FDC-288 UHF 400-470 Mhz HT

Well, another little Chinese cheapie has shown up in the mail in the usual way marked as a "toy" and a declared value of only $25 USD on the box. The FDC 288 is the upgraded or dare I say newer version of the FDC-268. Both units function the same however and the only thing that I note as being different is the actual case itself. That being said this little radio has some neat and possibly useful (depending on what you use it for) features. Again, these radios seem to be all packaged the same and come with a poor written manual in Chinese and English. The battery come pre-charged and is a 1200 mah 7.4 volt job that keeps it's charge very well. The connection between the battery and the radio is a simple two pin side by side design with no grommet or other moisture protection. You will note that they advertise the radio as having a flashlight on the top of the unit and it's true enough as in the center next to the on/off volume is a large white LED that's very bright when activated (from the Keypad press the "F" key and then the "OLED" key to turn it off and on). It has the same basic user interface as the FDC-268 and not surprisingly the FDC-460A model. You simply press the "F" or function key and then the menu items are on the DTMF pad, which by the way is not functional as a DTMF pad and only a Frequency enter and menu key pad. The VFO is operated by pressing the M/V key on the left that is green in color and then using the Arrow keys above them to scroll up or down. The scan feature is again slow and not even worth using if you have more than just a handful of channels to plug in, any more than 10 and you will miss something. Standard CTCSS and DCS codes as well as repeater offset is supported and easy to program. I have not played around with the radio that much because of work and other things getting in the way. I have however used it on a couple of local 70 cm machines around here with decent reports, some say my audio sounds muffled at times which may be true enough.

As you can see the screen is lit up with a white LED color similar to the one used as a flashlight on top, must be cheaper to use the same colors throughout the whole radio! Programming via computer is very easy and the software is downloaded from the FDC website. The only complaint on this end is that the file is in RAR format and needs to be converted with another program.

The flashlight (above) is very bright and has some possibilities if you intend on using this for ARES or other Emergencies (the main use for it for me anyway). I don't intend on using this rig for every day use, just when I need it as a back up. The unit feels pretty sturdy and is compact, another pro. I forgot to mention that it comes with a standard drop in charger (no the Keys wont rub on this one!!) and a SMA antenna. At a price of around $52 USD it's a neat little back up unit that would be a great addition to a go kit or your glove compartment for those what if's or just in case. I will post a video soon and a demo so you can hear and see the operation. Mike KC2PLJ