"AUSCB" Handheld UHF CB - Pretty Box, but Does It Live up to All The Claims in Its eBay Listing?

IVI on 20/04/2019 - 02:22
Last edited 20/04/2019 - 08:52 by 1 other user

$109 + $14.95 seems cheap for a radio that claims to be Approved, [hyped] with spec's one would like.

Most buyers wouldn't be able to check its "better than the competition" claims. No idea where it's made (gotta be an Asian maker). Has Someone maybe found a maker who might be happy to put anything on its packaging?

Is there an ACMA web page, that lists all the makes and models it has approved?

From the listing alone:

The only claim I find easy to "disprove,"from my armchair is "lotsa accessories". If it's all they say it is, it might be good
value, but for some reason I have my doubts.

Prove me wrong with your insider or tech lab tests of a random sample. The kind of evidence-based info, that Hams find & expect in the reviews, eg, in QST, etc. (Of course, many hams have & know how to use the test equipment needed to carry-out the tests that answer such questions.)

With China's sales figures dropping, and its economy less than at its peak, maybe an Asian entrepreneur has found an overpriced Aussie market to compete with, eg, by relabelling an existing low-end radio…? Or, better, put the kind of $$ into pushing an unknown exising radio thru the [costly] Australian Approval process…?

Anyone here know more about the maker, its radio &/or its vendor(s), out there? What can you tell us, to help fill-in the blanks…? Has anyone here bought one, and put it through some testing, to check its claims?

Electrical & Electronics

Comments

  • Melb69 on 20/04/2019 - 03:14
    +3

    You need to link the specific add with specs I think for ppl to help. If on ebay you can always dispute if an issue with product meeting claim as per description. Paypal.

    • IVI on 11/05/2019 - 04:59

      The thought of paying Return-shipment
      for my trouble doesn't impress.

      Someone with eBay (or is it PayPal) +
      might not have to pay that cost.

      (Does the "AUSCB" label, on the radio
      in listing's photo, seem a bit Photo-
      shopped, to anyone else…?)

      • eug on 11/05/2019 - 16:29

        The thought of paying Return-shipment
        for my trouble doesn't impress.

        PayPal will cover the return cost.
        https://www.paypal.com/au/webapps/mpp/returns

        • IVI on 04/06/2019 - 17:51

          Are you assuming I have eBay or PayPal PLUS?

          • eug on 04/06/2019 - 22:20

            @IVI: Did you click on that link? Paypal covers the cost of a return up to $45 per return, 8 returns each year.

      • Kendaric on 16/05/2019 - 09:28

        IVI on 11/05/2019 - 04:59
        The thought of paying Return-shipment
        for my trouble doesn't impress.

        • Are you serious?!
        • IVI on 04/06/2019 - 17:52

          I don't want to have to Return something I'm not sure I want to buy, nor would I want to pay to ship it "home"

          No case to answer

  • [Deactivated] on 20/04/2019 - 06:53
    +1

    https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/264208386058
    https://feedback.ebay.com.au/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedba…

    Re-badged somethin' almost certainly, but lotsa IVI-level enthusiastic feedback on specific item, and on the seller.
    Maybe at that price just buy and justified discover, one way or the other.

    • IVI on 11/05/2019 - 05:03

      A neutral Feedback:

      0 "Product cheap for a reason"

      seemed to be for a ~$9 listen-
      only earphone. Reply comment &
      action-taken seemed OK to me.

      • [Deactivated] on 11/05/2019 - 08:33

        Yes

  • pegaxs on 20/04/2019 - 07:13

    Is it A-tick/C-tick approved?

    Read about approval here on the ACMA website

    Search for equipment and suppliers approval on the ERAC website

    Side note: Your post formatting is terrible.

    • whooah1979 on 20/04/2019 - 08:18
      +2

      It must be Easter because this IVI post is actually readable.

      • blitz on 20/04/2019 - 10:38

        Nope, a mod edited the original post. More work for the mods. :/

    • IVI on 11/05/2019 - 05:07
      -1

      I'd rather see the List of Approved gear

      FCC trumps TheACMA, by archiving manuals
      [+some test results] for each radio they
      approve; often info Not in User a manual
      is available, online, from FCC.

      I've yet to find TheACMA's Approved list

      Any1 know where it's hiding? ;~/

  • WreckTangle on 20/04/2019 - 09:44

    Is that you Candy Cane?

  • eug on 20/04/2019 - 10:14

    Hmm, is it really that cheap? $123.95 delivered seems to be about what I'd expect to pay for a no-name radio seeing that this brand-name GME TX6160 with the same sensitivity and output power is $196.85 delivered, with the bonus of an IP67 rating and larger 2,600mAh battery.

    The eBay seller does have a point about selling direct too, the fewer people there are in between you and the manufacturer, the cheaper a product can be. If GME sold direct to the consumer at wholesale prices and didn't have to pay for any advertising, their radios would probably cost the same.

    But seeing that they're a pretty new mob, it might be a bit of a gamble as to whether or not they'll still be around in 2 years when you need to do a warranty claim or need to buy a new battery.

    • IVI on 11/05/2019 - 05:13

      Good points.

      Crystal DBH50R is another
      (eBay showed me this when
      I scrolled down… YMMV):

    • Kendaric on 11/05/2019 - 13:23

      That is very cheap for a 5W GME. When I was looking to buy another handheld, I asked the local Jaycar store why the GME's on ebay were so much cheaper? He reply was interesting.

      According to him, that these ebay stores are selling the radio at wholesale plus ebay and postage costs. They then claim back from the supplier a rebate on the number of radios sold, which was apparently about 8%. So they are working on an 8% profit margin, and relying on massive turnover to make any money.

      He was particularly annoyed that these supply companies are not looking after their bricks & mortar customers.

      However this is just hearsay, and I don't think he liked me asking the question.

      • eug on 11/05/2019 - 16:36

        He was particularly annoyed that these supply companies are not looking after their bricks & mortar customers.

        Ryda is a bricks and mortar store in NSW though. Jaycar sells the same radio for $249.

        • Kendaric on 11/05/2019 - 18:12

          Ryda may be doing the same thing, and relying primarily on on-line sales. Can't say that I have seen other bricks and mortar electronic shops selling GME for less than $249 (being the version with minimum accessories).

          But point taken.

  • Baysew on 20/04/2019 - 11:10
    +1

    Anyone here know more about the maker

    Read your bible.

    • IVI on 11/05/2019 - 05:22

      Did I ask about the Maker…?
      Nope

      PS My current bible is:

      • "Thorium - Energy for the World"
        (Springer, 2016, a Costly Book!)

      UniSA student can get its PDF Free
      from their uni Library

      Here's Why the Liquid-Fuel Thorium
      (ie, in an MSR) is so good:

      YouTube: "Pedersen TEDxCopenhagen"

      You gotta LOVE Nuclear Energy -or-
      help the World change Solar Panels
      & maintain Wind Generators forever

      Cf: http://RoadMapToNowhere.com

      If you haven't done the Math don't
      send your Complaint about Nuclear+
      MSR, due~2030, until you have. :~)

      • Baysew on 11/05/2019 - 11:02

        Did I ask about the Maker…?

        Yep, that is your direct quote.

        Did anybody ask about Liquid-Fuel Thorium?

        Nope.

        • IVI on 04/06/2019 - 17:59

          First, your Earlier quote had lower-case "m"
          Now, I see Upper Case "M"

          On Liq.Fuel Th, maybe they Should ask &
          "KNOW New Nukes"

          Latest Reports are:

          Earth's getting Warmer… Faster
          than expected :Climate Scientists

          • Baysew on 06/06/2019 - 12:19

            @IVI: I took those quotes directly from you.

          • Kendaric on 07/06/2019 - 18:16

            @IVI: IVI said - Earth's getting Warmer… Faster
            than expected :Climate Scientists

            False false false

            You mean Climate Scientologists

              • Kendaric on 17/06/2019 - 14:00

                @[Deactivated]: Yes, and I could show just many links to show the opposite.

                Here is an interesting one: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexepstein/2013/11/07/the-chur…

                The sun and sunspot activity drives our climate, not man made carbon emissions. It really is a no brainer.

                None of the predictions made about climate change that were suppose have occurred by now have happened, and often the opposite is true. People like Al Gore have vested interests in sprouting their doomsday rubbish.

                Certainly we should want to breathe cleaner air for the sake of breathing cleaner air, but this is not the way to do it with lies and falsehoods.

                • [Deactivated] on 01/02/2021 - 19:51
                  -1

                  @Kendaric: No brainer is an apt description for your completely misinformed and scientifically erroneous climate comments.

                  I'm all ears though so have a go at answering these simple questions.

                  (1) What changes have there been to sun activity during the last 50 years and how is that driving warming?
                  (2) What "predictions" - to use your woefully ignorant language (climate scientists don't make predictions, they model scenarios) - haven't happened?
                  (3) What vested interest does Gore have?
                  (4) What "lies and falsehoods" are legitimate climate scientists guilty of?
                  (5) What's your evidence for claiming the earth isn't warming?
                  (6) Where do the billions of tons of man-made greenhouse gas magically disappear to in a closed system - and why wouldn't they have a similar effect on climate warming like non man-made greenhouse did in the past?

                  If you feel like learning about a topic you clearly know nothing about here's a very good starting point. Skeptical Science. No doubt you'll be particularly shocked to see what the science and data says about sun activity - or myth #2 on the website.

  • Kendaric on 22/04/2019 - 14:06

    I bought one of these about 2 years ago, but not off ebay, but their website which is about 10% cheaper, for $99 (no ebay fees to cover apparently). It is still going strong. I use it for traffic control, and the battery lasts all day whilst working. Works as good as the previous GME, though it has a few less user features that I didn't use anyway.

    Having a look at the links shown above for the seller - seems they have been on ebay since Jan 2014, so for just over 5 years, so one would assume they are not a "fly by nighter". Surely if they were not approved, the ACMA would have been all over them by now. From memory, the seller was in some town in Queensland, according to the tracking, but I can't remember which.

    Pretty much all handhelds are coming out of asia - GME, Uniden and even Motorola, just to name a few.

    • IVI on 11/05/2019 - 05:27

      I doubt Motorola's high-end radio
      - for First Responders - are Asia-
      made.

      UHF CB gear has dropped, or maybe
      have been low, compared to ICOM's
      radio.

      Omicom (or similar) from likes of
      RepCo, etc. but some are 1w or 2w
      not 5w.

      • eug on 11/05/2019 - 20:51
        +1

        I doubt Motorola's high-end radio - for First Responders - are Asia- made.

        Why? Their Panasonic ToughBooks are made in Taiwan. Do you think simply being made in an Asian country means they are inferior? Does Apple produce inferior products?

        Is Mexican manufacturing superior to Malaysian manufacturing? What other quality Mexican-made products do you know?

        • IVI on 04/06/2019 - 18:07

          I didn't know that

          (Who can afford a new ToughBook?
          Maybe older ones came from JP??)

          I like Singpore-made Kenwood ham
          radios (older ones, at least)

          In one (older model), however,
          the Engineering (choice of part
          or part-maker) could better…

          A combo Power Switch + SQL+Vol
          control failed regularly, & was
          have to replace, I understand.

          TM-700A All-mode mobile 2m Xceiver
          (said to have a Terrific Receiver,
          until such a part failed…)

  • Kendaric on 11/05/2019 - 12:06
    +4

    Motorola's are made in Malaysia, or at least the ones I have seen. Aren't all Motorola's relatively high end? My understanding was that one of the reasons they took over Vertex Standard in Australia was to cover the mid/lower end of the market.

    The Oricom 5500-1 is a 5W radio.

    Up to about 5 years ago, Oricom and Crystal only did 1W or 2W radios, but in the last 5 years they both started doing 5W'ers.

    Icom's are a great radio, have used them for work, but I have found them to be a little deaf over long range (not an issue in traffic control), but built very well. You may be correct that some quality has dropped as companies struggle to remain competitive with price, but one assumes that they still have to pass approval testing. This is probably why the likes of baofeng will never pass approvals.

    The GME TX6155/60 and Uniden UH850S are literally the same radio with some minor cosmetic differences and functions.

    I am around handhelds all the time for work, and there are many different types, so being a 'first responder' does not make me ignorant.

    You asked the question about the AUSCB, and several people answered, but you seemed determined not to like the answer. As other respondent replied, their feedback of "lotsa level enthusiastic feedback on specific item, and on the seller" is a pretty good gauge. Having deal with ebay before, only about 1 in 4 buyers leave any feedback, and people are more likely to leave bad feedback than good if not happy - I'd say that speaks volumes. I don't generally ever leave any feedback for an ebay purchase unless I am impressed. Ebay is a cutthroat place for a seller.

    • [Deactivated] on 11/05/2019 - 14:21
      +3

      The crux of the matter is that OP has a much loved cat.

      Good chance that radio delivered would be sent in an outer-box perfect for his cat to sit in.

      Yet he continues to, heartlessly, delay.
      Why?

      OP is a very good egg, indeed, but maybe slightly irradiated?
      :(

    • eug on 11/05/2019 - 16:43

      Aren't all Motorola's relatively high end?

      Here, yeah. Overseas, their Talkabout series are just average. They used to sell them here but it looks like they've stopped.

      The Waris series (GP3xx) is pretty old, but they have excellent audio - much more full-bodied than e.g. the Icom IC-41W, Midland G18XT, Baofengs, etc. They're build solid too.

      The Jedi series is meant to be even better, but they're not very common here.

      • Kendaric on 12/05/2019 - 13:38

        The Talkabout radios seem primarily for the US PMR market, sort of like our CB, but only 16 channels at 446Mhz and 0.5W.

        Our UHF CB standard would walk rings around that. The Australian UHF CB is pretty unique compared to the rest of the world. It is only shared with New Zealand and PNG. I bet the ACMA are kicking themselves for giving it away to the public.

        Those Waris radios you mentioned seem pretty dam solid, but can't say I'd be liking to wear that on my hip for work. How much of that is to get the capacity out of a Ni-Cad battery - something a Li-ion battery reduces?

        Li-ion battery capacities can be misleading (or even overstated the same way antenna gain is) - and it all comes down to the radios inherent battery save/management system if it has one. There are also trade-off with that, like initial receive lag if the radio has been idle for a while. If I get 8-12 hours out of a battery for average work, I am happy happy. Been many of radios in the past that did not.

        I wonder if some of the "battery ratings" are based not on true capacity, but equivalent theoretical capacity due to battery management - the same way antenna gain is exaggerated, by using dBi figures, and adding theoretical gain over a ground plane. I remember when the 4.5dB mobile antenna magically started being marketed as a 6dB.

        GME states a greatly increased battery capacity recently for such a small battery - unless now they are using poly li-ions - but they don't say this, and poly li-ions can present problems with shipping. If I had to guess, I would say that this is not a true capacity, but a theoretical marketing capacity.

        • eug on 12/05/2019 - 15:28

          The Talkabout radios seem primarily for the US PMR market, sort of like our CB, but only 16 channels at 446Mhz and 0.5W.

          Yeah as I said, it used to be sold here which of course means it would be a UHF CB radio and not PMR.

          Those Waris radios you mentioned seem pretty dam solid, but can't say I'd be liking to wear that on my hip for work.

          They're smaller than an Icom IC-41W. Of course, if you pick the larger non-Plus model, it'd be about the same size.

          I wonder if some of the "battery ratings" are based not on true capacity, but equivalent theoretical capacity due to battery management

          Battery ratings are all in mAh which is standard, although Wh would be better for comparison purposes. Stated battery life should always follow the 5/5/90 "standard".

          GME states a greatly increased battery capacity recently for such a small battery - unless now they are using poly li-ions - but they don't say this, and poly li-ions can present problems with shipping.

          Do you mean LiPo batteries? Why wouldn't GME use them?
          That's what mobile phones use, and there definitely are no additional problems shipping them anywhere compared to LiIon.

          If I had to guess, I would say that this is not a true capacity, but a theoretical marketing capacity.

          GME has a good reputation, I doubt they'd be lying.

          • Kendaric on 16/05/2019 - 09:43

            @eug: I don't know about lying, but certainly massaging the truth for marketing purposes. Same way they they will often say "designed in Australia" which really means modified overseas to suit Australian requirements. No competitive brand is immune to it.

            As mentioned before, when antenna gain figures were magically increased, to remain competitive, GME were amongst the first to do so. I can't blame them for that. Why should batteries be any different?

            Also Battery capacity is nothing when not related to the radios battery management system, if it has one. Even with battery management, you don't get something for nothing.

            • eug on 17/05/2019 - 01:10

              @Kendaric:

              Why should batteries be any different?

              It's pretty easy to measure a battery's capacity compared to measuring gain of an antenna. It's also a lot easier to notice poor battery life compared to poor reception as there are many more factors involved with reception. i.e. it's much easier to get away with antenna gain than it is with battery capacity.

              What was the deal with the antenna gain? How did they raise the figures?

              Also Battery capacity is nothing when not related to the radios battery management system

              That's why they just state battery capacity. :)

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