#8360965 23.03.2026 10:55:01
Dostałem przydatnego emiala porównującego RT880 i RT950, tekst poniżej:
At a glance, these two radios are pretty similar in terms of raw specs. But from a hardware — and especially firmware perspective, the RT-950-Pro absolutely leaves the 880 in the dust.
That said, it’s not all perfect. There are some concerns around the 950’s RF stages, particularly certain bands that seem noticeably deaf. I might be able to work around this with some band/filter tuning, but that’s still a “wait and see” situation.
👍, Positives
Radio Chips
RT-880(G): BK4819
RT-950-Pro: BK4829
No contest here, the BK4829 is a clear upgrade.
It’s noticeably faster at reacting to *strong* signals. On local scanning, acquisition is almost instant, fast enough that you could realistically use it as a close-range EMF-style detector (yes, ghost hunters… you’re welcome). It also opens the door to close-range fast frequency sweeping.
The AM handling is… strange, but in a good way. It appears to decode AM and FM simultaneously. I genuinely don’t know how it’s doing that, but it works, and AM audio clarity is excellent.
MCU
RT-880(G): Artery AT32F423
RT-950-Pro: Artery AT32A403-A
The 950’s MCU is a big step up.
200 MHz vs 150 MHz, noticeable performance gain
Significantly more GPIOs
No need for awkward multi-purpose pin sharing like on the 880
No reliance on the BK chip’s GPIOs (which are, frankly, a nightmare)
One of the biggest wins: proper input handling.
On the 880, side buttons are handled via an ADC resistor network, messy and limiting. The 950 has enough GPIO to map buttons directly. Much cleaner, much easier to work with.
Even better: three ADCs (two independent).
This completely removes the juggling act required on the 880. No more switching ADC modes between APRS, battery monitoring, and button input. Everything can run simultaneously, which fixes the “side buttons stop working when APRS is enabled” issue entirely.
Adaptability (Audio Routing)
This is a big one.
I’ve said from day one that radios should give the MCU full access to audio paths, both RX and TX, after all radio is ALL ABOUT audio right? Most manufacturers ignore this.
The 950 doesn’t.
It allows the MCU to both monitor and inject audio on transmit and receive paths, with dedicated GPIO for each. That opens up a lot of interesting possibilities for future features.
Communication (Bluetooth)
Yes, the 950 has Bluetooth.
But manage expectations.
It’s the same situation as the TIDRADIO TD-H3: Bluetooth Low Energy, capped at a painfully slow 9600 baud.
On smaller radios like the H3 with limited storage space, that’s tolerable. On the 950, with 4MB of storage and a large channel count, writing a full code plug over Bluetooth is going to be very slow.
And of course, as soon as people hear “Bluetooth”, the inevitable question comes up:
“Can you make audio work over Bluetooth?”
Short answer: no, not in any useful way. And explaining that repeatedly gets old fast.
Still, slow or not, it is a feature the 880 doesn’t have.
Rotary Encoder
A small thing, but it makes a big difference.
Tuning frequencies and navigating menus with a knob just feels better. It gives the radio a more premium, polished feel.
LCD Display
Same resolution as the 880 (240 × 320), but better implementation.
The 950’s screen isn’t partially hidden by the bezel, so you actually get full use of the display area. On the 880, you lose a noticeable chunk of usable space due to edge clipping.
It doesn’t sound like much, but it adds up.
Physical Size
It’s a chunky old brick, no question.
For some people, that’s a positive. The size and weight give it a more rugged, “serious kit” feel. The larger keypad also makes manual input much easier, especially for users with limited dexterity.
👎, Negatives
LCD Brightness
The display is noticeably dimmer than the 880.
Yes, you can fix it with a hardware resistor mod, but realistically, most users aren’t going to do that (and I’m not planning to either).
In bright daylight, readability suffers. Firmware tweaks like gamma adjustments can help a little, but don’t expect miracles.
Band Deafness
This is the big concern.
Depending on the specific unit, some bands, particularly certain broadcast ranges, can be quite deaf. There are also reports of weaker performance in areas like SATCOM (~250 MHz).
This may be partially tuneable in firmware, but it’s not guaranteed as yet.
Physical Size (Again…)
That same chunky build won’t appeal to everyone.
For some, it’s solid and reassuring. For others, it’s just bulky and inconvenient, especially if portability matters or mobility is limited. Clipping it on your belt shouldn't be pulling your trousers down.
Final Thoughts
From a firmware and hardware flexibility standpoint, the RT-950-Pro is easily the more capable platform. It fixes a lot of the architectural frustrations present in the 880 and opens the door to features that simply weren’t practical before.
But it’s not flawless, particularly on the RF side.
If I can work around the band issues we'll have to see.
wpis edytowany 23.03.2026 10:55:36