1 | HTs Compared 2022 | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 | Baofeng UV5R | Baofeng UVS9 | Jianpai 8800 | Yaesu FT4XR | Icom V86 | Alinco DJ-MD5 | Yaesu FT-70DR | Yaesu FT-60 | Yaesu VX6R | Anytone 878UV2+ | Yaesu FT5D | Icom ID-52 | |
3 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |
4 | Price $CAD | $35 | $50 | $100 | $119 | $186 | $230 | $240 | $250 | $320 | $380 | $510 | $750 |
5 | Important | ||||||||||||
6 | DC Jack for Field Charging | Yes (w/opt Battery & Cable) | Yes (USB w/opt cable) | Yes (USB-C) | No | No | No | Yes (USB w/opt cable) | Yes (USB w/opt cable) | Yes (USB w/opt cable) | No | Yes (USB w/opt cable) | Yes (USB-Micro) |
7 | FM Broadcast Rx | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
8 | Dual Band | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
9 | Simultaneous Dual Receive | No | Yes (instant switch) | Yes | No (5 sec polling) | No | Yes (instant switch) | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
10 | Marine/LADD/FRS/GMRS Rx | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
12 | Long Alpha Tags | No | No | Yes (12 chars) | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
13 | Memory Banks | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes (10) | Yes | Yes (Scan Lists) | Yes | Yes |
14 | Waterproof | No | No | Yes | No (FT65 has IP54) | Yes (IP67 Milspec) | No | Yes (IP54) | No | Yes (JIS7) | Yes (IP54) | Yes (IPX7) | Yes (IPX7) |
15 | High Quality Feel (opinion) | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
16 | Standard Prog. Interface | No | No | Yes (Bluetooth) | No | No | Yes (USB micro) | No | No | No | No | Yes (SD Card) | Yes (USB micro) |
17 | Nice to Have | ||||||||||||
18 | Superheterodyne | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
19 | APRS | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No (has DPRS) |
20 | AM Broadcast Rx | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | No |
21 | AirBand Rx | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
22 | Shortwave Rx | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | No |
23 | CB Rx | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | No |
24 | Digital Voice Modes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes (DMR) | Yes (C4FM) | No | No | Yes (DMR) | Yes (C4FM) | Yes (DSTAR) |
25 | 220 band Tx | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No |
26 | Private Encryption | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No |
27 | Opinion | ||||||||||||
28 | Reg's Notes | Everyone's first radio. Far better than it has any right to be for $35. Spurious emissions are not an issue with recent models. Programs easily with Chirp. Still, the UVS9 is a much better radio for $15 more. | A significant upgrade to the UV-5R. Simultaneous receive really works. USB charging is a game changer. 220 is fun to play with. Better display. I bought one and really haven't had any complaints. | This is the most impressive radio I have ever seen out of China. It ticks all the boxes I care deeply about. USB C on the battery is how everyone should do it. Signal and reception reports are among the best I've heard. | I bought one. I hate it. Dual-watch checks every 5 sec, which even Baofeng beats. No field charging. Bad signal reports. Useless programmable keys. Audio drops in and out. Upgrade to a Baofeng instead. | This radio doesn't tick many of my boxes but it's built like a brick and is honest about what it does. 7 watts matters. Icom quality is a real thing, too. I won't buy one but I respect it. | This is a really impressive radio that is let down by the lack of field charging, which is a deal-breaker for me on a handheld. Still, if I wanted to get into DMR, this would be my path. | A high-quality superhet HT that can be field-charged. I cannot fathom why Yaesu didn't give it FM Broadcast Rx which is an EmPrep deal-breaker for me. If it hits the fan, I want to hear what the CBC has to say. | A straightforward, high quality, old-school, superhet radio that appeals to a lot of people. I'm just not one of them. For $10 less, the FT-70DR is a better radio. For $70 more, the VX6R is a much better radio. | I know several people who own these but I never really understood them until I compiled this list. Now I get it totally. I won't buy one as I care about dual receive and alpha tags at this price, but I respect this radio a lot. | A high-quality DMR radio with many excellent features, but its price compared to the Alinco DMR alternative is simply too high. I'd buy the Alinco if I wanted to get into DMR. | The clear winner of this shootout, at least for me. I own the older FT3D and it has been the best HT I've ever owned by far. This radio receives everything, does everything, and is far more rugged than I am. | This is an impressive radio, and I love that it has USB charging on the body (even though it's goofy they used micro and not C). But $750? Seriously, Icom? Unless you're into D-Star, get an FT5D. |
29 | Please note, the fields on the left are listed in my personal order of importance, and the distinction between "important" and "nice-to-have" also reflects my personal priorities. I recognize and respect that others will have different priorities. These are mine. ~Reg VA7ZEB | ||||||||||||