Naughty or Nice? USB-C ham radio testing & reviews for charger compatiblity
This project is maintained by Animosity
This list is intended to inform ham/shortwave radio buyers about the available USB-C radios in the market and what their compatibility/quirks may be, and be perpetually updated by the community at-large.
There have been good & bad implementations of USB-C brought to market (most radios still can't charge from proper USB-C cables and chargers!) and this table summarizes the basic facts about each radio's USB-C ports.
| Radio Product Name | Vendor | USB A-to-C Charging? | USB C-to-C Charging? | USB-C Data? | Notes | Reference/Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Battery) QB-44HL USB-C Battery for AT-878UV/DMR-6X2 | Anytone/BTECH | Yes | INCOMPATIBLE! | No | Naughty! No USB-C Sink resistors, INCOMPATIBLE with USB-C cables and chargers. | Tested by wojo @ HRCC Discord |
| UV-5RH PRO MAX | Baofeng | Yes | Yes (5V) | No | Nice! This radio works correctly. Battery model# BL-5RH. | Tested by VK3PGO |
| UV-9R | Baofeng | Yes | Yes (5V) | No | Nice! This radio works correctly. Battery model# BL-9. | Tested by K5RNL |
| UV-17R | Baofeng | Yes | INCOMPATIBLE! | No | Naughty! No USB-C Sink resistors, INCOMPATIBLE with USB-C cables and chargers. Battery model# RL-17 | Tested by KE9BAH |
| (Mod) IC-705 KD9LJF USB-C/SEND Control Board Upgrade | KD9LJF (Icom) | Yes | Yes (5V) | Yes - USB2 Device port. | Nice! COMPATIBLE with USB-C cables and chargers. | User Manual reference only |
| ID-50A | Icom | Yes | Yes (5V) | Yes - USB2 Device port. | Nice! This radio works correctly. COMPATIBLE with USB-C cables and chargers. | Tested by K5VOL |
| HG-UV98 | LanchonLH | Yes | INCOMPATIBLE! | UNTESTED TBD | No | UNTESTED |
| (Battery) UV-K5/K6/K58/5R 7.4V@3500mAh | Yintalk (Quansheng-compatible) | Yes | Yes (5V) | N/A | Nice! This battery's connector works correctly. | Tested by K5RNL (Product Link: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256807133512324.html) |
| UV-K5 | Quansheng | Yes | INCOMPATIBLE! | No | Naughty! No USB-C Sink resistors, INCOMPATIBLE with USB-C cables and chargers. | Tested by KK7LXU |
| UV-K5(8) | Quansheng | Yes | INCOMPATIBLE! | No | Naughty! No USB-C Sink resistors, INCOMPATIBLE with USB-C cables and chargers. | Inferred by design similarity to Quansheng UV-K5 |
| UV-K6 | Quansheng | Yes | INCOMPATIBLE! | No | Naughty! No USB-C Sink resistors, INCOMPATIBLE with USB-C cables and chargers. | Inferred by design similarity to Quansheng UV-K5 |
| RA79 | Retevis | Yes | INCOMPATIBLE! | No | Naughty! No USB-C Sink resistors, INCOMPATIBLE with USB-C cables and chargers. | Inferred by design similarity to Quansheng UV-K5 |
| RB17V | Retevis | Yes | INCOMPATIBLE! | No | Naughty! No USB-C Sink resistors, INCOMPATIBLE with USB-C cables and chargers. | Tested by KJ6LNN |
| TD-H3 | TIDRADIO | Yes | Yes (5V) | No | Nice! This radio works correctly. Battery model# BP-3. Chargers tested: [anker 5045su2000225, nekteck pd100u-1tga, onn wiablu100075576, mycharge rzqc128v-a] | Tested by KI5WDN |
| TD-H8 (Gen 1) | TIDRADIO | Yes | INCOMPATIBLE! | No | Naughty! No USB-C Sink resistors, INCOMPATIBLE with USB-C cables and chargers. | Tested by KK7LXU |
| TD-H8 (Gen 2) | TIDRADIO | Yes | INCOMPATIBLE! | No | Naughty! No USB-C Sink resistors, INCOMPATIBLE with USB-C cables and chargers. | Tested by KK7LXU |
| X6100 | XIEGU | N/A - Barrel plug charger | N/A - Barrel plug charger | Yes - 1 USB2 Host port & 1 USB2 Device port | Naughty! USB Device port has no USB-C Sink resistors, INCOMPATIBLE with USB-C cables. USB Host port untested. | Tested by KK7LXU |
| X6200 | XIEGU | N/A - Barrel plug charger | N/A - Barrel plug charger | Yes - 1 USB2 Host port & 1 USB2 Device port | UNTESTED TBD | UNTESTED |
Have or know about a USB-C radio not on the list? We want to know if works properly! Feel free to modify and submit Pull Request with any new radio product info, or just drop the information into an Issue (https://github.com/Animosity/USB-C-Radio-Roundup/issues)