Retevis Ailunce HA1UV IP67 Waterproof Dual-Band Ham Radio (VHF/UHF)

I am very happy with my HA1UV. It is built very well and feels like a Motorola. The programming software is good but as with other brands there is always a learning curve. If the screen looks scratched, it is the screen protector which can be moved. If you are a first responder and need to transmit you can unlock the frequencies by first turning of your radio, hold down the upper side button and the Pitt button while turning on the radio. You will get a message confirming your radio is unlocked. This radio is a must have!

As described quick shipping. Glad to support Canadian business’

It's a great radio. Been tuning in on it. Love that it's waterproof and it now, with the latest firmware, receives the am air bands. Sadly I can't keep it as I bought it as a gift for someone. Oh well, Maybe I'll buy another for myself.

Fantastic portable radio

Happy with purchase.

I got to say I really like this radio. To be a lower cost sub $100 radio it feels very rugged and capable. The user interface is not terrible by any means and easy to understand without a manual. I really enjoy that it comes with a programming cable so you can start plugging away on the computer instead of having enough fight the keypad for the 20 or 30 channels everybody usually likes to put in the radios.The build quality is very superb and clean. It has a hard plastic textured PTT PTT that easily activates from any angle of being pressed. The knobs are pretty tight and not easy to accidentally change by accident. I like that the volume knob has some resistance to it so you don't accidentally turn it up or down unintentionally. The LED indicator is bright and easy to see and the screen is also easy to see as well although I wish there was a night mode or ability to customize the colors. The top emergency key is hard to press accidentally but I like using it as my scan button.I love the waterproofing on the radio and it truly works. I turned on the FM radio and let my toddler take it in the bathtub and slosh it around and it still worked with no issues. I just shop vac'd the water out of the grill to speed up the drying process and it worked good as new, I was surprised that the USB C port on the battery was unaffected by the water.A couple months ago I was really interested in the icom IC-T10 radio. That is a simple radio that looks like it has its roots and public safety and LMR radios and less amateur styling. The only thing that helped me back was the near $200 price tag. I feel like this radio kind of helps me scratch that itch as it's extremely rugged and tough and just works amazingly. The only thing I did out of the box that I would consider a mod is I put on a standard-horizon marine portable radio antenna. Most of my activity is going to be on VHF and these antennas are made to last a lot better than your standard ducks that come with the radio.

Worked great

I recently ordered this radio and had it for a while and what I have learned this is a great rugged radio that has great sounding audio. It being IP67 rating puts my mind at ease the weather elements that might come at you and works flawlessly.

I'm happy I bought it. its a lot better than other radios i've bought and for the price id say its worth it.

Update on day 2: Returning this radio. The RX sensitivity is lousy as mentioned by another reviewer. I have two other CCR's that are better on 2m by a noticeable amount. I was hoping this would be a good performer and along with it's robust build would be a keeper. But it seems not. I'm returning it. ps: the description/specs say -123dBm sensitivity. Bah humbug. Maybe the weakest signal it can receive at all is -123dBm, but certainly not at 12db SINAD for -123dBm. I even tried a different 2m specific antenna that I have from another radio, but no, this radio is lousy sensitivity. Sorry Retevis, nice build, but put decent RF hardware inside and you'll have a hot radio.First impressions (more to come later): Wow, I feel like I just got a Mot $500 radio for well under $100. Nice. Super solid and very nice in the hand. And the shape keeps the hand away from the base of the antenna like it should. Radio feels like it could drive in nails but of course a real Mot could do that and I suspect this radio would not hold up to THAT much abuse. But so far nice job Retevis.Oh, and the supplied antenna actually has a chance of working well on 2m. Every other CCR radio OEM antenna is base loaded for 2m and then a short whip. As an antenna engineer I can say this is stupid and has zero chance of working well since the RF losses of the base loading and the short whip is a terrible combination. But on this HA1UV it's a rather thick antenna all the way up implying it's helical all the way to the end. I compared it to an older Kenwood 2m dedicated antenna and yes this one is shorter but not by much. We have a chance of decent 2m performance out of the box. Stand by as I'll definitely evaluate that in coming days/weeks.Note: The Retevis CPS programming software DOES allow the importing of channel freqs. OK, it's a bit cumbersome as it's done via a .cvs file and has to be in the Retevis format. But I have a .cvs export from Chirp from another radio and with some Excel basic work moving columns around and then bulk copy/paste into the Retevis .cvs this will work. Not as smooth as Chirp is, but one heck of a lot better than entering in 200+ channels manually as other brand/model radios require without Chirp. I still wish this radio worked with Chirp and hopefully it will sooner rather than later.

I like this radio! Well built, rugged, nice screen, good audio. The menu system on this radio is quite intuitive and easy to use. You can configure the radio and even program repeater frequencies (and zones) all from the keypad with the help of a knob here and there. The programming software (CPS) works with the programming cable provided. The software is not what I would call polished but rather, industrial. It gets the job done, including upgrading firmware, but Chirp it is not. The software (CPS) is not provided with the radio. You need to download CPS from Retevis aka Ailunce. Don't forget to create a login to be able to download the CPS. All in all, I'm impressed. I would recommend this radio to anyone looking for a basic VHF/UHF FM only radio. Nicely done Retevis/Ailunce!

I have to say, for the $55 sale price, this is a good radio. No spurious emissions, 5 watts(!) of tested power, and overall a good radio for both GMRS and HAM. Easy to program and clone identical radios with the CPS, and the factory antenna is decent. I would recommend getting the orange HYS 2m 70cm antenna from Amazon; it has an SMA male for easy install and greatly increases the range with about a 1.4:1 SWR. I was able to confirm 5.2 watts with this radio on both UHF and VHF.

Its okay, the UI is annoying and somewhat glitchy. Had to flash the UI with new firmware just to get the scanner to work right . It’s a very mehh radio, every time you receive a transmission you have no idea what channel you’re on because it only displays the frequency that takes up the entire screen! Seriously? Also only 5 watts!? Should be at least 10 watts for the price. I have tested the water proofing and it works great and honestly thats the only reason im keeping it. Also very good build quality but I think there’s better options if you’re staying away from water.

I have years of rugged outdoor experience using my Ailunce HD1 radio under extreme conditions and it has worked flawlessly throughout. This HA1 is a worthy little brother with the high capacity battery, waterproof and bulletproof case. It's at a lower price point and only lacks the DMR function (which I have found not to be that useful) of the HD1. The HA1 is now my go-to handheld radio.

This radio is a royal pain in the a** to program due to the questionable programming software. It is one of the few radios that is actually easier to program through the keyboard. That could be fixed if it was CHIRP compatible, but it isn't...yet! That being said it is a nice solid radio that does everything you would expect of it. Nice sounding speaker and easy menu system that can do all you need. Including naming channels which other radios require the CPS to do. Low cost and near indestructible construction.

I’m a volunteer firefighter and I am assigned a radio, but I cannot take it home with me unfortunately so I purchased this one out of good reviews on YouTube and on Amazon I programmed it really easily very user-friendly and I highly recommend it. I already told two of my friends at the fire company I volunteer with And they will be purchasing them as well and it is high-quality to like professional radios.

This is the perfect outdoor HAM radio. Not super pricey, waterproof, built like a tank, excellent receive and transmit quality, easy to use software and firmware that actually gets updated! Not only that, but it's incredibly simple to program it from the keypad. I also like the fact that it's got a little heft to it unlike many of the flavors of Baofeng that are about as big as two packs of cards. I prefer to have a radio that fills in my hand, and this does that. Really, the HA1UV is the value priced radio to beat.

I had been following all the reviews on the new Retevis "Ailunce" HA1UV and wanted to give it a try. It is very solid, built well and feels great in the hand. The display is gorgeous and utilizing the latest firmware and programming software, setup and changes are easy-peasy!One thing to note - this particular kit DID NOT including the programming cable. I did not realize that and had to order it separately at additional cost. There is another kit here on Amazon that does include the cable for only a few dollars more - a lot less than buying the cable separately! Choose wisely!

Does everything I want to use it for. Only analog mode no digital. You can program from the keypad or use a computer. Easier on the computer. Took me a little time to figure out using the computer. I’m not to computer savvy but even I figured it out. Battery lasts quite long.

This is "unlockable" (instructions on several YT channels). And the antenna isn't semi permanently attached like that on the HA1G. Retevis SHOULD have made this with 10 watts. 4 stars because they COULD HAVE

Overall I like this radio but it continues to show that every radio will have some aspect that keeps it from meeting its full potential. For this radio, I think it's signal sensitivity leaves a lot to be desired. Everything else is pretty great.Build Quality - 5 Stars.This thing is almost the same build quality as commercial radios I've been exposed to like Tait. It's definitely way better than the Baofengs out there. The biggest reason I bought this one is I was looking for a waterproof radio. There are plenty of people out there on YouTube that have tested that and I have no reason to think it wouldn't stand up to the kind of water I might encounter.Signal Sensitivity - 2 StarsFor this I'm comparing it to my Yaesu FT-65. I've tested it with a combination of antennas including the stock Ailunce stock antenna, slim jim, and a 15-in whip (HYS-771N). The radios were checked for consistency of settings with regard to squelch and transmission power. I also ensure that tones and frequencies are set right for repeaters. When the signal is strong, the HA1UV does great. Audio is loud, the screen is clear, and it's very usable. But, that FT-65 gets so much better reception. Using both radios with my Slim Jim which is in my attic, the FT-65 reliably gets out to several neighboring repeaters. The HA1UV was only able to open the closest one and the reception included lots of static. With the two radios on the desk with their respective antennas, the HA1UV hardly ever opens for a signal but the FT-65 gets every repeater call sign signal. Also, puzzlingly, the HA1UV seems to work better with the stock antenna than the 15" whip.Usability/Menu Interface - 5 StarsAgain, comparing to the FT-65, the HA1UV is MUCH easier to program from the keypad. I think the larger screen contributes here as well as the improved menu structure.Programming - 3 StarsI don't know why Retevis makes you use their software. It's not great. I had weird problems with it. From a usability standpoint, I could not figure out how to copy channel programs from Chirp so I ended up entering all the parameters manually. The upload to the radio went fine. (After every upload or download, for the love of god save it.) Then I tried to download it again. It only downloaded part of the program from the radio. I downloaded again and it got more of the program, but still not all of it. Then I tried to open a previous program saved on the computer and the channels were not populated! I fiddled with it until I had a reasonable channel set and then I haven't played with it again.Anyway, I really wanted to like it more but it's got some serious drawbacks. I love the waterproof rating and I'll deal with the difficulty.

Really good AMATEUR dual band HT. I compared it to my Icom IC-T10 which is about 3.5 times the price, and is a similar radio (direct conversion, IP67, etc). The radio actually has a very tight front end and isn't overloaded, a sensitive receiver, a simple to use interface. The Icom has a tiny display and this is where the Ailunce shines: a bright, crisp clear display. I turned off the "dual standby" crap- running it this way is more logical. I downloaded the free CPS and use the included cable to read and write my codeplug to the radio.The only shortcoming is the scan rate, at around 5 channels per second, it's a little behind other Japanese radios like my T10. That being said, it is fine for most people. It has a solid feel, the PTT button reminds me a lot of my LMR radios like my Moto XPR7550e. Receiver audio is superbly loud and the volume and channel knobs are large and have a tactile feel. The radio has a universal connector similar to Motorola radios, it's done this way to maintain watertight rating. The Icom uses their standard 2-pin connector and you MUST have the cover installed with the captive screws to maintain water proof rating.The Ailunce lasts for days on a charge, and USB-C charging makes it easy to recharge. I had to work to kill the battery and it lasted for 3 continuous days of receiver operation (24 hours a day) with light TX. That's outstanding battery life.For under $70 you can't find a better HT. This is a HAM BAND ONLY transmit, no GMRS, no part 90, it is a true HAM radio with transmit range only in the VHF and UHF HAM bands.