Bucket Cross-Band Repeater

A cross-band repeater in a bucket project:

"The “Bucket Repeater” is a battery powered cross-band VHF/UHF repeater in a weather proof enclosure that can operate unattended for a week or more, and be remotely activated or deactivated from miles away as needed."

He uses a Puxing PX-UV973 for the radio and has a complete parts list.

Via AR-15 Ham Radio Forum

Puxing PX-2R

At the 409Shop... Puxing PX-2R VHF Plus (VHF TX/RX) (UHF RX Only) Dual receive ($38.50):

"New version !!! Dual Receive Mini radio VHF 136-174Mhz (TX/RX) , UHF 400-470Mhz (RX Only)"

• CH 128 , All channel scan and priority channel scan
• Scan types :Carrier， time and search
• VOX sensitivity:0-9 levels adjustable
• Transmitter power：High power and low power switchable
• Squelch opening threshold: Receive field intensity should accurate (use the sq level to show the intensity)
• Led backlight: On/off/automatic
• Beep set: Beep on/off
• Keypad lock function: Manual/auto optional
• Transmit limited: off-270 optional
• Offset set:0-xxmhz optional (confirm the max offset according to the band after adjusting)
• CTCSS and DCS setting
  ． Receive only
  ． Transmit only
  ． 50 CTCSS and 104 DCS
• +/-offset:+/-frequency optional
• Offset step optional:12.5k/25k
• Use Dot Segment to display on LCD
• Select the LED/emergency call by programming software
• Volume control knob to turn on/off the power
• PC programming and store channel
• Can use car charger
• DC 3.7V single li-ion battery compatible with mobile phone battery
• MINI compact size 84*48*25 cm
• Output power: UHF 400-470mhz 2w
• With most competitive price

Puxing PX-UV973: Buddy's Tips And Hints For Eyes-Free Operation

bbrannan The first draft of the Puxing PX-UV973 Guide For Eyes-Free Operation is available. bit.ly/1fSn8ZU #hamradio

Note: The link is a direct download of the RTF file.

Best Chinese Dual-Band HT

Hans says with 100% absolute certainty that the answer to the question, "What's the best Chinese dual-band HT?" is:

It depends.

Puxing PX-UV973: Cross Band Repeat/Link Video

John demonstrates the Puxing PX-UV973 cross band repeat.

Puxing PX-UV973: Full Review

John has his full review here. Highlights for me:

"The radio can be set to use both display lines for a single channel. You could use one line to display the channel name, and the other line the frequency and such. When scanning, however, it reverts back to use of both lines of the display. I wonder why they did that. 

The cross band repeater works great. you program one frequency in the upper display, and another in the lower display. If a signal is received on one of these frequencies, the signal is simultaneously retransmitted on the other frequency! One frequency must be VHF and the other UHF. I am unsure if the radio is programmed to disallow same band repeating. The manual cautions against it... so be careful if you set it up wrong. 

The radio has a true dual receiver. You can select the volume levels via the menus and software to differentiate which VFO is louder than the other. 

I didn't test the full duplex option, as I didn't have a satellite pass handy to test. Also, there are no linked VHF/UHF repeaters in my area."

And:

"Volume in all cases can be loud enough in most cases without distortion. BUT, if a signal is not full quieting, it seems the noise in the signal is enhanced if the received signal is very weak. You could receive a faint signal, but only hear noise."

And:

"What I did not like: The battery life could be better; but this can be fixed by getting a more powerful battery. 

The scan speed is terribly slow! If the dual watch function is disabled and the radio operating in single channel mode the scan speed does improve a but; but is still slow. 

This radio does not have a compander, so narrow band fidelity may be lacking. This radio does include a scrambler, which is really more or less something that would be used far less than a compander. 

The annoying amplification of noise is not a deal breaker by any means; but is a real pain at times."

 Overall, he likes it for the features and despite the shortcoming mentioned above.

Puxing PX-UV973

John, KD8DVR, is taking a look at the Puxing PX-UV973. He's excited as it will do cross-band repeat. The specs are here and his first thoughts are here.

You can get one on eBay for $92.

And there is a Yahoo Group.

Puxing PX-888K: Follow-Up 2

Good things come to those who wait... Hans has completed his full review of the Puxing PX-888K. He's taken the original post and expanded on it. He still gives it a thumbs up:

"I like the Puxing PX-888K, but the radio is not without flaws. Phase noise is generally low, but the signal is not entirely clean. TX audio is muffled. The jacks for connecting programming cables and headsets can give you trouble later in time. Harmonic suppression is fine though, and the receiver is quite good. RX audio is brilliant – the most beautiful sounding audio to date. 

In spite of the price I can still recommend this radio, but using a good speaker/microphone is recommended."

Having never used one or even seen it in person, my contribution to the discuss of the PX-888K is: I like the green color. It has cool retro feel to it.

I did just check CHIRP again and did not seen other notes about adding support for the PX-888K.

Puxing PX-888K: Follow-Up

Hans previewed the Puxing PX-888K and I linked to his post. I even made fun of the fact that you could get a free shirt or jacket if you bought them in bulk. Some how I missed his follow-up of the actual review - Review Puxing PX-888K Part I - First Impressions. (No Part II yet, but he did mention the PX-888K in August when talking about the MYT-Q2.) Here are some key parts from his review:

Good build quality, nice features (like CTSS, DCS, DTMF, 1750 Hz burst tone, ANI), easy programming and "pleasant" receive audio, but "TX audio is still muffled, and the lack of highs makes your transmission hard to listen to."

The lone review by KD8DVR on eHam.net gives the PX-888K a thumbs up. He seems happier with the transmit audio - just comments it is a little "bassy." He's also posted a more detailed review on epinions.com. He specifically mentions that he has no trouble with the muffled audio that is common to Puxing. He does wish the battery life was better.

As with most Chinese radios, everyone is unhappy with the scanning speed.

The PX-888K has Part 90 acceptance - FCC ID: AUJPXDZ888K001. If you go to the FCC site, and search for AUJ in the Grantee Code  field, you can see the documents submitted for approval including pictures, manuals, etc.

Surprise - there is a Yahoo Group for the PX-888K! Only 77 members and 131 posts as of right now.

Current price is $80.00 with speaker mic at 409Shop. Or $89.95 at Kight Radio if you want a US dealer.

One update, there is still no CHIRP support, but it is on the list.

Here is the usual unboxing video courtesy of the 409Shop.

Puxing PX-888K

Steve and JLWilkers mentioned the Puxing PX-888K in the comments (here, here) a couple of weeks ago, but Hans (PD0AC) is about to get his hands on one. Quoting Hans, there are a few features that make this note worthy:

• 5 tone selective call (ZVEI,EIA,CCIR). These tones are often used in professional environments, which makes this radio compatible with commonly used professional hand-helds.
• Scrambler, 8 groups. Although banned by law for for use by Ham radio operators, this can be a lot of fun and adds a basic level of privacy. The word ‘groups’ is presumably another word for the various frequencies which are commonly used used in voice inversion systems.

The 409Shop has them for $80. Don't forget: you may want to pick up the PX-888K in bulk to get a free jacket or polo shirt!