Retevis RT95 Dual Band FM Mobile Transceiver Review.
I have been looking for a cheap reliable mobile radio for a while now, I have always been a huge fan of the Retevis lineup so I noticed their RT95. This radio also goes by the name of the Anytone AT-778UV both seem to be the exact same radio although I have never used the Anytone version. You can buy the Retevis RT95 radio for around £100 here in the UK and I got mine directly from Retevis in China and took around 3 weeks to arrive. I prefer to buy directly from them as their customer service and after sales support is amazing, they are very active on Facebook groups too, I will link to them at the end of the review.
I have had the radio about a week now and I am blown away by it, as soon as opened the box I was struck by the build quality! This radio is a full metal Die-cast body and feels extremely well put together, it also has a really nice weight to it, I was also surprised on how small it was, measuring in at 124mm (W) x 163mm(D) x 39mm (H). On the front of the radio we have the power on and off button and 6 dual function keys surrounding the beautiful colour display! We also have a function button that is used to allow each of those 6 buttons to be used for another purpose, these can also easily be changed to different functions as you see fit for example one of the buttons can be pressed to change from Memory mode to VFO mode, press the function key and the same key changes the Power level, the function button can also take you into the main menu by holding the button down for a couple of seconds. The main menu is very easy to understand and the manual helps you understand what the short abbreviations mean. After owning this radio for a couple of days you will be 100% comfortable with all its functions.
On the back of the radio we have the SO239 socket and a 3.5mm audio out port to connect your external speaker if you have one.
The microphone is also a real positive with this radio, really nicely built and put together and well thought out, you have 4 user programmable buttons for easy access to most used functions of the radio, changing power and switching from memory and VFO mode for example, these can be changed in the menu and within the free programming software. There is also a lock switch on the side and also up and down selector buttons too, we also have a nice big Blue illuminated A/B button that switches between band A and B, another fantastic feature is this microphone has a built in speaker! This is something not 
many radios have and would be great mobile! There are also two sets of A and B lights, the bottom ones show what band you are on and the top ones light up red when Transmitting and Green when it receives a signal for each band! Awesome! On the side is a rubber PTT switch that feels really nice to press and is nice and big too!
The display is absolutely gorgeous! Full colour and perfectly readable even with its small size. I have no issues reading the information at a glance and i particularly love the s meter at the top, really beautiful! The display can also be flipped 180 degrees so for an example the speaker is mounted on the bottom of the radio but if you wanted to mount this radio in your vehicle and preferred the speaker to be at the top then this can be achieved by easily rotating the screen and mounting the radio upside down.Fantastic feature!
The speaker on this radio is also fantastic! One of the best I’ve heard and you will have no problems hearing the other station in your car or truck.
In the Box I got the Programming Cable (ordered separately) the radio and microphone, the mounting bracket with quick release screw knobs, and also 2 screws to mount the bracket inside your vehicle for example. We also have a very well written user manual. I found the Programming cable a real benefit when programming the radio when using the free software found of the Retevis website, it makes it so much easier as the menu system can be quite quirky but once you get your head around it it’s fine so not necessary to program your radio.
This radio has 3 power levels, these are..
Low > 5W
Med > 15W
High > 25W
Personally I would have liked to see the medium power at 10W as foundation license holders here in the UK can only use 10w max so we can only use this radio on its lowest power setting. Another potential problem could be that the radio has no cooling fan on it so when you are using the radio for anything longer than a few minutes you notice it getting quite warm, I overcame this problem by crudely fitting a 120mm PC fan to the top of the radio with cable ties thus drawing the heat away from the radio. If you are using it on the lowest setting this is less of an issue but still prevention is better than a cure.
I have spoken to a few people on both the 2 meters and the 70 cms band and they have all given me fantastic reports on my audio and signal, I find the receiver to be very sensitive and found it just as good as my Yaesu FTM100 for example.
Some of my favourite features of this radio are the Dual watch feature, screen rotating function and the display. I also love the microphone with its frankly stunning design and colour choice.
Conclusion.
After owning this radio for a week now and having many conversations over the air simplex and using repeaters I have had many positive reports on my signal strength and audio quality, I’m really impressed with this little Dual Band FM Mobile radio from Retevis, Its well made, beautiful to look at and functions like it should at a very reasonable price! What more can you ask for, well maybe a cooling fan but I found this not a big issue as I installed my own but if you were using this mobile on high power without a fan I would be careful and keep a close eye on the heat coming from your new radio. I will be filming a YouTube video shortly so you can take a closer look there but in the meantime I have taken quite a few photos for you to have a look at.
You can find great support from these Facebook groups.
Thanks very much for reading my review of this awesome little Retevis RT95 Dual Band FM Mobile Radio.
You can purchase this radio by clicking the Retevis logo below.
Check out my Youtube Review!
Check out the Power Test!