High cost-effectiveness, rich features, Talkpod A36Plus open-box experience
When it comes to the Talkpod brand, the most I have come into contact with is its public network walkie talkie product. The first impression it gives me is that its appearance design is quite exquisite, the product has a high cost-effectiveness, and the aesthetic is also in line with the public’s aesthetic standards. It does not have the special Cyberpunk appearance design, but gives people a relatively rounded feeling. The Talkpod A36Plus walkie talkie that I experienced today also adopts a compact and rounded design style, which also has the functions of mainstream walkie talkies, such as multi band reception, dual guard function, fast frequency synchronization, Chinese voice menu, signaling tail tone, and Type-C charging. It can be said to be a comprehensive and easy to use walkie talkie.
The packaging box of this Talkpod walkie talkie is very small and environmentally friendly. Its radio approval code is CMIIT ID: 2022FP7027, which means that this walkie talkie can be verified by the local radio management department to obtain a radio license. Of course, the operator needs to obtain an operation certificate.
The packaging mainly includes the intercom host, antenna, battery, charger (including a charging head and a Type-C interface data cable), hanging rope, back clip, instruction manual, etc. The product for this open-box evaluation is a fluorescent green version, with a very bright appearance and high recognition.
Take out the walkie talkie and related accessories, and take a family photo. The machine is very lightweight and thin overall. This walkie talkie has two levels of transmission power, and I will conduct detailed testing later. It can output 5 watts of power at high power and 1 watt at low power, with a reception sensitivity of -120dBm (20db). The circumference without antenna is 108X52X28mm, and the weight is 195g.
The standard battery for the walkie talkie is a 1500mAh lithium-ion battery, with a Type-C charging port at the bottom. You can use the randomly supplied charger to charge the battery, or you can use our mobile phone charger to charge the battery. Therefore, it is very convenient in terms of recharging because many mobile phones nowadays have Type-C charging ports, and it is relatively convenient to find such chargers and charging cables around.
The power of the included charging head is 5 watts (5V1000mA), commonly known as the Five Blessings and One Safety charging head. You can also use your own mobile phone charger or computer USB port to charge the walkie talkie battery, which is very convenient.
The manufacturer also considers the relationship between battery capacity and battery life, so they have launched a 3200mAh large capacity thickened lithium battery, which can provide a longer battery life experience. However, the thickened battery has a larger thickness and weight, and I will conduct comparative tests later.
The walkie talkie battery compartment is relatively neat, with equipment model, frequency range, transmission power, approval code, manufacturer name, and factory number (S/N) on the label for everyone to fill out the form during machine inspection.
The top of this Talkpod A36Plus is equipped with an SMA antenna base and a standard K-head interface on the side, which can connect headphones, handheld phones, and frequency writing cables. In addition, this A36Plus also supports an external Bluetooth module, which can be used to write frequencies and connect to Bluetooth audio adapters, expanding more accessories.
The weight of the Talkpod A36Plus host paired with a thin battery (1500mAh) and standard antenna is about 201 grams, which is very lightweight to hold in your hand. However, the thin battery is limited by its capacity and may not be suitable for heavy players. If you don’t transmit frequently and only occasionally listen to the relay, then a thin battery is a good choice. If you need to transmit call communication frequently, then I think a thick battery will be better.
The weight of the Talkpod A36Plus and antenna paired with a thick battery is around 259 grams, which is about 58 grams heavier than a thin battery. Personally, I think this weight is still acceptable.
This Tuopung A36Plus is also equipped with a color display screen that can display Chinese, making it very suitable for beginners to operate and use. The corresponding menu is also very intuitive, and can be quickly accessed through the numeric keyboard, making it convenient to adjust various functions of the walkie talkie. In addition to the basic U-segment and V-segment transmissions, it also supports very wide frequency reception, such as AM aviation frequency reception. I think its playability is very high. However, the initial firmware version had a bug that can transmit AM aviation frequency, but the new firmware has been fixed. I will test and flash the new firmware later, and welcome everyone’s attention.
In terms of power, the peak transmission power of 145MHz in the V-band can reach 5.7 watts, which is still a very good performance (3200mAh thick battery fully charged).
In low-power mode, the transmission power can reach 1.89 watts, which is also a good performance. Compared to high power, it can save a lot of electricity. Of course, I personally encourage achieving communication goals at lower power levels without pursuing high power connectivity. For example, if the target you want to connect to is very close, low power communication can be achieved with clear results, so there is really no need to use high power to connect to it.
The antenna interface of this walkie talkie is an SMA interface, and you can also match different antennas according to your preferences. If some friends pursue higher efficiency, they can customize a manual antenna. The advantage of customizing an antenna is that it can work at the frequency you need, such as the uplink frequency of your local relay being 430.550MHz. If you customize an antenna at this frequency, its efficiency is the highest, The communication effect is the best.
At the end of the article, I would like to summarize this machine. Although I did not mention or test many features in the article, such as one click quick frequency matching, signaling tail tone, scrambling encryption, and SOS code distress, this Talkpod A36Plus is indeed a comprehensive and cost-effective walkie talkie product. Although some radio enthusiasts have pointed out some bugs such as being able to transmit at AM aviation frequency, they have been fixed in the later firmware, and I think these suggestions are very relevant. With the continuous updates of the manufacturer’s firmware in the later stage, any bugs discovered during use can be repaired in a timely manner. After all, I believe that there is no perfect thing in the world, and there is no perfect thing. The joy of playing walkie talkies is found through continuous exploration and exploration. What do you think?