Talkpod A36PlusMAX Dual Band Two Way Radio, 8W Output, Long
Talkpod A36PlusMAX Dual Band Two Way Radio, 8W Output, Long Range Handheld Radio with 144-146/430-440MHz VHF UHF Receive, 3200mAh Battery, 1.44 inch Color Screen (Green)
Talkpod A36PlusMAX Dual Band Two Way Radio, 8W Output, Long Range Handheld Radio with 144-146/430-440MHz VHF UHF Receive, 3200mAh Battery, 1.44 inch Color Screen (Green)
Not quite sure how to start this review as if I went into detail it would be war and peace.
Here is the review I dreaded doing.
Anyway, I am not familiar with these devices at all and requested it for the Airband as I live about 10 miles away from an airport and thought it would be interesting to listen in.
Here begins the journey into the unknown.
You seem to get everything you need in this set including a programming cable which believe me is very handy. The instructions that come included might as well have been written in gobboldy gook as that is what they looked like to me, the menu setting numbers in the table were wrong and did not match what was on the radio, come to that neither did the instructions on the Talkpod web site.
Then came the massive learning curve. I have only used this as an air band scanner, it can do a lot, lot more.
Needless to say I then spent a few days/weeks looking at videos, reading forums and websites to understand everything. On the way I noted down some frequencies for my local airport and other frequencies that looked interesting, like air display frequencies.
Trying to program them in on the radio is where I hit a wall, so software search it was. Found some, used the supplied cable, faffed about with drivers and finally it worked. Using the software was far easier to program the radio especially with the number of frequencies I had.
The good thing about this radio is it can monitor 2 frequencies at once with them both on the screen, I monitored the tower and the radar and yay I could hear the tower and the approach, so I opened up FlightRadar24 and I could see what was actually taking off and landing. I was hooked.
All this lead me down a rabbit hole of antennas, of which I bought a dedicated air band one and also a super gain one which I’m sure you could fish with, Oh and then another radio that cost 4 x as much as this because the Talkpod cannot receive the military air band.
So this one little radio that I got free has ended up costing me North of 300, be warned If you buy this and find this subject/hobby interesting.
If you can believe it there is still a load I have left out.
In conclusion, this is a great little radio for a very fair price, the instructions are rubbish if you are new to this but should be OK if you know what you are doing, just don’t get the bug, It’ll cost. 🙂
I hope you found this review helpful.
This comes as one walkie talkie. I haven’t been able to get the frequency to match the set we already have but it’s not the end all. Easy to set up great color and when I find a suitable partner for it I’m sure it will be great.
It’s well-made, robust, and of decent quality. It feels comfortable in the hand and has a decent weight. The buttons have a positive, satisfying click. The first impression is very good. I love bright colours, so if I put them somewhere I can find them easily.
However, the cover that covers the headphones/microphone/data cable port that you can connect to the computer often pops out and doesn’t stay closed. This might affect the water resistance rating, so it’s best to keep it away from the water.
My other main concern is that the plug seems doggy. It’s too thin, so I won’t be using the charging dock to charge the device. Instead, I will use the supply USB cable, and I like that I can charge the device using the USB C cable. You can also have an online manual by scanning the QR code directly from the device.
Another great feature is the monitor button, which is very useful if your single is unclear and you hear a lot of static with a broken signal. You can press the monitor button and listen to the voice clearly enough to understand the other person’s speech in static.
It has a separate button for noah weather and an SOS button. It also has an AM/FM radio, which is a great added feature.
If I go over all the features in detail, my review would be too long.
In summary,this product is a great budget-friendly radio with great features. Just keep in mind that you must have a licence to use some frequencies.
This is a great quality dual band walkie talkie.
There are 2 different bands that you can select different frequency and use it to talk with different people on the same time , without them hearing each other.
There are 2 buttons for RX and it automatically receives from both.
This is a long range radio that works with my well with the other 2 walkie talkies that I have.
I have 2x handheld radios that have 16 channels that work between 446.0 MHz – 446.2 MHz
I needed about 30 seconds to just press the numbers to set the 446.0 MHz.
After that I started adjusting the frequency with the 2 arrows and in few seconds I manage to set it to 446.030 MHz , which is channel 3 on my other 2 walkie talkies.
This means that I will have 3 devices connected and I can use them when we go out camping.
The radio is able to receive FM radio stations as well and it works well.
The walkie talkie is able to receive met office channels , but I am not too sure if this works as I didn’t get any signal with that.
Overall great quality radio and the price of 45.99 is great for it.
Hopefully my review was Helpful for you.
I am genuinely curious for who this radio is, what I can see this radio offers endless possibilities to transmit and receive signal across many miles but setting up this radio is pure madness. Unless you are complete professional, do not buy this. Different modes and channels means nothing to me even after spending literally hours on youtube to learn. You have to input offsets and so many different numbers in order to set up this radio. Like probably most of people, I only manage to fully utilise radio FM function, anything other than that, I didn’t manage to intercept any signal whatsoever even with changing channels and different frequencies.
Radio comes with all accessories you can imagine like charging station, antenna, usb cable, lanyard, clip. Straight away charging base went to bin, plug don’t have fuse and looks terrible, to save myself problems, I rather charge it with usb cable. Radio itself in hand feels good, heavy and seems like well made. Green bright colour will be useful if you drop it somewhere so it will be sticking out. For this price it is probably great deal for someone who knows this stuff.
This two-way radio is functional for basic communication needs, but it has a few drawbacks. The range is decent but not as extensive as I had hoped, and the interface is a bit clunky. The battery life is acceptable, but the radio can be somewhat bulky and heavy. It’s okay for occasional use but may not meet the expectations of those needing high-performance radios for professional or extended use.
This is a complete radio package from Talkpod, the A36PlusMAX is a dual band two way radio.
It feels rugged and appears well made with an IP54 rating, which is Ingress Protection where the first number is water resistance and the second number debris. This would be fine for going out and about but don’t get it submerged or too wet. The body is finished in a bright green but appears rugged though. The battery is clipped on with two clips and is a 3200mAh battery.
In the box you get all the charging accessories, headset, charging port, cables and more than you can imagine. There is also a manual which takes some time to read and go through, but it details its use and functions.
In terms of use, you have two channels where you can change frequencies by either input or toggle. There are also two modes with channels or frequencies, as well as an FM radio mode where you can listen to music where you can get the frequency. This buttons really go back to the old school method of buttons and menus, something that you’d imagine could’ve received an Android software but this would then eat into the cost and battery life.
This only comes in one radio, so if you want to get a pair you’d effectively have to buy two or another radio. I’m sure that goes without saying. You can use this in areas where you may not have telephone reception, so it’s good to have as a backup or safety feature.
Overall for the price as well as the build, sound quality and accessories this is fine.
Ordered this to use with my local cadet sqn in support of delivering radio training. The item arrived well packaged and in a strong card box. Inside is a complete kit of the radio, charging dock, battery, antenna, belt clip and programming cable.
The instruction manual is frankly woeful, with text that is so small a magnifying glass is needed to read it. There is a QR code included that takes you to the Talkpod website product support page, which has better info and downloads such as radio programmer software etc. The radio itself is well made and robust with its size being slightly small than a mobile phone. Once the correct frequencies were programmed in for our cadet use, the radio performed brilliantly with clear transmissions both ways. I particularly like the value add extras of the charging dock etc. This gives it an excellent price break that would allow a bulk buy of complete sets. Recommended.