ABOUT THE NEW BATCH OF CHINESE DIGITAL RADIOS

A $200 DMR radio is just that, a bottom of the line product. You get what you pay for! The $200 DMR radio meets the needs of +95% of the world wide users for which the radio was designed (non-ham market).

The $800 (street price) DMR radio is better quality, better software, and better batteries. But it also NOT the quality of a $3,000+ radio used by many public safety organizations.

Even if you look at the typical Amateur Radio market radio from Yaesu, Icom and Kenwood; this is a wide range of radios for HF from bottom end models (<$1000) through radio retailing for over $15,000. Hams buy what they can afford, some start at the low end and upgrade if they can afford over time.

If you want a better quality DMR radio, buy a top of the line Mototrbo or Hytera. They cost about four times or more then the $200 radio and programming software will cost you extra. If you buy an XPR7550 at a ham friendly price (~$800), remember the programming software will cost you $260 for a three year subscription and you will need an $80 programming cable; you can even add on FPP (Front Panel Programming) for about $250.

The CS-700 created a large influx of new DMR users in the ham bands because of the price and willingness of Jerry to support the hobby by making the business decision to enter a new market.

Hams are typically cheap, they want low prices, quality service, and also seldom support the common infrastructure (aka repeater systems) they use. You have repeaters and networks to use because of the hard work of a few and the individuals who shoulder the expenses of operating and maintaining the infrastructure.