Review Radtel RT-4D DMR

Radtel RT-4D - In the Box

- RT-4D Handheld
- 8.25" (21cm) Dual Band Antenna
- 3500mAh Li-Ion battery
- AC Charge Adapter
- USB-C Charger
- Belt clip
- Wrist Strap
- User Guide – English 20 page

Operation / Users Guide

Radtel Software

(US) FCC Certification - 2AZSA-RT4D

Frequency Summary

18 -108 MHz   FM RX
108-136 MHz   AM RX
136-174 MHz   TX/RX
174-350 MHz   RX
350-470 MHz   TX/RX
470-620 MHz   RX
840-999 MHz   RX

DMR
136-174 MHz   TX/RX
400-470 MHz   TX-RX

Features

1.44” LCD Screen
1024 Memory Channels
256 Zones
5W Output Power
NOAA weather broadcast Channels
Type C Battery Charging
Upgradable Firmware

Transmitter

The Transmit frequency range of the RT-4D is 136-174 / 400-480 MHz.
The high power levels hold pretty close to the 5W range, with 2 power levels.
My audio reports on both analog and DMR have been excellent on both local repeaters and simplex.
Power levels are listed below and were taken using a calibrated Bird Termaline wattmeter.

Receiver and Audio

The receiver sensitivity is very good. The receive audio is clear with plenty of volume.
The receiver actually has both an FM and AM receive mode which becomes very apparent on the AirBand.

AirBand (Receive Only)

AirBand channel reception (108-136MHz) is very good and clear. I'm located between two major international airports plus several small local ones. With Ground to Air, Air to Air, UNICOM, Helicopter, etc. there's plenty to listen to when the local ham repeaters are not active.

Channel Zones

The software allows you to create up to 256 zones each containing any of the 1024 programmed channels. Each Zone and Channel can have a 16 character label.

DMR Mode

The RT-4D includes DMR as well as FM. I used it along with my SkyBridge DMR HotSpot and received excellent audio reports.

The radio will store up to:
   1024 Channels
   256    Zones
   2000 Contacts (Talk Groups)

Enclosure

The case has a good solid feel and weight, The dimensions are 4.4" x 2.4" x 1.5" (112 x 61 x 38mm) and weighs in 6.7oz (198g) with the battery attached. The display is a 1.44" LCD.

click to enlarge

Keypad and Options

Along with the standard programmable keys, the keypad buttons (0 thru 9) are also Long Press programmable. There are 32 option choices (shown in the User Manual link above). These functions are usually found as Programmable Key options.

A list of these options can be found on page 5 and 6 of the User Manual.

click to enlarge

Top View

The top of the handheld has an SMA antenna connector and a volume control.
Although the top shows the GPS logo, GPS is not available on the RT4D at this time.

Antenna (Dual Band)

Included with the handheld is a dual band Antenna with SMA-F connector – 8.25" (21cm) 144/440MHz.

Side Connections

On the left is the PTT button and two (2) programmable function keys.
On the right side of the radio is the K1 style programming port and a USB-C charging port.

2 PF + PTT

USB-C + K1

Display

There are 2 display options. Dual Display which displays both A and B, and Single Display. The channel name can contain up to 16 characters in both the upper and lower display.
Here are samples of the Channel and FM Radio displays.
The screen brightness is adjustable.

Note: My camera had a hard time focusing to the LCD screen colors. The actual LCD image is Dark Grey lettering on a Pale Blue background.

Single Display             Dual Display

    Menu                       AirBand

NOAA

One of the Long Press key options is will select the 11 Preprogrammed NOAA weather channels.

NOAA

Software

The factory software is available at Radtel Software.
If you are relatively new to DMR, this may help put some of the pieces together.
DMR Beginners Tutorial

A Sample Code Plug can be found at Code Plugs in the DMR section.

Upgradable Firmware

The RT-4D Firmware is upgradable allowing for New Features and correct potential bugs.
Note: The main board design of the RT-4D is unique to this radio. Attempting to flash this firmware to a different model will brick the other radio.

AirBand Frequency List

A good reference to AirBand Frequencies can be found at Frequency Lists.
The RT-4D will receive 108-136 MHz AirBand. The AM mode must be selected in the software. It does not default to AM automatically.

Programming Cable

The RT-4D uses a standard K1 style cable where the UART chip is part of the cable. The standard K1 style jack allows for all previous accessories such as the QHM22 Spkr/Micr.

The preferred cable is one with an FTDI chip. (see below)

Battery and Charger

Included with the radio is a 3500mAh battery and charging base. A nice addition is the USB-C charging port on the side of the handheld. A standard USB-C cable can be used to charge from any USB power source. There is also a charging base that shows Red while charging and Green when fully charged.

Note: The cable is also used for the included charging base.

click to enlarge

Features

- Full Tier 2 DMR Capability
- Upgradable Firmware
- Includes AirBand (AM) receive (108-136MHz)
- 1024 channels w/256 channel Zones
- USB-C battery charging
- Pre Programmed NOAA weather channels
- Long Press Options can be assigned to keypad 0 to 9