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TIDRadio Ham, GMRS, & General

We have all heard the horror stories, complaints, and praise of “Chinese” radios. Their prices are low, sometimes their performance is less than optimal, and their documentation is pretty much terrible. Being a documentation specialist in a previous life I totally understand the need for good documentation.

Recently I purchased two TIDRadio HTs, one TD-H3 and one TD-H8. Beforehand, I did a fair amount of research and watched quite a few YouTube University videos. I decided on the H3 first and, after a little more research, the H8. Both of these radios are available for purchase on Amazon and can most likely arrive within a couple days. The package deal I got for both radios included two radios, four antennas, two chargers, two earpieces, and two extra batteries. So, they are pretty much ready to go with a little charging.


H8 on the left, antennas, and H3 on the right
H8 on the left, antennas, and H3 on the right

I was not expecting much at first, but a couple things intrigued me right from the start. Both of these radios are programmabe via bluetooth. Yes, you read that right. You don’t have to worry about cables and drivers. You can program them right from your phone. Now that is worth using.

Now for a very nice additional feature of both radios: they can be activated as a Ham radio, or a GMRS radio, or a “General” (wide open) radio. And it is FCC approved. Regulation seems to have loosened up a bit. When you power the HT up you can do so as a Ham HT, a GMRS HT, or a commercial HT.  Using the programming software you can save a Ham profile, a GMRS profile, and a commercial profile and load it just prior to use. How cool is that!

The H3 and H8 differ in their capabilities as you might expect.  Some of the specifications are identified next.

H3 H8

199 Channels 199 Channels

2500 mAh battery 2500 mAh battery

less than or = to 5 watts output less than or = to 10 watts output

Rx 50-76, 76-108, and 108-136 MHz Rx 136-174 and 400-512 MHz

Tx 136–600 MHz 144-148 MHz and 420-450 MHz

USB-C connects to battery to charge Charging in cradle only

CTCSS & DCS capable CTCSS & DCS capable

DTMF capable DTMF capable

A bit smaller than the H* A bit larger than the H3

Other specs of the HTs are similar, if not the same.


H3 without the rubber ducky
H3 without the rubber ducky

H8 without the rubber ducky
H8 without the rubber ducky

Programming software is available online for both radios. You may have to register with the Chinese manufacturer to get the software “ODMaster” to program the radios. Chirp seems to work too. With bluetooth capability you may not need the software and cables.

I have used both radios to interface with my AllStar Node and they work pretty well.

Here are some additional comments you may find helpful.

  1. Inexpensive speaker mics are available on Amazon.

  2. Documentation is okay; not great and not complete. There are features available that are not covered in the manual.

  3. Firmware can be updated and there are non-manufacturer firmware versions out there. Not for the meek though.

  4. Audio from the HTs seems pretty clear, although through the speaker mics it is not as good.

  5. Advertised power levels are pretty close to actual levels.

  6. The H3 allows transmissions in bands the user may not be licensed for.

  7. A short and a longer antenna for both radios was included.

  8. You can use the H3 on 1.25 meters; monitor only on the H8.


Price for these radios is pretty easy on the wallet.

H3 is running right at $30 and a pair of them at right around $50.

H8 is running right around $48 and a pair of them at $80.

These prices are apt to increase with the current tarriff situation.


Bottom line (in my opinion):

These are excellent radios for introductory units. I have not encountered any problems, although I have experienced minor glitches when the units require a couple attempts to connect to an AllStar node, or a menu change must be done a second time. Nothing major.

There are many YouTube videos out there covering both radios. Watch a few if you may be interested in either/both of them.

H8 2nd generation is my recommendation if you want the extra power and don’t care about the capabilities beyond Ham.

H3 has a “Plus” version but I did not see it on Amazon and I do not know what the differences are from the H3. They seem to be available more in Europe right now.

Both of these HTs are worth consideration based on your planned use.

73,

Bill, W9WRP

 
 
 

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