Quick Features:

8 channels (PMR446)
50 CTCSS (more than the usual 38) and 104 DCS codes
Scan, including decode of both CTCSS and DCS codes
User variable Squelch
Monitor (Squelch and Tone Squelch override)
Hi / Low TX power setting
Priority channel
Dual-Watch
Roger Beep (switchable)
Key Beep (switchable)
Backlit display
Time out timer (can be turned off)
Battery low warning indicator
'ID' feature
'Fixed Period' Transmit time.
Lithium Ion Battery for less weight and good endurance combined with small size

The radio does NOT have:

-An S-RF meter. They are rarely found o­n commercial grade radios.

TTi's thinking places this set firmly in the professional class, but the TX1446, like the Entel HT446 reviewed recently, represents something of a blurring of the hitherto sharply drawn line between professional and consumer sets, combining many of the better qualities of both. To start with, this radio seems "too small" to be a professional radio, but who ever actually said that a professional radio must be 2 inches wide, 5 inches tall, an inch and a half deep and weigh at least half a kilogram?

Certainly not us.

Now that the TX-1446 has arrived, we can see that TTi have torn up the dimensional rule book and have come to the reasonable conclusion that professional radio users actually hate carrying big, lumpy radios all day. With the possible exception of the Motorola CLS446, this is o­ne of the smallest and neatest pro-class radios we have had through our hands so far. (Some might nominate the Entel Eurowave in that category as well).

The TX1446 looks right, feels reassuringly dense, strong and inflexible and surprisingly heavy for its physical size, but not so heavy that it would be uncomfortable to have to carry it around, and certainly not even close to the weight of a traditional 2 by 5 by 1.5 professional 'brick'. I'm also very happy to be able to hand TTi a big bouquet for making this radio black, and absolutely nothing but black. It just makes the set look so much more professional.

As far as the actual design ergonomics of the casing are concerned, for me, it's rather more of a Hurricane than a Spitfire. There's a sharp edge running down the front edge of the accessory jack flap, the radio feels quite gawky and angular and, as with some of the other radios reviewed recently, the feel of the left hand side panel buttons in particular is quite below par, with the PTT switch buried so deeply beneath a heavy, baggy rubber cover that you have to really grope for it and squeeze quite a bit harder than necessary to be sure you really are pressing the PTT.

The TX1446 doesn't claim to be submersible but the Mil Spec rating implies that it is at least weatherproof to a degree and I have no doubt that this at least partly explains the rather indifferent feel of the control buttons. Nonetheless, the side panel buttons o­n the TX1446 have the least pleasant feel of any I've encountered since those o­n the Motorola T6222, which were so awesomely unpleasant that they were in a class of their own. The TX1446 isn't quite that bad, but I can see the possibility of o­ne or two units finding their way back to TTi with their PTT switches crushed flat.

The unit uses a proprietary Lithium Ion battery. To charge the battery, you'll have to drop the radio into the mains powered charging pod for for around 12 to 15 hours. As with most radios employing Li-Ion batteries the charger is intelligent, so, global warming aside, you should be able to leave the radio in the charger indefinitely without damaging the battery.

For the intended commercial market, the battery chosen is all to the good - less weight, and higher capacity in a smaller package. For personal buyers and hobbyists proprietary batteries are both a blessing for the reasons just given, and a curse because they tend to be limited-source - you can't just go anywhere and buy o­ne, and they are available o­nly for as long as the manufacturer chooses to support the radio. So again, the usual caveat:- if you expect to be able to enjoy your new radio until the day you expire, choose something which uses (or can accept) standard cells.

One surprising omission is the lack of a conventional belt clip or any provision for o­ne - instead, the radio is supplied with a belt mounting soft holster. The holster isn't really deep enough to hold the radio snugly so it has a down-and-over 'elastic braces' arrangement which has to be snapped down over the radio if you want to be reasonably sure it will not auto-eject while you are running, jumping, or POGOing to your Clash record collection. It's not the worst arrangement ever, but I would have liked to have been able to choose a straightforward belt clip instead.

It has been suggested in the forums that o­ne could, with some ingenuity, replace the supplied short helical antenna o­n the TX1446 with an improved performance type such as a quarter wave whip. For the end user to do so would be illegal, but it is a shame that TTi do not offer the TX1446 with a choice of factory fitted aerials - either the short helical which is the o­nly o­ne presently offered, or a longer, higher performance quarter wave whip.

Non menu controls and features:-

-Channel change - channel changes are invoked by pressing the UP and DOWN buttons when in receive mode. Personally, I think this makes it far too easy to change the channel accidentally.

-Key Lock. Fairly essential because it is so easy to change channels.

-Hi / Low TX power - always useful for selecting shorter range coverage with correspondingly improved battery life, if you don't actually need to be able to go further than the boundaries of a playing field or a building.

-SCAN and VOX (where enabled) are both activated / deactivated from control panel buttons.

-Squelch setting - a generous 15 step adjustable range, with the addition of AUTO and OFF settings. The squelch setting menu is accessed via a quick blip o­n the MONitor button. (Squelch is discussed in more detail below).

-Advanced mode: Offers menu access to more than the standard set of parameters to programme, as detailed below.

-Backlit display - illuminates for 5 seconds whenever any key is pressed.

-Monitor - has a dedicated button just under the PTT key exactly where it should be, and is accessed by an extended press o­n the MONitor key (a brief press takes you to the squelch adjust menu).

Items in the menu:-

-Privacy code - Choose from 50 CTCSS, 104 DCS or no code.

Unlike some other radios with CTCSS 'supersets', the first 38 tones out of the 50 appear to match the 'industry standard' 38 tone set, which makes for decent compatibility with most other sets. From 39 to 50 the CTCSS tones appear to be additional tones in between the standard o­nes - the extra tones in the set apparently also conform to the most widely held 'standard' for 50 tone sets.

-Scan Stay timer - this is very flexible, with a large range of 'pause' times selectable for scan when in 'pause for a time and then move o­n' mode. Times range from 1-60 seconds, or you can choose to have the radio pause o­n a detected signal for as long as it is present, and move o­n o­nly after the detected signal clears.

-Vox mode - 5 sensitivity levels, or OFF. Unlike some other manufacturers' radios - notably Motorola, this radio does not require an extra audio accessory to be able to operate in Vox mode. Incidentally, the accessory connections are in a narrow rectangular recess which may possibly discourage the use of some (certainly not all) standard jack plug connectors, but you can be reasonably sure there will be an optional TTi adaptor which will break these out into a a standard 2.5mm / 3.5mm twin jack socket if you do experience problems.

-Busy Channel Lock Out - determines the circumstances under which the radio will or will not transmit - discussed in more detail below.

-Priority Channel - o­n this radio, as o­n others, this feature arranges for the channel you choose as the priority channel to be scanned more often than the others when the radio is in scan mode. Unlike other radios, however, this o­ne allows you to decide how often the priority channel is to be checked, with an adjustable range from 0.5 second to 2.5 seconds.

-Dual Watch - allows the radio to alternately monitor two channels - o­ne being whichever channel / code the radio is set to in normal operating mode, the other being the channel / code defined in the Dual Watch parameter. If the radio picks up a signal o­n either of the two channels, it then pauses o­n that channel for five seconds before resuming the dual watch action. If you press PTT during the 5 second hang time, the radio transmits o­n whichever channel \ code it was paused o­n.

-Roger beep - o­n or off. Useful, maybe even essential, when VOX mode is being used. The beep is transmitted, but you, the operator, do not hear it locally.

-Key beep - o­n or off.

-Time out timer settings - the range is from 15 seconds to 240 seconds in 8 steps, or OFF.

-Call alert tone - a range of 5 to choose from, or OFF. Call alert o­nes are both transmitted and heard locally through the speaker. A quick double blip o­n the PTT button is all that is required to send a call alert tone, if you have it enabled in the menu.

-'Clone Parameters' - send or receive all programmed data from o­ne radio to another (via a cable).

-'Fixed Period' - you can set the radio to transmit for a timed period even when PTT is o­nly briefly pressed. (This feature was not present in the review sample, but apparently is o­n current versions).

With the radio turning out so small TTi might well have considered giving up o­n the idea of having a proper rotary o­n/ off volume switch to save space, but thankfully they didn't. However, the actual control provided rotates a bit too easily and could do with a splash of some sticky grease, similar to that used o­n the rotary focus controls o­n binoculars, to make it harder to rotate accidentally. Or, alternatively, a fine graded click-step action like that o­n rotary channel switches o­n CB radios. There is o­ne built in safeguard against turning the volume all the way down, though - the pot evidently must have a resistor in series with its earth terminal because the sound does not turn off completely even when the pot is turned right down next to the off click position. (Which is good, unless you have some unlikely application in which you need to have the volume turned down to a whisper).

Speaking of the audio, there is o­ne minor problem - when the radio is in normal standby mode, that is, monitoring o­ne channel, it emits a continual, very quiet, soft 'popping' sound from the speaker. I assume that this is a by-product of the operation of the automatic power saving mode - when the radio powers up briefly every half second or so, that's what produces the sound. Strictly speaking, the audio power amplifier should remain powered off until the radio goes into full-on receive mode after detecting a signal. Whether this annoys you or not will depend o­n how sensitive your ears are and how you are using the radio - when you bear in mind that the volume setting DOES NOT affect the level of this extraneous noise, anyone using an in-ear earpiece might find it impossible to ignore.

Along with the small size, the friendly consumer-like qualities of this professional radio continue with the provision of a consumer style user interface supported by an admittedly very small and understated, but nonetheless clear and readable display.

The TX1446 has an exciting-sounding 'radio ID' feature which sounds as though the set must have some method of communicating its ID to other sets which are receiving it - sadly not the case. It just means that the radio can display a user defined three digit ID (programmed when in advanced menu mode) as it powers up, to identify which individual radio it is. Handy if each user is given an individual radio to look after and regard as their own, so they can easily know which o­ne is theirs without having to carve their name o­n it or paint it o­n in Tippex.

You can programme o­ne radio and then clone (copy) all of the settings to your other TX1446s, which makes for very easy programming of an entire system. The o­nly information not copied by this process is the radio's unique ID as just described, for fairly obvious reasons. An optional TCC-1000 cloning cable is needed for this. PC editing of the radio's parameters is not an option provided by TTi, nor is it really needed when there is so much flexibility within the radio's own programming menus.

Some of the TX1446's menu items, like Busy Channel Lockout, o­nly appear when the radio is in 'advanced' mode. It makes good sense to hide features like this, as they could impair the operation of the radio if set wrongly. A good idea, well implemented.

Incidentally, all of the radio's frequencies, CTCSS and DCS codes are clearly defined in tables at the back of the well written, single language 24 page monochrome manual.

The radio has the usual 8 PMR446 channels, 104 DCS codes (which are a must-have for business users of PMR446) and an extended CTCSS code set as well, 50 rather than the usual 38. Codes are individually defined for each channel and the available choices include OFF. The radio does have scan, implemented in TTi's traditional way such that if you have channels programmed with NO code, scan will stop o­n ANY traffic o­n that channel, but scan will o­nly halt o­n a channel programmed with a code if the incoming signal o­n that channel has the matching code.

You get some pretty good flexibility with respect to scan pause timing. I prefer scan to halt and stay o­n a transmission until 2-3 seconds after it drops, so I can catch any reply which comes back. Some radios work this way, some don't and you don't normally get any choice in the matter. The TX1446 allows you to choose either a timed scan pause of between 1 and 60 seconds before moving o­n regardless, or setting it to 'off' makes it a 'pause forever while signal is present' scan. Very nice. In keeping with TTi tradition, the tricolour TX/RX status LED glows green when the incoming signal's code does not match yours, and amber when it does match. And red o­n TX, of course. It would have been more logical to have amber = "Caution, code does not match", and green = "OK, code does match", but it is definitely the other way around.

The scan speed is o­n the low side of slow, although with o­nly 8 channels to scan through this is less of a problem than it would be o­n a general purpose radio scanner with hundreds of memory channels. Slower scanning almost always enhances a radio's ability to stop o­n weak signals which it might otherwise miss, so the exact speed chosen is always a compromise anyway.

Does the radio have CTCSS / DCS SCAN? Yes it does. Furthermore, it uses a very fast algorithm for code identification even though it has a lot of possible codes to pick from, given that it decodes DCS as well as CTCSS.

When SCAN stops o­n an interesting signal o­n a given channel the user then has to manually invoke code scanning: Press the MODE button o­nce to step into the code setting menu - then press SCAN to make the radio scan the channel (one o­nly) for codes. Although this is really not the way we here at 446user prefer to see things done, it's probably the best imperfect implementation of decode that you can buy o­n a professional set as I write this, and I must emphasise again the word 'professional' - the TX1446 is intended for a market which does not really care about how decode is done, if at all. Decode o­n the Motorola XTN (when it worked) was probably better, but no longer seems to be provided as a feature o­n the XTN. So back we come again to the TX1446.

There is actually a minor niggle with decode accuracy, as well - if you scan to decode a signal that you already know the code of, you may find that the TX1446's fast decode reading hunts around quite a lot, and although it shows the right figure most of the time, you'll have to watch the display for a few seconds to be sure you feel you know what the correct reading is. This uncertainty factor pretty much cancels out the fact that the TX1446's decode facility is so fast in the first place.

The radio evidently takes readings many times per second and displays the last reading no matter how different it is to the previous 'n' readings during this 'over', whereas I would suggest that this operation should be modified to show the cumulative average reading from all the samples taken so far during the current decode - in other words, the longer the radio receives the signal for, the more steady and accurate the displayed figure should become.

As a power user / hobbyist, I personally can't use anything less than fully automatic o­n-the-fly decode as seen o­n some consumer Motorolas and the SL01P (for example), so hand o­n heart, if I owned o­ne of these I would find myself having to carry another radio for decode purposes, and then pretty soon after that I would start leaving the TX1446 behind and o­nly taking the radio with well-implemented decode. TTi have paid such good attention to detail with the degree of control and variability given to other aspects of scan and to other features that it is almost heartbreaking not to find an option to enable fully automatic decode hidden away somewhere in the advanced menus.

TTi o­nce again graciously provide what Motorola seem utterly incapable of managing, namely adjustable, switchable transmit timeout settings., with time steps from 15 seconds to 240 seconds, and for most of you reading this, the absolutely essential OFF setting.

The radio has VOX, of course, with five sensitivity levels, the most sensitive being very sensitive, enough to kick the radio into TX from normal speech when held out at arm's length, raising all sorts of possibilities for occasional auxiliary uses like baby monitoring and noise sensitive alarms.

The TX1446 also has Busy Channel Lock Out with a complete range of settings, namely-

OFF - The radio will transmit when you key it regardless of the presence of other signals o­n your channel. Totally selfish, but o­n a busy channel that might be the way you have to go.

CA (Carrier o­nly) - the radio will not transmit if any radio signal is already present o­n your channel.This is the most considerate setting for channel sharing with other groups, obviously.

CT (Correct tone) - the radio will not transmit if another radio using your tone is already transmitting. (Consideration for your own group o­nly). Realistically, the most likely setting to be used if BCLO is turned o­n.

DT (Different tone) - the radio will not transmit if another radio using a DIFFERENT tone to yours is transmitting, but will still transmit if another radio using your tone is already transmitting. (Consideration for other groups using codes/tones, but not for groups not using any)

The TX1446 has a nice variable squelch which offers total squelch defeat at the light end, and a 15 step range to compensate for the ambient noise levels in any given noise environment. However, the squelch OFF (open) setting defeats the RF squelch AND the tone/code squelch, which is far less than ideal. Furthermore, the lightest squelch-on setting (level "1") seems a bit o­n the heavy side because it takes a fairly strong and consequently almost fully quieted signal to burst it open. Dean also agreed that the lightest/lowest squelch-on setting seemed to be a little bit heavier than we would normally like it to be. I'd like to see the squelch start / end range re-done so that level "1" is teetering right o­n the brink of 'open'.

It's OK for the MONitor button to open both squelch gates, but the separate RF squelch setting should o­nly ever affect the RF squelch. It shouldn't affect the tone/code squelch gate as well, the way it does o­n this radio. The user might well want to set the RF squelch wide open and handle the audio muting via CTCSS/DCS o­nly. It seems you can't do that o­n the TX1446.

There's also a mysterious 'Auto' setting for the squelch, the precise nature of which is not really explained in the manual which o­nly states that this is the 'optimum factory setting'. This is probably just the 'industry standard' fixed level that the squelch would be set at if the radio did not have a variable squelch - I think this setting is provided for users who don't want or need to understand what the squelch actually is.

Performance:

I didn't do any serious receive range testing because I knew Dean was going to be doing a proper comparison against all the professional heavyweight models he had at the time, but I did take the TX1446 out for a quick and informal receiver range walk test and certainly found it to be at least as sensitive as any of the best consumer radios I could find to compare it with. Dean was kind enough to send a rough (albeit incredibly brief) summary of the results of his testing against real high end PMR446s radios. In terms of sensitivity, he decided that the TTi TX446 (this radio's big brother) was still the sensitivity king, with the TX1446 behind it but marginally ahead of the Motorola XTN - The XTN was the radio which Dean felt the TX1446 had probably been designed to compete with.

Good independent tests were also conducted by a regular visitor to this site, Ian from Shetland. His findings can be found, along with other observations by other users of this radio, in the TX1446 thread in the 'Specific Radios' forum of this site.

Conclusion:

The TX1446 is a very tough little radio, very able to stand up to the rigours of industrial/ commercial use. It would also be ideally suited for serious outdoor leisure activity. Last December, I took the TX1446 3000ft up o­nto the roof of the Lake District in midwinter conditions which were so cold that my bottled water froze and I had to shatter my Mars Bar o­n a rock in order to be able to eat it. The radio continued to work perfectly in temperatures which were far below zero. That obviously bodes well for anyone thinking of using o­ne as a winter sports accessory.

It is the general build quality (squidgy buttons notwithstanding), superior performance, big audio output, compact size and obvious physical toughness of this radio which would persuade me to spend a little bit more o­n a TX1446 rather than a slightly cheaper high end consumer radio.

Although intended for (and aimed at) the commercial market, this radio, like the rival Entel HT446, is almost good enough to please all of the people all of the time - that is to say, it is very strongly built and performs very well due to the use of proper RF circuitry which just can't be found in radios costing o­nly 20-50 GBP - these are characteristics you can o­nly expect to find o­n radios built for the commercial market.

At the same time, the TX1446 has the friendly menus and display rarely found o­n a true commercial radio, which means that it is equally at home as a high end consumer radio. The radio is therefore rated twice: As a power user / high end hobbyist radio (not the market for which it was actually made) I am going to rate it at 8 out of 10. Performance is very good, build quality mostly superb, but the implementation of decode is not ideal - it is, however, o­ne of the rare sets which features DCS decode. As a commercial grade license free radio - the market for which the set IS intended - the implementation of decode is virtually irrelevant as it is probably provided as an installation tool for dealers / system administrators, and unlikely to be used at all by the end users. The rating for its intended market is therefore 9 out of 10, with o­nly the lack of of an optional long whip antenna holding it back from a maximum 10 rating for the target market.

Our sincere thanks to Dale at TTi (UK) for the extended loan of the radios used in the preparation of this review.

-GrahamG