How to identify what version Anytone AT-6666 you have?

Hello all

Does anybody know a way to identify what version Anytone AT-6666 you have if bought second hand with no manual?

Can you identify it by the serial number?

I have searched here and on the interweb and have only found 4 different versions of programming software (which don't help).

Ray
CT 2290 & CI2290

Should say on the board if you take the bottom cover off.
I think.

Alan Pilot wrote:

Should say on the board if you take the bottom cover off.
I think.

Hi Alan

Nothing on either side of the board.

Have found the board number and date.

QZ6666PCB1
20151121

Serial number is Q0820A151200218

Looked and looked but can't find out how you tell.

Alan Pilot wrote:

Looked and looked but can't find out how you tell.

To quote Toyah Wilcox

IT'S A MYSTERY

Don't know for sure Ray never having one but they do look like a generic design - CRT SS9900 / Dynascan 10M66 etc.


I don't think they changed much, (without access to a schematic), apart from apparent frequency range which on the earlier radios was supposedly limited and had a 'export' jumper on the board. The latter V.4 I believe doesn't have that jumper and can be set by a simple button press/power on combo for 'export' mode.
(Wouldn't surprise me if the earlier units could go down to the 12m band but limited via firmware/software which has been through a few revisions.)

The board markings look like "QZ" - QuanZhou Leixen as the designer or manufacturer, "6666" obviously the model and "PCB1" being the first version printed circuit board design. The following number could well be a design/manufacture date of 21st November 2015 and the serial number made up in a similar fashion. (Looks like December 2015, unit 00218, with area codes - sounds about right considering the Leixen manufacturers state up to 50,000 units production capacity per run.)

That doesn't mean it's necessarily been in use since 2015 as it could easily have sat in storage or a shipping container for several years. Harbouring goods and selling at a later inflated price makes sense if the storage is cheap enough.


All of that is just an educated guess from my time in the electronics industry Ray and probably of no help to you whatsoever(!) Like everyone else I could see no rhyme or reason for the apparent 'revisions'. I suppose the proof of the pudding would be in what version you can program it with but wouldn't be surprised if it'd take any of the versions. (Apart from the export mode jumper inside the radio maybe limiting to V.3 or earlier.)


Fun stuff - Most radios are manufactured in the Far East being China, Taiwan, the Philippines and even Vietnam!
CRT may be French, Albrecht may be German but none of that guarantees their C.O.O. or Country Of Origin. Legal pursuits are in place for distributors to name C.O.O. purely on a taxation and even environmental impact.

Heck, they've been doing it for a number of years - my 40 year old Yaesu FT757gx was manufactured in Germany and probably never even saw the shores of Japan! (Think Sommerkamp who at that time had 'pick-and-place' manufacturing capability for what was then a complicated radio to squeeze in an ahem, small footprint of the time.)
The only reason I know it's the latest version was due to restoring it and seeing all the cut tracks and extra components added to the bottom of the PCB's!!!


....Sometimes the 'version' number is simply a software/firmware update, maybe a better 'bin' component installed or even a manufacturer modification/fix. Often there's no difference...including what it's badged as.


All the best, (and excuse the 'waffle'),
Victor

Makes sense that does Victor.
You could just download a version of the software and see if it will read from the radio.
If it does read then it should write plus it's free so you could take it out if it doesn't work and try another version.
But as Victor said could well be V1 so start with the software for that v1 board.

Victor wrote:

Don't know for sure Ray never having one but they do look like a generic design - CRT SS9900 / Dynascan 10M66 etc.


I don't think they changed much, (without access to a schematic), apart from apparent frequency range which on the earlier radios was supposedly limited and had a 'export' jumper on the board. The latter V.4 I believe doesn't have that jumper and can be set by a simple button press/power on combo for 'export' mode.
(Wouldn't surprise me if the earlier units could go down to the 12m band but limited via firmware/software which has been through a few revisions.)

The board markings look like "QZ" - QuanZhou Leixen as the designer or manufacturer, "6666" obviously the model and "PCB1" being the first version printed circuit board design. The following number could well be a design/manufacture date of 21st November 2015 and the serial number made up in a similar fashion. (Looks like December 2015, unit 00218, with area codes - sounds about right considering the Leixen manufacturers state up to 50,000 units production capacity per run.)

That doesn't mean it's necessarily been in use since 2015 as it could easily have sat in storage or a shipping container for several years. Harbouring goods and selling at a later inflated price makes sense if the storage is cheap enough.


All of that is just an educated guess from my time in the electronics industry Ray and probably of no help to you whatsoever(!) Like everyone else I could see no rhyme or reason for the apparent 'revisions'. I suppose the proof of the pudding would be in what version you can program it with but wouldn't be surprised if it'd take any of the versions. (Apart from the export mode jumper inside the radio maybe limiting to V.3 or earlier.)


Fun stuff - Most radios are manufactured in the Far East being China, Taiwan, the Philippines and even Vietnam!
CRT may be French, Albrecht may be German but none of that guarantees their C.O.O. or Country Of Origin. Legal pursuits are in place for distributors to name C.O.O. purely on a taxation and even environmental impact.

Heck, they've been doing it for a number of years - my 40 year old Yaesu FT757gx was manufactured in Germany and probably never even saw the shores of Japan! (Think Sommerkamp who at that time had 'pick-and-place' manufacturing capability for what was then a complicated radio to squeeze in an ahem, small footprint of the time.)
The only reason I know it's the latest version was due to restoring it and seeing all the cut tracks and extra components added to the bottom of the PCB's!!!


....Sometimes the 'version' number is simply a software/firmware update, maybe a better 'bin' component installed or even a manufacturer modification/fix. Often there's no difference...including what it's badged as.


All the best, (and excuse the 'waffle'),
Victor

Cheers Victor  

The first line of your waffle gave me an idea. Stop looking for the Anytone version and look    for the CRT or Team versions of the radio for the answer.

And "voila", I find on YouTube the TEAM version of radio but with a bit missing, the DTMF board and it's spot on the menu (could this be a V1?) so back to YouTube and then I remember that M0ogy Dave did a review of the Anytone back in 2014 and when I watched his video, no DTMF board. 
So my uneducated guess is that I have a V2 onwards radio.

Alan Pilot wrote:

Makes sense that does Victor.
You could just download a version of the software and see if it will read from the radio.
If it does read then it should write plus it's free so you could take it out if it doesn't work and try another version.
But as Victor said could well be V1 so start with the software for that v1 board.

Hi Alan

Would installing and uninstalling different versions mess up the radio?
Can the radio be reset back to factory default if it does?

Seems like 1 question answered (maybe) and 2 more made.

Thank you Both

Installing the software won't do anything to the radio.
If it sees the radio and can read it then bob's your auntie.
If not then try another version.

Nice one Ray.  

Always glad if some of my waffle actually comes in useful.

Well done with finding out further information with the lateral thinking. I did wonder if the CTCSS was an option due to it looking like a separate 'plug in' board akin to what they used to do on the Amateur kit of old. 

I think Alan's suggestion in spot on as in using the PC software to perform a read and see if a version number is heralded from the radios firmware. Otherwise I think your assumptions could may well be probably right. If you ever do feel that the radio firmware/software update isn't right you can always factory reset the radio which will probably reset it back to Ham bands only settings but then go on from there.

Do let us know how you get on as I'm sure Alan would be just as intrigued as me but also anyone else reading this or coming across it in the future.


All the very best,
Victor

I will looking into the V2 & V2.2 software first and see what the differences are, then update with
my tails of woe or triumph!