I absolutely love this radio and Retevis support. I use this as a base station in my shack. With a good antenna, you can really reach out. I currently use a Comet SBB5 mobile antenna with a ground strap going to my metal roof for a ground plane. My elevation isn’t the best but I am still able to hit 4 local repeaters in my area and we do a monthly simplex net. During the simplex net, I am able to have contact with other hams that are up to about 30 miles away in the hilly terrain of southern middle Tennessee. I have not used the cross and repeat feature yet but plan on it. The detachable faceplate is nice as it keeps my desk clutter free. There is a mic port on both the main body and the front panel. I keep my mic plugged in to the front panel and I have a Digirig connected to the port on the main body. Digirig does not have a cable for this radio yet but a quick email to Retevis and they will send you the pinout so you can make your own. I use it on VaraFM every week for an Emcomm net.
The display is beautiful.
The menu and functions are easy to use.
I plan on buying another for my truck to replace my Retevis RT95. (Gonna turn the 95 into a man pack radio)
Highly recommend!
Todd's RADIO REVIEWS
★★★★★
MA1 SPEAKER OR VOLUME
THE MIROPHONE PLUG IS LOOSE AND AFTER ABOUT A MONTH THE SOUND WENT OUT LIKE IT WAS UNPLUGGED. I SENT AND EMAIL TO RETEVIS AND HAVE NOT HEARD BACK ON WHAT THEY ARE GOING TO DO IF ANYTHING. ITS THE FIRST RETEVIS I HAVE BOUGHT OTHER THAN THE RT97L REPEATER AND I AM STARTING TO REGRET BUYING THE MA1 NOW. ITS LIKE IT WAS MUTED ANDNOW I CAN NOT GET IT TO UNMUTE.
B
Brian
★★★★★
TX died in exactly 2 months
Unit died within 2 months.
Produces no TX output.
0 watts over the SWR Surecom
DB20G next to it is still going strong after 2 years.
Reached out to Retevis support but their voicemail box is full and not accepting messages. Not a good sign.
C
Cat Lady
★★★★★
By far the best dual band I ever purchased, and a true 50w dual band
The Retevis MA1 50W UHF/VHF radio has some great pro-grade features, including 50W power output , lightning-fast scanning, and a dual-band monitor display. Its detachable, flip-up front panel offers flexible installation options, making it ideal for vehicles or home use.
It’s also receives signals very well , in fact BETTER THAN MY KENWOOD !
Customer service is extremely responsive with all communication and effectively answers all questions and concerns.
If I could give this radio and company more them 5 stars I would.
This is an EXCELLENT radio for all hams. Especially if you’re on an emergency response team.
The Retevis MA1 is a mobile ham radio offering features similar to the discontinued Kenwood TM-V71A and Yaesu FT-8900R at a MUCH lower price
Upon testing power , it’s a TRUE 50 watt radio. Unlike the Kenwood radio I have.
The sound quality is great, in fact so good I haven’t used the ext speaker connection yet.
This is worth every cent.
W
WorldsBestCatDad-MEOW
★★★★★
Defective out of the box, awaiting response from Retevis Support
Brand new out of the box transceiver had a defective display, rendering the right-side frequency illegible. Attempted an email with a photo of the problem and am still awaiting a reply. Will update this review if or when Retevis makes this right.
BIG
★★★★★
Great quality! New firmware fixed the PTT ISSUE
Great radio, the output is indeed 50W on VHF, reception is also very sensitive and clear. The PTT delay is a issue, I reached out to their customer service and updated the firmware to V2.28 so the annoying PTT delay issue are now solved! I also checked the inside of the radio, it have two Independent 70W PA for both VHF and UHF, surprising.
