it depens on the revesion. the first ones (made within the last 2 years) were unstable at frequencys. somewhat prone to problems (cold solder joints) and had alot of power supply failures if not turned off properly. the new revisions (mid 2004 to current) most of these problems were adressed. i relate this radio to a galaxy dx 11b and melaka. minimal options, no freq counter, limited mods, low power. they are as cheap as a cb base station (none of witch are a good value compaed to the lowest of export bases) and are basically what you need to talk. am/fm/ssb. if you are looking at buying one i would suggest one used, you might want some more options in the future so why waist your money.