Retevis Prime Day Sale

July 16, 2024 Julian OH8STN DMR Radio, Ham Radio, Retevis, Retevis Ailunce HD1 HD2 0

Another Prime Day heads up! This time it is Retevis sharing amazing discounts with the community.

Some context

There’s much talk about DMR radios in ham radio and preparedness communities. Ham Radio operators enjoy the clean signals, increased range and multi-QSO efficiency of the technology. The preparedness community values the ruggedness but even more important than that, the built-in encryption of the Retevis DMR radios. Don’t get bent out of shape yet. Nobody is using encryption until after the S**t hits the fan. The point of this post is to give you a heads up on the Prime Day sale on the Retevis Ailunce HD1 and HD2. The Retevis Ailunce HD2 with GPS is my preferred DMR/analog radio for SHTF.

Putting together a DMR go kit

My first DMR radio was the Retevis Ailunce HD1 with GPS. It is a great radio! Rugged, easy to setup, built-in GPS and waterproof. It also has a ton of memory storage. I didn’t care about gateways or internet based garbage! I just wanted a solid DMR radio which had great battery life, and decent encryption in case the world became “that bad”. Having good accessory support was also important as I was buying into an ecosystem like Makita or Ryobi tools.

These days I have two Retevis Ailunce HD1 HTs, both with GPS. I would have kept on getting them, but the HD2 came out. The HD2 augments my two original HD1 DMR radios. One of the primary differences between the HD1 and HD2 is the HD2 has AES256 encryption. Although I don’t know anyone using encryption, I still think it is better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it. Another new feature of the HD2 is the Bluetooth capability. This adds the possibility of using Bluetooth speaker microphones, or Bluetooth ear-pro, just like our beloved Icom IC-705.

Both the Retevis Ailunce HD1 and HD2 can function as analog or digital HTs. There is no need for separate radios for digital and analog comms. One radio operating comfortably with both standards!

Unfortunately, the HD1 only comes with AES128 encryption. Still, I was will to stay within this eco-system, and take the hit if need be.

Putting together my kit

My kit is like a toolbox. In addition to the radio, are unique tools available for specific jobs. Point to point communications over UHF using a yagi. Mid-range communications on V/UHF using a collapsible antenna. Perhaps a wireless speaker microphone, wired into my ear-pro. Whatever is in my kit, the mission defines the loadout.

Radio

As mentioned earlier. I carry the Retevis HD1 and HD2, both with GPS. Ingress protection, enough memory capacity, AES128/AES256 encryption, and a wide variety of accessories. It achives boh analog and DMR comms, and when using a digirig, can do modes like Winlink with packet or Vara FM as well.

Antennas

In addition to the default antenna, I also carry a collapsible vertical, and a 433/434Mhz folding yagi. I’d eventually like to add a 2m yago as well, but have not found one in the same folding style yet.

Ailunce 400-470 Yagi: https://amzn.to/3zMwEzS

Retevis 29inch Foldable Tactical Antenna,136-174/400-480 480MHz https://amzn.to/3Ybvyb7

Look guys, life happens sometimes. I have certaihnly had my share of it lately. That’s why this post is coming out so late. Hopefully you all can catch a break on the sale. If you miss out, there still my links and discounts Retevis offers. Please show Retevis some love.

Retevis sent over their affiliate links for the HD2. Some of these links will bring commissions to the channel, without any cost to you.

73
Julian oh8stn
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Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.

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