Review TYT D70W Mobile

TYT D70W

The D70W is a powerful 70W Dual Band mobile brought to you by TYT. The transceiver has a removable front panel and incorporates a Cross Band Repeat mode.

In the Box

Included with the radio are the:
- Microphone
- Mounting Bracket and Hardware
- 13' Remote Head Cable
- 12V power Cord - 6.5' (2.0m)
- Fuses
- 42 page User Guide - (English)
- Programming Cable (USB-C)

General Description

-   70W VHF, 60W UHF
-   200 channel

Receive (MHz)
     FM    64-108   (Broadcast)
     AM   108-134   (Air Band)
     FM   136-174    400-520
Transmit (MHz)
     FM   136-174    400-520

-   Size: 5.5 x 1.7 x 8.5" (140 x 43 x 215mm)
-   Weight:   2.4 lbs (1100g)

-   70W VHF, 60W UHF
-   200 channel

Enclosure

The D70W case is 5.5" across, 1.7" high and 8.5" deep and weighing in at 2.4lbs due to the heavy heatsink. The control head is detachable allowing for the radio to be mounted elsewhere while the control head alone can be mounted on the front of the vehicle. There is a 13' extension cable included with the radio.

The fan is thermostatically controlled and turns off after the heat is removed. The fan is louder than most but necessary to properly cool the 70W transmitter.

The rear of the case has an SO-239 antenna connection, the cooling fan, a pair of external speaker jacks and the USB-C programming port.

The front panel controls can be more clearly viewed in the enlarged image below.

click to enlarge

Cables

The D70W comes with 3 cables.

- USB to USB-C Programming cable
- 13' Control Head Extension cable
- 6.5' 12VDC Power cable.

Note: The Power Cable should be connected Directly to the Battery. The average lighter socket is fused for 10A. The D70W draws upwards of 12A on high power.

Transmitter

The frequency range is VHF 136-174 and UHF 400-520 MHz.

The power levels hold very close to the specifications. There are three power levels with a low around 2.5W and a high clocking in at around 70W on VHF and 60W on UHF.

Power levels are listed below and were taken using a calibrated Bird Termaline wattmeter.

Microphone

Along with the standard number pad (0-9), the keypad includes
   *   (Channel Down)
   #   (Channel Up)
   0   (Mute)
   A   (Enter)
   B   (VFO)
   C   (MR)
   D   (A/B Switch)
Key Lock   On/Off Switch
Keypad Light   On/Off Switch
Channel Up/Down Buttons
Transmit Indicator Light

Dual Receiver

The receiver sensitivity is very good and the receive audio quality is good.

The D70W has 2 individual receivers. Each has a separate volume and squelch control on the right side of the front panel. When on Dual Receive, the radio is not scanning between 2 frequencies, but actually listening to 2 channels at the same time.

Cross Band Repeater

I tested the D70W Cross Band Repeater mode and it does work well. For the test is used VHF as the input and UHF as the output into a dummy load and was quite pleased with results. The audio response on UHF was excellent.

Display

The D70W has a Dual Display. Each side displays either the Frequency, Channel Name or Channel Number. The readout is Large, Bright and easy to read even in daylight.

The Channel Name can contain up to 16 Characters. The first 6 characters will display and scroll to show the entire name. Here is a video showing the display of 'SHREWSBURY 6,700'.

Scrolling Display (mp4)

Software (Factory)

I found the 200 channel factory software is very basic and easy to use.
It does not allow cut/paste or .csv input at this time so each channel must be entered individually.
Always take a Software backup before, during and after making changes.

Firmware

As additional features and future enhancements are developed, they will be be posted on the TYT website.

Programming Cable

The D70W came with the necessary programming cable with the UART chip inside the USB connector. This cable is unique as it has a USB-A connector and a USB-C connector for the back of the radio.

This is becoming more of a standard on newer model radios.

Conclusion

Overall I was very pleased with the performance.

PROs

- 70W VHF 60W UHF
- Excellent Heatsink
- Heavy Duty Cooling Fan
- Excellent Audio
- Easy to understand software
- Cross Band Repeater function works great
- Large Display

The fan is louder than most, but necessary to cool the 70W transmitter.