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PostPosted: Tue Jun 05, 2018 2:09 pm 
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Joined: Mon Jan 03, 2005 1:17 am
Posts: 2591
Location: Not Gulfport
I picked up the RT4 off E-Bay for a pretty good price. Shipping was free and took less than one week from HK thanks to a new delivery service.

See this page for pictures and specifications: https://network-radios.com/index.php/pr ... glte-wifi/

(I'd recommend buying from E-Bay as you'll possibly save yourself $80 or more.)

This unit is primarily aimed at Zello users but it can be used in multiple ways. It has (2) SIM slots (Standard & Micro) for 4G/LTE connectivity and a MicroSDHC slot for extra storage. The RT4 runs Android 6.0 and appears to be a locked OS so there's no firmware upgrade option. No idea if Radio Tone will offer an upgrade or not.

The physical features of the RT4 are pretty good. It feels just like a MotoTRBO XPR 7550 radio [i.e. plastic shell] but it's super-lightweight even with the 4600mah battery. The antenna is only for GPS. There's no RF output from the RT4. There's a Motorola-like connector on the side but its pin-out configuration is different. Motorola accessories do NOT work with this unit. Sadly there's no dedicated earphone output jack. This would have been nice for discrete communication. The RT4 does have front & back (2MP & 8MP) cameras.

Setting up the RT4 is pretty easy but it's kind of a pain with the VERY tiny screen. Pushing virtual keys on the Android keyboard is frustrating. The keyboard can be used but it's also frustrating. Setting up Wi-Fi is also kind of a challenge but it may not be hard -- depending on how your Wi-Fi is set up.

I went to the Android PLAY app store and updated my current applications. Curiously, Zello wasn't listed. I launched Zello for the first time and it immediately alerted me to an app update. It came with Zello 3.69 installed. I updated to version 3.75 and logged in with my user account. The microphone is very sensitive and easily picks up background noise. Fortunately Zello has a "Noise Supression" option and this helps with about 50% of that extra noise. It's a worthwhile feature to have checked. I had to set my recording amplifier to -12db (2 full S-Units) to keep my voice at a stable volume. Nothing else was changed. Testing audio through the Echo channel seemed good. I'll need more user input before knowing more about the RT4's audio quality over Zello.

Zello limits users to one device per account so I couldn't test between my iPhone and RT4.

The overall performance of the RT4 is comparable to an Android smartphone from 2012 -- slow. I wouldn't recommend using this as a primary phone for most people especially heavy internet users.

The RT4 can also be use for Amateur Radio chat (think EchoLink) presuming you have a valid Amateur license.

The RT4 is also a phone but I haven't confirmed/verified its functionality as yet. One issue that I've discovered but not yet fully confirmed is that the RT4 doesn't appear to have an "earpiece" speaker. I'll confirm this soon.

Charging the RT4 is done with a standard MicroUSB cable/adapter that is included. Radio Tone also offers a single unit desk charger option.

Feel free to ask any questions... or think of more apps that might be fun to try out on the RT4.

Here's a pretty good video review from a YouTuber: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAcaZYnFCuc


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