Retevis HA2

The Retevis HA2 is aimed at Technician and General class operators who want APRS capability and smartphone integration without spending HT money on an entry-level rig. It sits comfortably alongside other budget dual-band handhelds but adds GNSS positioning and Bluetooth pairing as genuine differentiators at this price point.

The 1024-channel memory handles serious repeater lists without compromise, and the IP67 rating means it survives submersion rather than just light rain. APRS support is the headline draw; for portable ops, SOTA activations, or simplex nets where position beaconing matters, having it baked into a $99 radio is genuinely useful. The Bluetooth link to the Retevis app (Android and iOS) allows programming and configuration without hunting down a USB cable in the field, which is a practical win for newer operators still building their kit.

TX power specifics are not published by Retevis, which is a flag worth noting before you trust it on a critical net. The value score is strong for the feature set delivered at this price, but the overall feature depth is middling compared to mid-tier competition. Buy it if you want APRS and waterproofing on a tight budget; look elsewhere if output power transparency matters to you.