RA25 Dual Band Mobile HAM Radio

Small radio footprint made it easy to get mounted where I needed it. Nice display and lots of audio make for easy comms while riding. Looking forward to lots of fun with this radio. Chirp does not support this radio yet but Retevis provides an easy to use program. Front panel programming can be a little tricky till you get used to it. I found it easier than another brand popular dual bander I bought.... Caution! Be sure to get the RA25 cable as the PA25 will not work. Retevis customer service was very helpful in getting me the correct cable. THANK YOU !

To "CHECK THE BANDS" poster, with the software you can set it to anything you want, including 146.52MHz. You can program up to 200 of 500 available channels to whatever you want in 2M and 70cm. I was at first confused by the software as it is quite different from the software from my Retevis RT76Ps (defaults were all HAM), but once I figured it out, I actually like it better! Make sure you save factory software defaults to disk, then read from radio and save factory radio defaults to disk, then CUSTOMIZE and save that to disk and radio! But I will stick with my lowly GMRS band within 70cm that I have a license for, till I get a HAM license. Took a while to get the programming cable (shipping from China with 2 US customs holds on a cable), but my wonderful customer support representative Nancy got Lewis to email me a download link right away for the software. I used a USB extension cable with the programming cable to go from my desktop to the mobile I am using as a base as well. When I tested the power output, I got a respectable 19.1-19.2w on UHF, definitely heated up my heatsink. The new website seems to be a failure. Links that worked on the old site don't work anymore. Luckily, the tech support is good and responsive. I am all set now, so they can rest.... Putting in new antenna next week. With the high gain antenna and the low loss LMR-400 cable I should have the maximum allowed by US “Effective Radiated Power” of 50w on upper GMRS channels. Not bad out of a 20w unit!

I got this with the intention of modifying it to use on VHF packet in the US. It wasn't until after I got it that I realized that it is set up for European HAM bands. No problem, I can still use it for APRS on 144.39MHz. After opening it up to try tapping into the Tx and Rx audio, and PTT I found there is no easy PTT circuit. It's a really great size and power radio for use on repeaters or mobile/portable operations. The menu system is awkward to use but not impossible. There are not a lot of settings anyway. Just wish I could get it on 146.52MHz. For now, it will get put away to gather dust as a failed project and I'll look for another radio, making sure it can do what I need.