QYT KT8900: First Review

This review of the KT8900 is a bit too stream of consciousness for me - making it hard to follow, but I've grepped that saving settings to memory is not working. He's got some pictures of the boards at the link along with a list of current issues in his radio. Hopefully others will get their KT8900/JT-6188 radios soon and we can see if they have the same problems.

Blackbox (Baofeng) Base Station

A while back I posted about what I called the Blackbox Baofeng Base Station. The guys over at BuyTwoWayRadios discuss the Blackbox base station on their podcast. They've watched the video from Richard Klein (see below). There isn't a ton of information, so they speculate a little, ask some questions, and offer some opinions. I pretty much agree with everything they say - interesting idea, mounting to the wall would be odd unless the antenna rotates, either this is a repackaged Baofeng or they are taking advantage of popular (thus cheaper) components, and the $239.95 price tag means few amateurs will be interested.



What I don't understand is the comment left on their post - the name displayed with the comment is Richard Klein:

"You should ask questions before you post ignorant comments.
Yes we use a Baofeng keypad and screen due to low cost, but the entire thing from there is custom.
The power supply is modified to accept AC.
The speaker output is 3X a portable radio (4 Ohm speaker with amplifier).
The housing is custom.
The circuitry is completely modified with high quality shielding, voltage protection, and coil mod.
So you think it's a Vega from the headlights, but we wrapped it in a Ferrari body, and put a Maserati engine inside."

Drop the first and last lines and you've got a helpful response. I really don't think anything said in the podcast was as harsh as the response.

Juentai JT-6188

I saw this post on AR-15.com about getting a Juentai JT-6188 (aka QYT KT8900). The interesting note was that the specs for the transceiver showed it as a tri-bander (2m, 220, 440) on the Amazon page. I say "showed" as the post has seen been changed. I suspect it is only a dual-band, but I'm always happy to get a bonus band.

Paper

What?

NPR just called paper "the iPad of its day." pic.twitter.com/r6e96mOE6H

— Squarely Rooted (@squarelyrooted) May 26, 2015

Via David Burge / @iowahackblog

2 Gbps

Because my 100 Mbps connection isn't enough... Comcast to bring 2 Gbps to Knoxville.

Wouxun KG-UV9D: $179.99 at BuyTwoWayRadios.com

Use the promo code "179UV9D" to get the special pricing.

Special #PromoCode 179UV9D gets you a Wouxun KG-UV9D for $179.99! Limited time offer. http://t.co/bGkKU5BhAQ #amateurradio #hamradio #hamr

— BuyTwoWayRadios.com (@2wayradios) May 21, 2015

That's a lot better than the $245 price I'm seeing at the 409Shop.

Wouxun KG-UV9D: Software

BuyTwoWayRadios has added a link to the software on the KG-UV9D page under the Resources section. (Direct link here.)

Running Truism

Once you see a three foot snake cross the greenway in front of you, every stick for the rest of the run looks like a snake.

Wouxun KG-UV9D: In Stock and Shipping

BuyTwoWayRadios has the Wouxun KG-UVD in stock and is shipping out orders:

"If you already pre-ordered the 9D from Buy Two Way Radios, get ready. Your new radio is now on its way! If you haven't ordered yet, we have a limited number currently in stock, so if you want one, get it now."

QYT KT8900: Dual Band Mobile

I get the marketing e-mails from 409Shop and the QYT KT8900 dual-band mobile caught my eye - just because the price was less than $100.

Frequency Range: VHF:136-174MHz  UHF:400-480MHz
Number of Channel: 200
Channel Spacing: 25KHz 20K 12.5
Phase lock step: 5KHz、6.25 KHz、10 KHz、12.5 KHz、15 KHz、25 KHz
Working Voltage: 13.8V DC±15%
Squelch way: CTCSS/DCS/5Tone/2Tone/DTMF
Frequency Stability: ±2.5ppm
Operating Temperature: -20~+60
Dimension(W x H x D): 98(W) x 35(H) x 118(D)mm
Weight: 408g

Receiver
Sensitivity
Broadband: ≤ 0.25μV
Narrow band: ≤ 0.35μV

Transmitter
Output power: 25W/20W(VHF/UHF)