TIDRADIO TD-H3 review: eight bands, five watts, and the specs it omits

What TIDRADIO publishes

The frequency table is the most complete part of the spec sheet, and TIDRADIO gives it in full:

• Transmit — 136–174 MHz and 400–470 MHz, at a stated 5 W.
• Receive only — AM 108–136 MHz, FM 50–76 MHz and 76–108 MHz, plus 174–350 MHz, 350–400 MHz and 470–600 MHz.

That is where the “8 bands” figure comes from: two transmit-capable ranges and six receive-only ones. The AM range covers the civil aviation band, and NOAA weather reception is listed separately.

Alongside that, TIDRADIO lists 199 channels, a 1.44-inch colour LCD, a 2500 mAh Type-C battery rated at 48 hours of use and two-plus days of standby, and three programming routes: a USB-C cable on the side port, Bluetooth from a phone app or a PC, and the traditional two-pin port that CHIRP expects.

Is 5 W meaningful on its own?

Only partly. Output power is one term in a link budget and the antenna is usually the larger one. TIDRADIO publishes the transmit figure but no antenna gain, no receiver sensitivity, and no selectivity numbers, so 5 W cannot be turned into an expected range from published data alone.

What TIDRADIO does not publish

Four figures a buyer would reasonably expect are absent from the product page, and each is recorded as TODO: verify in the spec table rather than filled in from elsewhere.

• Certification. No FCC ID, no part number. PRODUCTS.md treats certification as a required spec in this category, and this is the review where it is missing.
• Dimensions and weight. Neither appears. The TD-H3 Plus page publishes 112 × 53 × 32 mm, but that is a different model and the figure is not carried across.
• Antenna connector. TIDRADIO’s accessory listings imply SMA-Female, but the TD-H3 page never states it.

Why not just take the figure from the Plus?

Because a spec from a neighbouring model is not a spec for this one. The two radios are sold on separate pages at separate prices with a different Bluetooth implementation, and there is no statement from TIDRADIO that the shells are shared.

Filling the gap with the neighbouring model’s figure would be a guess wearing the clothes of a fact.

Licensing and the “unlocked” firmware

TIDRADIO sells the TD-H3 as unlocked, which means its firmware will accept transmit frequencies an ordinary type-accepted handheld would refuse. For a licensed amateur programming a repeater with an unusual split, that is convenient. It also removes the guard rail that stops an unlicensed buyer transmitting where they are not permitted to.

Both halves of that are worth saying plainly on a page PickBadger is paid to run advertising against. In the United States, the amateur allocations need an FCC amateur licence and GMRS needs its own; other countries set their own rules.