I just purchased a new phone and this vid came out while I was without lol I didn't bother to keep up with yt by other means and now I kinda regret it, this would have been perfect lol
Very interesting, I wonder what sort of ATAK integration would be possible for airsoft/paintball/milsim? Currently we have to kluge together numerous systems to get a comprehensive tactical comms suite.
Trivia: IP doesn't stand for "ingress protection" despite that being common parlance. IP actually stands for "International Protection", which always makes me think of Thunderbirds! Haha
Had the Armor 3WT, earlier version of this. Nice and sturdy, but I had problems with wireless connections (Bluetooth especially, WiFi also seemed to be flakey sometimes) which seemed to be software-based. Cycling the interface off and on again via settings usually fixed whatever connection issues I seemed to have. So I just waited for a software update, but I never noticed Ulefone pushing any updates for my phone. Not one in the 5 years I've owned it. Also, the fingerprint reader on my device really sucked; heard that from other users as well. Was the final drop for me to upgrade to a new phone, locked myself out of a banking app because it kept misreading my fingerprint. The camera worked well enough with mine, provided there was ample light available. Dim environments however it took forever to focus and used very long exposure times, taking photos was a PITA. That being said, I still keep the 3WT around as a cheap travel- and outdoor phone which doubles as a battery pack. Has taken a lot of abuse by now, totally recommend this model as a sturdy work-phone for anyone working or being active outside / in rough and dirty environments.
I had purchased one of these phone/radios with high hopes. After the same DMR problems I reached out to Ulefone and was told "1. Armor 20 WT support, 2W, dual time slot, DMR intercom." I had been going back and forth with them for two weeks over this time slot issue and finally gave up and sent the phone back and ordered a Boxchip S900A+ for about $200 USD more than the 20WT.
Does it have GPS? Just wondering as I reckon these could make a great Comms device for groups of motorcyclists whilst running Google maps for satnav (if it has the processing power to do both simultaneously) Edited to add: ...and Bluetooth for a headset? Will look forward to the review x
If its possible to record from the radio, or pipe the audio from one app to the other à la JACK or Voicemeeter, I could imagine it being a nice device to send and receive SSTV with
I could easily see this being great in a business setting. Make a version compliant with business band and seeing some of the other accessories they offer on their site, this could be a killer device, and at a fraction of the cost of the Zebra devices we use now, and it could replace out radio units too, only downside I see is the lack of a headset connection, but for the IP rating it has I get it.
My understanding (could be wrong) is that beyond whatever your UK Simple license says (has to be mobile and limited to 5W), I don't believe there are any other specific requirements for business radio using UK simple (apart from the usual CE marking stuff which applies to all radios). I also believe you are allowed to use DMR and encryption on UK simple. This radio seems great for UK Simple users imo!
This looks very good. Dose it have wireless charging?? The one down side to almost all ip68 phones is the plug over the charger port they always seem to break and then its not ip68, wireless charging should be compulsory in every ip68 phone. Great video carnt wait to see some more vids on this.
Hi Lewis I have been testing this device it can't be used on a repeater as the RX/TX channels stay the same regardless of what you set one way around it would be to create two channels.Andreas
Hi Ringway, I have a couple of questions. Does the ptt work when the phone is locked? Does the uhf cover PMR frequencies and subtones? Best regards ..Daniel
Does this phone have eSIM capability? The walkie talkie part of this phone and the large battery capacity appeal to me as a sailor, but having an eSIM option or not is a make or break thing. I also presume I’d have no problem getting this to work with the Motorola walkie talkies we have onboard for communicating within the ship?
Ulefone Armor 20wt: I have this. Unfortunately setting it up for repeaters is an issue. The receive and transmit frequencies cannot be programmed. the software will let you input the frequencies, but it will only receive and transmit on one frequency per channel. A real shame since they did so well in so many areas with this radio. So far, the manufacturer has not corrected the issue. i tried to get them to fix it with no luck. Get the Atom. It works great.
Nice review. Can you confirm whether this works with repeaters? Mine doesn't but I want to make sure if it's a specific version (EU version vs Non-EU version), or if my phone just has a problem.
Every mobile phone is a (digital) radio. Its just subscription based and not free over air as hand radio (analogue or digital) is. I don't know if this phone gets better coverage with the antenna, making it a good option for remote areas with poor coverage if that antenna is also used for mobile frequencies (the 4G range in frequencies is from 700Mhz to 2600Mhz in Europe). I can buy this in Iceland. Its not that expensive.
I have a few close up pictures of a mast antenna that is hidden inside a cone of some sort. (I don't know how illegal it is to own the pictures). Do you have an email adress i could send the pictures to so that you could analyze what antenna it is because i am very keen to know.
I had the 3WT. It was a great phone but did end up busting the screen. Though this phone looks the same as the 3WT, it doesn't have 5G which in todays phones, is a deal killer.
I have the 3WT, can't comment on the 20WT yet. Liked the idea to get on the local repeater using my phone only. Case looks exactly the same. Dropped it a lot over 2-3years, no issues, it's really robust. Battery is another huge plus @30Wh. DMR with mine is Tier1 only, so dPRM style, not usable on repeaters. Analog FM works (0.8W) but has huge delays in TX and RX, abt. 1s each. You can work repeaters on that but it's not fun, everyone needs to be super patient... I also had issues with the UHF app crashing on start when I cleared the default channel list. Had to work around by redefining existing channels. Android wise it never got any updates, so getting obsolete with Android 9 now. Hope you do a follow up on how the new version works.
Also (ex-)owner of a 3WT. Mine always seemed to have issues with Bluetooth connections, also the fingerprint reader was a PITA. I also found that not every USB-C-Cable would fit the charging port, sometimes it's like missing the last mm to make a connection. That being said, the thing is a tank. I'm sure you can break it somehow, but you really gotta try hard. Also doubles as a battery pack with 10.000mAh. I got a new phone now, but I'm keeping the WT3 as a backup for any dirty outdoor activities. At least as long as it works...
@wurmfutter8974 I had a Samsung Galaxy S10+ and the finger print reader on it was a PITA, has been on every device I have tried it on. I just dont try to use those fingerprint readers anymore.
i tried ulefone and it does not support a data hotspot. it has the function but it just doesnt work. everything worked . I returned it and bought a Samsung Galaxy like everyone else. hotspot works on the Samsung , it just cost more
I really don’t NEED something like that but that thing does offer a lot for not a whole lot of $$$, well, seems like I’ll find an excuse and order one 😁
The Android version being too old is my biggest problem with all the niche phones. I wish smaller companies could get that worked out. The amateur radio community might even help out with that if the bootloader could be unlocked.
Thanks for the "review". After I bought the phone I realized, that you did not test this device. My bad of course and I should not have bought this piece of ... Yes, it is really that bad. Not in every respect of course, but it is buggy as hell. Just some random examples: - go to settings, smart options and enable "double tap to wake up". Works. Restart phone ... nothing. You have to enable each time again. - install zello. Then hit the PTT button and talk. Works. But the HT-Radio also started transmitting when pushing the PTT and hangs. You have to kill the radio app to go on. - make a repeater setup in one of the radios channels with different frequencies for tx and rx. Yes, you can type different frequencies after several errors. Just be patient. No, it does not work. Radio software simply ignores the split frequencies and rx/tx on the same frequency ... randomly choosen from the two opportunities. - push PTT and start talking. No, does not immediately work. Radio app needs from 1 to 4 seconds to start transmitting. Therefore you enable startup tone in settings, to be notified once the transmitting may start. Works. Buuuut the startup tone is extremely loud. Be careful not to drop your phone. It is really scaring. Especially because of the very low volume of the received modulation even on the highest setting it is just good enough to do a conversation in a silent environment. - ok, let's connect a headset. No, does not work. There is no "hole" in the rainproof outdoorphone apart from USB-C chargeport. I did not test OTG capabilities, but there is no way to plug in a headset. - ok, let's connect the phone to a bluetooth headset, it is a smartphone, right? Wrong. Oh, wait, you of course may pair a headset of your choice. Then push the PTT and ... phone crashes. Wait for restart, shutdown manually, boot up manually again. If you forgot to turn off bluetooth headset it secretly connects in the background. Hit the PTT to talk to your wife ... guess what ... yess, crash. Of course I wrote to the seller (banggood) which offered a 15 % discount but did not address my bugreport at all. So I reached out to Ulefone service. Extremely arrogant. They told me to discuss all complaints with the seller. Their after sales support does not feel responsible for bugreports, complaints and likewise. Expensive inhabitant of my "useless" drawer. And a real shame since the UHF electronics itself is very capable and the range is very very good for a 2 W unit. Maybe I would have accepted the muffled audio if the unit would really work. Or if it had a more than mediocre camera unit. So far money wasted. Every now and then I recharged the phone to keep the battery alive and checked whether there was a firmware update ota. In early February the phone surprisingly performed a firmware update and the radio now allows for a proper repeater setup and a bluettoth headset while staying alive during PTT. Unfortunately the radio's sound volume in the headset also is extremely low whereas the Start Transmit tone blows away your eardrum. Playing back music or watching youtube vids is as loud as you want, but not the radio. And - really awkward - you have to talk to the phones mike. No sound is accepted from the headset. So you end up with headset in your ear and talking in the phone directly in front of your nose. I am too old to make myself a fool and sadly throw the ulefone back in the drawer. Maybe next year there will be an update which is not an apprentice's work. Who knows. You'll never know. But one thing is for sure: I will never again buy a Ulefone. Oh, and it is heavy as hell. Dropped it and my toe hurt for weeks. Aaaaarghhh
I've had a bad experience with this phone. I've had a bad experience with this phone. It fell into water (about 20cm deep) for about 1 minute... After two days, I started having problems with the power button - and it kept getting worse... Eventually, it completely stopped working - when I tried to get it repaired, they told me that water damage isn't covered by the warranty... When a similar thing happened to me with a Xiaomi Redmi (it was in a "waterproof bag" for about 2 hours during a wild river ride, submerged in water that leaked into the bag), all I had to do was turn it off, dry it out with rice, and wait until it dried - it still works to this day. ...that's where the brand ended for me - otherwise, I would have preferred and recommended it wherever I went - on paper and in ads, that phone sounds great, but it's just an overpriced brick pretending to be a durable phone.
I had a rugged phone once (Huadoo V3) and it looked the same, even though it was a phone. I think its just that they make rugged tech look all hut-hut and military so that people then expect it to be rugged. Its like how japanese motorbikes more powerful than a Harley Davidson are criticised for lacking power, because the 90° separation between the pistons means the engine doesn't waste power vibrating itself apart, it doesn't feel powerful, or how for the longest time horses galloping on grass made clip-clop sounds like coconut halves being banged together - I believe that the whole "expectation is wildly out of touch with reality" thing is called "the coconut effect" for that exact reason! Even though the tacti-cool styling has no bearing on how rugged the device actually is, they still do it because a majority of people expect rugged devices to look rugged.
Two points that I can think of:- #1 It's a mobile phone when all is said and done so therefore it is illegal to use whilst driving. Even if you were to be on the analogue side of radio you are still operating a mobile phone by default. #2 it's not legal in any situation for use on PMR as it has a min power output of 1watt and it has a detachable antenna. All things considered, I think I will give this device a wide berth as it falls outside of too many boundaries to be considered a safe to use article. So all in all unless you are on a hill top/mountain camping then it's a bit pointless. 🇬🇧👎😎👎🇬🇧 It's a no from me !!!
If its got Android S/12 then it probably supports Android Auto. Whether the radio app also supports Android Auto is another matter, but the touch screen bolted to your car is considered safe and legal when the touch screen stuck to your window or air vent isn't.
My understanding (could be wrong) is that the legal requirement for an integrated antenna was removed when Ofcom ditched the "type approved" way of doing things and replaced it with "Interface Requirements". The current pmr446 interface requirements make no mention of an integrated antenna, but yes the power output would be a problem. Perhaps software could further reduce the output power? Regarding your other point about while driving, I'm not sure if it has been tested in court of the device qualifies as a mobile phone if there was no sim card in it and the 4G radio was disabled. Certainly, with an operating 4G radio in the device it would be illegal to use while driving. You can get Bluetooth speaker mics though
