Episode 28: Unboxing the Leixen VV-898BP BackPack Radio -

The Leixen VV-898BP is the next generation of mini-mobile, dual band radio. If you haven’t seen the original Leixen VV-898 radio, click this link. It was the first radio of its kind – a mini-mobile dual band radio, outputting 10-watts per band. It was a nice bridge-gap between using your HT for your mobile rig (a bad idea) and jumping into a full-power 50-watt mobile radio. The Leixen, later followed by the Juentai JT-6188 and the Zastone MP300 radios, was the predecessor that everyone else wanted to beat. And again, here we have them doing something that no one else is doing.

This backpack radio contains a 6AH battery, enclosed in a case with an exhaust fan. The radio and fan are controlled by a power switch on the side of the casing, and the SO239 antenna connection is on the top of the case, next to the radio face. This makes it easy to drop into a backpack with a standard UHF-style antenna mounted to the top, and ready to use in the field. Still outputting 10-watts of power per band, this little backpack radio is a great addition for campers, backpackers, hikers, SOTA, DXpeditions and anything else where you need more than a 5-watt HT, but don’t have immediate AC or DC power.

The new 25-watt model is also now available and works just as well. Be watching for a new video which features the 25-watt version of this radio, both as a stand-alone unit and as a backpack unit.