VGC VR-N7500 50W Dual Band Mobile Radio With APP Programming

I have only had a couple of weeks with this radio and I truly like the radio. It is built like a tank, performs as specified and both the transmit and receive audio are good. The most difficult aspect of the radio is figuring how to use all the features. The manual is written by the Chinese and it makes very little sense. It is challenging but fun in trying to figure it all out. If the manual was written by someone who understands American ham practices, I would give it a 5 star

Firstly, great radio, puts out the wattage and has a good receiver. Next, lots of features, but, if you plan on using an Iphone, you must get the BHM-78 as you can't switch between groups of memories, which sucks. Solution is to use an Android phone :( The BHM-78 tends to disconnect often and must reset. But, for the money, can't be beat.

Been a great radio the app can be a little learning curve but works pretty good I ended up breaking my female cat 5/ mic jack somehow before install so only been using my phone for mic. Not the biggest fan of the stock mic anyway so probably give the BT one a try soon here.

I'm enjoying the VR-N7500 dual band radio. After getting my ham license again after about 35 years, I started with a cheap HT. I wanted better reception and more power in a radio. After doing some research, looking at reviews, and features, I chose the VR-N7500. I enjoy being able to use a smartphone to control the radio. I'm not a fan of only having 16 channels in 12 channel groups. You cannot scan across channel groups. You can use a Bluetooth headset paired to your smartphone as the mic and speaker for the radio. That's very handy because the Bluetooth on a smartphone has a much better range than the BHM-87 Bluetooth speaker mic accessory which can be used with the radio. APRS seems to work well. I'm looking forward to exploring some of the other things that this radio is capsule of doing.

I have had a challenge with my plug-in hand microphone being to soft for others to hear me, even with the mic gain on high. I found out by opening up the case of the microphone and removing the circuit board that the mic element was "protected" by a rubbery clear bubble that blocked the microphone hole in the black plastic casing. I poked a hole in it and, voila, it is working now. The other main problem was a momentary screeching sound at the end of my transmission. I found out that it was the ID signal setting being enabled on the androil app. I disabled it and now it is gone.

The setup has been a learning curve but I have had a lot of help looking at this google group: https://groups.google.com/g/Veron7500.

Now that I think that most of the issues are worked out, it'll be a great dual band mobile with built-in APRS capability and is a breeze to take with me in any vehicle I want to stash it. Since there's no need to install it under the dash, I can just connect the antenna and connect it to the vehicle's battery or my solar deep cell placed in the back of the vehicle and to the antenna and I am ready to go. I did buy the little HT microphone/speaker BHM-78 as well. I have yet to work with that accessory. Color screen is a nice feature.

This is the only radio I am aware of that one can use the iPhone to easily program, use a Bluetooth microphone/speaker, etc., etc., and buy for a quite low price. Sadly not many written instructions, but it's not that difficult to set up and get going. There are YouTube videos and even a FaceBook group dedicated to just this radio so lots of info out there. Get one -- you will like it! This is my third one!

The radio is good and I like the bluetooth capabilities BUT you really have to search for information on how to set things up. Please make a good manual!! That may be the demise of this radio.

Youtube has some videos and Buy2WayRadios has some videos. There is so much I think it can do but have no idea on how to do it.

APRS works great but there is one thing you need to know. You must assign the APRS frequency to a channel of it's own then tell the APRS settings to send data via that channel otherwise it will send data via the selected channel in use.

Now for the software.. The Android app is far superior to the iOS app. So much so I bought a cheap tablet just for this radio. I am not sure how well the android app works through car radios with that capability. The HT App for iOS does not interface with Apple CarPlay. So the developers REALLY NEED TO UPDATE THE SOFTWARE AND MAKE IT WORK WITH CARPLAY OR THE ANDROID EQUIVALENT.

If the above issues were fixed and there was a decent manual, especially for the advanced features, I would give this radio a 4+.

Hope this helps.

Easy to use and setup. wish it was more adapt to setup with a car equipped with android auto.

I do not know why this is not available. I like how it is designed. I like the iphone interface in its simplicity, but do not know and have not found what some things do.

I've had this radio a bit over a week and have had a half dozen hours to play with it and I still have a few mixed feelings about how I like it.
The build quality of the radio and microphone seem good. I haven't checked power out yet, but I've gotten good audio reports, even with the BT microphone.
I didn't see it mentioned in the description, but this radio has a two pages of "getting started" information and NO MANUAL. The app has a link to one that doesn't work and AFAIK, there is none available. Period. I found some information online that other people have written and I appreciate that, but it's spotty at best.

Essentially, control by app and the depth of features are it's best and worst points. There is, AFAIK, no other radio that does some of the stuff that this does for under $200, possibly none at any price. App programming, APRS, Bluetooth, groups, an APRS iGate, SSTV, network talk, network to RF and back, easy APRS mapping and likely other stuff I have no idea about yet. That's fantastic.
On the other hand, the Android app is complicated ( the iOS one is missing some features, I think, but I'm 'droid so I can't speak to that ) and there's almost ZERO documentation. I spent an hour trying to figure out why every transmission I had send a data "tail" at the end with no information. It can be very frustrating. Plus, many of the features are dependent on the app to manage them, like APRS. Walk too far away and APRS stops, since the phone disconnects. I may end up dedicating an old phone to the radio. At least so far, the app has been stable and there seem to be few ( if any ) bugs I've found.

There's also SOOO much to play with here. I think the radio can do SSTV and Morse code ( send and decode ) plus a ton of APRS stuff I'm still exploring. That said, when you bump into issues, it's hard to know where to look to solve them. I'd like to be able to mute the audio for incoming APRS ( like I can with my Yaesu HT which, I should not, cost about 2x as much ) but I'm stuck listening to them.
Once you've got the app connected, programming a single channel is a breeze. Faster than any other radio I've used, and I've got two other mobiles and three HT's. About the only issues I have is that I see no way to import a bunch of channels like a lot of software and each "region" ( most radios call them "banks" ) of channels allows just 16 channels. Want to scan 17 channels? AFAIK, you're out of luck. On the positive side, there appears to be no limit of how many regions you can have.

I've also got one of the BT wireless microphones ( review with that product ) and like the radio, it's a mixed bag. Wireless is a cool party trick, but there's a bit of lag, range so far isn't great, mostly it speaks Chinese and again, there's no manual AT ALL.

So, if you'd like a cool radio that's got a lot of bang for the buck, some unique features and are willing to do some experimenting to take full advantage of it, this radio might be for you. Or, if all you want is a dual band radio you can control with your phone and ignore all the other stuff, it's not bad at that, either. I got into ham radio to learn about cool stuff like this, so I've had a lot of fun playing with it.

If you do buy this radio, I'd highly suggest joining the FB groups ( search for VR-N7500 ) and/or the Google group.
I'm going to give it a qualified 4 stars, since I'm impressed with the radio and the app/features/firmware etc. can be updated easily in the future. Give it a good manual and I'd give it 5 stars.

This is a very good little radio for the price. I purchased two of them. Its about the easiest radio to program I’ve ever come across. I use an iPhone so I can only do the basics which is all I need for now, but looking forward to future app upgrades.

Simple radio is proof that the big guys like K. Y. and I. Could easily equip radios with similar tech, but choose to continue usb connectivity only.

(I wish my IC-7300 could Bluetooth to my phone/tablet)

I use it as a base station and pair it with my phone when at home to monitor 2m simplex and local repeater.

You will need to understand how to install apps on your phone without going to the "app store". (Hence the pissed-off reviews above)

The radio worth the price twice over.

I wanted something invisible. One of the biggest selling points was once you update the radio with all the information you don't need the phone or tablet. Unless there is a new app update or you want to change your settings. You just need to remember what channel is programed, there is enough new information out there to make this an easy install and it's in the App stores

I've had the radio only a few days, and I really love it. In the shack for a shakedown cruise, I expect to put it int he car soon. I enjoy being able to use my cell phone as a speaker-mic from the other end of the house. Installing the Android software took a while and I had to add a different file manager to my phone to get it to install, but that is an Android issue. This radio has tremendous possibilities for use in a bluetooth-enabled vehicle.

I was looking for a safer way to ride and still be able to communicate without removing my hands from the handlebars to transmit, and discovered this radio as a possible option. I know someone who has one and it sounded pretty good, so I bought one and installed it on my GoldWing. I purchased the radio, the Bluetooth PTT, and a good trucker's noise canceling Bluetooth headset w/boom mic, and have had very good audio and signal reports at 50Mph in the wind. The radio is easy to program and operate, and the FM receiver is nice. As with most new technologies, there are some minor quirks, but overall, this radio works well and seems to be a good option for a motorcycle. I live in New England, and it’s still a little too cold to ride, so I really haven't had a good chance to try it at length, but so far I'm very happy with it. Recommendations: Use an Android device and invest in a good noise canceling Bluetooth headset for better receive and transmit audio quality. No Regrets!

I discovered this gem of a radio on YouTube and after watching the 3 videos Dan posted, I called and ordered one. I wanted a keep it simple stupid (DMR Not!) analog radio that is easy to program, of good quality, sufficient power, and affordable that could be installed easily in a modern Car or motorcycle. This worked for me. Buy two way is great. They care about there customers and offer a good selection of radio related stuff. Watch the videos and help me keep Analog alive!
Scott, Oxford CT

I have had more problems trying to get this radio to work as advertised.

The only reason I didn't give this radio 5 stars is there are a few bugs in the software. But there is a Facebook group that has additional documentations, and great support from other users. The company is also open to suggestions and issues. The software has internet chat rooms that can be created or joined with and without passwords. The twist is not only is this a internet chat room, you can link a tx and rx frequency or repeater to this group and everyone can hear and talk over the local frequency or repeater with not being local to the chat rooms owner. Being able to use a BT PTT mic is fantastic also I've been on the radio and in my kitchen either using the BT mic or my phone connected to the radio. Great little radio and a great price for all the features.

Great little radio and so easy to program using my android tablet, and it sounds and works great too.

This little radio is new technology but easy to use and program with your cell phone, or tablet. Power and clarity are great, Around town it is great. On trips you can do your research on repeater along your travel route and create a region or several regions for your trip. Each region has spots for 16 frequencies/repeaters.

Awesome technology and inexpensive.

Great Job VGC!

FN

I have had a difficult time connecting with the Android software. It connects ti IOS easier. It is malfunctioning and transmitting intermittently to the point I had to turn it off and not sure what to do with it next. I think they need to work out some kinks with the software.