The JJCC JC-8629 is another in a group of recent radios that all claim a large number of bands (in this case, 7), high-power output, a large battery, a full color screen and a bevy of other features, in this case Bluetooth and GPS. All this in a radio slightly bigger than a UV-5R and at a price between $60 and $90. Most fail to live up to the hype, and some fail spectacularly, like my recent review of the Abbree AR-518. Read it if you want a laugh.
The thing that caught my eye with the JJCC JC-8629 was the screen. The dark screen with bright white text looked really easy to read, with nice large numbers. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the first time I saw such a screen only to be disappointed when I got the radio. Would this be a repeat? Let’s find out.
The JJCC JC-8629 is another in a group of recent radios that all claim a large number of bands (in this case, 7), high-power output, a large battery, a full color screen and a bevy of other features, in this case Bluetooth and GPS. All this in a radio slightly bigger than a UV-5R and at a price between $60 and $90. Most fail to live up to the hype, and some fail spectacularly, like my recent review of the Abbree AR-518. Read it if you want a laugh.
The thing that caught my eye with the JJCC JC-8629 was the screen. The dark screen with bright white text looked really easy to read, with nice large numbers. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the first time I saw such a screen only to be disappointed when I got the radio. Would this be a repeat? Let’s find out.
Pulling the JJCC JC-8629 out of the box, I realized just how chunky it was. It isn’t much taller than a UV-5R, but it is quite a bit thicker and wider too, which makes it fit in my large hands quite well. The edges are well-rounded, and the clip has angled sides, meaning it is comfortable to hold without any poking or digging into my palm. I also like the placement of the PTT button high on the side.
Buttons on the front have a good amount of resistance and provide a nice tactile and audible click when pressed. While they are a little too close together, I don’t find that much of a problem in use. What I don’t care for is it seems the buttons are flatter on the face than most, meaning there is no tactile way to know you are in the center of the button. A slight dome would be preferably.
Having two knobs on top of the radio is one of my favorite features on any radio, and the JJCC JC-8629 does not disappoint here. The center knob rotates with positive, but not too aggressive click stops and is fantastic for changing frequency, scrolling through memories, or making menu use a breeze. The volume and power knob is equally good with a positive click at the power position, and smooth rotation for volume adjustments.
About 46mm in diagonal is the bold color screen of the JJCC JC-8629. I say bold because it has excellent contrast and big thick numbers, making the frequency easy to read, even at a distance. The downside is it turns off quickly and there is no way on the radio to adjust that, you have to hook it up to a computer to change the setting.
Shown on the screen by default is an excellent layout of data, focusing primarily on the two frequencies, but also clearly visible is the current power setting, battery level indicator, and a very clear indication of which VFO you are currently operating on. Unlike some radios that just show a little arrowhead somewhere to tell you which VFO is working, this one shows a big tag over one to the right of white letters on a red background that says MAIN. Hard to miss that.
Menus on the JJCC JC-8629 are accessed as you would expect with the menu button, and also as you would expect, they are the typical Baofeng style menus you find on virtually all inexpensive radios today. The text is clear and white on black, making it easy to read, unlike some of the current Baofeng radios that want to use dark red on black in smaller text. Pay attention here, Baofeng!
I looked around in the menus, and the only reference to the GPS the JJCC JC-8629 claims to have is the ability to turn it on and off. After playing with the radio a while, I discovered that if you press the left or right arrow, you can switch the display to one of the two GPS displays. Who needs a manual 😉 One of these screens displays your coordinates and the other a compass display.
You will be pleased to note that you can charge the radio with either the included drop-in desktop charger, or via USB-C in the back of the battery just below the belt clip. It sure is nice when they give you options.
Programming the JJCC JC-8629 is a breeze with CHIRP and a standard Baofeng programming cable. There were no surprises and it is just a typical programming experience. I know, boring. If you want to spice things up, RT Systems offers their excellent programming software for the radio as well, if you prefer something a bit more professional.
Performance:
So far I am impressed for what the radio is for the money, but how does it actually perform? Better than I expected, for sure!
Looking at the antenna test of the JJCC JC-8629, you can clearly see it is most optimized for 2m, with 70cm coming in a distant second. There are other tweaks to get you a little more capabilities in the 170-174MHz range, which I assume is for receiving police/fire/ems. There is also a bump around 290-320MHz which, as far as I know, has very little if anything on it to listen to. Interesting, and perfectly serviceable antenna for a factory antenna.
Power output of the JJCC JC-8629 is 5.1 watts on 2m and 3 watts on 70cm, better than average for a budget radio. The spectrum analysis shows something a little strange, a huge blob or splatter when you first key up across a wide swath of frequencies, but it calms down into a reasonable signal after that.
Transmitted audio is pretty good, I was pleasantly surprised by this. It is a little reserved, but very clear and has virtually no sibilance at all. I know high-dollar radios that do worse.
Images:
Radio Specifics:
| Screen readability | Excellent | |
| In-hand feel | Very Good | |
| Included antenna | Good | |
| Construction quality | Good | |
| Belt clip | Very Good | |
| Programmability | Very Good | |
| Transmit audio | CLICK TO LISTEN | |
| Frequency accuracy | 145.000 @ 145.000 | |
| Maximum power output 2m/70cm | 5.1 watts / 3 watts | |
| Actual weight | 243g | |
| Battery advertised mAh | 2000mAh | |
| Battery tested mAh | 1680mAh | |
| Radio manual | CLICK TO DOWNLOAD | |
| Programming software | CLICK TO DOWNLOAD | |
| Price based score 0-5 | 5 | |
| Overall score 0-10 | 5 |
Test Images:
If you are interested, click here for an article on how I test radios.
FEATURES:
- 3-band transmit, 7-band receive
- 512 memories
- 10W power output
- 2000mAh battery
- Bluetooth frequency copy
- GPS
- Large color screen
- USB-C charging
- Desktop drop-in charger
| PROS: | CONS: |
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One concern I have with the JJCC JC-8629 is that the JJCC radio brand seems a bit obscure. Doing a little research I had a hard time finding out anything, but I believe that it is made by Shenzhen Anysecu Technology Co., Ltd and sold under a variety of different brands in different cases such as the Radtel RT-490 and Socotran 8629. That same research also revealed that the radio is approved as a Part 15, Class B Digital Device by the FCC. So I guess bad and good at the same time.
Conclusions
I bet this review has me sounding like a fanboy, but it certainly did not start out that way. Every time I tested the radio it surprised me, in a good way. It isn’t often I test a radio that, for the price, I can’t find a real flaw in. Trust me, I try.
Would I recommend the radio? Absolutely and without reservation. The only thing that gives me any kind of pause is that JJCC does not seem to be a known entity, and they only have a few models out, so reliability and parts availability (think batteries) is an unknown. Other than that, I am shocked at how good this radio is for the price.
And no, they did not send me this radio for free, I paid full price as I do with 95% of the radios I review.
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