Zastone X6/Retevis RT22

[dreadlocks]

Starting a thread on this since I hijacked Midland's thread talking trash



Key Points:

• Chinese Radios, not FCC Approved
• Programmable w/Chirp for GMRS Bandplan
• Supports Duplex Programming (Supports Repeaters)
• USB Field Charging
• No Display, Rugged, Simple
• Lightweight and Small
• Cheap - $16 shipped each
• Multi-Gang Charger Available

Flaws:

• RX Tones dont seem to work, it will TX tones but is wide open on RX..
• Power Cycling radios unlocks em if you lock buttons (hold ch down)
• Chirp Files Might need to be hacked to talk to Zastones since its looking for a Retevis model reply.
• FCC Might Block import/sale of these at any moment.
• PROGRAMMING IS REQUIRED
• GMRS LICENSE IS REQUIRED

I used these all last season w/and without my repeater online, range and audio quality were on par for specs/price.. Many kids played with em and they all came back in good working order despite the typical bike crashes and other abuse kids dish out.

If my changes to the radio spec files have not made it into the latest release of Chirp I'll dig my changes out and post em here.. Currently I got em on a RPi that I used for programming these and its not online ATM or I'd just do it already.. hopefully Chirp merged my changes into a later release and it works OTB right now.

The 6 Gang Charger operates off 5v, I got a 12v to 5v 5A Buck Converter, soldered on a 2.1 x 5.5mm barrel plug and wired it directly into my 12VDC system behind a switch.

Links:

• Zastone X6 on Amazon
• Retevis RT22 on Amazon
• 6 Gang Charger on Amazon
• 6 Gang Charger + 6 Radios on Amazon
• Programming Cable on Amazon (this is the one I used, there are many that will work)

Let the discussion commence..

 

[sonoronos]

good review. what's the problem?

 

[dreadlocks]

problem? nothing really.. I just mentioned these in passing in another thread for another radio started by a forum sponsor and kinda derailed the entire discussion towards these.. so I decided to give it a legit review and its own post just to be nice to poor Midland.

 

[Billoftt]

problem? nothing really.. I just mentioned these in passing in another thread for another radio started by a forum sponsor and kinda derailed the entire discussion towards these.. so I decided to give it a legit review and its own post just to be nice to poor Midland.

I would like to take this moment to also apologize for my contribution the the thread-derailment of a sponsor.

 

[carleton]

Any step by step tips for programming these? I've tried multiple cords, multiple computers, multiple programs (CHIRP and the Retevis software), and I just can't get these to initially connect. Would like to know more about your programming setup so I can replicate it. They came programmed to GMRS but they are toned out, so I've taken to programming special channels on my baofeng just to communicate with these.

 

[pyrate]

I would like to pick up a set of these for traveling but also for emergency management jobs. I do contract work for various govt agencies when there are national disasters and getting comms set up is always an issue. I have my HAM license but most don't as they are part of law enforcement / fire and have various radios. I'd like to use something like this to get everyone on the same page. But I am curious about the programming. If I buy more than one set, do I need to program them to all? Also, if some others have their own radios, how do I sort out if they are compatible?

 

[carleton]

I answered my own Q recently: updating CHIRP in late 2021 finally allowed connectivity to these units! Now I've got 10 channels of GMRS programmed, then the remaining are local 70cm repeater channels. It's great.

Pyrate:
They are handy for traveling, if you can program them. At $15/each, I've got no problem handing one programmed to GMRS to a friend, and if it's dropped in a puddle I'm not going to sweat it.
Out of the box these were compatible with each other, but hard to find compatibility with other radios.
I backcountry ski alot, for example, so it took a lot of guess & test to see which channels lined up with my friend's BCA radios. Now that I can program them, I have my channels lined up with BCA's channels.

Compatibility with Fire & Law Enforcement can be tricky, though. 1) They would need to be in the 70cm band and 2) They would have to be analog/unencrypted. Most of those agencies that I know of have gone digital, and these radios are not compatible with that.

Once you have figured out what frequencies work for all parties, however, CHIRP makes it easy to program a list, after that it only takes 10 secs per radio to program.

I would like to pick up a set of these for traveling but also for emergency management jobs. I do contract work for various govt agencies when there are national disasters and getting comms set up is always an issue. I have my HAM license but most don't as they are part of law enforcement / fire and have various radios. I'd like to use something like this to get everyone on the same page. But I am curious about the programming. If I buy more than one set, do I need to program them to all? Also, if some others have their own radios, how do I sort out if they are compatible?

 

[pyrate]

I answered my own Q recently: updating CHIRP in late 2021 finally allowed connectivity to these units! Now I've got 10 channels of GMRS programmed, then the remaining are local 70cm repeater channels. It's great.

Pyrate:
They are handy for traveling, if you can program them. At $15/each, I've got no problem handing one programmed to GMRS to a friend, and if it's dropped in a puddle I'm not going to sweat it.
Out of the box these were compatible with each other, but hard to find compatibility with other radios.
I backcountry ski alot, for example, so it took a lot of guess & test to see which channels lined up with my friend's BCA radios. Now that I can program them, I have my channels lined up with BCA's channels.

Compatibility with Fire & Law Enforcement can be tricky, though. 1) They would need to be in the 70cm band and 2) They would have to be analog/unencrypted. Most of those agencies that I know of have gone digital, and these radios are not compatible with that.

Once you have figured out what frequencies work for all parties, however, CHIRP makes it easy to program a list, after that it only takes 10 secs per radio to program.

Thanks very much. Right now I have a friend with a set of rugged radios and trying o sort out how to program them. I can hear him but he cannot hear me.
As for disaster relief / LEO’s we are using GMRS radios for our site communication, not emergency frequencies, so I think this is still one of the best options. The goal is that when several of us show up at the same site we can program them in minute and be in business.

 

[carleton]

Thanks very much. Right now I have a friend with a set of rugged radios and trying o sort out how to program them. I can hear him but he cannot hear me.
As for disaster relief / LEO’s we are using GMRS radios for our site communication, not emergency frequencies, so I think this is still one of the best options. The goal is that when several of us show up at the same site we can program them in minute and be in business.

Hard to explain, but the Xastone/Retevis radios I had came pre-toned for send & receive. It was the equivalent of having a "privacy" subchannel on a GMRS radio. IE, "Channel 1 on my Retevis" was the equivalent of "Channel 3rivacy code 4 on my friend's BCA radio." So, we messed around until we found a combo that worked for both, then we just kept it there.

Not sure if those Rugged Radios are re-programmable (many of them appear to be a UV-5r that they have re-branded).

Otherwise, seems like you are figuring it out. Good luck!