have done a video on YouTube showing how to find, download & import this database into your radio.
I have the GPS model and I have found the GPS to be very accurate and easy to turn on & off. You can also program your channels in the CPS to have GPS set on or off as well as in the radio.
One of the main selling points of this radio is that you can program the radio directly from the front panel! That must be a first in DMR, I have tried this and it works very well, this is the way all DMR radios should be. It is easier using the free programming software and is fairly easy to do especially if you are familiar with DMR programming.
The radio comes with.
1 x Antenna
1 x Li-ion Battery
1 x Desktop Charger
1 x Power adapter
1 x Belt Clip
1 x Hand strap
1 x Well written user manual
When I received my new HD1 I was amazed at the build quality! If I was blindfolded I would swear I was holding a Motorola radio! yes it’s that good! The textured plastic is really nice to the touch and helps you grip the radio with ease. The 3200mah capacity battery is truly amazing! I have used this radio for days without needing to charge it. It is secured with a beautifully designed release slider and is very secure and of course like the radio it’s fully IP67 waterproof. The antenna on the HD1 is very sensitive and works very well, which is unusual for a stock antenna, I also love the selector knob on the top that can be used for changing frequency, channel or going through the menu, this rotates a full 360 degrees, again a fantastic feature. The buttons on the radio are very tactile and have a really nice feel to them, I can tell that a lot of thought has gone into this radio and looks like it will outlive me!
On the left side of the radio you have a plastic PTT switch and two rubber user definable buttons that can be used for a number of things including but not limited to, changing power levels, quick call (I use this to dial 4000 to unlink from my hotspot), scan and FM radio, yes this radio has a full build in radio! Another fantastic feature! These two buttons can perform 4 actions with a short or long press. On the other side of the radio you have a Motorola style connector for your accessories. I use the Retevis IP54 Waterproof Speaker Microphone and it works extremely well & have had some fantastic reports on it. You will also be pleased to know that the programming cable comes with the radio! These accessories screw into the port for added security.
The display is very nice indeed, beautiful colour display and is of a high resolution for a radio. I have added a picture of my wife and son and it looks very sharp! I have added a guide on how to do this on my YouTube video below.
This radio is a dual receive & dual VFO handheld radio. This is extremely useful if you want to monitor two channels or frequencies at the same time. I use the radio in single VFO mode and have the clock on the other, I like having my screen timeout set to continuous and having the clock always visible is good to have and I have found that it does not affect the battery life much at all! You can change the settings for both VFO’s separately in the settings menu, the menu has 11 main settings with more setting within them, they are as follows.
Main menu items:
Main Set >> Main Radio Settings
Band A Set >> Band A settings are in here
Band B set >> Band B settings are in here
Message >> This is the DMR messaging settings, Write, send etc..
Call Log >> This is the call log menu
Contacts >> This is a list of your DMR contacts, Talkgroups etc..
Radio ID >> This is for up to 32 DMR Id’s
Radio >> FM radio settings
GPS >> GPS settings
Encrypt >> Encryption settings, we don’t use this in ham radio
Version >> Shows the current version of your radio etc.
The Radio comes with a very well written manual and is well laid out, the radio is very straightforward to use so I didn’t find I needed to refer to it.
The speaker on the HD1 is the best one I’ve seen in a handheld radio, super loud and really good quality audio, you will never struggle to hear this radio that’s for sure! The microphone on the radio works very well and the people that I have spoken to have said my audio is very clear and some of the best they have heard.
My conclusion is a very positive one, this radio is hands down the best handheld DMR radio I have ever laid my hands on! you will definitely not be disappointed, the build quality is incredible and I’m sure I will be using this radio on a daily basis for many years to come. The battery is incredible and also lasts for such a long time! This is fantastic for those weekend fishing or camping trips and being a waterproof radio you really do not have to worry about it getting wet. The display is readable outside but could be brighter, I would also have called it the Retevis HD1 as not many people are aware that the Ailunce brand is in fact a Retevis Radio. I would highly recommend you to buy this radio, I have the GPS version and its only an extra $10 and it’s well worth having especially if you like hiking or climbing as if you ever got into trouble the GPS coordinates could help save your life! 10w on VHF and 8w on UHF is incredibly useful and can make all the difference in those situations.
Please visit the Retevis website for more information and thanks very much for taking the time to read this review and I really hope it helps you make your decision on your next DMR & FM Dual Band Handheld transceiver!
I Did some Power tests on the Ailunce HD1 and can confirm that on the 2 meter FM band that I tested I got..
2W Low Power setting
4W Medium Power setting
9W High Power setting
HD1 Power Test
You can purchase this Ailunce HD1 by clicking the Logo below.
This is my First Impressions video on the radio.
This is the Main Review Video of the Ailunce HD1.
Thanks very much for reading my review of the Ailunce HD1 Dual Band DMR radio. 🙂
Here are some more pictures of the radio…