The Retevis A1, to paraphrase Retevis’ literature, is a GPS IP67 waterproof analog amateur two-way radio aimed for use in camping, outdoor exploration, emergency rescue, etc. It is waterproof and dustproof, has a 2200mAh battery, supports Type-C charging, and can receive aviation band frequencies.
Grabbing the radio fits in your hand pretty well and it certainly has a solid and hefty feel to it. Even though it weighs 10 ounces, it “feels” heavier than that, probably because it is a little skinnier than other radios with a nice amount of heft.
While we are talking ergonomics, the designers did really nice in angling the sides of the clip so that it does not dig into your hand like many other radios that use a flat back on the clip. I wish more radios had this, but the feeling is spoiled by the screw holding the waterproof door closed, which sticks out about 3.2mm and has sharp edges on it.
The Retevis A1, to paraphrase Retevis’ literature, is a GPS IP67 waterproof analog amateur two-way radio aimed for use in camping, outdoor exploration, emergency rescue, etc. It is waterproof and dustproof, has a 2200mAh battery, supports Type-C charging, and can receive aviation band frequencies.
Grabbing the radio fits in your hand pretty well and it certainly has a solid and hefty feel to it. Even though it weighs 10 ounces, it “feels” heavier than that, probably because it is a little skinnier than other radios with a nice amount of heft.
While we are talking ergonomics, the designers did really nice in angling the sides of the clip so that it does not dig into your hand like many other radios that use a flat back on the clip. I wish more radios had this, but the feeling is spoiled by the screw holding the waterproof door closed, which sticks out about 3.2mm and has sharp edges on it.
My other complaint with the ergonomics is the PTT button is between an up and down button on the side of the radio. This, in and of itself, is not that unusual, but what is pretty unusual is that if you stick a ruler along the side you will clearly see the bottom arrow is recessed well below the PTT button, which is good, but the top arrow is not. This makes it hard for me to find the PTT button quickly and easily. If they recessed both arrows, or simply put the PTT button at the top, this would make the radio much easier to use.
Speaking of buttons, all the buttons on the radio feel really good. The switches behind them have a good positive click so you know exactly when they have been pressed. They are also very consistent between buttons, which is a nice change from my other inexpensive radios. I particularly like the feel of the rubber on the keypad buttons, which are soft and just rubbery enough without being sticky feeling.
Since the keypad is slightly curved, even though there is not much separation between the buttons they are easy to use, and I rarely press the wrong one.
GPS is a feature that I did not really expect on a radio at this price, but here it is, and it does seem to work fairly well. The receiver is obviously an inexpensive one with no reception indoors, spotty reception under thick trees, but good enough in the open. It does take a while to get a location fix, which is probably a combination of an inexpensive receiver chip coupled with a slow processor. Still, it is a welcome feature that operates very well and a welcome addition at this price.
The screen is sharp with good contrast but smaller than many other radios today, and of course it is monochrome. This surprised me because the radio has a large 22oomah battery that looks like it probably really is that big and not just a small battery with a big sticker like many of the cheaper radios have. I am guessing they are using the extra battery power to keep the radio going for a longer time, and that works well.
Performance:
The antenna of the Retevis A1 is not bad for 70cm, but pretty much stinks a 2m. That really isn’t surprising for a stock antenna, but it is a little worse than most.
Looking at the spectrum analysis, the radio puts out a pretty clean and strong signal which is very coherent. The Retevis A1 gets high marks for signal quality at this price range, few others are as good.
Audio transmitted from the radio is a little tinny, but very clear with no distortion or exaggeration when pronouncing your Ss, Ks, and Ts. The reception and output through the speaker is also extremely clear and detailed. It does start to distort the audio at about 80-85% maximum volume but less than most other radios and the volume it outputs is very loud for its size.
Images:
Radio Specifics:
| Screen readability | Very Good | |
| In-hand feel | Good | |
| Included antenna | Good | |
| Construction quality | Very Good | |
| Belt clip | Good | |
| Programmability | Very Good | |
| Transmit audio | CLICK TO LISTEN | |
| Frequency accuracy | 145.000 @ 145.000 | |
| Maximum power output 2m/70cm | 2 watts / 3.7 watts | |
| Actual weight | 10.0 oz | |
| Battery advertised mAh | 2200mAh | |
| Battery tested mAh | ||
| Radio manual | CLICK TO DOWNLOAD | |
| Programming software | CLICK TO DOWNLOAD | |
| Price based score 0-5 | ||
| Overall score 0-10 |
Test Images:
If you are interested, click here for an article on how I test radios.
FEATURES:
- Dual-Band 2m/70cm
- Air-Band receive 108-136MHz
- IP67 waterproof
- FM receive 65-108Mhz
- GPS positioning system to obtain position information, coordinate, and distance sharing
- 10 NOAA Weather channel receive
- Weather alarm supports NOAA weather forecast reception in the United States
- Dual watch and dual standby
- Three power levels: High/Medium/Low
- 999 memory channels, CTCSS/DCS encoding and decoding, side key customization function
- VOX hands-free calls, with VOX levels 1-9 optional
- VFO frequency range scanning setting, three scan modes. grouping channel scanning, CTCSS/DCS scanning, and priority channel scanning
| PROS: | CONS: |
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This seems like a good basic set of features, nothing really great, nothing really disappointing. I like the waterproofing and GPS in particular.
Conclusions
The Retevis A1 is an excellent balance of features for the price. With a few tweaks, I could see this easily being a leader in its price range.
My biggest complaint is the screw holding the cover on the side, and honestly, I can take a rotary tool to that (after removing it from the radio of course) and make the edges much more rounded to save my thumb.
I guess the bottom line is, would I recommend this radio? If you are looking for a good quality, durable, dual-band radio with some nice features, then yes, I believe I would. I have always liked the Baofeng UV-9R Plus as a budget dual-band waterproof radio, and I think this Retevis A1 takes that and substantially improves on it. If you really need to save that $10 difference, stick with the Baofeng UV-9R Plus, but if you can swing it, you will really enjoy the Retevis A1.
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