leixen VV-898 Dual Band Radio Car VHF/UHF 10 W DTMF 60 dB

Some rather cruel reviews regarding this little mobile rig. It isn't a Yaesu or Icom, but for a budget dual band radio it performs well, with decent TX audio and a reasonable receiver. Programming repeater channels etc is fairly easy with the supplied instruction booklet. The tiny internal speaker is fine for indoor use, bit distorts at high volume so an external loudspeaker would be recommended for using the radio /mobile. For the price, the Leixen VV-898 appears a bargain, and after a few months regular use I have had no problems with mine. Please be aware, that like most Chinese imported radios, it can transmit outside the permitted 'Ham radio 2m and 70cm bands and may well be supplied with random RX/TX frequencies. It easy to clear and overwrite these without a PC and programming software.

A cheap and cheerful little dual band radio that works reasonably well for the price.Basically it's a PMR radio which has a few features that will not be needed by Amateur Radio operators.This thing is tiny compared to other dual band radios.Programming can be a challenge without the cable and software but is easily mastered.I managed to find a cable on a well known auction site for £4.99 which came from China and the programming software was a free download from http://www.miklor.com/VV898/VV-Software.phpIt obviously is not going to be in the same league as an Icom or Yaesu rig it is still a worthwhile purchase if you want dual band capability in your car, van or shack without spending a fortune.It can be run from the cig lighter socket without problems as it only draws 1.8A when transmitting on 10 Watts.Overall I am pleased with the radio but it does suffer from interference from nearby transmitters.I have found the receiver to be just as sensitive as an Icom Handheld radio so no problems with it being deaf, well at least not on the one I bought anyway.There are much better radios out there but certainly not at this price.

The radio I received had intermittent receive and transmit. I received a refund after having trouble returning it as the address was not accepted by the post office or a courier. It took a trip to the post office and multiple phone calls to a call centre to finally arrange a refund as the communication over the phone was less than perfect.

excellent. If the radio is to be used on amateur radio and their repeaters then a programming disk and lead should be obtained. This enables the memory channels to be set as needed. There are some slight differences in the models so the disk must be compatible, though an internet programme called CHIRP may work.

Nice radio, won't program via CHIRP but the official software I downloaded worked ..Very fiddly to program, and I have problems with not allowing me to program above 450MHz even though it states 470Mhz as upper limit

Great value for money. A little tricky learning to program but works perfectly.

Great little radio very loud good TX RX so small great punch low wattage can be used in cigarette lighter port

Excellent product. A little hard to program from the radio itself the instructions aren't the best, but once you do figure it out it works perfectly. Size is extremely handy, fits perfectly in the car without even noticing its there! Fantastic little performer. Will be purchasing multiple more in the future.