AnyTone Dual-band VHF/UHF at-5888uv Amateur Radio Transceiver

I waited just over two months after purchasing this radio before submitting a review in order to have a good break in period as the basis for offering an opinion. In short, I am very pleased with the radio and will purchase a second AnyTone Dual Band AT-5888UV in the near future. I originally hesitated on purchasing the radio after reading some reviews, however - so far the radio has functioned flawlessly. Transmissions have been made on all power levels to both repeaters near and distant as well as used on VHF simplex, but have not used it for UHF simplex yet. What I like about the radio: - Price - For a VHF/UHF, 50 watt capable transceiver I don't think you will find a better deal. - Frequency Coverage - Exceptional VHF/UHF coverage capabilities beyond the ham frequencies. - Power - 4 power ranges easily selected with 50 watts available make hitting distant repeaters or simplex operations easy. - Remote Head - The ability to remove the control head from the transceiver for mounting flexibility is a real plus. - Standard Coupling - Radio uses inexpensive standard Cat 5 type cable variations for microphone and remote head connections, not proprietary. - Programming - Chirp version software programming available in addition to supplied proprietary software packaged with the radio. - USB Cable - The cable was supplied with the radio from this seller and was not necessary to purchase separately. - Receiver Sensitivity - Exceptional receiver, beats my IC-706MKIIG VHF/UHF receiver. What I'm not thrilled about with this radio: - Slow Scan - If you have a gazillion frequencies programmed, it is slow. Best to select "skip" options for non-priority frequencies to scan. - Light Plastics - The radio is not "big name radio" quality in it's removable control head whereas the body construction is fine. Not a game changer. - Ext. Speaker - Must be programmed to turn on the capability rather than just plug and play. As far as "bleed over", adjacent frequency rejection, birdies, etc., the ONLY problem I found was when being physically located within a few hundred yards of a mountain top based array of repeaters and digital control links for public safety, commercial, phone, remote control/digital and cell phone system towers. Only two frequencies I programmed into the AT-5888UV exhibited this type of interference. One was FRS Channel 3 and the other was a MURS frequency. Both were when mobile and within a few hundred yards of the transmitters. This type of problem was not an issue for me with this radio. Running this radio mobile has been a real pleasure. It in combination with the Comet CA-2X4SRB mobile antenna makes a near perfect set-up if use on a variety of frequencies is needed. It is a "doable" combination for volunteer fire fighters, rural public safety, search and rescue needs, storm spotter comms, and community services, particularly when on a budget - and it allows flexible frequency coverage for gmrs/frs/murs, etc. if required. For those of us do not have the bucks to splurge on one of the "big name" radios, the AnyTone AT-5888UV offers the budget conscious consumer an excellent value and very capable VHF/UHF transceiver for the money.

Very nice radio. I have used it for a few months now and it performs very much inside my personal preferences (=what I expected). The manual is a bit of a pain in the ... but using a bit of imagination helps to get around it. The easiest way is to hook it up on your workbench/kitchen table with power, a dummy load, and your computer and try different settings and see what's happening. Programming cable must be ordered separately and the software is available online. You can use Chirp (latest version support this model) but then you are only able to program your memory channels and some minor basic stuff. Using the proprietory software makes it a breeze to get to all system settings and extended channel settings, giving you 100% control (Chirp only gives you 50%). Good thing is that if you get Anytones programming cable you don't need to do anything but to plug it in (Win10), no drivers to fiddle with! When it comes to the radio itself, the transmitter gives you the advertised power output measured at 14.3V, slightly less but still within margins of error on 13.0V and has a nice crisp sound to it. The compander gives your mic just that little that it needs to take down background noise in a car. The receiver is great! No problem picking up weak signals clearly and it deals with strong transmitters on nearby frequencies very well. And for me the ability to separate the head from the radio was a must, loves that it uses standard CAT5 cable (I use a CAT7 cable rated for outdoors since in the car its subject to some more wear and tear than indoors even when taking precautions.) Anytones separation kit didn't give me any good vibes and looks a bit weak... and pricey. I got the separation kit from Powerverks for their dual-band radio and it is made of metal and looks sturdier although you need to cut out a new slot for the cable, still it's much cheaper than Anytones. Yes, I will buy this radio again if needed...

A good radio at a great price point. This radios was a breeze to set up in CHIRP, and is very good on both 2 meters and 70 cm. Great reception and transmission. Definitely recommend

Updated 10-9-2021 Since the original review, I have purchased 2 more of these radios. In total I have 3. I have changed my review to 1 star. These radios have an issue on the transmit audio going out. Of the 3 radios, 2 now have the same issue, no transmit audio. Ive tried to change microphones and replaced with new, and no audio output on transmit. I dont use the 3rd radio often, but I am certaim this will happen again. Ive recommended this radio to a friend who has the same issue after just a few months. Will not recommend this radio. Bought this radio May 2nd, 2016. using it as a base in my shop. This radio has exceeded my expectations, but, every radio has its pros and cons. This radio has more pros than cons. Mostly just minor cons. Scanning is slow and has a minor audible tick, scanning is slow if you want to monitor police and ems channels. I found that the QPS588UV software has more options than chirp. But both do work, the QPS is nice because you can turn transmit off with click of the mouse on a channel by channel bias so you cannot accidentally transmit on a freq out of your license freq band. The dual receive is awesome to say the least as I am using the radio for ARES/RACES and NWS Skywarn. I can monitor the NWS transmission in the 440 band on bank B, and transmit conditions on 2m on bank A. Takes a little getting used to for dual receive.. Speaker in the mic is ok, but you have the option to run both mic and radio speaker at the same time, or one at a time. I like the fact that the face plate is detactable and remote. 4 buttons on the mic are programmable, Ive got mine set for Power, Scan, V/M, and Compander (Clarity filter) Would recommend getting a programming cable that has a FTDI chip, little more pricey but works well with Windows 8.x and 10. Seriously like this radio and would have given it 5 stars if they hadnt raised the price on this unit in the last couple of months. Wanted to purchase another for the truck, but as the price has increased, Im looking more and more at a Motorola, as they arent that much more for a mobile. Update 4/5/2018: I've changed my rating from 4 stars to 5 stars. Since ordering this radio, the price has dropped, and I have purchased 2 more AnyTone AT-5888uv and a AnyTone AT-788uv. I do have one in the truck now with the remote setup. If you have done this, and get and audible "tick" in the microphone speaker, I replaced the cable with SHIELDED Cat 6, and that had fixed the problem. I also had purchased another AT-5888uv for a go kit. The radio had worked great, unfortunately the mic was bad, I contacted Lucky Products and they were great on fixing the issue immediately. Lastly, I ordered the AT-788uv, very nice built small radio that I use on my computer desk with a ultra compact Alinco power supply. Very nice radio, and very compact. But it is not supported by Chirp, and you will have to search online for the programming software by AnyTone. Make sure your get Verson 1 for this this radio, use caution as AnyTone had made a radio (AT-788, without the UV at the end) and this software will not work, nor will version 2 for this AT-788uv. For the price, you are getting some great radios!

First off, I am no radio guru. New to the game and relatively new license holder. Having said that, I am impressed with the transceiver. I live over 50 miles from my GMRS repeater and can communicate reliably and consistently. My antenna is nothing special. Just a multiband mag mount. This unit is loaded with options. Multiple programmable buttons on the mic, cross band repeater, VHF/UHF, and also some decent screen color options as it gives you the red/green/blue color mix options. I only have three complaints: 1 - There is no mic gain control. There is a setting called Compander. It does even out the audio for long distance communication by eliminating most of the background white noise, but no gain settings for the mic. 2 - The mic cord is so stiff, it feels like it is going to break or pull the plug off in the face of the unit. The unit has the mic jack on the right hand side of the faceplate. You can watch the connector flex in the faceplate as you attempt to pull the mic to your talking position. Unless you're cool with your face being a couple of feet from the faceplate, you'll need a cat6 mic extension cable. 3 - The programming is doable Chirp. However, I feel there are radio setting options that the Chirp software does not cover. Anytone offers software for the unit. Said software is an extra $25. That is BS. Quit being greedy and offer the correct software with the radio upon purchase. All in all, great unit. Good audio. Reception seems on point. Just wish they'd open up the software and add a mic gain option.