WARRIOR REVIEW: Versa Duo Portable Radio

DURING MY EPIC THRUHIKE of the whole length of Cebu Island, from southern tip to northern tip, in 27 days between January and February 2017, I gave premium for radio communications, simply because I am a licensed amateur radio communicator and I also wanted to test the repeater equipment of Ham Radio Cebu at distances and remote locations that were not done before with any amateur club in Cebu on their own by their members. It was an expedition within an expedition.

I am advocating for people to rediscover the joys of amateur radio because radios function long after cellular phone signals flounder during and after calamities and disasters. And also because I am an advocate of bushcraft and survival which I taught to a lot of people anywhere in the country. Portable radios are always part of the equipment when I am doing dirt-time with my outdoors club – the Camp Red Bushcraft and Survival Guild, or when I am doing seminars.

Now back to the Thruhike, I was fortunate enough that TECH1 Corporation loaned me two units Versa Duo VHF/UHF portable radios, together with extra batteries and desk chargers. Me and Jonathaniel Apurado carried a set each as part of our load. We both attached or clipped the radio to one of our shoulder straps. Sometimes, I just place it among bread and Yakult bottles inside a plastic bag I carried with a hand as I walked.

The casing and battery are black with orange highlights on the volume control, the flashlight, squelch button, VFO/MR button and the functions printed on the keypads. The antenna is about 11 inches long. It is longer than my Yaesu and Cignus units. Yes, it is made in China and it looked like a Baofeng UV5R but, unlike the Baofeng, Versa radios are approved for use in the Philippines by the National Telecommunications Commission and come with proprietary programming software.

When I received the radios, TECH1 Corp. had their showroom located then at Tipolo, Mandaue City. Currently, their showroom is located at SM Seaside City, in the South Road Properties, Cebu City. All Versa radios sold by TECH1 Corp. are under warranty. Besides that, TECH1 Corp. accepts repair of defective Versa radios and would program and load frequency channels for you on request. It is a very flexible radio that can be used in ham communications, civic activities and business operations.

The radios were exposed to the elements at any time of the day or night everyday for 27 days, along the routes and in our campsites. It functioned well even under prolonged exposures to the sun and heat, dust, moisture, rain, cold wind and, of course, rough handling. The total length of our walk was 400 kilometers at least, from sea level up to 972 meters, over an irregular and jagged landscape of ridgelines, rivers and valleys, steep hillsides, limestone forests and remote hamlets.

Operating the Versa Duo for propagation tests were done at 06:30, 12:30 and 18:30 everyday for 5 to 10 minutes duration. The Versa Duo allows for manual storage of frequency channels of different civic radio and FM stations and it could also be done with a software program, provided you have a Versa programming cable. The rest of the time, I turn off the Versa Duo to save power, unless I catch an FM signal at night and listen to music.

At the most, it took five days for the batteries to drain and charging power was never a problem since we sometimes stayed in villages. Power output for the Versa Duo is 5 watts and you would be amazed that at such strength, it propagated successfully to the repeater site of Ham Radio Cebu, located at Busay, Cebu City from Mount Bandera, Cansaloay, Oslob on Day 3 of the Thruhike. That is a distance of over 100 kilometers on line-of-sight principle!

The weather that time was stormy and we were enveloped by thick fogs yet it functioned well enough to maintain an exchange of readable conversation with another amateur station far away. It was amazing. At another time, on Day 15, I propagated from Kaluwangan, Asturias over mountainous obstacles about 20 kilometers away, but I pointed the antenna to the coastline, and I surprisingly received a reply. Another time, during Day 16, from Mount Mago, on the tri-boundary of Danao City, Tuburan and Carmen which is around 28 kilometers away.

My last successful propagation test was from the upper rim of the Doce Cuartos Mountain Range, in Mabuli, Tabogon, during Day 22, about 68 kilometers away. Beyond this line, it would be impossible anymore to do tests and I let the Versa Duo catch FM stations instead. On the last day of the Thruhike – Day 27 – I caught a transmission signal coming from Ham Radio Cebu at Bulalaque Point, Maya, Daanbantayan. The distance was just too great, about 120 kilometers. The Versa Duo propagates at just 5 watts. If it had 10 watts, I could possibly connect.

MAIN FEATURES:

•         128 Memory Channel, PC and Keypad Programmable

•         Dual Display with 3 Color Backlight

•         Dual-watch Operation

•         Status Announcement Function

•         VOX Function

•         Lithium Ion Battery, 18 Hours Battery Life Continuous Use

•         FM Radio

•         Flashlight

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION

GENERAL

•         Frequency: VHF 144-146 MHz. UHF 430-440 MHz

•         Channel Capacity: 128 Channels

•         Antenna Impedance: 50 Ohms

•         Operating Temperature: -20°C to 50°C

•         Battery: 7.2V DC 2000 mAh Li-Ion

•         Weight: 230 Grams

•         Dimension: 115mm x 58mm 35mm

OTHER FEATURES

•         Scanning Function

•         Battery Saving

•         Auto Keylock

•         Emergency Alarm

•         Busy Channel Lockout

•         Time-out-Timer

OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES

•         Standard Earpiece

•         Professional Earpiece

•         Speaker Microphone

•         Battery Eliminator

 

It was the first time that a Versa 2-way Radio was subjected to severe tests in a very unwelcoming environment like my Thruhike of Cebu. The rough handling was bad enough but it went well, nevertheless, through the whole nine yards of exposure to the elements – extremely - like every other gear that I brought and worn. I would most likely purchase a Versa Duo in the future or another model because it is a great radio equipment and it has a legitimate distributor in TECH1 Corp., where I am assured of technical support.

TECH1 Corp. also sells other Versa 2-way Radio models like the Alerto, the Command Tri-Band, the Quicktalk and the Quicktalk Pro, as well as speaker microphones and earpieces for Versa and other names. Aside that, TECH1 Corp. distributes the Versa brand of surveillance equipment and car security and products carrying the name of Ocam and Amaryllo. You may visit their showroom at SM Seaside City, SRP, Cebu City or contact them at (+632) 414-5177.

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