So, a local ham and friend of mine recently shared an article about a new radio coming out, the Ailunce HS1 hf sdr transceiver. Since I was so impressed with the Ailunce HD1 DMR radio, I felt I needed to try this rig out. A week or so ago, I was on the Retevis.com website and found the HS1 was on sale, I placed my order, and it was delivered today.
I was very excited about this rig. It was small, something the size of the Elecraft KX2 or KX3 at half the price. It reminded me of the Xiegu x5105. I have a FT-817nd, but at 5 watts, it can be hard to make a contact...let alone hold a quality QSO. The HS1 has a maximum output of 15 watts. This should help make a few more contacts when out portable. It has FM, SSB, CW, digital, and FreeDV, and it is also much lighter than my 817.
As I said, I received this new rig today. I have an unboxing video on YouTube. https://youtu.be/XHL7r2ltbFQ
An interesting fact I noticed was the radio had no Ailunce markings as in the pictures on the website. All other features look the same. The box it came with is marked as "Recent" and instructions have a model number RS-918. A Google search reveals that this rig and the Ailunce HS1 look the same. I have to assume they are the same rig. Being from China, I figure one factory produces these and stamp different names on them. I'd like to know the whole story and why mine is not an HS1 when I purchased it from Retevis.com.
Whether an HS1 or a RS-918, I am still looking forward to trying the rig out.
-Bob
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