Review Of Retevis RT29

Background

So, yes I am a radio guy – or rather a guy who enjoys radios. I use radios for many different uses:

Ham
Camping/Family Outings
GMRS
Keeping track of my kids
Neighborhood Watch
Emergency Preparedness

Not all radios are created equal, not all radios are good nor have most of the features desired. Sometimes it’s hard to find a radio that has exactly what you want – and not what you don’t want, and even if you come close, that radio may not be suitable for another purpose, meaning you end up buying different radios to suit different needs. There is a literal flood of the US market of Chinese radios from a number of manufacturers; TYT, Baofeng, Retevis, Hytera, Tytera, Samcom, Anytone, Ailunce, Radioddity, etc. Each brand seems to copycat the others, and often times, you find two different Chinese radios that look the same, but have different branding. Sure: the Chinese have perfected the art of copy-cattery! Quality also tends to greatly vary with Chinese brand radios – everything from pure junk to actually decent.

In this review, I will focus more on the Retevis RT29, and why I actually like this radio. It’s not often that I am impressed with something that I am actually willing to write about it, so Retevis has done something special that puts the RT29 in a class of its own. The RT29 is perfectly designed for those who are looking for a radio that is easy to use, yet has the durability and power to withstand tough conditions and use.

What I Like

IP67 Rated – I actually threw mine in the pool and though it doesn’t float, it survived the dunking, so the IP67 claim is TRUE! Ease of mind when using near the pool or waterfront.
No Frills – Simple controls make this radio easy to operate, even for a lay person who is not familiar with radios. There’s no way anyone could misconfigure the radio accidentally or intentionally in the field – other than an accidental channel change.
Tough and extremely rugged polycarbonate casing ensures that if dropped, this radio is more likely to survive the mis-hap. I actually threw one across the room on a hard floor, just like Motorola salesmen have been known to do during demos. The RT29 was totally fine with only a minor scratch.
HUGE (and I mean beefy) 3200mAh battery ensures this radio will last all day, and then some, even with a moderate amount of transmitting. I find that this radio is one of my longer lasting radios in my arsenal – definitely great for the outdoors.
Free straight-forward programming software lets you configure this radio for any need: Ham, GMRS, Land Mobile, etc. Wide or narrow band capable, and supports standard CTCSS or DCS (sometimes called PL and DPL) coded squelch for selective calling or use with repeaters.
8 Selectable “scramble” codes to choose from when programming. These make your voice unintelligible to eavesdroppers.
Currently (as of this writing) available in TWO colors: Black and Orange – which help to make radios more readily identifiable by color. This makes quick identification possible by programming radios of similar color to certain channel sets where desired. ie. my kids use the orange radios which are set for lower power and only certain channels, whereas my black radios have a mix of GMRS and Ham channels. This helps me ensure that the correct radio is issued/used, and that my kid doesn’t accidentally end up on a Ham repeater.
Super LOUD robust audio output from the speaker! That makes this radio an excellent choice for outdoor or indoor noisy environments. NOTE: if the radio does go in water, the output of the speaker is noticeably diminished until all water is cleared from the speaker.
10 watt output on HIGH! Plenty of power to go the distance! Can easily hit repeaters tens of miles away, and also does well on simplex (direct). We live in a hilly area with lots of houses, and I can stay in touch with my kids even when they are in other neighborhoods within a few miles.
There’s an available 6 gang charger which is awesome if you have several units.
Removable antenna – allows you to connect the handset to a mobile or base antenna with just an easily sourced adaptor.
RT 29 has a tapped battery, allowing the radio to stay in the charge cradle on standby, without fear of damaging the battery. (look at the 3 gold contacts on the back) radios having batteries with only 2 contacts – you can’t do this without damage to the battery!
Lastly: NO SILLY STUPID easily breakable tabs that can break off the battery (usually from a fall) that can then prevent the battery from securely latching on. I have seen many Chinese radios that have batteries with a fragile plastic tab at the top that hooks into a push-button release and THIS IS THE STUPIDEST latching mechanism EVER!! Retevis did not design the RT29 battery with this fatal flaw, and THANK GOD FOR THAT! Anyone who has owned a Radioddity GD-77 KNOWS what I’m talking about!

What I Don’t Like – Suggestions For Improvement

There’s not much to dislike about the RT29. If I had to say something, I would probably say that the belt clip could be better. I have had some occasions where I clipped the radio to my jeans and getting in and out of the car, sometimes made the radio fall off. I think the belt clip could be more robust to help solve this problem.
I would love to see the RT29 available in more colors – the reason is that having more colors to choose from allows one to “color code” groups of radios that are setup in different ways; ie. Community Watch, GMRS, Ham, Emergency, etc. Because these radios do not have screens, programming the radios to purpose by color makes for super easy “no brainer” identification when issuing them out to people for use, and making sure that the correct radio is issued. I would LOVE to see the following colors become available: Red, Neon Green/Yellow, Royal Purple

Pretty please Retevis???