AnyTone AT-D878UVII PLUS User manual

40 October 2023 QST www.arrl.org
Connecting the Radio to a Computer
You don’t need a computer to start using this radio. You
can easily program a new channel and start using it
in analog mode, but it’s highly recommended to
check the conguration with the CPS software.
If you want to use the radio with digital mode
or APRS, you should use the CPS. Personally,
when I receive a new radio, I always pass through
all of the parameters and functions in the pro-
gramming software. It’s a good way to be sure
not to forget a setting.
Programming the radio using a Windows PC
with the CPS software was easy. The USB pro-
gramming cable supplied with the radio doesn’t
need a specic driver. You just plug the USB
cable into your computer and wait for Windows
to install the proper driver. You’ll get a notica-
tion in the system tray that a new device has
been found, and another notication when the
device is ready to operate. Unfortunately, the
CPS software is available for only the Windows
operating system.
Working with Bluetooth
AnyTone’s hands-free approach
is interesting. The
PTT button
can strap on your nger or any-
where else in your car, and you
simply push with your ngertips
to start transmitting. Using Blue-
tooth, you can pair the radio with
an external audio device, like
your car’s hands-free system or
a Bluetooth headset, and with
the remote Bluetooth PTT, you
have a nice hands-free solution.
Reviewed by Martin Arsenault, VE2BQA
[e-mail]
The AnyTone AT-D878UVII Plus is the evolution of the
popular AT-D878UV, reviewed in the July 2019 issue of
QST. Like its predecessor, its robust appearance is
quite impressive. It’s relatively small (see Table 2),
weighs 11.2 ounces, and holds well in hand. The manu-
facturer has paid particular attention to the nish, which
is very high quality.
This review will cover only the improvements made with
this version II, like the APRS reception capability, Blue-
tooth operation with its external
PTT button, and internal
contact memory expansion. I will also cover the cus-
tomer programming software (CPS). It’s important to
note that the rmware used for this review may not be
the latest, as there are frequent updates, so the fea-
tures and their location in the CPS menus may be dif-
ferent in the newest rmware versions.
Overview
The AnyTone AT-D878UVII Plus comes with many
accessories in the box, as shown in Figure 5. It in-
cludes a 3100 mAh battery, a desk charger with its AC
adaptor, a belt clip, a wrist strap, a dual-band antenna,
a USB programming cable, a PTT Bluetooth button
with an elastic strap, and a micro-USB charging cable.
As for the documentation, you’ll nd two printed manu-
als — one for Bluetooth, and the operating manual.
Most of the AT-D878UVII Plus specications are the
same as those of its predecessor, the AT-D878UV Plus.
The dual-band radio reception covers 136 – 174 MHz
and 400 – 480 MHz. The RF power is programmable in
four levels: 7, 5, 2.5, and 0.2 W for the VHF band, and
6, 5, 2.5, and 0.2 W for the UHF band. The display is
the same as the previous model, with its customizable
1.77-inch color LCD. The radio is DMR Tier I and Tier II
compatible and can hold 4,000 channels and 10,000
talk groups. It has 250 zones, with 250 channels per
zone. This version can now handle up to 500,000 con-
tacts in its internal memory. The DMR Radio ID data-
base (www.radioid.net/database/search) contained
more than 240,000 entries the last time I checked, and
this radio can accommodate twice as much. You can
upload the full DMR contact list into the radio, with
spare room for years to come.
AnyTone AT-D878UVII Plus
DMR/FM Handheld Transceiver
Bottom Line
The AnyTone AT-D878UVII Plus oers added
value compared to the first version of this radio.
It can now receive and transmit APRS, and can
store up to 500,000 contacts in its internal
memory. It’s a high-quality dual-band radio that
also supports Bluetooth audio operations.
Reprinted with permission; copyright ARRL.

www.arrl.org QST October 2023 41
Table 2
AnyTone AT-D878UVII Plus, serial number 1236213101130,
FCC ID# T4KD878UVII, Firmware Version 3.01
Manufacturer’s Specifications Measured in the ARRL Lab
Frequency coverage: Receive, 136 – 174, Tested in the 2-meter and 70-centimeter
400 – 480 MHz. amateur bands.
Modes: DMR, analog FM. As specied.
Power requirements: 7.4 V dc, ±20%. Receive, 340 mA (max volume, max
backlight); (3100 mAh battery);
325 mA (max volume, min backlight);
standby; 80 mA (standby, backlight
off); transmit, 146 MHz, 1.85 A
(turbo),1.46 A (high), 0.97 A (med),
0.38 A (low); 440 MHz, 1.86 A
(turbo), 1.43 A (high), 0.96 A (med),
0.40 A (low), power off, <1 mA
3100 mAh battery at 8.3 V dc (full charge).
Receiver Receiver Dynamic Testing
Sensitivity: For 12 dB SINAD, ≤0.25 V FM, for 12 dB SINAD, 0.16 V (wide),
(wide), ≤0.35 V (narrow). 0.13 V (narrow); 162.4 MHz, 0.15 V;
440 MHz, 0.15 V (wide), 0.15 V
(narrow); 100 MHz (WFM), 0.72 V.
FM two-tone, third-order IMD dynamic 20 kHz offset, 146 MHz, 59 dB,
range: Not specied. 440 MHz, 58 dB; 10 MHz offset,
146 MHz, 70 dB, 440 MHz, 65 dB.
FM two-tone, second-order IMD dynamic 146 MHz, 85 dB; 440 MHz, 97 dB.
range: Not specied.
Adjacent-channel rejection: ≥65 dB 20 kHz offset, 146 MHz, 72 dB (wide),
(wide), ≥60 dB (narrow). 75 dB (narrow); 440 MHz, 66 dB
(wide), 70 dB (narrow).
Squelch sensitivity: Not specied. At threshold, 146 MHz, 0.14 V (min),
0.26 V (max); 440 MHz, 0.13 V
(min), 0.30 V (max).
S-meter sensitivity: Not specied. For four bars, 146 MHz, 1.2 V; 440
MHz, 0.30 V.
Audio output: 1000 mW into 16 Ω. 507 mW at 10% THD into 16 . THD
at 1 Vrms, 3.1%.
Transmitter Transmitter Dynamic Testing
Power output: VHF: 7/5/2.5/0.2 W, 146 MHz, 8.7 W (turbo), 6.0 W (high),
UHF: 6/5/2.5/0.2 W. 2.6 W (med), 0.23 W (low); 440 MHz,
6.8 W (turbo), 4.9 W (high), 2.5 W
(med), 0.25 W (low) at 8.3 V dc (full
charge).
Spurious signal and harmonic >70 dB; meets FCC requirements.
suppression: ≥57 dB.
Transmit-receive turnaround time Squelch on, S-9 signal, 146 MHz,
(PTT release to 50% of full audio 415 ms; 440 MHz, 420 ms.
output): Not specied.
Receive-transmit turnaround time 146 MHz and 440 MHz, 221 ms.
(“tx delay”): Not specied.
Specied receiver bandwidth, 25 kHz (wide), 12.5 kHz (narrow).
Size (height, width, depth): 5.1 × 2.4 × 1.6 inches (including protrusions).
Belt clips, add 0.2 inches to depth.
Antenna length: 7.1 inches.
Weight: 11.2 ounces (including battery and antenna).
KEY:
Receiver measurements in wide FM mode. See
Table 2 for narrow mode.
Bars off the graph indicate values under scale.
QS2310-PR168
T- R 250 50
TX-RX Turnaround Time (ms)
70 cm 420
2 m 415
Snd 800100
Audio Output (mW)
507
ChRej
50 90
Adjacent Channel Rejection (dB)
70 cm 66
2 m 72
I3
RX 40 70
Receiver Third-Order Dynamic Range (dB)
(20 kHz offset)
70 cm 58
2 m 59
I3
RX 60 90
Receiver Third-Order Dynamic Range (dB)
(10 MHz offset)
70 cm 65
2 m 70
SINAD
0.25 0.1
Receiver Sensitivity (12 dB SINAD, PV)
70 cm 0.15
2 m 0.16
AnyTone AT-D878UVII Plus
Key Measurements Summary
You’ll hear the audio received by the
radio the same way it’s received by a
cellular phone. By default, when acti-
vating a Bluetooth audio device, the
speaker and microphone inside the
radio are deactivated.
Pairing a Bluetooth device was
straightforward. The radio can con-
nect only one Bluetooth audio device
at a time, so if your earbud is in your
pocket and connected to your radio,
this could cause conict when trying
to connect your Bluetooth to the car’s
audio system.
I tried two different setups during my
tests. The rst one was a PlayStation
Bluetooth headset borrowed from my
Reprinted with permission; copyright ARRL.

42 October 2023 QST www.arrl.org
son. Pairing the PlayStation Bluetooth headset worked
like a charm, and audio was good both ways (RX/TX).
I also gave my GMC Canyon pickup IntelliLink System
a try. The pairing was a little bit more complex but rela-
tively fast. This kind of pairing uses a PIN code that you
have to program in your radio. After setting the same
PIN code, pairing was easy. When using a Bluetooth
device, you can see which audio device is connected to
the radio directly in its menu. I strapped the
PTT button
on the transmission lever to facilitate the operation from
the driver’s seat. I was thinking about strapping the
PTT
button directly to the steering wheel, but I found that it
was not the best location while driving.
I made some contacts using the car’s hands-free sys-
tem, and the comments were relatively good, but the
quality was not as good as if I was operating with the
internal microphone and speaker. Using the hands-free
system, you get the same quality as a phone call,
meaning the other end will hear all the noise in the
cabin mixed with your voice.
Using APRS
The radio can transmit and receive APRS analog sig-
Figure 5 — The AnyTone AT-D878UVII Plus with the included
accessories.
nals, which is another improvement from its predeces-
sor that was only able to transmit. You can set the radio
to automatically send your position at xed intervals of
time and monitor other stations. Using the incorporated
GPS, when you’re on the move your loved ones will be
able to follow you from www.APRS., assuming your
signal can be received by an APRS internet gateway.
You should use the CPS software to congure the radio
with the proper APRS parameters. Using the CPS in
the
APRS COMMON SETTING section, you will nd all
parameters to set your radio. These parameters are
standard.
To receive APRS data, you should program a specic
channel on the radio with APRS parameters activated.
I programmed channel 42 on my radio for APRS receiv-
ing using the national APRS frequency. I set the chan-
nel in analog mode and activated the function
APRS RX .
You can set the function
ANA APRS MUTE to mute the
sound of APRS signals, and activate
PTT PROHIBIT to
prevent causing interference on the channel in case
you push the
PTT button accidentally.
The last thing to do before using the radio in APRS
mode is to activate
ANALOG APRS in the radio. You’ll
have to go to
APRS MENU and enter the rst setting
(
UPLOAD TYPE ) to select the second option ( SEL A
APRS
). This will activate the analog APRS.
After all settings are established, you can use the pro-
grammed channel to receive others and transmit your
position according to the programmed interval time.
Conclusion
This radio offers a lot of high-end features. APRS trans-
mit and receive make the AT-D878UVII Plus a great
portable radio for hiking and expeditions. The included
Bluetooth features make the radio even more portable-
friendly. You can leave the radio anywhere nearby in
your house and use only a headset and the
PTT button
to operate without having to hold the radio. Its internal
memory for digital contacts lets you add the complete
list of worldwide DMR users.
Although it is best to rst program the radio using the
CPS software, keep in mind that you can edit or add a
new channel and change a parameter very easily from
the keypad.
Manufacturer: Qixiang Electron Science & Technology
Co., Ltd., Fujian, China, www.anytone.net. Available
from several US dealers. Price: $314.99.
Reprinted with permission; copyright ARRL.