TIDRADIO TD-H3 Ham Radio Handheld Transceiver, Amateur Two
TIDRADIO TD-H3 Ham Radio Handheld Transceiver, Amateur Two Way Radio, 2 Way Radio Long Range, 5W Multiple Programming Ways Dual Band Walkie Talkie With 2500mAh Battery (Crystal), 1 Pack
I got this for use at a weekend festival I was supposed to be working, but unfortunately the event was cancelled.
I did manage to test it out at the ground we were going to be using and found it worked well, although only tested it up to a couple of hundred meters. No problems.
It is very lightweight and seems well constructed.
After a full charge I got around 20 hours of use before the low battery warning, 2 hours later it shut off.
Overall am very happy with it.
This packs more than any small CB/Radio that I’ve seen. And for under 50! WOW.
I’ve been asked to get some radios for my place of work and I will be ordering these. I can set two buttons on the side to radio two different frequencies. So it’s like having two radios on you at once. Definitely a fantastic thing to have.
I will be getting them in green as they stand out and this will help me find them when staff leave them in silly locations.
If you need a headset/earpiece it’s a standard K head connector: headphone 3.5mm stereo (top pin). Microphone 2.5mm stereo (bottom pin). This would have been nice to have added to the package as there are loads of bits in the box apart from that.
You can buy a data cable separately the use a PC program to set up the CB. There is also a Bluetooth setting for data to and from a PC.
I’m totally in love with this and it lived in my Van so if I ever get caught in an accident I can call for help.
5***** If I could give more stars I would.
I chose this radio as a gift for my brother and he went crazy over it. My brother loves to play outdoor sports and this equipment will add value to his trips. This product is of excellent quality, easy to use, great sound quality, works well, small size, easy to take anywhere, great value for money, excellent gift and I would like to recommend it.
My kids use this to listen in to coastguard or flight control. They have spent hours searching channels to hear something interesting. Unit is excellent quality and durable. Charge lasts days with constant use. Instructions could be better but tutorials available online.
This radio is impressive.
It is tiny in the hand and is working very well for me. I am very happy with it.
A few niggles to report.
-The manufacturing quality seems a little lax. My screen is misaligned cutting it off on the left side slightly (Which I understand is a commonly reported problem, having seen others with this issue).
-The rubber flap that covers the Kenwood speaker and programming port, does not close properly. It seems like this might be a simple design error or perhaps a manufacturing error and something quite simple to fix from the manufacturer’s side, but it does let the side down a little bit.
– when using the second PTT button, I would expect the main display to show the correct frequency that I am transmitting on when I press the second PTT however, it seems to remain showing the primary A frequency in the main display even when I am transmitting on the B frequency. This seems like an oversight to me and not how I would expect this to function. It also means that if I am using a repeater I can see both the TX and RX frequencies if using the primary A frequencies but not what I’m using. B. I wonder if this was an intentional choice which could potentially be in order to save memory space in the firmware.
Also, another peculiarity is the choice of the belt clip being screwed on. I find the handset to fit very nicely in the hand and be very ergonomic to use without the belt Clip fitted (but significantly less so with it fitted). but this means you have to hold it or have somewhere to put it when you are using it when I out and about. With some other radios I am easily able to unclip and reclip the belt clip into place without having to use screws and the few that I have that do use screws I leave in place permanently .. so this issue seems peculiarly specific to this handset with its nice small size. This might also be specific to me.
I am also seeing some strange behaviour when programming with chirp. but simply reprogramming using the mobile app which I did via Bluetooth. Seemed to rewrite everything correctly Back to the handset and fix some of the issues. This does seem a little peculiar and potentially an issue with chirp rather than the handset or handsets firmware.
To be fair, however, these are all fairly small and insignificant issues and I am still very much enjoying this handset.
I would have very much preferred if it was ip69 rated but I suppose you can’t have everything.
I imagine that some firmware updates down the line will fix some of the weird quirks that I’m finding, and I’m also hopeful that some of the work done on the quansheng firmware would be able to be transposed or help work on this handset.
I particularly like the USBC and wireless programming ability and the fact I can do most of what I want by default unlike needing to modify it as I do with the quansheng.
This is great radio. It was easy and fast to set up. The battery life is good. It picks up the local air traffic control well and can use FM on it too. Would recommend!
Covers multiple ham and air bands, Blue tooth access / programming radio functions using your phone, USB c connection to your computer allowing future firmware updates. Tiny footprint and USB charger allow you to easily take it anywhere.
Review from my husband:
Right here we go. I had no idea about HAM radios, well maybe I heard of them before in TV shows or something, but I believe there’s a whole throng of folks that live by these. It’s actually quite a big thing. I believe it is similar to CB radios of old, but as for this item, it’s green which is nice, and very compact and it has oodles of settings of which I’ve yet to figure out, but being technically minded I’m sure I’ll figure it out. Apparently, it can run on its own or you can become part of a network that doesn’t involve the internet so if that goes down this will still work!! It’s independent so doesn’t need Wi-Fi, I know some people will find that hard to digest especially if you’re under 30, but it’s great if you get stuck in the middle of nowhere and you have no cell phone signal, but for what you get it’s actually super good value and maybe one day get you out of a spot. Seems like a competent piece of kit that’s worthy of time and attention. I’m definitely gonna give it a bash…breaker breaker, over and out.
This handheld radio comes with a 2500mAh rechargeable battery, antenna, desktop charger, USB charging cable, back clip, lanyard, and user manual. It’s fully compliant with EU regulations and CE certified. The TD-H3 includes dual band, dual watch, NOAA weather mode, display sync, CTCSS&DCS, scanning, VOX, remote and site alarm, and a 1.44-inch TFT colour screen. It supports USB-C cable programming, Bluetooth programming via mobile phones, and CHIRP software programming, providing a versatile user experience. With frequency coverage of 136-174MHz/400-470MHz and a 2500mAh Li-ion battery, it ensures long-lasting performance and flexibility.
Despite its many features, the TD-H3 has some drawbacks. The plastic build quality feels subpar and unfinished, although the buttons have a satisfactory tactile feel. The screen is clear and the radio is easy to use, but the overall tactile experience leaves something to be desired.
In conclusion, the TIDRADIO TD-H3 is a feature-rich, user-friendly ham radio with minor build quality issues. For the price, it offers a solid performance and a wide range of features, earning it a rating of
Now I got this just for air traffic and have had no problem picking up my local airport, although air traffic control doesn’t seem that busy???
That said it works great, a neat feature is you can listen to FM radio and it will switch to air traffic automatic once a broadcast is detected, then reverts back to FM.
Not picked up any marine traffic but maybe being in the middle of the country, it just isn’t strong enough???
Flashlights/SOS flashing light is a cool feature as well.
An earpiece would have been nice but no big deal.
Overallgreat piece of kit that is useful and fun. Worth every penny.
The first thing that struck me about this radio is its size. It really does pack a lot of functionality into a small case. The transparent case makes a nice change from the almost universal black, without being as garish as some of the fluorescent coloured cases. It’s worth noting that the transparent case is only used on the radio and not the clip on rechargeable battery which is still black.
By default the radio is locked onto the ham radio frequency bands. Whilst you can listen in on these bands it is illegal to transmit without a license and associated call sign. The radio can be unlocked to allow transmission over a much wider range of frequencies, but please do not do this without fully understanding what you are doing as amateur transmission on most frequencies is illegal.
The radio comes with the aerial unattached. As with all such radios, you must attach the aerial before transmitting to avoid damaging the transmitter circuit.
There is a huge amount of functionality available on this radio. This can be accessed via the keypad, but the buttons are a little small for such intensive use. Luckily there are several alternative ways to configure the radio. It can be connected to your PC using either the supplied USB cable or a standard Kenwood cable (not supplied) and then programmed using the popular ‘CHIRP’ software package. Alternatively, you can connect it via bluetooth to your phone and program it using the Odmaster app. My preference is the ‘CHIRP’ software via USB.
Overall, this is almost certainly the best handheld amateur radio you can get for under 60, and is highly recommended for both experienced users and those just starting out.
I had contacted Tidradio as I understood that their customer service was reliable. I wanted to ensure that unlike previous purchases, specifically the H8, this one would have the problem with the screen being too far to the left fixed (can’t be hard!). Unfortunately yet another that is simply not good enough. This will be the second I am going to return…..such a pity!
Tidradio, get it together and listen to the people who are buying your products!