Anytone Ares 2

[TIN_CAN]

Ares 2 found on ebay.

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/16598055853...d=link&campid=5336136228&toolid=20001&mkevt=1

 

[Pez]

Hi all,

Please see the new April 2023 ARES II firmware update, as shown by Scott's Radios.

I think a lot of you will really like the new features.

Some of the big changes are:

• Scrolling Frequency Display (yes, it will show you the actual frequency!)
• WX/VHF FM Scanner feature covering 140-170MHz
• Return of the COARSE clarifier function (settable in the menu to +/- 5KHz).
• CTCSS/DCS individually settable for TX & RX
• Repeater shift
• Additional display options (configurable) for RF Power level, Mic Gain, Squelch, Volume and SWR readout.

73

 

[Eldorado828]

Aside from not being in the air yet, this is the reason I'll continue to wait throughout the refining process. The improvements are definitely coming along for this good looking radio and at some point it'll be refined to it's best. I learned with the q5n2, not that the first one was bad but because I missed good features by buying the first release. When the q6 plus comes about it will be no different.

I'll be standing by

 

[sp5it]

Bells and whistles, but receiver still mediocre.
Mike

 

[Pez]

Aside from not being in the air yet, this is the reason I'll continue to wait throughout the refining process. The improvements are definitely coming along for this good looking radio and at some point it'll be refined to it's best. I learned with the q5n2, not that the first one was bad but because I missed good features by buying the first release. When the q6 plus comes about it will be no different.

I'll be standing by

There is a lot more proper testing happening this time around. Before anymore releases. You can expect this to be much better in the future.

Regarding your q5n2, hopefully you got the new firmware and updated your radio to the latest spec? Anytone will supply the firmware, which is awesome to see.

Bells and whistles, but receiver still mediocre.
Mike

The receiver is one of the best I have ever tested in this market segment. My test equipment doesn't lie, and it carries over to how well it performs on air here.

73

 

[sp5it]

The receiver is one of the best I have ever tested in this market segment. My test equipment doesn't lie, and it carries over to how well it performs on air here.

Can you do small test? Set radio on any frequency. 27.205AM for test sake. Listen for -115dBm AM signal on that frequency.
Than apply -79 dBm 95% modulated signal 5kHz above.
YT video would be fine.
I would love to see how "best" that receiver is.
Mike

 

[Pez]

Can you do small test? Set radio on any frequency. 27.205AM for test sake. Listen for -115dBm AM signal on that frequency.
Than apply -79 dBm 95% modulated signal 5kHz above.
YT video would be fine.
I would love to see how "best" that receiver is.
Mike

Hi Mike,

Do you want to see a test that involves the radio in AM mode, with TWO x RF generators, one capacitively coupled to achieve -115dBm AM at the RX - (which is close to 12dB SINAD on this ARES II, FYI), and the other RF generator direct connected to the antenna socket injecting around an S8 signal (-79dBm), with an AM signal at 95% modulation (assuming 1KHz tone for this test), only 5KHz away to see what happens to the RX performance in AM mode????

With all due respect, I assume you know that not even an Icom IC-7300 will do well in this test? (The test basically puts the generated signals within the passband on AM mode - pretty much any radio will do poorly in this test - even the TS-990S that I have here will suffer).

If I have understood what you have written correctly, then that test is really not going to prove or disprove much. Please let me know if I have misunderstood the test you want done?

Please also remember what I said about "best" - it was actually "one of the best in this market segment". I did not say "the best ever".

73

 

[Pez]

Also FYI, I worked USA, Bahrain, New Zealand, Italy and Slovenia on the ARES II from here in Australia today, running barefoot at 40 watts and a 3el Yagi, on a very crowded 10m band with absolutely no RX issues to report. It's a fun radio that is working great for me

73

 

[sp5it]

I have a few stock CB radios which tuned in AM 5kHz away from signal are losing it almost completely.

Also FYI, I worked USA, Bahrain, New Zealand, Italy and Slovenia on the ARES II from here in Australia today, running barefoot at 40 watts and a 3el Yagi, on a very crowded 10m band with absolutely no RX issues to report. It's a fun radio that is working great for me

73

That proves only how good was propagation, nothing else.

Is there any service manual published for that radio, or it is just another disposable CB on the market?
Mike

 

[Pez]

I have a few stock CB radios which tuned in AM 5kHz away from signal are losing it almost completely.

That proves only how good was propagation, nothing else.

Is there any service manual published for that radio, or it is just another disposable CB on the market?
Mike

Hi Mike,

What "stock radios" exactly? Maybe I will have one of them here and I can test them side by side? I also wonder what kind of RX 12dB SINAD results these "stock radios" get in comparison to the ARES II?

I assume you are happy with my testing methodology, and that you also use 2 x RF generators for this test when you do this test for yourself?

I'm happy to talk tech and push the technical limits of this gear all day long, I really enjoy it. Testing, measuring and fact finding is good fun - But I'm not really interested in messing around with broad statements and subjective opinions.

Best 73.

 

[sp5it]

What "stock radios" exactly?

This. Side by side 10W carrier from another radio since I'm not at my workshop now, so I can't use other "generator".

 

[loosecannon]

Pez,

Mike, as well as many others im sure, wants to see the skirt sensitivity.

Like, please show us the shape of the skirt with some numbers around it so we can judge selectivity.

I may be wrong here, but it sure seemed like you intentionally misunderstood mike's initial request.

I would think that what he was asking for would be pretty darn obvious to anyone who works on radios.

So i will officially second his motion.
please show us the skirt.
LC

 

[FredTx63]

Pez, does it suffer from the same excessive receiver gain that the current batch 5555n II's & 955's do?

 

[Pez]

Pez,

Mike, as well as many others im sure, wants to see the skirt sensitivity.

Like, please show us the shape of the skirt with some numbers around it so we can judge selectivity.

I may be wrong here, but it sure seemed like you intentionally misunderstood mike's initial request.

I would think that what he was asking for would be pretty darn obvious to anyone who works on radios.

So i will officially second his motion.
please show us the skirt.
LC

Hi guys,

No problems - No LC, I didn't deliberately misunderstand anything - I was given a very specific set of testing numbers to use, so I wanted to replicate it. That's all! What you want to see tested is obvious, but I think we should stick to comparing apples with apples. So to do that, I'll do this test the same way as sp5it did in his video (I have to assume a few things, because its impossible to know all the antenna variables, radio setup, etc) .

BTW - the PC122 has a fantastically selective RX - I don't expect many to perform as well as that rig does on this test.

Also, I see it is on 27.200? Did you do the UPD2816 swap @sp5it ? What other mods does it have?


Here is a Galaxy DX86V:

New video by Perrin Trease

photos.app.goo.gl

Here is the ARES II:

New video by Perrin Trease

photos.app.goo.gl

The ARES II is better than the DX86V in this test, but it is also interesting that the ARES II has software adjustable BFP filters (in engineering mode). This might have some impact on these tests and will be worth playing around with when the information becomes available - assuming they have included this adjustment item.

What other radio in this market segment can you buy today, that performs better on AM than these radio's in these tests? I'm not sure it gets any better these days? (I'm not saying that's a good thing - but is there an alternative if AM selectivity and narrower bandwidth is your thing?)

My opinion is that for the casual operator, I don't see these results as terrible. Could be tighter, yes. But could be worse, especially given the very sensitive RX on the newer rigs.

Pez, does it suffer from the same excessive receiver gain that the current batch 5555n II's & 955's do?

Not at all. (My 5555Nii doesn't suffer from it, I'm still trying to get my hands on one that has the issue to test this).

The ARES II RX gain is all good. See the video:

New video by Perrin Trease

photos.app.goo.gl

73

 

[Handy Andy]

@sp5it - thanks for bringing back memories...

Good to see someone else enjoying a simple radio - yet a very effective test using ordinary equipment.

We just want to see "imaging" the ARES II does - compared so say, a PC-122.

Partly for the test to show the AGC action - IF rejection and any mixing products you may encounter...

The Galaxy 86V shows what many techs encounter when it comes to the IF mixer "noise" versus the actual carrier - so the conversion process gives us artifacts and we have to be careful when you use RF gain wide open and you lose the selectivity.

To help carry this along, the "noise" is heard and processed in the 86V as you tune the ICOM into the passband of the Galaxy radio - that noise is detected and amplified in the Quad op-amp IC1 and the voltage doubler detector it uses D10 and D11 to start the S-meter and AGC process.

Around your 22 second mark for the 86V you see that bump...

What we look for in performance is how the IF filter is centering the PLL mixer - so in the ARES II vid, it seems it seeks action about 2kHz lower than the 86V - so the IF down mix is supposed to be 455kHz in AM - I see a bump in the ARES II that goes wider than the 86V - so there will be product mixer issues resulting from it when you deal with strong signal and adjacent channel rejection.

Else the AGC seeks pretty strongly - so it is something to keep in mind during a tune-up for a customer. You don't want it coming back on your bench because he can hear the super bowl on channel 19 when his "other radio" didn't

IT could just be a bad tune-up - that has happened - so I can't say "Fair test" or an "epic tailspin of a fail" unless another user can be subjected to this and allowed to tweak the IF section to archive their best results.

So again, although subjective - the ARES II "fails" (not epic - yet) in such a side-by-side comparison due to the artifacts present in the meter and audio. But I only do mention that because the imaging shown in the comparisons - the downmix "lower image" is not centered - so some people hear a dynamite receiver - but once in their home and setup on their listening desk, they're going to be leaving you calls and voice mails needing help on how to decipher the radios quirks.

Just don't tell them to turn down the RF gain, because the last voice mail just might be telling you that radio is being returned for service.

Be careful with your next move with customers like that - you might take a hit in the pocketbook for a full refund of all that work you put into it.

That's why I worry, a radio that is too sensitive - or just tuned wrong or (over peaked for) too wide and just needs a simple tweak to the IF strip - performance hits like what I see makes a difference in selling a radio or keeping a customer.