My review about the new radio: my New Ailunce HD1. By K0PIR
I don’t do much with VHF/UHF, but I had an Ailunce HD1 sent to me to do a review. It is a solid handheld transceiver and I have enjoyed using it. I especially have enjoyed listening to DMR talkgroups around the world. The Ailunce HD1 is a dual band FM DMR VHF/UHF analog and digital handheld transceiver.
The things I like most are the build quality, the speaker and color LCD. Also, the long lasting battery.
Ailunce HD1 Specs
| Frequency (dual band) | 136-174 & 400-480MHz & 76-107.95MHz (Receive only ) |
| Channels | 3000 |
| Battery Capacity | 3200mAh |
| Contacts | 100,000 |
| Power | 10w VHF, 8w UHF (3 power levels) |
| IP67 | Waterproof and dustproof |
| Antenna | SMA, 50Ω |
| Included | 1 x Ailunce HD1 two way radio 1 x Battery 1 x Antenna 1 x Adapter (110V) 1 x Charger 1 x User’s manual 1 x Belt clip 1 x Sling 1x programming cable( You need to order this) |
Ailunce HD1 Build Quality
This is a solid, well built handheld and has a very good feel to it. The HD1 has some weight and the speaker is loud. The speaker on this radio produces great sounding audio. I don’t have any problem hearing stations in a noisy environment, such as riding in a vehicle.
The color LCD is nice and can be customized to show both bands (channels/frequencies) or one band and a clock. On the downside, the LCD gets washed out in direct sun like most other radios.
The Ailunce HD1 has a long lasting 3200mAh battery. I have not run this down since having it.
A Little Comparison to my Old Baofeng F9V2+
It may not be fair to compare the two, but this is interesting.
The Ailunce HD1 is more expensive than the Baofeng because the HD1 is a analog and digital DMR transceiver and without question is a better built radio. I can’t emphasis this enough. The HD1 is a better built radio.
Because the HD1 is more money you may find this interesting: My old Baofeng, with stock antenna, appears to have better reception on analog frequencies on our local VHF repeaters. Some Hams say it is just due to the HD1 being direct conversion.
Another thing I find interesting: The Ailunce HD1 probably won’t work good when other Hams are transmitting close-by as in an emergency drill. The HD1 receiver becomes desensitised. This is true with other direct conversion DMR radios too. However, for normal amateur radio use the HD1 is a good choice.
I was a little disappointed Chirp and Repeaterbook can’t be used to load repeater frequencies into the HD1 like with the Baofeng and other radios. I was not able to import a .csv file easily from Repeaterbook either. It required too much editing in my opinion.
Retevis tip: You can upload the .csv file by its software.
Using the HD1 I get very good audio reports whether transmitting DMR through my hotspot or transmitting FM through the local repeater.
The HD1 is easier to program from the front than the Baofeng. Also, while using the HD1, the menu can be accessed, unlike other handhelds.
A Little About DMR
This is my first experience with DMR and it was exciting to setup. The Ailunce HD1 software was a little tricky at first, but I think I got it now. Code plugs are a new thing to me.
Conclusion
I’ll have a YouTube video coming and I hope to have a demo comparing the Ailunce HD1 and my Baofeng on the local analog repeater.
I have been enjoying the HD1 a lot at home using my DMR hotspot. I carry the Ailunce HD1 with me now and my Baofeng stays at home. The Baofeng has become a backup.
Would it be worth paying the extra money?
Yes, for me I am sold on DMR and it works good enough for me on the local repeaters.
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