QYT KT-8900D Dual Band Mini Radio

[2RT307]

Quick first impressions. It’s a nice little radio and good quality. Weight s right at 1 lb. and is tiny. All I've done so far it programmed in two local repeaters, 144 and 440 MHz. The receive audio is nice for such a small rig and it has plenty of audio volume for mobile operation.

I did make a vain attempt to fire up the programming software but right off the bat there doesn’t seem to be any way to set the language to English and I can’t get it recognize the radio. Manual programming isn't difficult at all if your used to English translations of Chinese manuals..lol Programming from the mic is much easier for me than from the button menus on the radio.

LCD screen is nice and clear and offers some different color schemes.

I'm seeing 30 watts out on both bands and only talked to one person on a 2 meter repeater who gave me a good audio report. Its well worth the $87 and change I paid for it.

View attachment 19547

Looks pretty neat. How hot does it get on transmit?

73,
Brett

 

[2RT307]

Still wondering about heat... that is a teeny tiny fan on the back, but I realize the rig is very small, too. Just curious if you have to/need to run a muffin fan on the heat sink to keep it happy on long transmissions or in the confines of a mobile installation.

73,
Brett

 

[RatsoW8]

The radio is slightly warm to the touch in receive mode. I did a short test by transmitting for 2 minutes. The radio doesn't seem to get any warmer. The fan comes on when you transmit and about a minute into it the fan switches from low to high and it's a bit louder but still pretty quiet. Nothing that you would hear using it mobile..

 

[w9cll]

I bought one, I will do a review once I get it and have time to play a little.

 

[binrat]

Its been awhile, any thoughts on this radio??

 

[w9cll]

Its been awhile, any thoughts on this radio??

I have been way to busy so its still in the box. I am on vacation after tomorrow so hopefully I can test it out. It is nicely built so hoping good things.

 

[RatsoW8]

Let me know if you have any luck programming it via software. I only monitor a few local repeaters and programming via the mic keypad is simple. Good audio reports and like I said earlier it has good receive audio for such a tiny rig.

It does do one odd thing that has no effect on operation. It seems that the screen refreshes every 10 seconds or so. It's not a big deal but I do catch it out of the corner of my eye every now and then. And of course no MARS mod needed since its not locked to the amateur radio bands. Technically it's ready to for GMRS and FRS although I'm not going to use it for those services..

Overall I think it's a real deal at $87 and few dollars for shipping from China.

 

[tba02]

Let me know if you have any luck programming it via software.

It looks like CHIRP works with the 8900, not sure about the D version.

QYT

• KT-UV980 (Variant of Waccom Mini 8900)
• KT8900 (same as KT-8900)
• KT8900R

 

[doctor]

Any new reports?, I noticed on AMAZON that a note said it was bad in scan etc., but the seller had said a newer batch was coming and this was straighten out, any info appreciated. Maybe it was the D model.
DOCTOR/795

 

[RatsoW8]

Any new reports?, I noticed on AMAZON that a note said it was bad in scan etc., but the seller had said a newer batch was coming and this was straighten out, any info appreciated. Maybe it was the D model.
DOCTOR/795

This is the new version of the KT-8900 and they're just starting to show up on Amazon. I see only 1 review on this model. I'll try the scan function this evening and let you know.

 

[RatsoW8]

The 8900 D manual. CONTERNTS...says it all. I'll figure out the scan function.

 

[doctor]

OK, I sent a message to the guys who sell it, and they replied back very fast, said scan now fixed in D model, also to put in channels they include a web page to go to which gives download for putting channels in, so a program cable not needed but if one wants one they do sell them
DOCTOR/795

 

[Wilfreeman]

Sorry to break into your conversation guys. I'm new on this forum and also new to the QYT 8900. I ordered mine from Amazon a few weeks ago and as shown, the manual sucks. Very little info available on the operation of it online either.

When I press the monitor button, the squelch opens and stays open unless there is an active conversion on a channel. The same when scanning channels. When not in the monitor mode, I can see the scan stop, and the green activity light glowing, but no sound coming through. I also noticed that sometimes I can hear a faint conversation behind the squelch static.

I guess my question is - is my radio screwed? I know this is a cheap radio and won't perform like my kenwood, but I like the size because I can fit it easily in my truck.

Any help will be appreciated!
Matt

 

[FredTx63]

Anyone have any success with the radio in 'scan' mode? I was thinking for the $ I'd buy one for the garage and have it scan the 4x most active frequencies in my location... A lot of folks say it won't stay in a frequency even if it's active in scan mode. Other than that I've heard low modulation with the stock mic (easy fix, better mic).

Really like the way this little radio looks.

 

[RatsoW8]

OK, I sent a message to the guys who sell it, and they replied back very fast, said scan now fixed in D model, also to put in channels they include a web page to go to which gives download for putting channels in, so a program cable not needed but if one wants one they do sell them
DOCTOR/795

So how does scan work? It's not in the manual for the D model. I thought it was patrol function but nooo...