TIDRadio TD-H3 Review

TIDRadio TD-H3

Seems like there is no shortage of new Amateur Band and GMRS radios out there for sale.  Today we’ll take a look at the TIDRadio TD-H3.  TIDRadio has been around since 2013, however, this is the first one of their radios I have owned.  They are available on Amazon for about $32.  When you see what this radio can do you will recognize that $32 is a STEAL.

This radio follows a trend that I, and many others have noticed.  The consumer wants a radio that can do it all despite any FCC rules or regulations stating otherwise.  The buying public seems to want radios that can be unlocked to do much more than they are certified to do.

And that is pretty much what we have here with the TIDRadio TD-H3.  It should be noted that if you buy the Amateur TD-H3 (HAM) it doesn’t break any rules.  When you buy the TD-H3 (GMRS) version it is also set up for GMRS rules and regs.

It is when the owner unlocks the radio is where the fun begins.  Again, it seems like this is what radio customers want these days.
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Unlocked Ham Radios

The FCC started getting serious about the importation of unlocked ham radios sometime around 2019 or so.  An unlocked radio is one that transmits on frequencies not intended for the  type of radio that it is.  For example, a GMRS radio should not be able to transmit on amateur radio frequencies and vice versa.  Some folks also refer to this as jailbreaking although that term is more synonymous with cellular phones or game consoles.

The rules regarding the importation and sale of such radios in the US is pretty clear, especially regarding any Family Radio Services such as FRS, GMRS, and MURS.
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Is There A Single Radio That Can Do Amateur Radio And GMRS?

This is kind of a trick question.  Technically, there are radios capable of doing this.  And you can buy these radios today.  The inherent problem though is that these radios violate the United States Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 47 and FCC Rules and Regulations for Amateur Radio and General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) radios to include Family Radio Service (FRS) and Multi Use Radio Service (MURS).

Baofeng UV-5R Pre-2021

Actually, a few years ago there were radios being imported into the United States that were capable of VHF/UHF, FRS, GMRS, and MURS.

If you bought the venerable Baofeng UV-5R prior to 2021 you had all these capabilities.   In 2021 the FCC started disallowing the importation of radios that didn’t meet newly written regulations.

Subsequently, I bought several of these things when I first got my FCC License and still have them all.   The UV-5R’s prior to 2021 were the magic radios that did it all.
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