Baofeng/Sainsonic GT-3TP High Power FM Transceiver
Price: £18
Sold As: Used
Manufacturer: Baofeng/Sainsonic
Model: GT-3TP
Power: 1W low /4W medium /8W high
Band: 2M and 70cm
Run By: 1800mAh 7.4V Lithium rechargeable battery
Antenna: Sainsonic INF-641 high gain
True Condition: Excellent. Almost new
Notable Features: 8W high power output, upgraded components, half decent antenna
Despite being second hand it's in excellent condition
First Impressions
It's not the first time I have owned a GT-3, I bought and returned a standard GT-3 MKII (4W) back to Amazon a few months ago and regretted it ever since. I found that the standard version was really good in terms of transmit and recieve and the speaker was nice and loud. I never had it long enough to do a review before returning it.
Time moves forward and I recently see this high power GT-3 on ebay.
As I already own an 8W UV-5RTP I saw the benefits of having the extra power on board and fancied it.
The package arrived in very good condition. The seller had added extra padding to every part of the package which was a nice touch. Many sellers would not have bothered, but this extra work at least showed that some care was used.
The main Sainsonic/Baofeng original retail box was in pristine condition and hardly looked like it had been opened. I was quite surprised at that.
The inside of the box was just as impressive as the outside. Every single component which makes up the set was present and looked as if they had never been out of their packets.
Even the LCD display had the screen protector still in place
I thoroughly checked the radio and it's accessories for any signs of wear or damage. I could not find one mark or blemish anywhere. I had to keep reminding myself that this radio was secondhand!
This radio has been treated well in its life. It even has the original screen protector still stuck on.
The build quality of this rig is really good and it feels nice in the hand.
I'm not going to start getting into a review here but what I will say is its a really good upgrade to the infamous UV-5R.
The battery that came with this radio seems in good condition and holds a charge as normal. Unfortunately the battery is not interchangeable with the UV-5R despite looking similar.
Testing
As I currently don't own a power meter or even a decent video recorder I will hand the power testing over to lewis from Ringway Manchester He did a much better job than I could.
GT-3 and GT-3TP Review and Power Tests
The test results were quite impressive. Both of the GT-3 MKII's are solid and high performing radios.
Apparently the GT-3 has improved electronics to help with interference. I have definitely noticed less overloading from stronger signals. The radio seems to operate very smoothly.
Something should be said of the antenna, the Sainsonic INF-641.
I really like this antenna, it's short, flexible and works really well.
As far as stock antennas go this is probably the best.
Switching the INF-641 for the after market Sainsonic INF-661 is a marginal improvement. The extra length of the 661 didn't seem to bring much to the party.
Overall I'm really happy with this purchase.
Rating: ✅✅✅✅✅
Already a criticality acclaimed radio by those in the know, this rig is hard to beat in terms of good value performance and it's especially tasty for the price I paid for it.
Special thanks to radio guru Lewis from Ringway Manchester 👍👍👍
Check out lewis other radio videos on YouTube. He knows his stuff!.......... Click the link Ringway Manchester
👍👍
#Update Jan 2017 - Having used this radio on a daily basis for the past few months I can safely say that this is the best radio I own. The only downside seems to be that the battery tends to die quicker than on the standard UV-5R (not sure why?) The RX and TX qualities of this radio are great.