Radioddity QT80 Review

The 10-meter amateur radio band, spanning frequencies from 28.000 to 29.700 MHz, is a part of the high-frequency (HF) spectrum that is widely used by amateur radio operators. This band is known for its unique propagation characteristics, which are influenced by the 11-year solar cycle. During periods of high solar activity, the 10-meter band can support long-distance communications, or “DXing,” making it possible for operators to make contacts worldwide using relatively low power. The band is particularly active during daylight hours, and it can exhibit both ground-wave and sky-wave propagation, the latter being significantly enhanced by ionospheric reflection.

The 10-meter band is also popular due to its wide range of modes and activities. It accommodates various types of emissions, including Morse code (CW), voice (SSB and AM), and digital modes such as PSK31 and FT8. In addition to casual and DX communications, this band supports contests, where operators strive to make as many contacts as possible within a given timeframe. Due to its high frequency, the 10-meter band allows for relatively compact antennas, making it accessible for operators with limited space. Overall, the 10-meter band offers a dynamic and versatile playground for amateur radio enthusiasts, combining technical challenges with opportunities for global communication.

Radioddity is a company specializing in the design, manufacture, and sale of amateur radio equipment, two-way radios, and related accessories. Founded in 2012, Radioddity has established itself as a significant player in the amateur radio community by offering a diverse range of products that cater to both beginners and experienced operators. Their product line includes handheld transceivers, mobile radios, base stations, antennas, and various accessories, often noted for their affordability and user-friendly features.

One of Radioddity’s distinguishing characteristics is its commitment to innovation and customer service. The company frequently updates its product offerings to incorporate the latest technological advancements, ensuring that users have access to modern and reliable equipment. Radioddity also places a strong emphasis on community engagement, providing extensive support through online resources, user manuals, and customer service. This approach has helped the company build a loyal customer base and a reputation for quality and reliability in the amateur radio market.

I have owned Radioddity radios for years now and have never had any issues and found the team over there to be very helpful and accommodating.

The radio like I said earlier is nice and compact but not too small and would be ideal for mobile use. It does not have an internal fan so relies on the huge aluminum heatsink on the rear of the radio, one thing i noticed on initial look was the heatsink goes right under the PL259 antenna socket so larger connections like the Messi and Paoloni for example may be a struggle to screw in the back although this is the fittings i use and managed to get the plug on after a little time, just something to be aware of.

The design is really quite nice, everything is laid out where you would expect to find it and all the buttons and knobs have a nice tactile, satisfying feel to them. Nice work Radioddity!

On the left hand side of the LCD display we have the volume knob to the right next to the 6 pin round mic connector, then directly above that we have the clarifier and squelch knob and then to the left of that we have the RF power and gain control, both the clarifier, squelch and RF power, RF gain knobs are dual purpose so you have an outer and inner knob.

At the top of the display we have the FUNC, mode, band and scan buttons, at the bottom we have mem, TSQ, nrc and emg.

The microphone is also very nice, has a nice size and fits perfectly in the hand, we also have 3 buttons on the top, up and down and PF button that the manual says can be user defined.

The radio powered on and had the key beeps enabled straight from the factory as most radios do, this is easy to change by holding the func key for 2 seconds and going to menu item 01 Keybeep and pushing the channel selector knob and changing to off. Easy first step I do with all my radios. Much better! The colour can also be changed and has a great selection of colours including green, cyan, purple, white and blue. Nice touch and I personally prefer the Cyan colour.

I was just on the air and had an audio report from Wayne G0HIJ who told me the radio sounded nice and clear and that I sounded good on it, thanks Wayne!

The radio can output 80w on AM and SSB and 50W on FM, from my simple tests using an SWR meter this power looks spot on, I would be mindful using the full power on FM as there is no fan to cool it down so may get hot after a while, usually on radios that don’t have a fan, I use a pc fan and cable ties to fasten to the radio to help with cooling. So far whilst testing I find the heat sink to perform well.

The radio also has free programming software you can obtain through their website and is very simple to use and allows you to program the different banks of channels with 40 frequencies of your choice. I usually have 1 bank for 15m and another for 11m etc… you can of course press the channel selector and manually change the frequency at any time, you can also press the selector knob repeatedly and change the number, for example 5Khz, 10Khz etc….

The radio is also packed with features too! There’s so much to list but has your usual features like display colour, key beeps CTCSS etc… but also has many other features including auto squelch, this has 4 settings and is fantastic! I use it all the time! The radio can also do split frequency operations for using the 10m repeaters for example.

The radio is also packed with features too! There’s so much to list but has your usual features like display colour, key beeps CTCSS etc… but also has many other features including auto squelch, this has 4 settings and is fantastic! I use it all the time! The radio can also do split frequency operations for using the 10m repeaters for example, VOX, display dimmer, there’s a total of 37 menu items that can be played around with and adjusted. You can also factory reset so feel free to play around with the settings, any issues you have, menu 37 is the factory reset option.

As soon as the radio arrived I was super impressed with it, had some great contacts and had great audio reports! This is a menu driven radio but it’s quite a simple one, the buttons above and below have dual purposes and that’s it really, no more complex than that. The build quality is fantastic like all the other Radioddity products I own!

If you are looking for a 10 meter radio or the extra 15, 11, 12m band also then this is a great radio at a fair price, I have linked their shop page below on their logo, just click that and check the price, things may change over time.

Thank you to Radioddity for sending me the radio to review and I will enjoy it for years to come.