AnyTone AT-5888UV VHF/UHF Mobile Review

[Moleculo]

Thank you for the tip.
I tried that and both sides still scan all channels. Do I have to reprogram it after doing this? When I pulled the settings from my old TM-7V I kept the 2 sides separate. I'm sure it's something simple I am not seeing. Not sure what.

With regard to scan limits - I'm not sure. I'll have to check the programming software to see if I can spot anything. From my last post, you can see that I had to send the radio back under warranty so it will probably be at least a week before I have a new one to play with again.

 

[Ray303]

Power Output at Various Frequencies

As requested, I did some power output tests at various frequencies. These tests are all set with power on "high" into a dummy load.

2 Meters

Freq | Watts
136|42
146|48
156|51
166|45
174|47

70 Centimeters

Freq | Watts
400|40
410|37
420|35
430|33
440|30
450|27
460|26
470|19
480|14
490|12

Hi guys, I am looking at getting this radio. However I can't understand the above Tx output power.

when u say its capable of 14watts on 480Mhz, does it mean that the radio is only capable of that much power ? as the spec lists it as 40watts on uhf.

thanx for ur reply.

 

[w9cll]

It means at 480 MHz its only putting out 14 watts. At 450 the output 38 watts.. You've going to use it at 450 right as anything above that is out of band.

 

[David Allen]

Thanks to all the members for some very useful info. I'm looking forward to the arrival of my AT-5888uv. Should be at my door tomorrow morning. What I can surmise from all that I have read is to enjoy the new toy and keep the box and warranty card handy. I have seen some promising items in this forum and, as with any purchase, I will remain vigilant should disappointments arise. I'll return the favor by reporting any problems I might run into.

 

[Moleculo]

Thanks to all the members for some very useful info. I'm looking forward to the arrival of my AT-5888uv. Should be at my door tomorrow morning. What I can surmise from all that I have read is to enjoy the new toy and keep the box and warranty card handy. I have seen some promising items in this forum and, as with any purchase, I will remain vigilant should disappointments arise. I'll return the favor by reporting any problems I might run into.

We'd appreciate hearing your thoughts on the radio, so please let us know what you think!

 

[emil]

I originally ordered the new Chinese AnyTone AT-5888UV in the fall of 2012 direct from China only to have the units pulled back from delivery due to some type of problem that was discovered. When Ed at importcommunications.com announced that he was going to carry them and take pre-orders, I got on the list. I recently received the radio and have had some time to play with it.

The AnyTone T-5888UV is a 50 watt VHF, 40 watt UHF mobile radio that is currently selling for about $275. The price tag seems a bit high considering that a Kenwood TM-V71A is only about $100 more, although the radio does come with a programming cable and software. Here is a pic of everything in the box:

The radio has a fairly wide frequency range, but not as wide as some others:

RX
108-180MHz (AM/FM)
220-260MHz
350-399.995MHz
400-490MHz

TX
136-174MHz
400-490MHz

It seems to me that they leaned on the user interface and ergonomics of the Yaesu FT-8800 when they designed this radio. As you can see from the face, there are a lot of similarities:

Here's a shot of the complete radio from the top where the large internal speaker is located:

The radio body really is fairly small and as you can see, the whole top is a big heat sink. The back of the radio also features a large heat sink with an attached cooling fan similar to the Yaesu FT-8800:

 

[emil]

i tried the cross-band repeat function of my anytone at-588uv but there is no TRANSMIT? did i do anything wrong or is there problem with my unit?

another thing, i seem to have it stuck in the 220mhz on the left band... how can i make it return to 2 meters?

i hope i can receive your answer the soonest, as my radio is still under 3-months warranty... the warranty will end in march 2015...

 

[Moleculo]

Hi guys, I am looking at getting this radio. However I can't understand the above Tx output power.

when u say its capable of 14watts on 480Mhz, does it mean that the radio is only capable of that much power ? as the spec lists it as 40watts on uhf.

thanx for ur reply.

Sorry, missed this question. Yes, the power rolls off the higher you go in frequency.

 

[Moleculo]

i tried the cross-band repeat function of my anytone at-588uv but there is no TRANSMIT? did i do anything wrong or is there problem with my unit?

another thing, i seem to have it stuck in the 220mhz on the left band... how can i make it return to 2 meters?

i hope i can receive your answer the soonest, as my radio is still under 3-months warranty... the warranty will end in march 2015...

Are you trying to key the radio using the mic while it's in crossband repeat mode? If so, that probably isn't going to work.

When you say "stuck" in 220Mhz, what have you already tried to make it change bands? Are you sure the VFO isn't locked?

 

[emil]

Are you trying to key the radio using the mic while it's in crossband repeat mode? If so, that probably isn't going to work.

When you say "stuck" in 220Mhz, what have you already tried to make it change bands? Are you sure the VFO isn't locked?

======

thanx, moleculo... i've just been enlightened about anytone's at-5888uv crossband repeat limitations... currently i am using it as a crossband repeater triggering it either in vhf or uhf modes... i am very contented with it's performance... i recommend the radio to all you hams who would like to own a cheap but very sturdy mobile dual bander... actually, i am thinking of purchasing another at-5888uv to go into my hamshack as the first one was installed in my car...

the only regret, i guess, is the not so clear english explanation about it's features starting on page 16 onwards of the manual... i hope the chinese make do of a better user manual next time or better yet release an update on the aforesaid features (what they specifically can do to the radio) as shown in page 16 of the user manual...

73

DV1VGE, emil