Showing posts with label KG-UVD1P. Show all posts
Showing posts with label KG-UVD1P. Show all posts

Friday, February 22, 2019

Wouxun KG-UVD1P

An oldie, but a goodie...
"I have 6 (six) variants of this radio with the original UV-1D being my favorite! Back in 2011 when I first became a ham radio op, the Wouxun was the 'cheap' low-cost entry level rig (the world before baofeng). Coming in at nearly $80 less than the stellar FT-60 the UV-1D was right in my budget range. 8 (Eight) Years later, it's still my 'go-to' handi. While it's not my favorite HT (Kenwood TH-k20) it is the one I find myself using anytime I am forced to use a hand-held radio. Over the years I've added a pair of 2m/6m and 2m/220 versions as well as a few spare 2m/70cm rigs. When my eldest passed his tech test last year-he got a New Wouxun HT. As you can see I'm pretty heavily invested in Wouxun, and although I sometimes wonder if I'd been better off with an offering from the Big3 (unattainable in '11), when you add it all up ($) it seems like money well spent. K4CDN"

Monday, June 22, 2015

Google Trends - Chinese Radios

Just messing around with Google Trends... any other interesting comparisons or surprises?

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

TERMN-8R and KG-UVD1P

I picked up my first Chinese radio, the Wouxun KG-UVD1P in 2010 for $107. Getting a TERMN-8R for $138.89 in 2015 seems like a pretty good deal in comparison. I'm curious to know what others think.

Friday, April 25, 2014

Wouxun Memory Loss Fix

Interesting...

Replacing the surface mounted 24C64 eeprom to fix the memory loss problem:
"I have the KG-UV2D radio at work; connected to a battery eliminator (in place of the battery) - which is connected to a 12vdc source and an external antenna. The reason I went into detail about this is because every evening when I power-down my work bench for the night - the12vdc source that runs the radio is also powered down. So, I am completely removing the power source from the radio every night - with the radio sitting dead for 12 hours before being powered back up again (and it's even for longer over the weekend). It's been 2 weeks since the repair, and my Wouxun has kept it's memory programming; without the slightest burp."
Via AmateurRadio.com

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Wouxun KG-UV8D: Size Comparison

The first surprise I had was the size of the UV8D. From the pictures I had seen, I thought it was going to be a hefty radio. The reality is different. In the pictures you can see (from left to right) the Baofeng UV-3R, the Baofeng UV-5R, the Wouxun KG-UV8D, and the Wouxun KG-UV1DP.



(And, yes, I found my UV-5R.)

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

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.

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Wouxun KG-UVD1P: Display Problem

So I had been using the KG-UVD1P as my mobile rig (video here). Over time, the heat in the car must have taken its toll on the radio as the display does not work. I'm not the only one who has had this problem. Sorry for the poor iPhone video, but there isn't much to show, so I think it will suffice.

 

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Yahoo Group Numbers

The Yahoo Group for the Baofeng UV-5R is insane.

Since it started nine months ago, there have been over 11,000 messages - averaging almost 1,250 per month. September and October will both be over 2,000 each. At this point, it is almost unusable for me. I don't have the time to wade through that many messages - especially when they are mostly repeat issues. Most of which could be solved by searching the group or visiting sites like http://www.miklor.com/uv5r/.

A couple of points of reference...

The UV-3R group had about 3,000 messages over the same nine months. It broke 1,000 messages in a month once (Sept.). The Wouxun group had just over 2,000 for the same period and has never had more than 1,000 messages in a month going back to its start in 2009.


Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Wouxun KG-UVD1P: 6M

I had never seen this before... "Wouxun KG-UVD1P VHF plus Six Meters! Handheld"

From the MTC page:
Wouxun KG-UVD1P Dual Band VHF/ 50 MHZ Handheld Commercial Radio

Please understand what you are buying before you purchase this radio. This is not a VHF/UHF model. If you purchase by mistake and then ship it back , you will be charged a re stocking fee to cover the shipping cost.

Dual band VHF/UHF. Freq. range: 136-174, 50-54 MHz RX and TX. KG-UVD1P 2 meters and 6 meters!
Description
The KG-UD1P is a rugged compact, high-performance VHF/UHF handheld commercial transceiver providing up to 5 Watts of RF power on VHF and 4 Watts on 50 MHZ
Frequency Range of 136-174, 50-54 MHz RX and TX. FM: 76-108 MHz (RX).
Via the KG-UV_Commander Yahoo Group

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Wouxun KG-UVD1P: Fakes

Kight Radio thinks he has come across some fake copies of the KG-UVD1P:
"BIG NEWS - BEWARE - We found copies of the Wouxun KG-UVD1p, these copies are almost exact copies and you can not tell by looking at them. They are being sold for a much lower cost then the real UVD1p. Many of these have been sold to Hong Kong so this will explain why Hong Kong is selling them so cheap including postage. BEWARE, if you are ordering from Hong Kong , you might be buying a copy ! In the next few days I will update everyone. I purchased one to compare to the REAL one. I am looking for something that will tell the real from the copy."

Friday, July 20, 2012

Waccom WUV-6R: Wouxun KG-UVD1P - Fight!

Hans (PD0AC) reviews the Waccom WUV-6R and compares it to the Wouxun KG-UVD1P (as well as the Baofeng UV-5R). Some of the features of the WUV-6R sounded nice, but he is very disappointed in the receiver.

Click here to read the whole review.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Extending Frequencies & Warranty Support

"Is unlock software really needed for the 6D? I know the models I sell are factory set for various ranges and sold at varying prices. Unlock software is not available for the 6D radio and I hope it stays that way. When Jim started working on Commander for the 6D, I personally asked him to leave out the unlock feature. I often get "warranty" request only to find bricked radios with RX & TX set for foolish ranges like 0-999 MHz for both VHF and UHF. China gives practically NO warranty support, so all this comes out of the pocket of the dealers. I hope unlock software for the 6D never makes it to the public because it's been a pain in the rear for the other models.
Regards,
Ed Griffin
www.Wouxun.US"
I understand his point, but I would think he should just have a policy that trying to extend the usable frequencies voids the warranty. It might make some people mad, but those are the people he probably doesn't really want as a customer anyway.

Friday, July 13, 2012

Waccom WUV-6R: Jacket

I take it all back. Now that I can get a jacket for my Waccom WUV-6R, I am all over it! I wonder if they will throw in a couple of free pens.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Better Than Nothing

I'm, obviously, a big fan of inexpensive things like the Chinese radios. I'm willing to take a risk when it comes to quality and performance if the price is low enough. But there are limits... if you are chasing the absolute lowest price, you may end up with something that isn't even worth the small amount you paid. (And don't get me started about the transaction costs of scouring the whole internet to save $0.05 on a $50.00 purchase.)

Not Better Than Nothing
Hans (PD0AC) has a post up about Waccom where he wonders if they aren't buying up the early versions of various radios - early versions that have problems that were fixed in subsequent releases. It wouldn't surprise me to learn that some of these companies are actually related - that they've created tiers/brands for the various levels of quality. If a radio is good, sell it under the primary brand. If you have a bad batch, sell them under a secondary brand, so you don't dilute the stronger reputation of the primary.

These Waccoms seem to be the exception to the "better than nothing" rule in that, for essentially the same money, you could have a much better product. That's why I call this a "not better than nothing" option - you have wasted a scare resource in a race to the bottom.

Better Than Nothing
When it comes to self-defense, I'm less inclined to find the cheapest gun available, but there are some interesting options out there. (Everyday of the week and twice on Sunday, I would pick an inexpensive gun over no gun - even if it was one of these.)

Today, I saw this article about Cheaper Than Dirt's best selling gun - the Interstate Arms Hawk Model 982. The 982 is a clone of the popular Remington 870 and is less than $200. The article says it is so successful because "it does a great job of doing exactly what the manufacturer intended it to do, which is to be a rugged home defense gun." Then came this article about a polymer AR lower for only $50. There must be something in the water, because Tam also had this post about cheap fakes of the already inexpensive Magpul sights.

Not everyone can afford a Bio Force Gun 9000, so these less expensive options have their place. I would tend to think of them as "trunk guns" unless I couldn't afford something else. In that case, they would be my pride and joy. Much like I think of the Baofengs as cheap insurance. It may not be the best performer, but the low price allows me to keep one at the office, one in each car, etc. Since I don't have a complete armory at my house, maybe a 982 and a polymer lower is in my future.


Cheaper Than Dirt article via Gun Nuts Media

Friday, June 29, 2012

KGUVD1P vs TH-UVF1 vs UV5R

John asks which radio he should get. Hans replies:
"Best of the pack: Wouxun KGUVD1P. No real flaws to report. The KGUVD1P is verystrict when it comes to battery voltage though. It will switch off immediately,there's no escape. Switching to low power won't help. Buy a spare battery!
Runner up: Quansheng TG-UV2. Flaws: no DTMF. Not the prettiest design ever (a
matter of taste, of course). Strengths: capable of RX/TX on 350-390MHz. Batterylife is unbelievable.
The stock antennas of these two HT's are as good as they get, no need for areplacement.
The Baofeng UV-5R is interesting because of its price - you can buy two UV-5R'sfor the price of one Wouxun. If you can live with its quirks, you have a heck ofa deal."
Hans also replies on another thread:
"The cheap UV-3R can't be used here on 70cm. Total RX collapse. The UV-5R does alot better and is usable. The Quansheng TG-UV2 does even better, and the champion of Chinese HT's is the Wouxun KG-UVD1P. I hardly notice the influence of a 5+5+10 KiloWatt digital TV transmitter on that one, which is located only half a mile away from my QTH.
Even the best Chinese HT is no match for my Yaesu VX-177 mono band though. Thatone doesn't give a d*** about these signals. And it should, as I can buy fourUV-5R's for the price of one VX-177."
If you don't already follow Hans at his blog, I highly recommend it.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Wouxun KG-UV6D: FCC Update

There are some new entries on the FCC site for Quanzhou Wouxun Electronics Co., Ltd. (Go the the FFC site here and type WVT for Wouxun in the "Grantee Code" field to see all the files.) I was hoping to see a new entry for the KG-UV920R, but, alas, no. Looks like they want all models of their radios to share the same FCC ID. From the cover letter:
"We declared, added models KG-UVD1P, KG-UVD1P V2, KG-UV2D, KG-UV2D V2, KGUV3D, KG-UV3D V2, KG-UV5D, KG-UV5D V2, KG-UV6D V2, KG-UV6D-E, KG-UV6D-A, KG-UV6D-R, KG-UV6X, KG-UV7D, KG-UV7D V2, KG-UV8D, KG-UV8D V2, KG-UV9D, KG-UV9D V2, KG-UVA1, KG-UVA1 V2, KG-UVA2, KG-UVA2 V2 basis of the original models KG-UV6D. These models are identical circuit, PCB LAYOUT to the original model, only the appearance and name are different. All models sharing the same FCC ID without permissive change would be electrically identical."

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Wouxun KG-UVD1P: Alternative Manual

For a streamlined KG-UVD1P manual, click here.

Baofeng UV-5R: Size Comparison

On the left is my Baofeng UV-3R. In the middle is the Baofeng UV-5R. On the right is a Wouxun KG-UVD1P.



Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Wouxun KG-UV6D: Three New Versions

Three new versions - exclusively from Ed at Import Communications:

ALL VERSIONS FEATURE:
  • 199 Memory Channels
  • RPT Button*
  • Lockable S/D Button**
  • Tuning Knob functions when Keypad is locked
  • IP55 (Dust and Water Jets rating)
  • Uses all the same accessories as the other Wouxun dual band radios
  • Uses the same antenna connector as other Wouxun models. (Not all 6D's are like this)
*When in Frequency Mode, the RPT button will quickly cycle through SIMPLEX, +OFFSET, -OFFSET, +REVERSE and -REVERSE to access repeaters. It can also be programmed for other functions.
** With the radio in "single display" mode, and with the Keypad, MENU and S/D buttons locked, the end user will only be able to turn the radio on/off, change channels and talk. This is perfect for the non-radio user. Nothing they do will get them lost in menu-land.

VERSIONS ARE DETERMINED BY FREQUENCY RANGE & TUNING STEP

KG-UV6D-2.5 (full range coverage for public service) $175.00
  • 2.5 Khz Tuning Step - compliant with new FCC rules for Land Mobile Service
  • TX & RX - 136-174 & 420-520 (frequency range can not be changed by owner)

KG-UV6D-IC1 (full range receive, ham band transmit) $140.00
  • 5 Khz Tuning Step - the standard for Amateur Radio
  • RX - 136-174 & 420-520
  • TX - 144-148 & 420-520 (frequency range can not be changed by owner)

KG-UV6D-IC2 (full range coverage for ham, MARS, public service) $150.00
  • 5 Khz Tuning Step - the standard for Amateur Radio
  • TX & RX - 136-174 & 420-520 (frequency range can not be changed by owner)

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Yahoo Groups: Amateur and Ham Radio

I was poking around the Yahoo Groups and noticed that under the category of "Amateur and Ham Radio" there are about 7,200 groups. There are almost 200 with more than 1000 members.

The Yaesu FT-817 has the largest group with over 12,000 members.

The Wouxun KG-UVD1 group has 2,300 members and averages about 400 messages per month.

The Baofeng UV-3R group has around 1,900 members and averages close to 500 messages per month.