Review RADTEL RT470X

General Description

The RADTEL RT-470X is a 256 channel Tri-Band handheld that runs 5W on VHF, UHF, and 220MHz ham bands as well as Air Band receive.

In the Box

The RT-470X comes with the following:

- RADTEL RT-470X Handheld
- Charger / AC Adapter
- 2600 mAh Li-Ion Battery
- 7.7" Antenna
- Belt Clip & Lanyard
- User Guide (22 page) (.pdf)
- USB-C Charge/Program Cable

Enclosure

The RT-470X weighs in at 9.4oz (.27 kg)
Case size is 5.0" (H) x 2.4" (W) x 1.6 (D)" (127 x 61 x 41 mm)

A good portion of the size and weight is due to the hefty 2600 mAh battery.
The keypad functions include MENU, Up/Down, Return (VFO/Channel), (#) Key Lock and (*) Scan.
A long press of the Return button switches between the Channel and Frequency modes.

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There are 3 buttons on the left side. The upper large button is the PTT, while the lower 2 are programmable keys, as is the red button on the top.
- FM radio (music)
- Power Level
- Scan
- Search
- Flashlight
- NOAA
- Monitor (open squelch)

NOTE: One of the options one the center button below the main PTT is 'PTT B'. This allows the button to also function as a second PTT switch for the lower display.

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Frequency Range

VHF
18-107 MHz   Rx
136-174 MHz   TX / RX
220-260 MHz   TX / RX
174-400 MHz   RX

UHF
400-520 MHz   TX / RX
470-629 MHz   RX
840-999 MHz   RX

66-108 MHz   FM Broadcast
108-130 MHz Air Band AM RX

Transmitter

The audio quality is very good when speaking about 1" across the front of the radio.
The transmit power is rated at 5W. The power levels below were taken a calibrated Bird Wattmeter. Note that the power level on the 220 band shows over 4 watts.

RT-470X	High	Mid	Low
VHF	3.7	1.6	1.2
220	4.3	2.6	2.7
UHF	5.0	3.7	3.7

Receiver

Receiver sensitivity is very good with plenty of loud audio. If the side key button activates the FM broadcast radio, it will stay active until activity is detected on the main channel. When the received signal disappears, the FM broadcast station will return after 5 seconds.

- Air Band channels come in very clear.
- Scan rate is approximately 5 channels per second.
- There are side key options for receiving NOAA and FM Broadcast.

Display

The 1.77" LCD display has excellent resolution and supports channels names up to 12 characters.
Here are display samples.

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Programming

The RT-470X can be programmed in a variety of ways. Of course there is always manual programming, but along with the factory software, the radio can also be programmed using CHIRP.

Programming Cable

The required cable uses a UART chip in the USB connector. The proper drivers for this cable should load automatically. The connector is a standard K1 so standard accessories are compatible.

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One Key Frequency Search and Copy

There is a Side Key options for Frequency Search. This allows you to identify the Frequency and CTCSS/DCS code of a nearby transmitter.
Once identified, the information (simplex) can be stored in a desired memory channel and named for future use.

Battery

The battery is a 2600mAh Li-Ion and includes an AC/USB wall charger and USB/USB-C cable. There is a USB-C charge port on the bottom of the battery as shown below. There is a light on the battery that shows Red when charging and Green when charged.

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Antenna

The supplied antenna works well on VHF and UHF. If you are purchasing a replacement or upgraded antenna, note that the antenna base on the Radtel is slightly smaller than some replacements. You may need to purchase an antenna with an extended thread.

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Charger

There is no base for the 470X as the USB-C charge cable goes directly into the base of the battery.

In Summary

The RT-470X is a solidly built handheld with a large battery capacity and several receive options including FM Broadcast and Air Band receive. The audio is great and Air Band receive is very clear.

It is supported by CHIRP and can be programmed using a standard Kenwood/Baofeng K1 style programming cable

Availability

The RT-470X series is available on Amazon

RADTEL RT-470X
RADTEL RT-470