Product Review
TD-H5
GMRS Handheld
(Part 95)
by: John 'Miklor'
August 2021
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TDH5 General Description
The TDH5 is a new addition to the TIDRADIO line of GMRS handhelds. It comes pre-programmed with the GMRS simplex and repeat channels with a few bonus features. The TDH5 handhelds come in a package of two radios in the box. In the Box - (2) TDH5 handhelds - (4) 7.4V 1500 mAh Li-ion Batteries - (2) Wall Chargers - 100-240VAC to USB - (2) USB to Dual USB-C charge cables - (2) Speaker / Microphones - (2) Belt clips - (2) Antennas – 6.0" (15cm) - (2) Hand Straps - (1) Programming Cable is included (CH340) - 49 page User Guide - Quick Start manual Specifications - Total Channel Capacity: 250 - Default Channels: 30 - DIY Channels: 24 - Tones: 50 CTCSS / 104 DCS - Tx Range: 462.5625 to 467.7125MHz - Rx Range: 65-108MHz, 136-174MHz, 400-470MHz Certification Part 95E FCC Part 95E certification 2AWL3TD-H5 (4-19-2021) fccid.io
The case measures 4.9 x 2.25 x 1.3" (12 x 5.7 x 3.3cm) and weighs in at 8.5oz (241g) with battery and antenna installed. There are no tuning knobs which makes changing channels rely on the up and down arrow keys. The right side of the radio uses a Kenwood K1 style connector for programming and accessories. Antenna The radio comes with a 6.0" antenna that is fixed to the chassis. At the base of the antenna is a tiny hole hiding an extremely small hex screw. This can be loosened for the removal of the antenna. I needed to do this for the power measurements below. To accommodate the locking screw, the radio requires an antenna with an SMA male connector.
The transmit frequency range is limited to the 462-468MHz GMRS range. Over the Air audio reports were good with plenty of audio. Power levels are specified as 0.5 / 5.0 watt. Power readings taken with a calibrated Bird Termaline.
Transmit Audio
Audio reports on the TDH5 are very good. I receive the best audio reports when I rest radio on my cheek, holding the radio approximately one inch (2.5cm) away, speaking across the front of the radio. Any further than this and the audio drops off significantly. Frequency Line Up The TDH5 is preprogrammed with 30 hard_coded_transmit frequencies (shown here). 22 Simplex channels, and 8 repeater channels. There are also 11 weather channels programmed; 7 NOAA and 4 marine). Note: There are also 24 additional repeater channel combinations referred to as DIY channels. Three sets of 8 channels for traveling. You can customize these additional channels with different CTCSS or DCS codes.
The weather channels are not part of the standard programming software, but are imbedded into the firmware. They are accessed by pressing a Weather Scan icon on the front keypad. The remaining channel slots (receive only) can be programmed via either software or front panel. Receiver & Audio The receiver sensitivity was very good on GMRS as well as VHF and UHF. The audio quality on receive was clear good and undistorted with good frequency response. Volume control was smooth with plenty audio coming from the 1w audio amp. The Display The LCD is a basic dark gray on light blue with good resolution. The TDH5 can display the channel name, channel number and frequency . It also has a display syncing option. This first image below displays the channel name and frequency, while the second image shows two separate channel names.
The LCD supports Alpha characters but these can only be entered using software. Upper Case letters A > Z and numbers 0 > 9 can be shown as well as most special characters. @ # & ( ) - / etc. The software allows you to store and display a max of 6 characters.
Keypad
The back lit keys are small but easy to access with a positive touch, with enough spacing between the keys to prevent pressing two buttons at once. The center 
are used to move channels forward and back.
Pre-Programmed Function Keys There are two side keys which are preprogrammed with the following functions: F1 = FM radio / Alarm F2 = Flashlight / Monitor (squelch open) Software / Programming The software is fairly straight forward and easy to use and can be found at the TIDRADIO website. The TDH5 can also be programmed from the front panel, however the options are limited due to the GMRS Part_95_certification. This radio is not CHIRP compatible at the time of this review. Programming Cable The programming cable which is included requires a 2 pin Kenwood K1 style connector. The UART chip is inside the USB plug. The chip used is a CH340 so there should be no driver issues. Windows should load the drivers automatically. The driver is also available from the TIDRADIO website.
Battery and Charger The batteries are 1500 mAh Li-ion. With moderate use, a fully charged battery can last an entire day. Rather than a standard charger base, the bottom of the battery has a USB-C connector. The included DUAL charging cable uses a standard 5V USB connection as the input USB-C as the output. This cable allows up to two radio batteries to be charged at the same time. One of the included accessories is a 100-240VAC to USB wall charger, but any USB connection can be used. The charging circuitry is in the battery with an LED indicator to show when the battery is fully charged. It takes about 4 to 6 hours to charge a low battery. The LED is red when charging, and green when fully charged.
Accessories
The TDH5 accessory bundle includes with a programming cable, 4 batteries and 2 Speaker/Microphones.
The TDH5 is an easy to use and program GMRS radio. It's well constructed and has all the basic features needed for easy operation. It comes preprogrammed for GMRS operation and NOAA weather receive channels. Transmit and receive performance as well as audio quality is very good. Some definite pros are: - 2 radios in one package - 2 full size speaker microphones - 4 batteries - Dual USB-C charging cables The LCD display is only 6 characters, but that's definitely not a deal breaker. Note: This equipment was received for the purpose of a fair and unbiased review. All findings are factual based on the equipment I received. Any issues found have been reported both here and back to the seller or manufacturer. Available from: Amazon TIDRADIO TD-H5 Transceivers
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